Dan & Louis Oyster Bar

I don't know how this restaurant is still in business. The food there is just absolutely horrible. It is over priced. Grant it, I know it is seafood, but the price you pay for the portions you get is just abserd. This restaurant came highly recommended, but I don't know what my friend saw in this place. The service staff was about the only promising thing about this restaurant. We went in on Thursday night, and were seated promptly, and then it went down hill. We ordered from colorful menu, which at first glance looks like a kids menu. My wife had the shrimp louis, which was served on soggy iceberg lettuce, and had defrosted flavorless shrimp on it. I had the pan fried oysters. They were overly breaded, and overly cooked. This dish came with mashed potatoes that at best can be compared to potato flakes. OH WAIT, potato flakes have more flavor than this slop. Someone needs to teach that kitchen how to use salt and pepper at the very least. The best part of the meal was the sour dough roll. I will not ever go back into this restaurant, nor will I recommend it. Me, my business, and my recommondations will be going to another seafood restaurant. more

Went to Dan and Lois last Friday night, the restaurant was busy but we were promptly seated. The bloody marry I ordered was amazing, spicy and perfectly seasoned. We started off with 2 dozen oysters, the Kumomotos and the Netarts were both fresh and delicious. The special of the weekend was whole fresh Oregon Dungenous Crab. When the crab was brought to our table it was served whole in big bowl of aromatic broth, bright orange and red, it was delicious. For dessert I ordered the bread pudding which turned out to be one of the best bread puddings I have ever had. The service was friendly and efficient and overall we had a wonderful dining experience. Pros: Fresh Oysters more

We went there last night for a nostalgia trip. I went to Dan & Louis' in 1962 and it looks exactly the same in 2007. The difference is that at age 17 you don't notice the terrible service, mediocre food and high prices (probably because someone else paid the bill). We paid $32 for an iceberg lettuce salad with a lemon slice that had inadvertantly fallen into it, a glass of wine, a diet coke, a cup of clam chowder and a bowl of clam chowder. The waitress didn't provide napkins or table service. The food took 20 minutes to arrive at our table. It couldn't have been because they were too busy, because the place was only 1/3 full. I'm really suprised that they're still in business. I guess I'll wait another 45 years before I go back. Pros: Nostalgia Cons: food, service, prices more

I tried this place because it was one of 5 I found on places to eat oyster in Portland. The service was unprofessional. The waiter would walk away while I was still talking. The food WAS HORRIBLE. There was no flavor in the pasta. It tasted like a spoonful of butter. The clam chowder was more like milk powder. The oysters lacked selection and when we ask for the best they have. They brought us a plate of oysters that was not even cut from the stem and it was like eating loogies. THEN...to top it off, it was expensive. Burger King for 5 bucks was a better deal with better food. I WILL NEVER EAT HERE AGAIN!!! Pros: I could re-cook the left overs and add flavor since there was none. Cons: I would rather stab myself in the eye. more

came in on a friday for lunch. service was slow - it seemed like one waitress was covering more than 4 tables. tried a number of different items: the seafood stew was only average (kidn of bland). steamed clams were not very good (too strong of a white wine taste). pan-fried and raw Yaquina oysters were good (best of the oysters offered). prices were slightly high, definitely not cheap eats ex. $15 for steamed clams, $15.50 for dozen oyster sampler, $6.25 for a cup of seafood stew. the good thing is that you can by gift certificates online at a discount ($25 GC for $5, but you have to spend at least $35) Pros: Yaquina Oyster, cheap GCs Cons: expensive, street parking, service more

What a great place! The minute you walk in the door you can feel the history. The walls are adorned with memorabilia that mark the history of Portland and family that owns the place. Apparently it is still in the same family, being handed from father to son. Every where you look there is something to catch the eye, a giant oyster cracker, a million oyster larvae, a doorknob from the old Oregonian building, models of ships, old lanterns, it goes on and on. I especially loved the main dining hall that looks like the inside of a ship, the kitchen which is shaped like a ship, and the cistern underneath the bar that you can view through a window in the floor, very interesting. The food was great too. The fresh-shucked oysters were delicious, there were so many varieties! For lunch, I had the traditional oyster stew and loved it, oysters floating in seasoned milk, served with fresh hot sourdough bread.... yum! My husband had the halibut fish and chips and loved every bite. Very fresh and hot plus the service was fast and friendly. When we left not only was I full and happy but I truly felt like I took a piece of historic Portland with me. It was a great dining experience! Good food, good service, good times!! Pros: good food and service Cons: parking, but they will give money towards lot with receipt more

Without a doubt, the worst food I've had out in Portland. From the shredded lettuce salad with defrosted, tasteless shrimp, to the flavorless chowder that was mush with no identifiable ingredients, to the fried oysters that had lackluster, tough breading...it was just a crappy meal...thankfully the company was fun. I won't be back. Cons: Who is tasting this food in the kitchen? more

My wife and I went here because we had a gift certificate from Restaurant dot com. I really wanted to like this place, as it is a family run place that hasn't turned into a corporate chain. I tried to like it, but I didn't. I ordered the Salmon special and since it was affordable ordered the clam chowder. I figured any good seafood restaurant should have a good chowder. Wrong. Very bland. Even with the tabasco, salt and pepper from the table it was hard to finish my cup. Next up, the appetizer, a crab and artichoke dip. Oh wait, they forgot to bring that to us. Then came the entrees (at which point we mentioned the appetizer and got it promptly- it was soupy and bland also)- this should be good. My wife got the fish and chips (halibut) and they were nicely breaded and cooked well, I guess the fry cook is the best in the house. My salmon on the other hand, looked like sushi. Yep, it was still pink, not just a little either. I know fish doesn't take long to cook, but this looked like a 1 minute sear job. (It would have been cooked perfectly if I ordered tuna.) I politely returned the plate. Minutes later I had a new peice of fish- charred! Maybe the cook was having a hard night, but don't take it out on paying customers! However, I finished my burnt fish without complaint. We were given free desserts (they were ok, probably the best part of the meal), a nice gesture from a nice waitress. However, we will not be returning. If you want good seafood in Portland, try McCormick and Schmick's- Jakes, Harborside, etc. (yes it's a chain, but they started here) or even Newport Bay. Heck, even Red Lobster knows how to cook a piece of salmon. Maybe the Oyster Bar is a good place to go for raw oysters and booze, but I can't recommend it for food. Pros: Nice waitress, prompt seating, decent price Cons: Undercooked, then overcooked fish, forgotten appetizer more

The specials were not up to my expectations. The service however made the trip a reason I will be back next time I visit Portland. Oysters on the half shell are to die for. I also loved the tried and true stews. My wife enjoyed the shrimp fry but found the mashed potatoes were pasty Pros: service Cons: specials more

This place was great !!! The servers were nice and attentive. One of the only places in Portland that was serving a whole Dungeness crab and it was superbly made and affordable. After many dinning disasters was happy to have found this place. Pros: everything Cons: nothing more

4 of us went to lunch on 6-1-06. It was terrible. The bartender was more concerned with the women in the bar rather than his customers. One of the waitresses brought a drink back from the dinning room, and I don't know what was wrong, but he threw the glass down on the floor, shattering it, and seemed upset. We ordered steamed clams and a shrimp cocktail as an appetizer, but 25 minutes later they showed up with our meal. The steamers were INEXCUSABLY TERRIBLE. No taste at all like they were just in water with onions and very fishy. One hamburger we ordered came with just bread and meat. No mustard, mayo, ketchup, or trimmings. The clam chowder was like water, very thin and tasteless. Service was unattentive and the food was terrible. We will not be back. Pros: no pros Cons: overpriced more

Four of us went to dinner at this restaurant on 4-15-06. We each had drinks, an appetizer and dinner (well that is what we ordered). When the dinners came my husband received the wrong thing. So, the waitress who was VERY COURTEOUS & PROFESSIONAL, said she would let the cook know, and bring out the right order. By the time the three of us had completed our food the waitress informed my husband they had burnt his dinner. Needless to say, the four of us were VERY disappointed in this restaurant, and we WILL NOT be back. more

The special menu by chef Bill Barresi is the only way to go! Simple flavor combinations let you enjoy the natural flavor of the food. I hope the rest of the menu gets an update to the same quality, (the oysters on the half shell are fantastic and if you go during happy hour they are super cheap!) Pros: good for kids, great specials Cons: poor service more

Only bland comes to mind when I think of the food we tried, the service we were provided and the overall ambiance. This place may have been a treat in its prime in the 1960s (40s?) but it seriously needs to rethink both its menu and its presentation. My wife and I love seafood and were excited about eating at one of my father's favorite restaurants of his youth. Unfortunatly, I'm afraid the food may have been left over since then. Nothing we ate had any taste; no pazazz! Great nautical theme but I warn you, bring many of your own favorite spices and use them liberally. Pros: Location, History Cons: Not a bargain, Very bland more

very disappointing. We didn't did not expect high end dining, just a meal made well. The prawn entree was made with frozen prawns and was very bland. New England Clam chowder was also very soupy and it had to be doctored up with a litte salt and pepper. With my meal being a disaster, my husbands ordered the ling cod special, which turned out to be a decent meal. Pros: the specials Cons: clam chowder, prawns more

We have eaten here twice in the past few months. The first time was a true adventure in patience. We came in as a large group, and were eventually waited on after a 45 minute wait. They waited on and served all others who came in after us, I am guessing because they were all couples and we were a large group. The server who came on next shift finally waited on us. The second time, was just mediocre. Service was still extremely slow, and the food is nothing to write home about. It seems the moment you walk in the door they are startled by having customers, and aren't sure what to do. It is no longer on our list of places to frequent, recommend or take guests. more

Although the oysters were fresh and delicious, the rest of the menu was not as appealing. Dishes are small portions, and well overpriced for the quality. The kitschy interior (think your grandmother's basement) is a trip, but does not make the overall experience worthwhile. Oysters recommended. Skip the rest. Pros: kitschy interior, fresh oysters more

We went into the bar off to the side of the main restaurant and were served promptly by a friendly bartender. Good selection of beers and reasonably priced food items - although we didn't try any of them this time around, we'll definitely go back for the restaurant. An interesting conversation piece in the bar is a see-through hole in the floor that looks down on an old (1896) cistern sunk into the ground. more

I recently took my inlaws who were visiting from out of town to Dan & Louis for some good seafood. The steamed clams had very little taste and the calamari was overcooked. The only thing that saved the meal was the GREAT service. Maybe it was just a bad day to go, but it will be awhile if I go back. Pros: Great Service more

Love the food, and the restaurant itself. In fact I used to work there as a dishwasher years ago, and the food hasn't change. I recommend the creamed shrimp on toast or anything with the oysters. Unfortunately, the prices are much higher than they used to be, a little too high for my taste, and that limits my return visits. Pros: Great memorabillia, Good seating options, Excellent food Cons: Too expensive, In the "bum" area, Hard parking options more