Chaval — Restaurant in Portland

Like any good restaurant, Chaval makes its reputation every day. The night I was there was no exception to a general theme of excellence. I’ll start off with the mundane by saying they have their own parking lot as well as street parking. For anyone trying to get to Portland restaurant in tourist season, this is a must know! The décor and ambiance are contemporary and upbeat with an emphasis on relaxed modern. Concrete floors, wood, metal bar stools. Music is upbeat but not overwhelming. The bar seating (where I was) is adjacent to an open kitchen so you can watch the chefs at work but as they are off to the side it’s not the focal point of the experience. Staff are attentive and professional but also, Id say, relaxed modern! Bartenders are Friendly and know their stuff. Their cocktails are well worth trying, AS for the food, well, id rate it from very good to excellent. The menu is not the only source for choice and indeed I went with two specials on the night. The scallop crudo was superb, petit but delicious. I followed with the Albondigas which were tasty with a smoky tomato sauce. These are somewhat standard fare but worth sharing. The most creative dish of the night was the surprising and delightful fresh sugar snap peas dusted with a garlic and pimentón ash with a cashew crème for dipping! Amazing concept and taste. Lastly the squid-ink fideos pasta with lobster and a bit of heat were excellent. All in all it was hard to find any fault with the overall experience at Chaval. Ill be back with a bigger party so we can all try many more items on the menu or specials of the day. Highly...

My boyfriend and I had reservations for one of the greenhouses at Chaval. They set up these beautiful 6x6 greenhouses adorned with festive winter accoutrement, heaters and even a skylight! the table is beautiful hardwood, and the whole ensemble is carefully sanitized and aired out in between patrons (we observed them doing the one behind ours after the party left). The attention to detail was amazing, and it was so obvious the staff were totally invested in safety AND customer satisfaction. The food was phenomenal, we had a few tapas specials (charred cauliflower and the butternut squash soup) and the burger (which is unlike any burger I've had to be honest) with an awesome garlic aioli and some hand-cut ff. We are both non-drinkers, and was a little bummed out when the server (Nessa) told us they didn't really have a mocktail special that night, but she promised to check in with the bar manager and get back to us. I have no idea what the drink was called, but it was a perfect winter sipper with pineapple juice, blackstrap molasses, orange zest and non-alcoholic orange bitters made just for us - until the table behind us asked for one too! It was a truly magical evening, just like we'd hoped it would be. This is a perfect example of a restaurant going above and beyond to meet (actually exceed) the current pandemic challenges to find a way to stay open and providing jobs for local folks and provide exemplary service and fare. Will most...

Chaval was recommended to us by a family member as a great date night location, however it was okay at best.

We had reservations for dinner and we were able to be seated within our time frame. The staff while friendly did seem a bit disorganized as three different people came to our table to start service. We ordered drinks and appetizers but the appetizers took almost 45 minutes to arrive.

When dinner arrived the only dishes that looked good was the venison and the burger. The beef cheeks looked thrown on the plate and the pasta looked like a bowl of solid black noodles with a pile of gelatin on top.

Everyone agreed the venison was the best dish. The burger was overcooked and dry. The lobster noodles tasted like a salt shaker was mixed in the noodles and the beef cheeks were unflattering.

Not quite sure what happened in the kitchen but it did seem like someone was trying to copy a recipe.

The final nail in the coffin was our server left for the evening and once again we were bounced between three different people.

For the price ($50+/per person) there are definitely better options in the area. We actually went for other food after dinner since people did not want to finish thier dishes. Not sure if they just had an off night or what but for the price it shouldn't...