Bar Avignon

I’m surprised this place isn’t rated higher. It’s one of my new favorites. Recommend ordering the kunik cheese plate & the barley risotto. Delicious!

Love this place. Stopped in late one Saturday night with a party of six. The hostess was very welcoming and tried to fit us in but was honest and said it would be a long wait. We went across the street for a drink and decided to try again after we finished. We headed back and were seated immediately for drinks and appetizers. The ambience is cozy, the service is spot on and the drinks were great. I can’t say enough about how friendly everyone was. We are looking forward to going back for dinner.

We love this place. We didn’t have a reservation but they had a last minute cancellation and we were seated promptly. We ordered everything off the happy hour menu. Mussels, salads etc with wine by the glass. Everything was stellar. The service is some of the best in Portland. We don’t eat out much because I’m a chef and we cook at home… A LOT! But we do love this place.

One of my favs! Recommend it all the time. Great wine list. And love their mussels in white wine.

Excellent drinks with a fun menu. Food was great. We enjoyed a flavor soaked croûton in a steak dish and the gnocchi was super soft with a subtle crisp on the edge. Delicious details made this place great to enjoy the night with family and friends.

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. The SO and I came to visit Portland and this was our favorite place to dine. We tried so much food and nothing disappointed us! Their must have is their Ravioli dish with chicken liver. It blew our minds it was so good. The prawn dish surprised us with a flavorful bite, and we completely melted over the chocolate sundae-​like dessert (It was a rich chocolate pudding (?) that was topped with peanut butter ice cream, caramelized banana and topped with cream. YUM) The customer service was 5 stars filling our drinks before it hit the bottom, talking with us about our travels and educating us about the food and drink. We got a premium spot by the kitchen so we got to see them put the dishes together! Thank you to the owners Nancy and Randy for the amazing experience. I look forward to our next trip to Portland!

Great food… waitress was spot on in her suggestions. .We definitely will go back… But we’ll make sure we get the padded booths… Im Old and the rear-​end doesn’t have much padding anymore.
We had a great evening. GO Ducks!

Went on a date night to happy hour. Loved the atmosphere, loved the food, loved the service and loved the wine. Super warm and cozy in there. Great staff and seating. Would go back in a heartbeat!

My boyfriend and I live a block from Bar Avignon. It’s our very favorite place in Portland. Though our proximity to it is especially lucky, that’s not the reason why we love it so much. It’s truly because the staff is extremely welcoming and the food is consistently excellent.
I was treated to a lovely birthday dinner here in October with 10 friends in the semi-​private wine room at the back of the restaurant. When we sat down I glanced at the menu and saw the message Happy Birthday Allyson! printed right on the front. A very sweet touch. The staff was so accommodating of our slightly rambunctious party and patient as we ordered our way through the entire menu.
The wine and cocktails here are so delightful. The wine list is extensive and suits any budget; we found a perfectly suitable magnum of rose to share for less than $ 60! It definitely added to the celebratory mood.
Whether you’re going out for a special occasion or for a Wednesday night dinner at the bar, you’ll surely love Bar Avignon. Get the pork chop, but not before you share a dozen oysters.

This is our favorite restaurant. Period.
Tips: Order wine. Ask for recommendations: they know their stuff. Order dessert wine. Their selection is fantastic. Always ask about the mud pie. It’s not mud and not really a pie, and changes regularly, but it is ALWAYS amazing. Try everything. Everything is good.

This place is a little gem. Cosy comfortable with a easy going atmosphere. The staff were fantastic. Clearly a group that works well together and makes sure their customers are provided for.
All dishes were delicious. We appreciated the wide variety in the offerings. It was our first time there but clearly will not be our last.

Ok, here’s the quick 411.
Great service, cool atmosphere.
Ordered the oysters, chicken liver mousse and the crispy potatoes. All very well done.
For entrees, we ordered the pork chop (5+ stars) the rock fish (solid 5 stars) and the flat iron steak (3 stars– too tough for flat iron, even by flat iron standards.
For dessert, we enjoyed the brûlée.
The starters, charcuterie and the share section all represent interesting and plentiful options. The entrée choices (5) offer a range sure to make you happy, unless you order the flank steak :-/​
Either do or do not, there is no try… when you limit the choices.
But I would come back and order the chop 7 out of 7 days.
Further kudos to mgmt for taking it off our check– not necessary but appreciated. Well played.
Thank you!!!

This place is truly something special. It’s the kind of place you want to tell everyone about because it’s that incredible, yet you really don’t want anyone to know about it because it’s a little gem you want to keep it all to yourself.
I must confess that I’m a food nerd. The food I enjoy most is simple food made extremely well. I also wouldn’t be a true Oregonian unless I was prideful about the use of local ingredients. Bar Avignon is a perfect marriage of both.
We were a party of three and we ordered half the menu along with a bottle of French rose and cocktails. Absolutely everything was on point. It is very apparent that the owners and staff take pride in this lovely restaurant. Our server was perfect in every way and added to how special the evening was. Not an easy accomplishment for a birthday celebration.
Thank you, Bar Avignon. We’ll see you soon.

Lamb chop was special. Order it with no hesitation. Moist, unusual, delicious. Perfect.
Cocktails were good… Manhattan. But pricey.
Oysters as appetizers… good variety.
Atmosphere was fine. A little breezy by the front door. Attire ranged from dressy couples headed out to neighborhood SEsiders in flip flops and shorts. if you’re looking for super intimate date night… go fish. But a nice place to get a lamb chop and have a drink.

We came here for Portland’s Monthly $ 29 Dining special and it did not disappoint.
While the apps were a bit small, the pork dinner was delicious. The salad looked dry, but ended up having a wonderful balsamic-​like dressing. The pork was braised in a delicious sweet sauce and the chocolatey fudge cake dessert had fresh whipped topping. It was definitely a treat and worth trying at least once.
I should have ordered wine with my meal, but I have a hard time spending on one glass what I would on a bottle, so I opted for an ale. It was a beautiful day, and I love beer on beautiful days, so the amber hit the spot.
I’d heard a lot of good things about this place, so i was thrilled to discover that it was in my neighborhood.
We were able to get a 2-​top, with a reservation, so I would recommend calling first because the restaurant is quaint. Street parking was free and a lot could be found, so that was an added bonus.

4 stars for the décor, ambience and service. 3 stars for the food, so overall a 3.5
We got the Hannah Cheese, Chicken Mouse and Rabbit Pâté to start off. The cheese was so-​so. Mouse was very good, and the pâté was ok. I got the roasted chicken as my entrée. Was very oily and the taste was just ok. Had expected better from a fine dining place. My friends got the risotto and salmon which were good but nothing spectacular.

We dined here for Portland dining month. Between the two of us we got everything the pre-​fixe menu offered except for the risotto. First lets talk food.
First course:
Groundwork Organics spring lettuce with shallots and honey-​apple-​cider vinaigrette
and
–Roasted chicken consommé with oyster mushrooms, sautéed onions and tarragon oil
–The salad was quite yummy, but nothing super special. The dressing was light, and tasted nice, but at the end of the day its a salad.
–The consommé was really tasty. Clean flavors, and the mushrooms were a lovely addition to the consommé. The first thing I thought when I tried it was that it would be the perfect soup of you feeling a little under the weather. Hearty, but still light, and a great way to start the meal.
Second course:
–Seared pork chop with Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider-​glazed new potatoes, rapini and thyme
–Roasted half chicken panzanella with asparagus, radish, Grana Padano, baguette and lemon-​garlic dressing
–The pork was flavorful, but sort of one note. It was a little on the dry side and the potatoes it came with were just roasted potatoes, Not the best things I’ve ever eaten.
–The chicken. The chicken was awesome. So moist, flavorful, and seasoned to perfection. We couldn’t get enough of that chicken. The asparagus salad that accompanied it was also perfect. The radish, with the baguette, and asparagus paired with the chicken so well, I was shocked. I often find asparagus to be an overwhelming flavor, but this was subtle and amazing. SO. GOOD.
Third course:
–Gooey chocolate brownie with Jacobsen smoked salt caramel sauce
–Carnaroli rice pudding with vanilla brown butter syrup
–The brownie was good, but it was just a really good brownie. The salted caramel sauce was yummy, but again, its a brownie with caramel sauce.
–The rice pudding was out of control amazing. Its came in a sweet little mason jar, and was the perfect way to end a meal. The right amount of sweet, and tart. It had an amazing vanilla sauce on top, and orange liqueur soaked cherries. So awesomely great. I wish I could have some more right now.
If you plan on heading to Bar Avignon for Portland Dining month I do not think you will be disappointed. I would go with the consommé, chicken, and rice pudding.
Now the ambiance and staff. The staff was amazing. We sat at the bar for our dining experience, but it wasn’t treated like bar service. Our server was very attentive, and you can tell the servers here work well together and there is great communication between all of them. I frequently saw multiple servers helping eachother out, whether it carrying plates or refilling water, I love it when you can tell people are in it as a team.
Its also a great show, because their whole kitchen is open to the restaurant. You get to watch the chefs make everything right in front of you, and I will be honest it made me want to go back to try their house made charcuterie that I kept seeing being prepared… it looked phenomenal.
Check out Bar Avignon for a super not uptight but very upscale dining experience. We will for sure be back.

We went there for the Portland dining month. There are some restaurants where both the food and the service is top notch and this is one of those places. I am very partial to top service and I have to say this was one of the best services we had. Thank you Robert.
Drink –blood from a stone. What an unbelievable cocktail with flavors so complex I was blown away
Appetizer — lettuce salad so simple but so good. The chicken consommé with oyster mushroom was something new to my pallette and I am glad I had that
Main course — the roasted chicken was so good especially the baguette was so tasty. The dish was top notch. The beet risotto was the highlight though. If this was Hells Kitchen the chef is winning the competition. Excellent dish.
Dessert — the rice pudding and the chocolate cake both were excellent and really tied the whole meal experience together.
Overall a great place to dine and drink. I would definitely repeat at this place and thanks for the good service.

After we were turned away at Nuestra Cocina (yes, us, can you believe it?), we headed across the street to Bar Avignon for dinner. We’d been here before a few times for a drink & dessert type-​thing. But this time they had to show us the goods.
Avignon is cozy. As we waited (shortly) for our table, we had to shimmy out of the doorway for people to depart. Then again, after being sat at the end of the bar, I had to make sure I didn’t just flop around and get in the way of the servers. But cozy and intimate is what you want when you’re eating oysters with your S.O. I just moved closer to her!
Oysters we did have, 6 to be exact. A couple each from OR and only one each from WA, cause you have to be loyal and local. Tiny, but really nice, as they should be. My cocktail, a Manhattan varient, was just okay, while my wife seemed to enjoy hers.
Truth to tell, I totally forget what we had for dinner, it was that good! No, seriously, I looked at menu online (which changes frequently) and didn’t see anything familiar. So I could lie and said I had the… pork chops! Yeah, that’s it… the pork chops… and they were so juicy and… stuff. But I completely forget what we ate besides the oysters. Maybe that Manhattan was stronger than I thought… Anyway I do remember feeling totally satisfied with our meals as we (stumbled) out of the restauarant.
Based on the other reviews I am not breaking any new ground here. Bar Avignon is a solid (and local, like I can walk there for a glass as I watch all you people try and find a parking spot!) place for just a glass or cheese or dinner. Go and enjoy, but don’t go too much or I won’t be able to get a table.

Lucky it was as advertised
I was told from our «100 places to stuff your face» book that this was a nice cozy place for a rainy evening. Lucky for us we got the corner booth that looked out to the street.
The staff was very friendly and helpful. The hostess, bartender, wait staff, were all on top of their game. There was a change over in our server so it caused service to lapse a bit, but these things happen.
Nice selections of wines. Sadly I can’t tell the difference between Cristal and Night Train so it was wasted on my. My wife loved the Rhone flight.
We started with some cheese. Price was a little steep, but apparently this cheese is expensive. Nice of the waitress to warn us of the extra sharp blue. It was that, very funky and sharp. Loved the pairing though with the honey and the homemade rye crisps.
I got the pork chop. It was very juicy and flavorful. Not the best pork chop that I’ve ever had, but it was definitely quality. The accoutrements of the chop was what made the dish though. It was a great combination of textures and salt and acid and sweet. Very well composed dish. Price was a little high. If you’re gonna be that high I better be blown away.
My wife got the goat cheese ravioli. Very goaty flavor and a fair portion. Nice smoky earthy flavor with the mushrooms too.
Like I said I hold these places on the East side to a higher standard. If you’re gonna get five stars I need a better value, or I need to be blown away. Sorry.