Saraveza — Restaurant in Portland

Saraveza is a nice neighborhood bar and grill in Northeast on Killingworth Street. Be sure to bring your phone because the menu and payment system is all electronic. See the staff to get a table and use the QR code to view rhe menu, set up a tab, combine diners, order and pay the bill. Seeing that you have almost no interaction with the wait staff I wonder what the tipping protocol is for this service mechanism. I tipped my usual but that doesn't seem right. Anyway once you get to the menu, the choices are varied but you need to add them to your cart to see the full descriptions. Note that there are only certain options included in he listed price. Other options, including fries, have upcharges associated with them. The beer selection is not extensive but adequate and had some nice choices. You can request a sample if you are not sure. The large radicchio salad was indeed large and tasty enough but the dressing is somewhat bland. The primary reason for the 3 star rating was the brisket sandwich. I was intrigued by the description of in-house smoked brisket and the sauces but what I got was not good. The presentation was basically a 1/2" thick.slab of meat on a bun. The first bite was all fat. The second had some meat but more fat. I took the sandwich apart and, as you can see from the photo, more than half was fat. Seeing as I was pretty hungry, I shredded what little meat there was, put it back on the roll, and ate. The waitress did come by to ask how the meals were but made no effort to correct the deficiency. Perhaps this is what should be expected for this dish. Overall pricing of $10-15 for a sandwich/entree seems to be in line with the area. Saraveza has been around since 2008 so it's likely I had a bad experience so stop in to enjoy a brew and sandwich. I know I won't have the brisket again. Feel free to...

Here's the thing. Portland can be a dreary place most of the year. Cozy bars, for many of us, are essential to keeping spirits up and Saraveza stands out as one of them. When all the sunlamps, Seinfeld episodes, and escapes to Arizona don't seem to be working, they've got you. A neighborhood pub that cheers you up (and warms you up!) without being generic about it. A salt-of-the-earth kinda place. Their retro beer fridges, walls loaded with beer tchotchkes, and warm lighting give it an undeniable British-pub atmosphere, but... go figure, it's a Greenbay Packers bar. Something, as a regular--and non-football-fan, I've never paid much attention to but still felt at home.

Draft or canned, they always have a massive variety of craft beers to keep the menu interesting. And the food menu offers something for everyone; salads, pizzas, pasties, comfort foods, and soups. And they rotate the items enough to keep it interesting if you go there a lot.

A great place to meet up with friends no matter the weather. Cold? Yes, you be warm inside or outside. Their patio is the warmest in Portland with heated seats and tabletop propane fires on every table (I repeat: Heated. Seats.)

Oh, and they sometimes have live music but no stage. Stop by one day and ask about how that works :)...

My friends were raving about the food at this place, and I wanted to try it my last night in Portland. Called to make sure that the kitchen would still be open as we were running up against cllosing time... Was told it would be open until 8:30PM. We arrived at 8:25, and were informed that they closed in 5 minutes. I explained that according to Google Maps they close at 9, and that I had called ahead. Then the story changed... there were no tables. I feel that the actual reason was that she just didn't want to deal with us. Even after explaining our situation, that we came all the way up here on the bus and it was my last night in town... The server was rude and just totally dismissive. I would hope for at least some effort to accommodate us. Perhaps bring a table out from inside... For whatever reason this place is still only serving outside despite indoor dining being open. I'm sorry but just because the food is good, that isn't everything. Good service, being welcoming to folks who go out of their way to frequent your establishment would go a long way. We were talking about going somewhere else and it was like she didn't even care. Don't plan on returning here again, that's for sure. They clearly don't need my...