Higgins — Restaurant in Portland

Waited a couple of days to see if it keeps bothering me and it still does, so here's my honest review of Higgins. This review is about our experience in the dining room for dinner, not the bar.

We went there on our only night out in Portland before flying back home and in retrospect we should've gone to a different place. See, for me there's a limit as to how much a dinner should cost, even if it is of outstanding quality. Food prices can't be open end just because the restaurant is particularly fancy or hip. There's a line and if the restaurant crosses this line, they really have to be so very special about anything they offer - not just the food - that I'd still be willing to pay a lot without thinking it wasn't worth it.

First, the food at Higgings IS extremely good, no doubt about that. They know what they're doing in the kitchen. When we got there, the bar was packed and super loud. We wanted to enjoy our conversations so they suggested to go to the dining room instead. As usual, the dining room has a different menu than the bar, which is OK. My partner was happy to find the mussels she was aiming for also on the dining room menu - reasonably priced at around $20. I would've loved a good fancy burger but there isn't one on that menu, only in the bar. That's fine, I was sure to find something else. The cheapest dish among the entrees is a pasta for $28. From there it's only going up. I chose that pasta.

Now here's why I chose to give two stars and why this visit kept bothering me. Our server quickly realized we weren't going to spend a lot of money that evening and immediately switched to a mode to which I'm nothing but allergic. He stayed professional of course but there was this subtle pinch of treating us like lesser people than the other guests. I HATE that. We could afford literally anything on their menu, twice, but for above mentioned reasons, we just don't because it's not worth it. As specials they offered an 8oz filet steak for $70 (!!) or a Chinook salmon for $47.50. We understand food prices went up but that's out of line. As said before, there is a line as to how much good food can cost and Higgins has nothing to offer beyond that line. The place is not special at all. In fact, the dining room is one of the most boring and uncharitably designed rooms we've ever dined in. The chairs uncomfortable and our table was tiny.

Anway, what made me write this review was the way we felt treated. The (very delicious) mussels came with very little bread and as you might know, the sauce requires bread to be fully enjoyed when you're done. We asked for more bread and the server told us upfront - which could be taken as a good gesture but we couldn't - that the restaurant charges for bread and that we probably won't like that. Seriously Higgins. You charge for another four to five slices of cheap baguette bread and a little can of olive oil. You're living up to all the cliches of wannabe fancy restaurants. We still ordered the bread and our server came back with it, telling us that it's the end of the night and "you know what? I'm giving it to you for free". While in any other situation we would've taken that as a generous gesture, it felt like he's donating to charity.

Our total was ~$90 excluding gratuity, for two cocktails, the mussels, the pasta and one piece of chocolate cake. The mussels are only a starter dish by the way. If you get down from that high horse, Higgins, and maybe brush up that location a little, it will all suit you better. Your food is great, the rest not so...

I am writing to express my disappointment with the dining experience I had at Higgins during my recent visit to Portland on Tuesday, June 4, 2024 around 6:45 p.m. or so. As a traveler from Nashville, TN, I was excited to try the restaurant based on its excellent reputation for food, drink, and service. However, my experience did not meet my expectations.

From the moment I arrived, I felt unwelcome. The host seated me at a two-top table by the window, which I thought would be nice, but his demeanor left me feeling unsettled.

When my waitress first approached, she seemed pleasant enough and went through the menu adequately. I ordered a spicy margarita to start, the onion tart with a radish and radicchio salad for my appetizer, and the Magret, confit & sausage of Liberty duck with ginger rhubarb compote, a polenta cake, and braised greens for my entrée. However, she did not offer me any water, which is a basic courtesy in most restaurants.

The margarita arrived without salt on the rim, contrary to the menu description. I chose not to bring this to the waitress's attention as she didn't return to check on me until 15 minutes later. The onion tart was average, and the salad was quite dry with very little dressing. After waiting another 20-25 minutes, my main entree arrived. The duck was served lukewarm with not enough sauce, and the greens were tough, not braised. The overall quality of the food was just okay. I also got the feeling that the main course had been sitting under the warmer for a while. Throughout my meal, the waitress did not stop by to see how I was doing or if I needed anything extra, which is another basic expectation of good customer service.

On the Higgins website, it mentions that the restaurant prides itself on service, along with its dedicated wine and spirits offerings, a world-class beer program, and a showcase of the bounty of the Pacific Northwest. Regrettably, the service I received did not reflect this commitment. While I understand that every restaurant can have off days/nights, the overall level of service I experienced was disappointing and fell short of what I had anticipated based on the restaurant's own statements.

As a solo diner, this left me feeling uncomfortable and neglected. It also took a while to receive my bill, to the point where I had to ask the host for assistance. While I understand that restaurants can be short-staffed and have other patrons to attend to, I don't believe my expectations were unreasonable. As an out-of-town guest, I left feeling underwhelmed and disappointed. I did leave a small tip, but I would have gladly left a much more generous gratuity had my experience been better.

Experiences like this can take the joy out of dining and leave a person feeling disheartened. While I won't be returning based on this experience, I hope Higgins takes this feedback seriously and makes improvements for future customers. I understand the challenges faced by the restaurant industry, but I believe that providing good service should always be a top priority.

I couldn't find an email address to send this feedback directly to the owners of the restaurant, so I felt compelled to share my experience on this platform. I hope that my feedback will be taken to heart and used to enhance the dining...

After a bit of debate about where to take family that was visiting from out of town, we settled on Higgins - we figured that with Higgins' stellar reputation for their local menu and service we'd be in good hands. That was not the case.

We made reservations by calling in a few days in advance for Saturday. I'd recommend reservations, but overall, the restaurant wasn't terribly busy throughout the night. Once all members of our party arrived, our waiter dove into a long list of specials and their sides (at a certain point it would be better to have a printed menu rather than have staff rush through 5+ specials and their sides and where the ingredients are from...). My elderly grandmother (who has hearing aids) asked a question about the specials list - and was quickly rebuked by the waiter: "looks like some of us weren't paying attention". Needless to say, this put a sour taste in our mouths before we even ordered.

Chalking it up to a moment of poor judgement - we soldiered on and put in our orders. After a while, an amuse-bouche was slapped down in front of us. It was fine, but not edible for the gluten free members of our party (we let the waiter know before ordering that some members of our party had restrictions). After a longer wait (probably about 30-40 minutes after we put in our orders) most of the food arrived. It was clear my duck was forgotten at some point, but my lukewarm entree eventually landed in front of me. Reviews on the food were also mixed, mostly fine, but lukewarm. The ribeye was the standout and excellent.

When the bill came, my grandmother handed the waiter her card - we quickly intervened while at the table as we had previously asked that the card we made the reservation with be charged (it was her birthday - and the birthday girl never pays!). The waiter immediately refused to let anyone else pay, saying: "I have this rule, that whoever hands me their card first - pays." He quickly walked off with her card despite our protests. Multiple attempts were made to correct the situation - all refused. Between his prickly attitude and offhand remarks, the waiter was shockingly rude throughout the night.

Incredibly, dessert menus were brought out after he had already taken payment. As you can probably guess, we didn't order anything.

A phone call to the restaurant eventually corrected the bill, but the poor service, average food, and overall experience means we will...