Jo Bar & Rotisserie

We ate at Jo Bar on a Tuesday afternoon. Although the indoors were empty, it was just too beautiful to sit inside, their small patio was full. Maybe 5 tables at the most. So there was absolutely no excuse for the painfully slow service.\r \r The cocktail list I received was outdated, which wasn't brought to my attention until after the uninformed server had made it to the bar and back. Bummer. I ordered a caipirinha instead. Yummy, but slow.\r \r After looking over the menu, I consider the prices in the mid range, I asked about the duck salad and what type of dressing it was served with. The server did not know and tried to reference the menu in front of me. No dude. Not listed or I wouldn't have asked. He then took a stab in the dark and guessed it may be a vinnegrette. Hmmm... I went for it anyway. The duck was perfect but the dish was severely over dressed and tiny for the price. Second drink didn't make it to the table until I was finished with my meal. So slow.\r \r Total tab for 3 girls $75. I left hungry and annoyed. Never again.\r \r more

To Whom It May Concern, I wanted to write to you to let you know about a recent trip I took to your restaurant, JoBar. I was terribly disappointed in the service that my friends and I received from your manager, Lisa Higgens. While I do admit we arrived rather late (9:45PM), it was evident to us that the manager was not very pleased that our friends were ordering food so close to closing. We tried to brush this off as our waiter, Lane I believe his name was, assured us that it was okay. At the end of our meal, our bill arrived and as we were sorting out the tab, I heard a not-so-discreet comment from your manager about how she hated when people had to “take out calculators” to figure out their bill. This made me feel very uncomfortable as my friends and I were merely trying to figure out what we should each pay for—a fairly common occurrence, I would imagine. The biggest concern for me is that I have spent several years in the service industry and would never imagine making a customer feel as embarrassed or uncomfortable about their means of payment as she has. She treated us like we were not worthy of eating in your establishment, and when confronted, became hyper-defensive and downright abrasive. Although I understand she may not believe she was in the wrong, we perceived her to be rude, judgmental and impolite and in the service industry, perception is key. I hope you are able to take my feedback and coach your manager to be more customer-oriented or to make any necessary changes. Until then, I will not dine in your establishment and will definitely not recommend this restaurant to any friend or person who asks. Sincerely, Ryan more

OK, so maybe take out isn't the best test. That said, the oysters we ordered were literally frozen. Not just very cold but crunchy frozen. The salads were so over dressed it was like they were wearing parkas over tuxedos on a day at the beach. The ""service"" was friendly and reasonably fast but the food was basically inedible. more

my visit to this place was awful. The best thing I could say was that the food was unimaginative and forgettable. But the service was pathetic, dismissive, and sloppy. Usually when a server is bad, they know it and are at least a little apologetic, but not here. The bartender was also completely unskilled. I had a 'johito', which I assumed was supposed to be a mojito. It was little more than sugar water with rotten (seriously black and gooey) mint muddled in. And for that you pay $7.50. It surprises me that management and staff could be so unaware of what goes on, and so obviously uninterested in training servers and bartenders. They need to close down, train new staff and start over from scratch. more

I love Jo Bar! I can't believe this place doesn't get more recognition. Not only is the food delicious, but the prices, consdiering the location and product quality, is great. \r \r They have a great happy hour from 3-6 which has a fantastic selection. They serve everything from their well known burger to clams and tuna tartar. A good deal of vegetarian items too... always a must in this town!\r \r They have yummy cocktails too, and a wine list that is impressive. The ambiance is perfect; quaint, friendly, posh, yet not at all snobby.\r \r I've always found the service to be top knotch. The servers are knowledgable, friendly, and professional. I've never had an issue with any part of service at Jo Bar. \r \r This is most definitely the place I bring my friends from out of town, and my boyfriends parents when they're here. \r \r Stop in, you won't be disapointed!!! more

A friend and I visited Jo Bar on Monday 1/18. Despite the $13 price on a Cobb salad we opted to give it a try. The salads were so small that I asked the waiter if he misunderstood our order and had split just one salad. He had not. They barely filled half the plate. 2/3 of my lettuce was brown, my friend found slimey pieces. There were about 5 small pieces of chicken and the same amount of avocado. Very disappointing. The waiter was inattentive at best, but did reluctantly comp one of the salads. However, neither salad was worth the $6.50 we ultimately paid. We had to find another place to eat because we were still hungry! Pros: Nice atmosphere Cons: High price for small/poor quality portions more

A minor fiasco with a waiter dropping a glass and ruining my jacket. Emailed them later. They made up for the problem with a gift certificate for the value of my jacket. Typical NW neighborhood bar, a little chic, great drinks, some chatting around the bar. Good appetizers and since I've gone back, I've found only extremely pleasant waitstaff. Pros: Nice location Cons: none more

I just want to write that whenever I have people in town (this time from Dallas Tx) I always make sure and stop at Jo's. 99% of the time have had great service with smiles, great drinks, great snacks. Thx Jo Bar. Everyone looks great too! Pros: Posh/impress the date Cons: Bizzy sometimes more

I am so sad! Like the reviewer right before me, I have been to Jo Bar many times over the years. We always loved the atmosphere and the food, particularly the beef tenderloin. The last two times we have been there it has been less than average, and at $32 ($34?) a pop, that is unacceptable. The first time it was bad, last July or so, we thought it was a one time thing. Apparently not so. We were there last Thursday 1/10 and the tenderloins arrived looking ""baked"". There was no grilling or seasoning or sauce or anything appetizing about them. They used to have the most wonderful smoky grilled taste. The vegetables were brussel sprouts, which normally I love, but they were bland and undercooked. Also like the reviewer before me, our appetizer of clams in white wine sauce was tiny and the clams were tiny and of poor quality. We sent our food back to have something done with it to make it acceptable - something I have done maybe one other time in my life. It took a very long time to come back and was only marginally better. No one offered us a thing or an apology in exchange. Good thing there are plenty of great restaurants in Portland because we will not be going back. Pros: Great atmosphere Cons: Price for quality, service more

I have been to JO Bar on serveral occassions and noticed that the quality of the food and service is on a steady decline. Last night will be the last time I dine there. My friend and I ordered the Mussle appertizer ($13). The dish contained only 12 mussles and they were tiny. They were also ice cold (this was suppossed to be a warm dish). We requested the server warm them up. When she brought them back they were at best luke warm. To top it all off, they were of poor quality and had little taste. For the main course I ordered the lamb ($26). Once again ta tiny portion (2 small pieces )The lamb was not cooked to specification, was luke warm, and was so chewy I thought I was eating play-doh. My friend order the pork shoulder and it was also barely warm and was chewy with a bad aftertaste. The only good part of the meal was the beats that came with the lamb. All our mixed drinks were overly sweat, tasted like syrup. My friend then switched to wine. She ordered a second glass before finishing the first (trying to get rid of the taste of her dinner). When the watress brought the second glass of wine, she picked up the first glass and proceeded to poor the remaining wine into the second glass. I have never seen this done in a resturant, very poor manners to say the least. With so many good resturants in Portland, I recommend you give your business to somone else. Pros: location Cons: food, drinks, service more

I met a client for lunch at Jo Bar because it was recommended to me by an acquaintance. Our server ordered the wrong kind of ravioli, so it took extra time for us to get our food. Since our lunch was running long, I gave our server my credit card. He ran my card and brought me the bill - I realized that he forgot to remove the wrong ravioli from the bill but still charged us for the right ravioli. It took a long time for me to get his attention. I finally got up and handed the bill to a different staff member who didn't quite understand what was wrong and told me that he would send my server over. So, instead of my server being sent over - another server came by and totally talked to the ""man"" at the table and not me - trying to address the issue with him. WHAT??? It's not like it would have taken an extra 2 seconds to look at the credit card and find out who was paying! My name is an obvious female name. Seemed a little chauvinistic, if you ask me.\r \r Not recommended for service. The food was ok, but not exceptional for the price. Pros: Convenient location Cons: Service & Value more

I would really like to give this place a chance to change my overall impression since the cuisine and drinks are so wonderful...but I have been there three times in the past few months and the service has been downright lousy every time. Waitstaff never cracked a smile or acknowledged any ""thank you"" that was given by myself or dining company. I even got an eye-roll by asking one server what entree they recommended off the menu. On a different occasion, we sere seated at a table that wasn't cleaned or cleared from the last customer and I finally had to ask for the dirty dishes and check to be cleared after waiting for 20 minutes...all to the very obvious discontempt of the waitress. Although the food is excellent, there are many other comparable establishements within walking distance of the Jo-Bar that are also willing to treat their customers with respect. This is what makes it hard to go back... Pros: outdoor seating, great food, intimate atmosphere Cons: customer service more

The tenderloin is great; get it rare. Also great is the Jo Burger: get this ground tenderloin burger rare with brie. The chocolate lava cake is scrumptious. The bread at the beginning of the meal (ask for the wheat bread) is served with whipped garlic butter and several Greek & green olives on the side. Pros: great people watching Cons: bit noisy more

JoBar has the best wild mushroom risotto that I've ever eaten. It's only available seasonally, so don't miss it if you spot it on the menu. I love their funky colored and creatively shaped plates. Servers are really nice and willing to tell you which entrees are worth it. Pros: People-Watching, Hot girls/guys Cons: Parking more

I live in the Knob Hill area and love JoBar... the staff has always been friendly and seem to know the menu really well. I usually sit at the bar to watch basketball games- they have a good happy hour these days. It's one of the few bars in this area where a woman can do that and not be disturbed. Also good first date place- all the people walking by on 23rd are a constant topic for conversation. Try the fondue- delish. Pros: service, cocktails more

My girlfriend and I went in on a Sunday evening for a ""late"" lunch. The initial cocktails were excellent, but it was downhill after that. The salads were BELOW par.(not like the description at all.)The halibut cheeks were to be served with pea shoots (among other vegetables) on the plate, but there was not ONE pea shoot on the plate, nor was there the citrus brown butter present for it was NOT brown nor did it taste like CITRUS. The server, God help him, was completely oblivious to our discontent even though he discounted our check. I work in the restaurant biz, and from what I have read of previous reviews, I must have been on an off day (Sunday). However, when you own a restaurant, THERE IS NEVER AN OFF DAY. Cons: Service, Food more

Bistro fare at its best. Even the starter of an assortment of bread, flavored butter, and olives is different and delicious. Everything is great, but try the daily specials. They are always great. The different martinis are fun and delicious. I look forward to many more visits to Jo-Bar. Pros: Great food, Creative menu Cons: A little crowded, Difficult parking more