Departure Restaurant and Lounge

Review summary

1. R

   Robin

   VIP

   Portland

   36 reviews

   4.0

   36 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Duck night is a long standing family tradition but this trip, while good, was lack luster. Our server was engaging but way too busy. Our table got forgotten between courses and we even got our bill before dessert. The duck was great but a little dry, and the wraps were definitely dry, cracked and clearly mass produced. It’s time to kick it up a notch if you’re going to charge $85/person. While Open Table said our slot was for two hours, due to service issues, it was more than two and a half hours. The restaurant wasn’t as crowded as usual—just very understaffed.
   

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2. A

   Amanda

   Portland

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We had a party of 5 and it was a wonderful experience. Attentive staff and great food. Worth the price!
   

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3. L

   Lupine

   Portland

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   Service was friendly but missed some things, like plate clearing and water refills. The duck was wonderful, fried rice a bit peppery and not as good as we all remembered from years past.
   

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4. S

   Shelby

   Portland

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   I made a dinner reservation for my husbands birthday a few weeks in advance. I booked this restaurant because a friend of mine recommended it for the view. Since I booked a reservation, I expected to have a table with a view but instead we were put in a corner with a view of the busing area. We asked if there was another table available with a better view and we were told we could wait 45 min for one. If I had known we would not get a view with a reservation I wouldn’t have booked one and just run the chance of getting a table on our own. Now maybe I should have put in the reservation we would like a table with a view but with this caliber of a restaurant I would have expected that. Overall, the food was good but I was disappointed with everything else.
   

   Departure Restaurant and LoungeResponded 3 days ago

   Hello Shelby, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I am sorry that your table wasn't up to your standards. Unfortunately, the restaurant was full when you arrived except for the tables in our private coves. I can assure you that all of the other tables had reservations as well. In the future it would be helpful to leave notes on your reservation that you would like a table with a view as we try to accommodate those based on how far in advance they booked.
   

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5. c

   caleb

   Portland

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Top notch. Friendly service. Great atmosphere. Superb quisine .
   

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6. B

   Bob

   San Francisco

   6 reviews

   5.0

   6 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We had the Peking duck experience, as December is Duck Month at Departure. The duck was beautifully presented before the final stage of cooking to crisp the skin and apply the final layer of glaze. The meal consisted of duck bone broth, the Peking duck with thin pancakes, cucumbers, green onions, hoisin sauce, pickled cumquats, duck fried rice, and duck fat ice cream with sesame brittle and berry sauce. The meal was delicious. There is a huge sale list, but we opted for the Lillet All Day and 75-ish cocktails. A glass of Domaine du Petit Bonhomme went perfectly with the duck. Our server, Hailey, was great.
   

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7. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Portland

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on December 14, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The dinner was amazing. We go to Departure for duck month every year and it keeps getting better and better. I do miss the beet salad from years past, def a good idea to add on something fresh as the duck is so rich its good to have something to cut it with. Amazing service, knowledgable staff, great vibes. Love it.
   

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8. C

   Catherine

   VIP

   Portland

   41 reviews

   3.0

   41 reviews

   Dined on December 10, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Remember when every bite was a flavor explosion at Departure? Not so much anymore… The Szechuan dumplings were bad. Rice cold. Halibut meh. Crab roll was good. The service made up for it all and the cocktails were excellent. But the bus person with the “attitude” almost ruined the evening. Won’t rush back. Sorry…
   

   Departure Restaurant and LoungeResponded on December 12, 2024

   Hello Catherine, I am disappointed to hear that your experience fell short of expectations. Rest assured, this is not the type of attitude that we promote. I would like to invite you back for a meal on us to show you how hospitable we truly are. Please reach out to the restaurant so that I may speak with you. - Billy Poplarchik, Senior Restaurant Manager
   

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9. A

   Anna Kate

   Seattle

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on December 8, 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 2

   Staff left us hanging for long periods of time, were condescending, and took zero accountability. I’ve never written a bad review and I’ve loved departure for years but this was disappointing. Food was great as always.
   

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10. T

    TANYA

    VIP

    Portland

    5 reviews

    1.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on December 8, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 1

    Not worth the price. Paid over 700 for a party of four to sit outside and have very mediocre food. We attended the duck month dinner, truth be told the duck was okay, soups was disappointing and so was the dessert and fried rice . Overall a very mid underwhelming meal. There’s so many better spots in Portland. Don’t waste your money or time here.
    

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