Bay 13 Restaurant

MEH and UGH!
The location is fantastic and the décor and ambiance are wonderful. I highly recommend Bay 13 if you are wanting to go to a «hip» place for a drink and are not planning to eat.
Considered a seafood restaurant, the food itself is all over the place. The seafood they do have is good, which includes the sushi and oysters. Now, let’s consider the fact that we are in the Pacific NW where fresh seafood is common. Then compare Bay 13 to other seafood restaurants in Portland — Bay 13 falls short. Overpriced. Simple Sushi.
Again…it is considered a seafood restaurant, but the menu is completely random. One of those «let’s have all sorts of different foods to appeal to everyone but perfect nothing». The scallops are good as is the beef. The chicken dishes are usually dry (we are talking chicken here, not something difficult to master), the Edamame (WTF are those doing on the menu) are gross and undercooked, the Ahi Poke USED to be wonderful but now has been tampered with (not in a good way)…I can keep going but you get the drift.
The drinks are great on the other hand. The Bay 13 Mojito is made with sake and tastes great. The Serrano martini is firery and yummy. The Spanish Coffee is wonderful (ask for it iced!).
Anyways, go there, have your picture taken, enjoy a drink, take your cash, and spend it somewhere good for dinner.

Came here for happy hour on a Saturday night and I have to admit it looked a little empty. Our group of ~12 ppl more than doubled the number of customers they had at the time.
Nice for small groups, but I wouldn’t recommend for a large group. The ambience is chill and trendy: dimly lit, chic and suitable for quaint little groups. With a large group, we felt separated from each other and couldn’t really talk to everyone. The music made some people a little sleepy too.
Service was great – they were friendly greeting us at the door. A few members of our group decided to write their initials next to what they got rather than simply how much to charge on the back of the receipt. With a smaller group, that’s fine. With a dozen ppl in your group, you’ll see a lot of scribbles. The waitress, though, was more than happy to figure out our check for us, even though it required going around the table making sure the charges were correct.
Spicy Smokey Fries — pretty tasty, you’ll like it if you like smokey flavors because as the name shows it is quite smokey.
Croquetas — good, but it sounded better on the menu
Bloody Mary — nothing special for $ 9.50
Overall, it was a ok experience. Seems like a nice place to take a date out for dinner, so I’d recommend doing that.

Well… I love the décor! :)
I loved the location in the Pearl District and the wait staff was super nice and friendly. The party I was with rented out half of the restaurant with it’s own bar window… That’s basically where I think the goodness stops.
The Food: Our salad was not great, very plain & bland. Our entrée was chicken (on the dry side) on top of chick peas… which DID NOT MIX WELL WITH WINE! To finish, the dessert looked like store-​bought strawberry cake from Ralphs, I’m sorry, «Safeway» for everyone else outside of Southern Califronia. I actually THREW UP when I left, for several reason:
1. it was open bar;) and
2 the nasty ass chick peas & dry chicken.
Again, the staff was great though. The ambiance was nice. So that’s why I gave 2 stars instead of 1. Otherwise, a place that makes me vomit their food is rarely going to get a high rating with me. Sorry it just won’t.

Came here while visiting Portland. The place was nearly empty inside when we showed up. Most people were opting to sit outside on the patio in the 90 degree weather vs. inside where it was comfortably cool. Inside the restaurant it’s totally hip, open and airy. Like a feng shui warehouse. I decided that it would make for a good dance club if they installed more lights.
The service was friendly and prompt. It did take a little while initially to place our order but once we finally did things were fine. Okay onto the food…
We had edamame, the cheese plate, king roll, spicy tuna roll and the prosciutto grilled figs with arugula reggiano and toasted hazelnuts. The food was absolutely tasty. The sushi very fresh (tasting at least) and delicious with a wonderful presentation. Edemame was cooked perfectly making for a nice appetizer. The grilled figs with prosciutto had an absolutely fantastic flavor and I could have eaten these all day. My favorite part however was dessert. We had the parfait which consists of valrhona manjari dark chocolate pudding, sea salt caramel, whipped cream. So rich and creamy the salted caramel with the dark chocolate went so well together. I could have eaten one entirely by myself and when I go back I may just do that.
Unfortunately the food didn’t last long after we left. I’m guessing it was the sushi. Also it did taste very fresh when I ate it — it’s hard to tell with spicy tuna. Spending a pretty decent chunk of change on dinner and drinks is very disappointing when you have to donate it all to the porcelain throne two hours later. It was definitely the food because my friend was out shopping while I was at the hotel (thank the baby Jesus!) and we were hit with the same symptoms at the same time. It’s quite interesting to get the text message «something I ate didn’t settle well» at the exact same time you’re sitting on the pot wondering what the hell it was that made you so sick. When I talked to her later she let me know she sent me the text message while she was in a bathroom as well.
This actually broke my heart because I totally wanted to love this place. Aside from our after dinner issues I think I’ll risk it and give this place another try when I’m back in town. I NEVER go back to places that I’ve gotten food poisoning so the fact that I want to go back should hopefully tell you something. Maybe skip the sushi just to be safe.

We had some family visiting from out of town and wanted to go to a nice seafood restaurant. Calling around town at the last minute, we found it hard to find reservations but Bay 13 had openings!
The location is nice: trendy Pearl District. They have outdoor seating, which seemed nice in warm weather. The restaurant itself is very large and cool looking. Love the ultra modern décor.
We were shocked to find the restaurant half empty when we got there! And it never filled up the later it got. That was weird, since it was a Saturday night.
But the service was superb. Our waitress was nice and attentive but not annoying. The food service was very fast. Now the food…
We had two appetizers. The calamari was ok but kind of bland. The antipast plate wasn’t impressive at all. Very small servings of meat, cheese and olives.
Dinner was pretty good. I got the salmon and instead of coming with gluttonous mashed potatoes or rice, the salmon was nestled on a mixture of snap peas, carrots, squash and zuccini. It was really tasty but not to die for. Dessert menu was practically non-​existant. That was disappointing.
I’d go back, but I’d probably check out their sushi menu.

I’ve been here a couple of times, and for the Obama event. Most of it either from other’s recommendation or simply a spot we all want to check out. I really like the layout of Bay 13, and the minimal decoration is a plus.
The martini drinks are very good, the ambiance is very nice, but that’s about it. There’s nothing exceptional beyond that. Wait, there are occassionals good dishes, but it’s really a hit and miss. I wish I could put in more positives, but I’m drawing up blanks.
All presentation, but lacking in meat. Hoping the next time I visit, Bay 13 will prove me wrong, and I welcome it.

I love Bay 13. I’ve had 3 meals & have been super impressed with the service (great host — we wanted outside seat & he made sure to move us from inside to outside when seat became available).
Food is great, my last meal was a smattering small plates shared with my husband… Copper River Salmon with Cucumber & mushrooms YUM! Shashimi and special salad of Asparagus, Fennel & Truffle salt! Shashimi was fresh and plentiful.
I’m a bit baffled by some of the negative reviews… Pricing is fair for Pearl. And abiance is lovely!

Bay 13 gets a 5 star for ambiance and trendy location… but it’s all about the food right?
For its price and presentation, how can Bay 13 get it so wrong? I would say that their sushi was mediocre at best… nothing tasted fresh or flavorful except maybe the soy sauce…
Considering that they supposedly specialize in seafood, I had higher expectations in the quality of food and I hope you do too. Move on from this place PLEASE.

How can I make the word MEH bigger in my reviews?
Admin, can I get an admin.
I need this MEH to be like 48 pt helvetica new, bold, italic, super-​scripted and possibly underlined for dramatic effect. Seriously, MEH doesn’t look quite right… it needs to be much much much bigger, more dramatic, moxy.
Bay 13 is located on Meh avanue, in Mehville, a mehtropolis, who’s mehyor must be Mehlanie Mehmmle.
Overpriced. Check. Lackluster food. Check. Marginal Service. Check.
2 stars. Check.
Sorry Bay 13, thanks for hosting our large party, which you did well and is about the only reason I didn’t give you 1 star… which would have been mean, but not unwarranted.
If my starter Salad, 1 sushi roll, and 1 glass of Raptor Ridge PG, had been $ 20 I may have given you 3 stars. But had I added a entre, my bill would have easily eclipsed $ 60. And you are not a $ 60 dinner establishement. $ 24 for a hanger steak on a square of pan baked polenta with some carmalized onions on top… I don’t know if your polenta is made by Sicilian virgins, or your hanger steak is from only the fittest and fisque fed cows… but somewhere you forgot to taste it, or learn how to cook it properly, or think that if you are going to charge a premium price for such an entre, that you can’t have preped the polenta Tuesday, baked it Wednesday night, and threw on on the grill Thursday when you served it. It just doesn’t work that way.
sorry, I’m rambling. I’ll stop now.
One more…
MEH

Hey Portlandians,
If you have not been here for happy hour or dinner this restaurant is a MUST. For starters Bay 13 should be on the cover of DWELL magazine. I was so impressed with their well thought out design. The owners have taken much time, effort and $$ to make their restaurant a very comfortable place to dine.
We stopped in for happy hour and were greeted by Joe Moreau the proprietor of Bay 13. What a super guy! He gave us a tour of his restaurant, sat us, recommended some items on the menu and even chatted with us about Portland. Being from out of town we are always looking for an insiders scoop about the city we are visiting. Joe gave us info on places to see and eat in his fine city. We really appreciated his hospitality.
Now, let’s talk food.
You have got to try Wild Mushroom Croquetas. They are AWESOME! The Grilled Flatbread is terrific too. Really nice sauce and great crunchy crust. We also had a couple of orders of oysters… very nice… great sauce.
I wish we had more time to have dinner here too. next time.
In closing; I highly recommend you check this place out for yourself. you will not be disappointed.

Went for a business event on a Sunday night. It was a great space for this, very quiet, almost empty. So our large group was probably the largest party in there. We were put at all one long table. I saw a few couples snuggled in the corners of the restaurant, but personally due to the size of the space (it’s a large restaurant) it didn’t seem super cozy to me without a big crowd there. Maybe thu-​fri-​sat would be better if you are on a date.
The décor is nice, urban industrial chic. I wonder what the noise level would be like if more full.
But going to the most important thing — the food — I enjoyed every item served to me. We had pork lettuce wraps, edamame, oysters, and a wide variety of sushi. The only thing a tiny bit off was the spider roll, the deep fried crab wasn’t the best I’ve ever had. But everything else was very very tasty and fresh. Their menu said that they only serve sustainable seafood, which is cool.
Service was really good. We never had any dirty dishes pile up and our water bottles never went empty. Drinks and food came quickly once ordered. I liked my mango serrano martini (not too spicy). The grapefruit martini wasn’t as badass but still good.
I don’t understand the previous reviewers complaining «What is this place» just because they serve a variety of foods. I think it’s cool to mix it up, and the sushi snobs should just stick to Saburo’s. So what if they serve steak and sushi and bread. Please! It’s actually a plus if you think about it, since sometimes you’re with a group of people and a couple of people want sushi but there’s always that one person who can’t eat it.
And people who complain that they feel underdressed, well, try wearing something besides fleece and jeans for a change if you are uncomfortable. For my part, I wore jeans and a nice sweater and boots, and nobody looked at me like I was underdressed. And anyway — this is Portland, who cares! No one is looking at you funny, get over yourself.
All in all, I had a lovely time, it was everything you would want from a Pearl district seafood restaurant, and I will be back with more groups.

Like the identity crisis that shines through their menu, I spent a night fraught with confusion as to how, and what, I felt about this über-​ultra-​cool-​to-​the-​max posh eatery in the Pearl. Let me share:
I was invited to join a birthday party at this cooler-​than-​cool spot on a Saturday night in the Pearl. Upon entering I felt immediately under-​dressed in my Portland-​formal black tee, crisp jeans, dress shoes, and nice black winter jacket. Everyone inside was in top Pearl form, with collared, mostly striped, shirts, many in slacks, and the girls in very cute dresses. I did eventually find some dressed as I was, and that made me feel better. I didn’t, at any time, feel judged though, and I liked that.
The space is done in ultra-​mod industrial style with lots of wood, glass, metal, brick and concrete. The ceilings are exposed and the lighting is low, sparse, and industrial. Carefully positioned low walls, curtains, glass, and mirrors keep the space from being cavernous while at the same time allowing for an open, larger than life feel.
The tables are a nice, solid wood and metal mix, the silverware is Oneida, the S&P come in fancy metal grinders, and, well, you should be starting to get the picture. They put some serious $ into this place. It is reflected in the great design and all of the little details.
The service was spot on, with talented and quick servers and a very enthusiastic host (one of the owners, I believe), who took great care of the birthday party. I definitely felt the good service when I was here.
Now the food. This is where we get back to the identity crisis. I walked in and saw both a sushi bar and an oyster bar. Hmm. I saw fancy people, a fancy setup, and I immediately was afraid for my wallet. I was greeted by a, you guessed it, pricey menu. The options had a japanese/​northwest flair, with sushi, udon, and lots of pairings that included miso, soba, etc. There were also some standard northwest items such as cod, salmon, scallops and tenderloin. Then there were lobster dishes, oysters on the half shell (offered by the half dozen or the dozen), and crab legs. So really, it’s a seafood restaurant that offers the seafood cooked or raw, along with some Japanese food and a steak. I have no idea how to classify it otherwise.
The apps run in the $ 7-​$ 15 range, the dinners in the $ 11-​$ 34 range, and if you want to go big with lobster/​crab-​legs/​oyster platters, they offer $ 57 and $ 107 options (for a group, this would actually be a fun way to go). The sushi is on the higher end, at about $ 7 for 2-​piece nigiri.
I ordered my food (ceviche, oysters, ½ lb crab legs, hamachi nigiri, aand a butter lettuce salad), and when my drink came, so did some bread and olive oil. ??? Not used to seeing that at a sushi/​japanese restaurant. The apps came and they were, as I would have guessed, small, but surprisingly decent for what I am used to in the Pearl. The oysters were very good but the ceviche could have used more fish. The real hits for me were the butter lettuce salad with this spicy dressing (yum!) and the crab legs, which come pre-​cracked and with a cocktail and red pepper rouille sauce. I could have eaten 5lbs, but for $ 15, my ½ lb did not seem small (remember, we’re in an ultra cool restaurant in the Pearl!). The only really disappointing food was the sushi. I am pretty snobbish when it comes to sushi, though, so that should temper this review. The fish was good quality, but nothing to Unilocal about. I didn’t get any soy with my sushi. That’s not good.
As I sat and mostly enjoyed my food, I just gazed around and took this place all in. I would expect to see this kind of place in Seattle, and PACKED. But surprisingly on a Saturday night at 7:30pm, it was relatively dead. So that leaves me to wonder, where is everyone at? Is this that whole recession thing they have been talking about? What gives?
Now I am not rich, and I definitely can’t afford $ 20-​something entrees on a nightly basis, no matter how good they are, but seriously, if I were going to try and impress some friends visiting from a big city, this would be on my short list of places to take them. «Yeah man, Portland’s still got it… for sure» I would say, as we enjoy our crab legs and butter lettuce salads in the ultra-​cool industrial space.
I think maybe happy hour in the bar would be an amazing way to go in this place, if you don’t have the bling to front for a very Pearl dinner.
End verdict — way better than expected, and I would definitely return, but I would definitely dress to impress.

Excellent food! I had one small issue with the sous-​chef, but that can wait…
I was a little hesitant making reservations here since I’m not a seafood fanatic, but I kept hearing good things about this restaurant, so I decided to give it a try.
They «triple» filter their water, re-​bottle and have available either still or sparkling complimentary. Never heard of a restaurant sparkling their own water~
Our fare:
Sweet potato fries
Gnochhi w/​parmesan and cherry tomatoes
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Braised short ribs with potato purée, onion, jam and red wine
Maine Diver Scallops served with squid ink gnochhi, calamari, soffrito and lemon sabayon
shitake, sugar snaps and sesame seeds
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Raspberry lemonade
No wine or cocktails, even though the menu looked enticing. Next time.
It was a gorgeous night so we ate outside, great «porch» seating there
*The short ribs weren’t as expected. Very tender and the flavor of the potatos saved the dish. The actual beef did not have a lot of flavor by itself which was disappointing.
*The scallops (note: on the entrée list, not starters) were AWESOME! To die for. We ordered the gnocchi starter and had it accompany the meal specifically for this dish. Very very nice
*Side of shitake, sugar snaps and sesame seeds delish as well. Very nice flavor and accompanied the short ribs well (I dipped my short rib in the sauce of this side and it made all the difference~)
All in all, I was very pleased with my meal and would definitely go back. I would like to experience the dining room for sure and try out some of their cocktails or wine.
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For those who care to read on…
My issue with the sous chef:
So I am friends (more than acquaintances and less then bossom buddies) with the sous chef’s girlfriend. I had spent the afternoon with her at a baby shower and mentioned I was going to Bay 13 for dinner. She said I should ask for him and when I arrived to say hello and maybe he would cook for me (apparently he doesn’t cook much but enjoys working the line). So, I did. At the host station, I ask if «_​_​_​» is working. The host replies, «yes, do you want me to send him out?» I said «yeah, if he’s not busy». So we get sat and a few minutes later the host comes out and says…“I’m really sorry but he says he doesn’t know you”. I reply back that it’s fine and that I’m actually friends with his girlfriend and at the request of her, I asked for him to come out. So the host goes back in to embellish on the request but the sous chef fails to come out of the kitchen for the entire meal.
Now, I’m not personally bruised or offended by the situation, but from a pure customer service perspective this kind of irritated me. What if I had a question or a compliment, or a complaint that I wanted to share with the sous chef? Would he stay hidden in the kitchen then as well? Was he trying to avoid a possible moocher trying to get a free app or something? Puh leeze! When you work at or dine at a supposed «nice» restaurant, you should not behave like that. That was my only pickle. I am very curious to see next time I dine there if I innocently ask to speak with the chef if he’ll come out. Bad business behavior and horrible customer service in my opinion with regards to the sous chef!

Not worth it! Service is flaky and brain dead as hell. My brother already warned me that he hated it and they treated him like shit but did I listen? Noooooo. It’s a seafood restaurant, I love seafood but I enjoyed the cocktails more than my food. The food is not worth it to tolerate such horrid service! Stupid 13 on 13^th. The sushi is NOT worth it. To quote my lovely friend: «The sushi here is as good as Haggen’s grocery store, not any better.» And yes we are food lovers. Food whores actually and not simple minded at all. So excuse you.
NO STARS!!!

I always expect a lot of Portland when I go out eating in any of the districts.
Bay 13 does not disappoint.
The food is fantastic at every turn and their sushi and oyster bar adds so much to their menu as to make this a destination place every time I return to Portland.
The guy who runs the oyster bar isn’t just there shucking oysters to order, he loves them, knows them, and can talk forever about them. I love to see that when I’m talking to staff about food I’m going order.
We went on a Saturday night when it was very busy and the service was great and everyone was friendly. We went again on a Sunday night and everything was just as great.
Great cocktails too.

In a word: Meh.
I started out the meal with a delicious Bay 13 Mojito (Maybe I will return for the drinks.)
We had the Bay-​13 Platter for starters. It was tasty but was left on the table WAY too long leaving a distinctively fishy funk with it.
When our meals finally arrived, one was missing (mine of course). Apparently there was a screw up in the kitchen and my meal was missed. My companions politely waited 5…10 minutes before diving into their rapidly cooling food. By the time my food finally arrived I had lost my appetite. My black cod was mushy and very salty.
There was not even an apology. Soooo off we went to somewhere else for dessert. I really wish that some of these places would just learn to apologize. I came to eat WITH my friends not 10 minutes after them. If all dishes are not ready then NO dish should come out.

I wasn’t sure about this place as we approached it. It was recommended by a local a few blocks back when we bugged him while he was sipping on some coffee taking in the evening rays. It seemed a little posh to me but I was itching for some seafood so I decided to go with it.
This place looked like an old converted warehouse where the patio now was the landing spot for semis. In any case, the crowd was sparse (Wed night) and it looked like a spot where corporate functions might take place or where tourists only go (I despise both). However, the longer I was there the less I thought that. In any case, my overall feel was that the environment was sterile and just lacking that energy I love. It’s the ONLY reason this place didn’t get 5 stars.
I order the salmon and hands down it was probably the best salmon I’ve ever had. I tried some of my friend ceviche– right on the money like the ones I’ve had in Peru. I heard the other dishes were excellent, too. I think if you’re going with a group for excellent seafood and you’re into yourselves (i.e. not caring about who’s around you) then you’ll really like this place.
I would like to add that I am conscious about over fishing and not only do they not serve endangered fish but they refuse to serve fish caught in nets, which I thought was AWESOME! I hope more chefs will be that conscious about our seas!

Great location, great place. So, I met up with my brother and went on first Thursdays, and boy was that insane. Drunken women and men everywhere and verrry loud… but it was first Thursdays w/​the art fest. right outside. The dining seating could probably be placed a bit farther from the bar crowd, to make it less loud and more enjoyable.
With our sparkling water, yum, we ordered sushi, salad appetizer, entrees including short ribs and scallops, and a pom. ginger martini. All were delicious! It wasn’t heavy and was portioned well. It was very fresh and tender. Our waitress was very nice, funny, and had a good memory (for not having to write our orders down at all and making no mistakes). Drinks, especially martinis, were of good cost. 8.50 to 9 when I expected 11 bucks for a cosmo. Entrees were a bit expensive, but it’s all worth it for the type of fish/​meat they carry. Very fun atmosphere, on the ritzy side. Come dressed up and prepared for a fun experience.

My best friend from college and I found our way to Portland on a day trip, and decided to cap off our journey with dinner at Bay 13. We found a map of the Pearl District, and pretty much closed our eyes and picked a point on a map. Complete randomness led us lost, trailing across the Pearl District in the rain (leave it to us to not bring an umbrella during the winter in the Pac NW), and just as I was starting to hate life, we found our destination.
The food was great — The «starter» selection was amazing, we had to try hard to not make a meal out of the plates and salads. We ended up settling on sharing the Ota Tofu (a sushi roll) and the Apple and Pickled Pear salad. Staying to the northwest seafood theme, we both got fish. It was amazingly good food — all of it. The desserts were a twist on what you’d normally find on a restaurant menu; we got the pumpkin bread pudding, which came with a ball of lemon sorbet (don’t get me wrong, it was good — but it was different; that, however, is not always a good thing).
The service left a bit to be desired. The servers were hard to come by, and the buss staff seemed like they may have had too much spare time on their hands. I had to wait 10 minutes for my waiter to bring me a refill on my soda (after trying to flag him down for 10 minutes prior to that). I needed driving directions to get back to the 5 — somehow that took 5 people to figure out (I did get my directions, eventually, on a 1×2 scrap of paper with the writing so packed onto it, it’s a miracle I found the highway.).
Bay 13 is a really cute restaurant. It’s a cross between «the modern look» and the «big open space.» The bar and dining areas are strategically divided by 4-​foot dividers and large glass windows. It reminded me of an open warehouse/​loft space. I wouldn’t call it intimate in any conventional sense, but the layout of tables definitely allows for intimacy (as well as big groups). I wish we had gotten one of the window seats along the front for people watching, but no such luck. This is on my list of places to visit again when I come down to Portland to visit the family.

Each night after leaving the gym, I would glance enviously at the patrons of the Pearl’s new hot spot — Bay 13.
Them: the perfect portrayal of Portland posh
Me: sweaty, cynical, and starving.
In my resentment, I groundlessly refused to believe the hype. It became a vendetta — I would envision jumping off my treadmill and ripping away their silver spoons. However since packed night after packed night firmly established that they couldn’t be beat — I joined. And I LOVED. The service was fast and friendly, and in my case, came with a sexy Aussie accent. I did not venture past the seafood section of their northwest inspired menu, but I was extremely pleased by the fact that they were committed to serving fresh, local, and sustainable seafood.
Bay 13 is the perfect excuse to throw on that cute black dress and pretend that we all are a little more upscale than we actually are. (shh…no one knows that you devour the happy hour nachos at Rock Bottom) Actually, they do — and Bay 13 embodies this idea that I love about Portland. On Monday, you can be Irish at Kells, Tuesday you’re a Salsa-​Señorita at Fernando’s — and Wednesday you’re Posh Spice at Bay 13.
What the heck — I even scoffed at the gym-​goers emerging with an all too familiar scowl. Tomorrow I’ll be in their shoes again, but tonight I’m in the land of Posh — and when in Poshland…