Bar Cala — Restaurant in Portland

I've been to Barcala for over 4 months now. I've always loved it there and had never had any issues. This last Saturday, their white male bartender was extremely rude and decided to talk back to me after I had patiently waited in line for ONE drink for over 50 minutes. I waited in the corner of the bar were I previously saw him serve customers their drinks (I've also previously had my order taken at the same spot by a different bar tender in my past visits) He allowed a random customer to cut and immediately gave him 4 shots, this was after I had been waiting for over 30 minutes. I spoke up and informed him I had been waiting for a long time now, he clapped back and said "he's the dj and he works here. I don't serve drinks in this corner to anyone unless they work here" I let that slide and that customer was NOT the dj, regardless I moved directly to the front of the bar. He decided to ignore me for another 15 minutes, he then proceeded to take an order from the same corner I had just came from, and served regular customers their drinks. I questioned him and he said "he's the owner of the bar" this is a lie, I told him that wasn't true and he proceeded to say " then who is" as if we were in high school arguing back and forth. I've met the owners of the bar and although I don't know them by name, I do know they are white folk, not Latino. He then was about to take the order of the people next to me and I got his attention informing him that I was next. He went ahead and said " are you always this rude and sassy?" to top it off. He then served me a redbull vodka, I had ordered a modelo, quite literally the easiest order and he found a way to eff it up. He gave me the drinks and walked away stating " since I love your attitude so much, these are for free" I don't need charity work, I wanted good service, I understand how busy and overwhelming it can get on Saturday nights, I was a regular up until that Saturday, but I've never received such attitude and treatment at ANY nightclub or bar I've previously been to. Absolutely disgusting service by that guy. Mind you, I paid to get in and spent over an hour at the bar waiting for a drink that wasn't even right. He had a nasty attitude towards everyone and I truly believe that guy did a better job as a barback then bartending. I hope Barcala hires staff in the near future that is well trained and...

Bar Cala was such a refreshing experience! We got there around 5pm on a Friday and were super lucky we didn't have to wait for seating. The staff were very nice when we asked to change from bar seating to regular seating and although our food did take a while to come in, it was worth it! We tried most of the menu and in my opinion the price was worth the meal I dont regret ordering a single thing! Although one dish I will point out is the pulpo dish, I felt like something was missing from it - either a little more salt or extra sauce, I just kept thinking something needed to be added. Other than that, every plate was different (and better) from something I've had before, from the fish tacos to the coctel de camaron - everything is elevated and light and not something I have had before. Not to mention the plating is absolutely wonderful, I felt like I was in masterchef. And the ✨drinks✨!! 🤌🤌 Strong as heck! We also ended up ordering most of the drink menu and I can say there is something for everyone. I got Selling Sunset - it came with a disclaimer from the staff which I thought was hilarious. It's a sippable drink that is very unusual (and strong) but I loved it! The decor was extra as well and I am here for it, I loved all the greens and pinks and blues it made me feel like I was at a resort without having to reserve a hotel. All in all a great place to visit, the atmosphere is amazing, the music is great and the drinks and food are even better. I love that they kept the latin flair and also did their own spin on all the food and drinks, I think that a latin owned and inspired bar is something that portland needed- speaking as someone coming from California - I haven't seen so many people of color in one space since moving here and it was so nice! I will be going back when I am not dd to try the rest of the...

I hate to be this critical but I truly wouldn’t want some else to experience this and don’t get me wrong, I really wanted to like this place. The aesthetic is on point, however, they seem to have missed the mark on nearly everything else.

To start, we waited for over two hours to be seated, after we were told multiple different time estimates while - also being told that we were next (almost like we were forgotten).

Once seated, we ordered drinks and food fairly quickly and this is were it went wrong. One of our friends ordered 3 separate items and all of his food came out before drinks had been served and before anyone else had received their food. He finished his entire meal before anyone else had received theirs. We inquired about our drinks after more food came out and were told either “I’m sure your drinks are coming” or “the bar is just backed up”.

Overall the food was tasty, but outrageously over priced ($14 for a lightly dressed Caesar salad, $17 for 5 round tortilla chips, guac, and salsa and $20 for 5 small pieces of fish that was in some sort of liquid). In addition, the drinks were overpriced for what was received. And truly the nail in the coffin was being informed that there would be 20% gratuity automatically included - don’t get me wrong, we were a large group so I understand this is an industry standard, but no point was this communicated to us nor was it listed on the menu.

I believe that Bar Cala has the potential to be a great spot but I think a lot of adjustments need to be made...