Tall Boy Fish & Chips and Seafood — Restaurant in Portland

My partner had a cup of Clam Chowder with a grilled crust (toast) and 2 pc Cod & Fries. I had 3 pc Fish n chips with slaw. Both dinners included lemon wedges and tartar sauce.

There were plenty of clams in the creamy chowder. My partner has eaten a lot of chowder to compare this to. He says it is fresh and the best he has had in quite a long time. He didn't even add salt, which he always does. Not that it was salty; it just didn't need it. The Cod pieces were 2 inches thick, steamy, flaky, fresh & moist. The light batter was thick and crisp, not saugy. Superior to fish we've enjoyed from other places that boast about being the best in the Pacific Northwest. The slaw was not of a creamy variety and not overpowering with vinegar or seasoning, just fresh with flavor.

6 o'clock on a Friday night at Hawthorne Asylum was full of hungry people, but seating was available without a hassle.

Staff at Tall Boy were friendly, even in the frenzy of the dinner rush. Only a 20 minute wait which we didn't mind. I'm not sure what it is like around there when it is raining, seems to be enough coverage to stay dry while eating.

Had to park 2 blocks away and walking was well lighted. Traffic lights and crosswalks at every corner made us feel safer than some venues where you cross lanes of traffic at your own risk.

Hope to return soon to try some of the other varied menus of the other food...

Was hired after applying online and worked a full prep shift. During that time the owner refused to wear a mask. He was the only one in the Asylum who did so - there is a mandate as I type this. The only time he acknowledged we were in a pandemic was to tell me a story about how homeless people are making thousands of dollars a month getting vaccines over and over. To make matters worse I didn't see him wash his hands once, even after leaving the cart and opening doors and drinking coffee and handling cash. After all this, the raw slaw veg was not rinsed in any way. He frequently mentioned worry about the health department cracking down on him, and lamented about how all his staff basically bailed at once. After this intro day I sent an email saying that if he wasn't going to be wearing a mask I was going to keep looking for work. There's no point in arguing and I'd seen enough. He then ghosted and still has not paid me for my shift. Maybe skip this one: you don't want seafood from a guy who takes food safety regulations as food safety...

This is the best fish and chips I have ever had. They have the perfect crisp-to-fish ratio. The fillets tend to be relatively thin which makes for a nice crispy piece of fish. Fried zucchini has the same awesome batter, nice, crispy and well seasoned. The cole slaw is unique and delicious. It gives some welcomed and necessary freshness to the meal. The clam chowder is really good too. Instead of letting the clam meat cook in the chowder and get all chewy, they put clam juice in the chowder to give it nice clam flavor then add clam meat on top that is relatively tender. This is the way to make clam chowder. It is so good. The fries are crispy and well seasoned. I just love this place and used to eat here all the time at PSU. Gonna have to make a visit...