Pépé le Moko — Restaurant in Portland

I have been to Pepe le Moko 2 times and we found out about last year from a local server. He said, just call and make a reservation. It was Valentines Day and they had a reservation that evening. We had a wonderful time the service is awesome the hostess was a delight we love the place so much we even came back several months later with our friends. Last night on March 25th we met friends in Portland and we told them about Pepe La Moko, they were like yes lets go. So I called to make a reservation which the second time we went with friends of ours we also called the same day and made the reservation and we had no problem, but last night when I called around 5 o'clock in the early evening and asked if we can make a reservation for late that night around 11- midnight? The hostess told me, you can't make a reservation same day. I told him the last two times I had been there I was able to make reservation the same day, he then told me he was new and they trained him to tell people, no for same day, but he recommend that you come and put your name on the list and then we'll see if your party could get a table which more than likely we would at that time of night. We went down there around 9:30 put our name on the list. He was very short tempered with us while putting our name down. He had a grey sweater on with a tie underneath and he made it clear to uds that he was new again and that that's the reason why we couldn't make same day reservations. We came back around midnight cause we hadn't heard from him. We were just above at Clyde Common having a cocktail. When we came back he was like no there's no room for your party. My friend had to use the restroom and after he had left his post she asked to use the restroom, another gentelman showed her the way downstairs. As she was walking back from the restroom she ran into the hostess that had told us that we couldn't go down there, that there was no room for us. My friend asked him about a table that was open in the corner, it was large enough to fit our party and he was very surprised to see her and said, what are you doing down here? You have to leave! Very, very, disappointed we left. Not really sure if we will go back now and definately tell everyone we know, if you are okay being treated rudely then maybe try it. Definately call days before for a reservation, cause if that hostess is there and does not like you, probably won't get in even if you put your named...

This place has an exceptional ambiance, wonderful drinks, and the kindest staff I have ever encountered.

I came here a year ago, on February 12th. A few months prior, I had been struck by a tram (freak accident) and it had broken my femur. As I began to recover, my boyfriend and I took a road trip up to Portland to strengthen my walking and to lift our spirits. My first night of walking with my cane was in Portland. However, it was rainy and cold, and I had overestimated my walking abilities. All of the pubs were packed, and we could not find one where we could sit down. I was in excruciating pain. More than anything, I wanted to sit down, get one drink, and feel normal again. I didn’t just want to go back to our hotel and give up. Pépé le Moko was on our way home. They were full. I tried to keep it together as we began to walk away, but the frustration and pain were too much and I felt my eyes welling up with tears. Embarrassed, I told the seating hostess that I was so sorry for my reaction and explained that tonight was supposed to be my “recovery first night out” but that it had gone all wrong, so I was a bit emotional. We got ready to leave, but she stopped us. She told us to wait and came back five minutes later, having cleared a space for us. We sat down, enjoyed a drink, and warmed up. Most of all, I was awed by the compassion the seating hostess displayed towards us. The space was also beautiful, and the drink was quite good and reasonably priced. However, when we tried to pay for it, our waitress insisted that it was on the house, to help me celebrate my first night out. The experience completely turned our night around.

It has now been a year and I am 100% better. However, I will always think back on Pépé le Moko fondly and be appreciative of the kindness and compassion of their staff that...

Be wary of this place if you’re Canadian or otherwise foreign to the US. I have enjoyed everything Portland has to offer over the past 3 days and this place was on my list to try on my last night here. When I was at the door I was asked for ID. No problem, I’ve been ID’d at least 4 times on this trip. I was very surprised when the girl told me “we don’t accept any ID unless it’s American.” I asked her why, and she said “we are not trained to read these” (these being a valid British Columbia driver’s license) and did not even look at the ID and handed it back to me. I said “I’m 37 years old and I just wanted one drink. I have never had this happen before.” She replied that it’s the law in Oregon and then asked me incredulously, “don’t you carry a passport?” I said “no, it’s back at the hotel in the safe.” After I left, I saw a Portland Police Officer nearby and asked him if that was indeed a law in Oregon state. He laughed and responded, “no.” In my youth I also worked at a bar and checked ID’s and would never dream of turning away a customer and refusing to even look at their ID if they were from out of country. I also doubt very much that the staff at this establishment are “trained to read” Canadian or foreign passports. Furthermore, I’m not going to risk anything to do with my passport just so I can get into a cocktail bar. Regardless of this let down, the people of Portland have been pretty awesome and I’ll definitely be coming back. However, I will be advising all my fellow travellers to...