Kells Brewery — Restaurant in Portland

I don't make it out to Kell's (any of their locations) as much as I'd like. This particular Kell's, out in NW off 21st street, is my wife's favorite go-to location for St. Patrick's Day festivities, which is a bit of a double-edged sword. As expected for their showcase holiday event, it was packed to the gills, even though we're just coming out of mask mandates, so the experience comes with some...inherent risks. That said, we're about as prepared as anyone can be, immunology-wise, and it's about time we started returning to normal. If we don't, we never will.

The $20 cover netted us entry, plus a couple of sweet Kell's t-shirts. The 21st avenue location features a covered auxiliary tent for capacity spillover, meaning the main dining area is pretty much standing room only, and barely that. We wanted to enjoy the live music (a staple at Kell's, even during regular weekdays and weekends), so we waded into the throng, hoping to find a place to sit...a tall order, in and of itself! Snagging a table during a premier event requires vigilance, patience and assertiveness, but after about an hour, we managed to grab one, and ordered food and drinks.

It's a foregone conclusion that my wife will order the Corned Beef & Cabbage on St. Patty's, and myself, having had some for lunch, pivoted to my other perennial favorite, the Shepherd's Pie. Incredibly, despite the overwhelming mass of humanity ordering food and drinks at the same time, our entire order manifested at our table within 15 minutes. A jealousy-inspiring portion of corned beef landed, hot and fresh, in front of my wife, but my Shepherd's Pie was satisfying enough to keep me from stealing more than a bite or two (at least until she became full, at which time, it became ALL MINE)! Two-for-one! Heck yes!

There were, of course, a few nitpicks here and there: the mashed potatoes in my Shepherd's Pie seemed a little on the cold and hard side, likely having sat idle for a while before being utilized. Considering the amount they must have had to make to prepare for their most popular holiday, that's not surprising. I'd also say that the cocktails I ordered were a tad on the anemic side, but that is also not normal, and likely a result of the event. Knocking even one star off of Kell's rating, because of a couple minor hiccups, due to the swarming chaos of their St. Patty's Day event, would be unjust. Any day of the week, this is a four-clover, five star pub, and being able to pull of such an overwhelming event as successfully as they have, requires a degree of skill (and luck) that only the...

I went with my daughter and a friend to Kell's this evening for dinner prior to his performance at Trinity Episcopal. Now I've been to the downtown location many times and have had the Irish stew often and it's always been very good....not so at the NW Portland location. It was a bowl full of potatoes ONE carrot slice and 2 small pieces of lamb...for THIRTEEN DOLLARS!!! I said something to the server who said something to the manager who finally came over to talk to me. When I told her what had happened all she did was offer me another bowl of stew-which I did not want as I ate my bowl of mostly potatoes waiting for her to come to the table. She didn't seem particularly sympathetic or inclined to offer anything in the way of compensation for my $13 bowl of Potato soup. As a chef I would never have sent that bowl out in the first place... customers aren't paying that kind of money at a casual dining venue for potato soup; they're paying $13 for a stew that should have more than 2 bites of lamb in it. The only reason I'm giving 2 stars is because the other 2 entrees were good. Service was lacking both on the part of our server who pretty much ignored us after I said something about the stew and on the part of management who didn't want to do anything to retain a customer. Fine by me...there are plenty of restaurants in Portland who are willing and able to properly take care of the people who pay their wages.

Update: I spoke with the District manager for Kell's who was very nice and apologised for my poor experience at this location. He did what he could to make it up to me, I will try this location once more and see...

I was at Kell's back in July. It may even have been on the Fourth. I went during Happy Hour, looking for something to eat. I was seated immediately, as the rush had not come in yet, and I really liked the look of the establishment. Comfortable, not stuffy.

The server was great, and gave me a recommendation for a beer, but I've forgotten what it was. I think it was a lager. Whatever it was, it was a delicious beer. I'm not a big beer drinker, but I do love small crafted beers, and this one hit the spot for me.

For dinner, I ordered the shepherd's pie. I've posted a pic of it. It came out not looking like most shepherd's pie you'd see in an American restaurant, but the potatoes were perfectly browned, and had been placed on the dish in a beautiful pattern. In the center was some type of veal demi-glace that knocked my socks off. It was that good. I was savoring each bite. The one downside was that it wasn't a big dish of food. Maybe it was a smaller plate for happy hour. Whatever. It was the best shepherd's pie I've ever had. The beer I had complemented it well.

Location wise, this place on 21st is perfect. It's a great street to stroll around, a little less pretentious than its cousin over on 23d, and plenty of nice places to eat and drink. My hotel was just a couple block away.

Definitely worth a return visit next time I'm...