Red Star Tavern Reviews

Great for happy hour. Try a combination of small plates -- especially the fingerling potatoes!

Always a great spot in Portland. Steak salad is my "go to"

oh wait, I got this place confused with Star Bar, which is better in all ways.

The later-than-usual happy hour is nice.

If you go for lunch, try the Mac & Cheese - you won't be disappointed.

Went in for happy hour which the Yelp site said was til 7. They hadn't updated the change to 6. Ordered the cheese plate for $17 and was shocked when it arrived with 3 pieces of cheese a little bigger than the size of a quarter 6 paper thin apple slices 10 crackers and a strawberry with a few nuts.The flavor of the cheese was non exsistent in one of them and very average in the others. But the rind was so thick on the brie that there wasn't even enough for 2 crackers once you cut it off! The most overpriced and underwhelming appetizer I have ever purchased

Although i found nothing wrong with this establishment it was just not the place for me. It felt like it was trying to be both fancy yet ok for a causal portland crowd. The food was only ok and i felt the drinks were overpriced. I guess if you like something that is a little more fancy than most portland restaurants you could choose a worst place, but with so many wonderful options in portland i would just go try another place first.

Decent happy hour and good people watching if you get a table near the window.

Drinks are top notch. Next time I'll stick to the bar, as the food was underwhelming for the price.

Delicious and good service. I had the potato cauliflower soup and duck confit with kale, poached egg and squash. My bf had the chicken with whit beans. Both were delicious. They also brought out bread and small plates with a sampling of smoked gouda, almonds, crackers and tangerines. It was a delightful meal.

The staff is amazing! Priced as a hotel bar but worth it

Walked in. 4 staff members were not busy. I sat at the bar. The two bartenders saw me sit and said nothing. No smile, no hello. So I cheerily said hello. Zero response. The other two staff members were engrossed in coversation. Place wasn t busy. No one noticed I came or left. A bar is supposed to be a welcoming place. I m not high maintenance, but I m not invisible either. Service should be better.

I found this place after work one day after work.
It's great.
Kelsey gave me all the specials, and I ordered them all. They were great.
Please visit here.

Food was absolutely great! Service was friendly and the selection of beer was pretty good.

When you look at the menu on the window and see the general clientele inside this place seems like a place rich people torch their money, but the food here is actually spectacular and worth every dollar you pay for it. If you want to treat yourself or impress someone with picturesque, perfectly executed American food, this is bar none the place to go. Everything I've seen or tried here is both generally a perfect version of what it is but also has a unique edge to it that doesn't compromise the source material. Whoever made this place's menu and runs it has a vision for quality, uniqueness, and overall experience. They succeed on all fronts in my opinion.

My wife and I love this place. We had out first date here, wedding reception here, and our anniversary dinner here. They have take special care of us every time. They make every customer feel like a VIP. Totally worth the cost, one of the best restaurants in Portland!

Great low-key place to hang out. Friendly staff. Surprisingly good food. Happy Hour could be better.

Red Star knows how to mix a proper cocktail. Nicely done, Brianna.

UPDATE: Micah rocks. This dude knows how to mix a proper cocktail too. We have a contest -- name this martini: half Belvedere, half Sapphire. Cocktail onions, no olives or vermouth (God forbid!). Give us your best idea! I've been calling it Bob (Bombay on Belvedere) for years, but certainly you can do better. What say you?!

UPDATE: Aviation gin. Rocks. Twist. Boom, drop the mike FTW.

The Red Star has a great atmosphere and is in walking distance from several hotels. The burger is excellent, the fried potato wedges addictive and the old fashioned is done right - gentlemen's cube included!

The epitome of the five star hotel bar but friendly and approachable. Never seen a better whiskey list! Gorgeous ambiance and more magnetic than a particle collider. From Brooks Brothers to after work office crew, this is the place!!!9

The happy hour prices are really good and the portion sizes are pretty large. The service was good and seating is very comfortable. Everyone at our table agreed that the dishes seemed to lack salt.

I've been to Red Star twice now and both times were consistent in food quality and service. Both times I sat in the bar area which is open with two TVs. The drinks are good and they have a large (displayed) selection of liquor to satisfy More

Wow......my wife and I just ate here. In town for a wedding. One of the best meals we've ever had. We had the pan roasted steelhead and the roasted half chicken. Both were amazing. I had the Red Star Cocktail......amazing! We'd make a special trip to come back here.

The beer and service was good, but the food portion was a little on the small size. $3 for one taco is a bit ridiculous.

Nice quick place to grab a bite to eat. Coffee was good.

Food is good, staff is friendly. It's a relaxing space. Good for catching up with friends.

Great service, great drinks, and wonderful people. Service is quick and professional. Food is good. Atmosphere is congenial.

This place is great if you're looking for a place that closes late on Sundays. The happy hour menu has some great food as well as drinks. There are better places out there but this one is good as well.

Service was great, food was mediocre, definitely not worth the price.

Great breakfast!!! Excellent service! Warm atmosphere........Ill be back!!

This is a nice restaurant with good food. I do think they should look at changing the name though. Not much in the line of tavern good is sold here.

Service was great. The tasty party of my burger was the grilled onions. I admit I had been smoking that good stuff.

Nice selection of scotch/whisky, had a very nice vibe.

My daughter and I took my wife for the Mother s Day brunch buffet. Service was great and they had a wonderful selection of food. Would go back for sure! Skipped lunch because of how much I ate there.

We absolutely loved the food here!! The only reason I'm giving the rating of 4 and not 5 stars is due to lack of service. The evening started off pretty great we were greeted and seated promptly by the hostess...a couple minutes later we were approached by an older gentleman (whom we believed may have been the manager), that proceeded to take our drink orders. I ordered a lemonade (one of the best I've ever had by the way, freshly made and flavorful with a sugar "salted" rim... definitely above average) and the boyfriend ordered the cocktail Bittersweet Symphony which he seemed to enjoy very much. Our only concern was that it took a while to get back to our table, which didn't seem like a huge deal to us because of the quality and craftsmanship delivered by the bartender. So we shook it off, no biggie. Next we were greeted by another woman, our server that took our orders and was very friendly, not overly friendly but nice enough, and reasonably knowledgeable concerning the menu and any questions we had. The first half of the night in our opinion went rather smoothly, and after my boyfriend ordered his second drink (the maple bourbon one, which he said he loved), it seemed as though the server had given up on staying on top of her game. Throughout the meal she checked up on us, what seemed like, probably every 30 minutes which, was unacceptable to us. It took a while to get water refilled and even longer for her to bring a dessert menu (the best part of any meal!!!), and then forever to finally bring our check. We found it especially unjust because we'd been one table away from a couple she appeared to know personally, and had been chatting up for the second half of our meal. Point of the story is, make sure you (servers) aren't neglecting patrons that are paying good money for your service, which usually at minimum for most people consists of water refills and not-so-infrequent checkups.

Waited an extended amount of time to even have drink order taken.

The Red Star martini is amazing! This place has been consistently good for the last 10 years we've travelled to Portland.

The food was amazing. The steak was the best New York I've ever had before. The cheese bowl thing with pretzels was great too. Would have given 5 stars but it took over an hour after ordering to get our food. Our male server was awesome and the female lady didnt seem like the liked her job too much. Highly recommended and will go back again for that steak.

This was a very beautiful establishment that we fell upon walking downtown. The food was amazing and our server was amazing and courteous. We Will definatley be back.

The food was very ho-hum and the service was extremely slow, especially if you just went there for a work lunch. I definitely would not recommend.

Didn't seem like they wanted to serve us. Great environment, love the bar. Seemed understaffed.

Beautiful design, many comfortable tables, pleasant service, we drank beer and ordered small snacks, it was very nice, we liked it!

Mom and I stumbled upon this place after a show and we'll definitely be coming back. The service was very attentive and the drinks were strong, I recommend the old-fashioned. We shared a cheese platter with some delicious Humboldt Fog cheese, and I had the risotto which is absolutely delicious. The decor made me feel like we were missing a cigar but it didn't feel overly pretentious, can't wait to come back.

I went here for happy hour, expecting some tasty cheap food. It was pretty good, but the portions are nothing to shake a stick at and the happy hour service was below par. There are much better options in the area with wait staff willing to actually take care of you.

We loved Red Star. From the amuse' to the bread (butter with a delicious Hawaiian sea salt) to the homemade papardelle to the creme brulee and peaches & cream in a jar...everything was delicious and the service was perfect. It is clear that this is a well managed restaurant with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and care for the guest. My Husband Paul and I look forward to our next visit when in Portland.

Not a true tavern at all. Service was slow and unremarkable. Menu was tiny and had nothing desirable.

Delicious cocktails! Sat at the bar and received excellent service from the bartender who gave plenty of space, but was also right there to answer questions and take orders. Menu looked lovely, but had already eaten. Will need to go back and try a bit of food.

Very patient staff. The burger was delicious the venison stew was too sweet it overpowered all the flavors, but still delicious.

Stopped by early on St. Patrick's day. Delicious Sriracha and honey wings on the happy hour menu, and a decent Manhattan to boot.

I've eaten here several times over the last six months and never had anything less than an excellent if not very good meal. The menu is varied, inventive and delicious, always msrked by the freshest seasonal ingredients. A bit pricey, but this is much more than tavern food. Excellent cocktails, truly friendly and welcoming service... a special shout out to Cheryl who makes you feel right at home.

The food and cocktails are worth the money. Great location to people watch too

Excellent drinks. Friendly staff. Good food. Interesting inside.

Really chill bar to stop in and have a drink or two. Bartenders are friendly, haven't had the food, but the Moscow mules, and White Russians are made really well.

Get the Curious Scotsman and the Red Star Burger and you shall be pleased. Dinner menu is slightly bigger than the lunch menu, but what's on the lunch menu is excellent as well. Whiskey drinks are good stuff.

Had a wonderful and sane experience in an otherwise crazy town. The food was great as was the friendly staff. I will be back.

Good food and service. Slightly dark inside depending on your table. Ambience could be better.

It was okay although the atmosphere was very pleasant. As tourists that have traveled the world, had all kinds of foods and drink, I'd really have to say the food here was average but that's just my opinion, YMMV.

Just stopped into have a beer with my mom while walking through town. We smelled a clam dish and had to have it. Brandon the bartender was awesome and I recommend you stop in if you're in the neighborhood.

I had a 40 minute wait for the bus so I ducked in to Red Star Tavern. All the staff was wonderful! I had a lovely Potato leek soup & Coffee Nudge. It was the perfect end respite to a long, cold commute!

Very nice place, just came to try different beers, tasty tasty.

Even the happy hour drinks seemed steep for what you got. The aesthetic was nothing special, unless of course you consider water-stained wallpaper fancy. The bar is in desperate need of a facelift. The appetizers were boring, though the presentation was acceptable. Tldr: not fancy enough for the prices, pretentious for the quality. They were slow, but the waiter acted as if he had a thousand places more important he needed to be. The best part of the visit were the incredibly clean bathrooms. Go figure.

Soccer on the TV and a wood fired oven! Need I say more!

Nice space, ok drink selection, so so food, somewhat expensive.

These guys make their own pickles! That leads to the best pickle-back and Jameson you have ever had on this big blue earth! Never a dull meal either!

Great Food, Decent affordable prices, friendly wait staff ... An enjoyable experience

Portland Mercury's Wings Week. Nothing special kind of sweet and tiny.

Great food and service. It is a lovely restaurant with great atmosphere.

Great food, great service and super super super free valet parking. I have never responded to surveys but I am compelled to do so. Keep it up!!!

Awesome happy hour specials. Friendly staff, the lamb skewers are a must during happy hour.