Gastro Mania SW Portland — Restaurant in Portland

If you’re in the area and hungry while reading this, I had the Beef Brisket Sandwich. My experience was well beyond worth it for the price I paid. Trust me - I love good food.

If you’re reading this to get more details about the Gastro Mania experience, let’s go.

I was leaving the Multnomah County Court House and it was well beyond the time I normally break my fast. I asked some of the officers at the entrance where they like to eat good food that’s nearby (police know all the good spots). One of them immediately said Gastro’s and the others chimed in supporting her claim. Okay, Gastro’s it was.

As I approached the door, I noticed the hours of operation showed 3pm as the closing time - it was 2:37pm. I’ve worked in restaurants and I know how annoying it can be when someone strolls in 20 minutes before closing. Normally I would find somewhere else to go, but today I was starving.

Upon entering the establishment, I quickly scanned for cleanliness as I walked toward the counter to order. While the relief of the passing of the cleanliness test hit me, I was politely greeted. I returned the politeness then proceeded to apologetically explain that I was aware of the closing time and understood if it was too late to provide service. I asked if there was somewhere else she could recommend.

The polite lady smiled and said, “The lamb is really good.” Right as she said that, the chef walked in and she asked him, “Are we still open?” In hindsight, I think she did this to prove a point. He was just as polite as her and was even excited to prepare a meal. I would now be able to have a meal and not feel the least bit guilty about it. Let’s take a look at the menu.

The menu was quite robust, from what I could gather with a quick scan. Let’s just say it was Mediterranean with some slight twists here and there (my apologies to the chef if this is too far off the mark). I noticed something that I did not expect and with excitement in my voice I declared, “You guys even have a brisket sandwich.”

There was a patron wearing shooting-range yellow aviators still eating at a table behind me (your shades were awesome). He responded to my declaration before they could: “Yes! And it is amazing!” It was settled - I would try the Beef Brisket Sandwich. I added fries, paid for it, poured some water, found a place to sit and eagerly waited for my brisket sandwich to arrive. Maybe five minutes later the chef himself served the sandwich and fries. I thanked him and took a moment to admire the craftsmanship - there was also a nice-looking salad on the plate.

If you’ve read this far, you must not be hungry…that changes now. Imagine that the last time you ate was more than 24 hours and your next meal just appeared in front of you. You can smell the freshness of the ingredients. You smell warm bread, slow roasted brisket, grilled onions and grilled mushrooms. When I experienced these scents, my mouth immediately began to water.

Which is better: the first bite or the final bite? I don’t know, but biting into this sandwich I swear it all just melted after a few chews. The bread was warm, soft and had just enough texture to counter yet fuse with the perfectly melted cheese. A little further into the bite came the grilled onions and mushrooms. That slightly zesty, slightly sweet onion flavor merged with the charred nuttiness of grilled mushroom served as the bridge to the brisket - oh my, oh my that brisket. I’ve only ever had smoked brisket, but this brisket had no smoke whatsoever. It didn’t matter. I could tell it was slowly cooked by the way it melted. The flavor of beef and fat married to the rest of the flavors is the best way I can describe it. It was all deliciously balanced.

I’ve never had an official Philly Cheesesteak, but I’ve eaten some amazing cheesesteak sandwiches. Gastro Mania’s Beef Brisket Sandwich has a feint resemblance to an amazing cheesesteak sandwich, but it stands head and shoulders above any I’ve ever had. I will be back to try more...

It’s hard to fill the giant void left by O’Connor’s, but Gastro Mania seems to be suffering an identity crisis in doing so.

At first glance, the smell of fish suggests this is a seafood joint; looking at the menu, it seems more Greek, with American appetizers. We’re talking $18 entrées and $9 appetizers (which seem more like a la carte offerings, eg 3 fish tacos is a meal in and of itself) in Multnomah Village - a hard sell with Renner’s 5 star dive bar across the street and Salvador Molly’s a few minutes away in Hillsdale.

Note to those with ALLERGIES: the menu is devoid of this information; it would have been good to know, for example, that the mezze meats are slathered in tzatziki before ordering with a dairy allergy. Even then, there wasn’t much saving the cut up sausage patty with a side of... salsa?

Operations-wise, this place feels like it has the early makings of a Bar Rescue or Kitchen Nightmare scenario; it was really awkward to have the chef (presumably owner?) chew out our waitress 20 feet away and slam the patio door behind him as he went back inside.

If there’s any saving grace, the waiters and waitresses were very kind and responsive, despite whatever hiccups they were triaging with...

Had some friends visiting and decided we wanted mediterranean food, did a quick google search and this was the only place we could sit inside for a meal in our area. Wow. I wouldn’t have even known this place was here but I’m glad I do now! I’ve never had mediterranean with this kind of flavor profile before. VERY generous portions, quick and friendly service. We went to bus our table after and the man working thanked us but assured us he would take care of it, and wanted to know how the food was and make sure we liked it. We were so blown away by everything that one of us came back to ask if he was the owner? Because so much love and care went into this food. He told us he was, its him and his wifes first business and theyve been there for around a year. Incredible place, food is amazing and you can feel good too knowing you’re supporting a...