Mingo — Restaurant in Beaverton

Disappointing Night at Mingo - We have been to this place many times and I feel sad and frustrated while writing this review. The Sugo di Carne tonight was tasteless, it lacked salt, flavor, and even braised beef. We have had it before so it was easy to say that something was off and not up to the standards our family and friends are used to from Mingo. But the main issue tonight was not the Sugo, the main issue tonight was the way the restaurant made us feel. Here comes the story:  Although we did not eat the meal, and we told the server we would not, the restaurant handed us a bill where they charged us for the full meal. I kid you not. It was my husband's dish, he took a bite and said "this tastes awful", I tried a bite, his mom tried a bite and we all agreed with him. He asked for salt, he tried another small bite again and said "no, I won't eat this". After talking to the server, she offered to make the same dish again (not another dish or anything else, just the same dish) and we were all puzzled as the espresso braised beef is made in batches so she was pretty much offering him the same tasteless dish. Well, when we received the check and complained about being charged for something we did not consume, we were told that they did not have a way to know if we had eaten the food or not (by that time they had cleaned out our table and took the dish with them). The server comes back after talking to a manager, and says that 'the manager is willing to compromise and he took half of the charge of as you ate some of the food' and we were like "WTF?". Three people tried tiny bits of the dish! My husband was looking forward to their Sugo, his favorite dish but instead, he left the restaurant hungry. Mingo lost a few customers tonight. But guess what? Their place is always busy so they probably could not care less. And we know that because the manager did not even take the time to come and talk to us. Or apologize. Or anything. When we told the server that was terrible and how come the manager did not come to talk to us himself, her response was that it was her table, therefore, her responsibility, and we are all thinking 'What kind of high-end restaurant manager does not take responsibility for a situation like this one?" The server was okay. At first, she was super friendly but things lost steam after my husband mentioned not liking the food. It was like she decided to ignore us from there. We know we are still in a pandemic and the restaurant industry is still recovering and that is why I am sad. If they had taken the tasteless dish out of the bill - as they should have - we would probably have tipped her 20 -25% based on the total amount of bill with the tasteless dish, but by the time we left, we were so pissed that she saw a zero dollars tip from us. Honestly, I do not believe we have ever left a zero-dollar tip to a server before. We expected more from Mingo's management team. And reading other reviews tonight we can tell that others have been disappointed about the Sugo and other tasteless dishes recently. Maybe Mingo should look into it further instead of ignoring their...

Very good Italian restaurant that is both casual & classy. I wouldn't say the food is mind-blowing, but it's definitely solid. The inside of the restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows (and an outdoor seating area near a giant water fountain), so the lighting is great and the view is pleasant. It is also kid-friendly. The food matches the restaurant's fresh & cozy vibe. They serve classic Italian dishes, such as ossobuco, gnocchi, calamari, arancini, polenta, all sorts of pasta, and thin, chewy pizzas. I like to start with either the warm Brussels sprouts salad or the Mingo Caesar. Caesar salad sounds boring but Mingo's version of this classic dish is a bit more interesting. It consists of whole leaves of Romaine lettuce with a garlicky, lemon dressing seasoned with pecorino-romano cheese & toasted breadcrumbs. Can't go wrong with that. Honestly, all the appetizers are great but I particularly like the polenta (so creamy!), the arancini (so crispy!), and the prawn skewers (so juicy!). Meat lovers can choose from a strong selection of fish, chicken, pork, or beef. Mingo also offers both vegetarian & meat-filled pasta dishes. Their gnocchi is very good but note that it may be different from what you're used to. The gnocchi is baked Roman-style covered in a light tomato sauce -- very rustic tasting. In addition to meat & pasta, Mingo offers a variety of pizzas. It's the Italian- style kind where the crust is thin & chewy. Mingo serves both lunch & dinner (and happy hour!). Lunch is only available from Tuesday through Friday. Dinner is available 7 nights a week. The restaurant is popular so it can get crowded. It is a fairly big restaurant so most likely you'll get seated right away, but you can also make reservations (for any party size). The restaurant is within a small complex of condominiums and other businesses. Parking is available, but it is shared. The restaurant is not easily visible from the road, but once you enter the business/condo complex, you should be able to see it right away. The restaurant is located near the Beaverton Transit Max Station, so those who don't drive can still easily get there. Mingo West is definitely more of a "neighborhood" restaurant. People living in downtown or on the east side of Portland don't really come here (esp since there's another Mingo on NW 23rd). I think the price is a little high for what you're getting, thus I gave 3 stars instead of 5. But overall, I like the restaurant very much -- the ambience is cozy but classy, and the food is deliciously...

My friends recently introduced me to Mingo West. It is their favorite Italian restaurant this side of town and one of the coolest. I couldn't agree more.

Mingo's has a hip and modern vibe to their Italian food. The restaurant is bright and airy unlike the traditional dark and somber traditional Italian places. Giant glass bay doors look out to the promenade letting in lots of natural light. During good weather those same doors lift open melding the outdoors with the indoor seating. They also had nicely spaced outdoor seating to enjoy the walkway. I thoroughly enjoyed their outdoor dining area. There's something about having a delicious meal while enjoying the warmth of the sun and the cool summer breeze.

Parking is super easy and something I appreciate. The lot is right next to the promenade and is free. Look for the max station and you will find the lot. Just be aware, that the entrance to Mingos is on the promenade facing the max station and little park. If you go to the front of the establishment you will need to walk around (I made that mistake).

Also, starting in early September you will need to show Proof Of Vaccination if you want to Dine In. Masks, social distancing and Covid cleaning protocols is strictly followed here. If you do want to Dine In I would recommend making reservations. The place was packed and walk ins would be darn near impossible. Fortunately I booked ahead of time for our group. Pro tip: use the OpenTable app to get 100 pts for dining here 😉.

Service at Mingo's is fantastic. Our server made sure our glasses were full at all times and our needs met. Like one of our group couldn't eat dairy and unfortunately the dish she ordered mistakenly had dairy. The server immediately fixed the issue, and replaced the dish with a delicious non dairy pasta alternative.

The portions were generous and filling. I ordered the special pork lasagna and it was fantastic. I would definitely recommend the caprese Salad and any of the specials. On the suggestion of my server, I also ordered 3 scoops of gelato for dessert and received a bowl that was about 1 pint worth lol. Get the gelato but be prepared to share if you can't eat that much.

Overall the experience here was wonderful. If you are looking for a modern twist on classic Italian make sure to check...