El Gaucho Portland

Exceptional experience for my wife and I as we celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary. The service we received was world class. We enjoyed our drinks and of course the dinner and dessert were excellent. Thank you for making our dinner date such a memorable experience.

We watched the last Pac12 football championship in the cigar lounge. It was an amazing experience and a great way to start off the holiday season. Thank you!

My friend and I chose this place for her birthday dinner, and we were extremely satisfied with the food, service, and overall ambiance of the restaurant. Our server, Dennis, approached the table asking how were were doing before discussing the menu and engaged in conversation with us. This was a great start to the night, especially since it helped us ease into the restaurant as individuals who were visiting from another state. The selection of wines was spectacular, and, again Dennis helped us select a local Pinot Noir wine from Portland and some steaks (Filet Mignon and Wagyu Beef). We also ordered the Bordelaise sauce and scallop potatoes. I ordered the Wagyu Beef, and I highly recommend trying this with the Bordelaise sauce, together with one of their red wines. We weren’t too familiar with the location and the menu, but Dennis was extremely helpful in providing recommendations and ensuring that our needs were met while we were there. He gave great explanations of the menu items and even provided some locations (brunch places and cafes) nearby that would be great to visit for first-time travelers. A few things to note: The servers are helpful and friendly. When I needed directions to the restroom, a server kindly walked with me until I found my way instead of simply giving directions or pointing. My friend needed to charge her phone at one point, and another server kindly let us charge her phone at the restaurant’s reception desk. Finally, when we decided we were done with our food and ready to leave the restaurant, Dennis (and then later on another server) explained the service charge instead of simply leaving it for us to decipher. Yes, there is a service charge for those who would like to dine in this restaurant, but with the explanation from the servers and the quality of the restaurant and service, it is quite reasonable. These little details mattered so much to us! Thank you! I appreciate the way we were accommodated into the space, especially after having such a negative experience with out hotel earlier that evening (see other Google Review). Our experience at El Gaucho Portland helped us to wind down from all the events of that day but also set a great tone for the beginning of my friend’s birthday festivities. It has been a week since we left Portland, yet we continue to rave about this restaurant to family and friends. This was definitely the highlight of our trip. Thank you, El Gaucho staff! We appreciate you.

El Gaucho will go down in history as the restaurant that saved our company holiday party from completely falling apart. We initially had reservations at a restaurant down the street, with reservations that was reserved 2 weeks prior, and upon arrival, they made us wait an hour and half past our reservation time and then canceled our reservations completely because of their negligence and lack of professionalism. All 12 of our employees were waiting outside in the cold with no back up plan. I called the best steak joint in all of Portland and ask Gaucho not only accommodated all of us, but got us in in less than 15 minutes. The experience was beyond exceptional. Melissa is the best host and server known to man. This lovely lady took care of us from start to finish; El Gaucho is lucky to have that lady on their team. El Gaucho and Melissa, thank you so much for saving the entire night. I will be returning to El Gaucho for every special occasion because last night, I truly felt special. Thank you for everything.

From the second we walked in the experience was enjoyable. Live musician playing soft tunes at the entrance, the hostess was great and mentioned our reservation notes in a way that made us feel recognized. The table was decorated for our occasion and was a great addition to the experience. The wait staff was amazing with their recommendations and pairings. They were always available, but not at the table so much that we couldn't focus on our conversation. The food was amazing and was at the table quickly. This was a great experience.