Pambiche

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2811 Ne Glisan St
Portland, OR 97232

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(503) 233-0511
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Pambiche - Portland, OR
Pambiche - Portland, OR
Pambiche - Portland, OR
Pambiche - Portland, OR
Pambiche - Portland, OR
Pambiche - Portland, OR
Pambiche - Portland, OR
Pambiche - Portland, OR
Pambiche - Portland, OR
Pambiche - Portland, OR
Reviews
( 49 )
( 34 )
( 8 )
( 8 )
( 10 )

Best

Cuban Food so far, far away! Being Cuban-American puts me in a great position of having the real thing and the 'wanna-bes' all my life... I've got...

Worst

I tried to get a seat a few times but I had to wait too long. So, I ended up getting food togo AGAIN. I understand people love your food because it's good but I don't think these ...

Hot Spot for Fab Eats 11/22/2005

Although this hole in the wall is tiny, it is home to some of the best food in Portland. The tightly spaced atmosphere allows for a sense of festivity at all times of the day and the bright decor adds. All the dishes that we have tried are amazing, especially the fried plantain appetizer, with banana ketchup. The deserts are some of the best in the city. Pros: Authentic, Exotic, Lively Atmosphere, Outside Seating more
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Yummy. A little on the loud side. 8/1/2005

Tried Pambiche for the first time. We realized we can walk there from our house, so we did this on a Saturday night at 9 or 9:30. We thought it might not be crowded then. Wrong. We got seated quickly, however, and the air conditioning was appreciated on one of those 90 degree July days. The service was great, food came quickly and tasted spectacular. Very fresh and well made. My only complaint is that the place is TINY! You can barely walk between tables. Seriously. The smallness contributed to the loud factor. Both my husband and I felt a little anxiety-ridden at how loud it was. But overall, I'd recommend this as a fun, festive place to eat. Pros: great food, good service, reasonable Cons: noisy, crowded, small space more
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A great off-hour choice 6/21/2005

Many times I have walked by Pambiche at dinner time and it's always packed. I hate the crowds, so chose 2pm for lunch at Pambiche. It was excellent. They make a mean sangria and a tasty pork sandwich. I love the fried plantains with the banana ketchup. I was facing the dessert case during lunch and it was beautiful. I tried the tres leches cake and it was very good. I already have my sights set on the guava cheesecake next time. A full lunch for 2 (2 drinks, 2 sandwiches and 1 dessert) was $33. Service was very good. Pros: Beautiful desserts, Tasty sandwiches, Try the plaintains Cons: Too crowded at night more
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Great food, fun place! 6/9/2005

Nice atmosphere, arrive early or expect to wait. Drinks were very good, and good was excellent. Very affordable, a nice place for smaller groups. more
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Thank god for authentic Cuban food! 6/8/2005

One of the best things about moving to Portland from Florida was finding Pambiche. Their Maduros have never ceased to brighten my day. The service tends to be really slow and unfriendly but the food is worth it. They are really bad about seating customers even though open tables are available. more
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Too much hipe 11/16/2004

I had great expectations but unfortunately Pambiche didn't meet any of them: food was nothing special, almost flavorless. I am not sure where all the hipe is coming from. Desserts were really good though and that was something I didn't expect! Service was very atentive and friendly. Pros: Great service more
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Authentic and Inventive 11/13/2004

All I can say is .... excellent, authentic food. The desserts are fabulous and the entrees leave nothing to be desired. The only thing that may disappoint you is the lack of space. I've actually been asked to move because I was dining alone. I hope that Pambiche will expand someday. I know there are plenty of people who will pack right in. Maybe they'd like to keep it small ?? Either way, this is an excellent dining experience. Pros: Almost everything more
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My favorite place to eat in Portland! 10/25/2004

The food here is so completely awesome I cannot say enough good things about this place. I have been here many times, and I have never ordered anything that I didn't like. It's all great! The desserts are to die for. If you don't have room, order a slice to go. Try the Horchata. If you don't want to wait, go there at off hours. But trust me, the wait it worth it! The staff is always friendly, the place is super cute. Pros: dessert, wine, ambiance more
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Hits and Misses 7/31/2004

I thought the seating outside was nice ... well shaded w/ sun available. For us the outside seating was a must b/c the music inside was too loud. My Pollo Creodillo was less than exciting, tho the black beans were nicely spiced. The salads were not inspiring. The tender pork sandwich (they call it an Cuban version of BBQ) was great tho, so was the pina colada and the guyamba de fresa for dessert was wonderful (strawberries topping a guava cream with an amazing crumble crust w/ almonds). Service was friendly and prompt. Pros: good service, dessert selection, great desserts more
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Outside seating! 3/7/2004

I enjoyed the outside picnic table seating...hot heat lamps, too! We waited 20 min. (fair waiting list), then once we were seated, had an excellent waiter! We ordered a coconut drink, two appetizers, split an entree (huge), and split the wonderful Domino dessert....I'm a huge white chocolate fan, and loved it! Topped it off with a cafe con leche...wonderful romantic evening, and memorable, too Pros: ambiance Cons: , small restaurant more
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overrated 12/25/2003

The plaintains are heavy. Maybe it is their nature, but when I think of Pambiche, I forget all about a rather heavenly cappuccino-based dessert and a completely forgettable main course, and I remember the lead weight of the plaintains in my upper chest, threatening to sink me among my ecstatic companions. I'd say cut your losses and skip to dessert, but I tried that once, and they frowned upon it. more
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Fabuloso! 9/13/2003

The food was excellent! The sangria yummy! There were not that many options for a vegetarian but the waitress pointed out the yuca and black bean dish which was out of this world. It was so filling I had it for two meals. The service was swift and many of the workers spoke spanish, very authentic! Pros: food, authenticity, sangria Cons: small space more
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Go for the appetizers 5/18/2003

Experience with Cuban says that appetizers and specialty drinks are the way to go, as entrees tend to be overpriced and heavy on the black beans and plantains. The croquets were good, but the empanadas didn't taste very authentic. The fruit shakes are excellent, and the coconut/chocolate torte thing was very tasty. Pros: desserts, small dishes Cons: most entrees more
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Best Cuban Restaurant 3/8/2003

Everyone we recommend this restaurant to praises it! Our kids beg to go and love the iron beer and pineapple soda. The yucca is awesome and the plato cubano is delicious. Empanadas are always good. Its the best comfort food around. Can't go wrong with most anything on the menu. Although smaller, the atmosphere is more condusive if going with children rather than its sister restaurant Carnitas, which seems to have more of a bar atmosphere. Pros: large food portions, authentic, outdoor/heat seating Cons: small inside, waiting list/ sometim more
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need more table 2/13/2003

I tried to get a seat a few times but I had to wait too long. So, I ended up getting food togo AGAIN. I understand people love your food because it's good but I don't think these royal customers have to wait outside for that long to have dinner. Dessert is good but I liked one from papa hyden better. On the menu, there are probably more than 20 kinds but I only saw 5-6 kinds of them at the restaurant. Get there early so that you can eat when you want to eat. Cons: wait too long, need more table, bad parking more
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What's all the HYPE about? 1/21/2003

What are these people smoking? A Cuban Cigar? From reading all the ratings here, one would think it's a second coming of Christ, but it's far from it. Yes the appetizers and the desserts are very good, as is the cozy and warm ambience. You must like a lot of chatter and somewhat confined space, else you'll feel like swimming underwater. The entree are medicore, so unless you're very hungry, my advice is to skip them. So we now order desserts and take 'em home to enjoy them. And yes, the line can be pretty slow. Pros: Desserts, Appetizers, ambience Cons: crowd, waiting, entrees more
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Only go for desert/drinks 12/11/2002

The food is bland, not a lot of flavor for a culture known for producing bold foods. The deserts are very good, some of the best in town, but the food leaves something to be desired. The fried plantains are like eating cardboard and the sandwiches are very dull. I recommend going to get some drinks and a desert, but not dinner. If you want food with a lot of caribbean flavor then you should visit Salvador Moll'y or Sweetwater's Jam House. Pros: Desert, Drinks, Ambiance Cons: Food, Food, Food more
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Go Early. Go Often! 12/5/2002

We walked in at 4:45 PM because we have 3 small children. We were seated right away and served in minutes. On the way out, there were people everywhere waiting. Food was great (not excellent) but I will be back. Deserts looked out of this world. Pros: Variety, Food, Drinks Cons: Parking, Room, Go Early more
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Great place! 11/22/2002

Very good food and service! Worth the wait. Awesome dessers & appetizers. Pros: inexpensive, great service, great food Cons: crowded, hard to park, long wait more
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Good food - BAD service 11/17/2002

The food was delicious..I was impressed. But we waited for almost 2 hours! We put our name on the list, and couples who had come in AFTER us were seated BEFORE us. It was infuriating! We pointed it out to the waitress and she just ignored us and played dumb. Our waiter was nice, however, and offered us free dessert for our trouble..but that really wasn't enough to make up for it..we won't be back. If you go, be prepared to wait...a while. more
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Menu for Pambiche


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Editorial

  • In Short
    The flavors are hot, cuisine authentic and the place abuzz with Spanish-speaking clientele and a bilingual staff. At times, this brightly painted cafe has lines out the door....

  • 6/20/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Sat: 8am-12am, Sun: 8am-10pm, Mon-Thu: 11am-10pm, Fri: 11am-12am
  • Payments: Visa, Master Card
  • Neighborhoods: Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Program, Kerns
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