Cassidy's Restaurant — Restaurant in Portland

Ok, this has to be some hidden gem in downtown Portland.

My wife and I stayed at the Crystal Hotel for her birthday and wanted a good steak for dinner. After researching through all of the ungodly expensive steakhouses in Portland we found Cassidy's and decided to give it a shot since it was a 5 minute walk away.

Walking in, the ambiance was great. The decor reminded me of a 40s or 50s era swanky restaurant with a gorgeous bar. The place is dimly lit with candles on the tables, which gave a very intimate feeling and was perfect for our date.

We went on a Friday night and it was just empty. I made us reservations expecting a busy restaurant and it wasn't necessary and totally surprising with how good this meal was. Like I said, total hidden gem in downtown Portland.

I'm vegan and my wife isn't so she NEVER gets a good steak anymore. She loves salad too so she ordered the Grilled Flank Steak Salad. Perfectly cooked and seasoned small piedmontese sirloin, organic greens, smoked blue cheese, pickled red onion, pear, candied hazelnuts with a blood orange truffle vinaigrette. She loved every bite!

The only mistake of the evening was she asked for no blue cheese and when she got the salad it was loaded with it. We sent it back and our server replaced it ASAP. However, they sent back the same steak that she originally got instead of remaking the entire dish. A little off-putting, but the steak was so good my wife loved it even when it was cold.

That series of mistakes would normally have taken away the 5th star but.....the heavens rejoiced when the chef created that Vegan Risotto!

The dish is arborio with roasted turnip, parsnip, and rutabaga, caramelized pear on top, and a vegan cashew brie stirred in.

I've always wanted to try risotto, but with my dietary restrictions I can't have cheese and dairy. I was super excited to see this on the menu for vegans and every bite was divine!! Creamy and cheesy, the rice was perfectly cooked and those roasted veggies were soooooooo good!!! I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what to think about the caramelized pear on top (I'm not usually a sweet dinner kind of guy) but the bite all together was complex rollercoaster of flavor that I never wanted to end. I was truly sad that the meal was gone and I couldn't have seconds!

We ended the night with a creme brule dessert that the server comped us for the salad mistake. It was an orange citrus creme brule and my wife enjoyed every last bite.

My only real critique and thing I felt lacking was there wasn't a dessert option for a vegan even though there is a vegan dish on the menu. I had to sit and watch my wife eat dessert while I sipped on my water. Even if it was just a light sorbet with some mint for a pallet cleanser, a vegan friendly dessert to wrap up the awesome vegan meal would be super appreciated.

Our server. I feel bad because I didn't get his name but he was a trooper! He was the host, the server AND the bartender. There was some other staff for sure, but the guy working the evening shift on 12/09/22 behind the bar deserves a raise!

We'll definitely be back next time we're in...

Was a patron here for 25+ years. After today it's unlikely we will return. Not sure if I've ever met the owner but I hate writing this review because he has done an outstanding job over the years. But I had a terrible experience and feel I need to share it.

The bartender appeared to be the only one available to seat people and take orders, and he was clearly having a bad day... but to take it out on us as you greet us is unacceptable. And the rude, short, snappy, sarcastic interaction didn't stop. After sitting down and interacting with him again, we felt so uncomfortable by it we had to leave. It's hard to imagine returning after an experience like that.

The service has always been amazing and I loved this place. I've referred dozens of people here over the years. But until I learn this person no longer works here, I doubt I can come back. It's hard to replace a seasoned bartender... I suggest keeping him as far away from the diners as possible. My guess is he didn't like us walking in at 11 pm (even though we called at 10:45 and asked before coming to confirm it would be fine). He clearly didn't want us there but if that's the case, respectfully tell us when we call and ask. We go out to have a good time. I have no idea why people like this go into the service industry.

This was on Thursday, September 11th in...

A friend and I came to town for a concert at the crystal ball room. After the show we were trying to make a plan and Cassidy’s looked like an ok place to grab a drink and discuss our options. Upon arrival there, the bartender was immediately rude when asking us if we wanted drinks and food saying “HELLO I’m over here” when we didn’t immediately answer. He showed us to a table and began giving us the specials and after he walked away we had started thinking that it wasn’t really the place for us. So we waited for him to come back to tell him we weren’t from around here to see if he would give us a recommendation for somewhere else to go. Instead of doing that he was absolutely so rude saying “well you’re not going to find a sit down place anywhere around here” to which we replied that that wasn’t what we were looking for. Instead of suggesting a couple places or even just being a kind individual, he snatched the menus off the table and said “good luck” before walking away. As two people who are in the industry, we understand the fast pace and hurried atmosphere of a busy bar. But from the moment we walked into the place the bartender was rude and unwelcoming. I absolutely will let people I know, coming to Portland about this unappealing visit we had at this...