Fats Pub

I wouldn’t know if this place is any good or not BECAUSE IT IS NEVER OPEN!

I thought I was going to love this place. I wanted to. But they are hardly ever open, even during their «open» hours. It’s ridiculous. And I’m only willing to pay $ 6 for a beer when I’m at a really upscale place. Otherwise the bar is kind of nice to sit at, even if the staff isn’t all super friendly.
UPDATE: Just noticed they’ve closed. Felt like they never really opened!

Waste of time — save your money. My boyfriend and I stopped in for a cocktail and a small bite to eat. There was only one other couple in the place — a bad sign for a beautiful Friday night. The glass in which my cocktail was served tasted of soap. When I told the bartender, he begrudgingly made me a new drink, but with many grumbles and a very surly attitude. I will not visit Fats again. Too bad to, because they are very close to home.
Fats — get a better bartender/​server. He’s hurting your business!

There are places that say brunch but don’t really mean it. They toss together selections from their breakfast and lunch menus and call it good. And that’s fine. As mentioned before I like breakfast food (pinnacle of Western culinary achievement and all that).
But this place is fucking brunch. Bangers and mash with carmelized onion, Scotch egg with salad. Poutine with eggs. Ham and cheese scramble. Sounds breakfast-​y? Not with French fries, wussy! You better be fixed to do some serious eating on a Sunday morn up in this motherfucker. There’s even chunks of sugar on the table instead of the nice soft granulated stuff princesses like.
Not that this place is all NRA hunting lodge No Girls Allowed. It’s filled with windows, very open and there are flowers and stuff on the table. Our server was rocking flip flops and shorts. Stuffiness factor is zero.
So, the food?
Pretty damn good. I got the poutine, made with a Guiness gravy that tastes like a red wine demiglace. Inside the gravy was some kind of meat, bacon or pork belly maybe. A poached egg on top and all of this over the some of the best damn fries I’ve ever had.
Before we left we looked at the dinner menu, it was a lot of the same stuff on the brunch menu. Kind of a let down, but still a big hell yeah for Fats. Will definitely be back.

I love this place. I’m a huge fan of the Chicken Tikka and the Beet Salad… Also, they used to have this lemon tart dessert on the menu that might be seasonal, but it was AMAZING and I have a thing for lemon desserts so I am hoping they get it back. :)
The service is always good… the bartender is super friendly. I had to have him split the check 5 ways and he was GREAT about it. I will definitely be going back there again soon!

Stopped in for Sunday Brunch — place was fairly empty. The food was great — no complaints. The service was mediocre — from a late, lackluster greeting, no attempt to sell the menu, late check-​back (we were about 90% done), etc. Professional servers with personality needed.

bad service, the worst I have had in Portland! bartender with a bad attitude, so bad in fact I left with out trying the food. The place was empty, I wonder why. I left and went to Saraveza, it was packed. The staff is always friendly and very knowledgeable about the beer and wine they sell.

Food was great but service was very slow. I am hoping they can pick up the pace for our next visit. I amalso hoping the drink menu expands a bit. I guess I should check out brunch next. Cool concept.

We went there last friday on a lark, and were way impressed. The place is a classic in terms of atmosphere, and the food was way better than you would ever think for a English Pub. Everything we ate was outstanding. We had the little big burger, the mac & cheese, the chicken vindalo, and a couple of other things. We split everything sort of tapas style, had a few beers, and a great time. Check it out, by the time we left, it was packed and felt unlike a spot you would expect in this part of town.

I’ve been for Happy Hour twice and I like this place. The neighborhood needs a place like this. I have read all the reviews and I have yet to have poor service. GREAT beer selection and the food I have sampled has been spot on. I have not had a meal yet but it is on my list.
Lets hope any growing pains they may have had are long gone and Fats can be a neighborhood destination.

Finally stopped in tonight for a Sunday dinner and was really happy with everything. Food was great from start to finish, with dessert being a highlight. Butter lettuces with bacon and a light buttermilk dressing reminded me of Bouchon in Napa. Not too salty, and a little spice heat that went great with the beer. Devils on Horseback were just as good as the bacon wrapped dates at Toro Bravo, if not better because they were crispier. The welsh rarebit had some tough competition with our other favorite hangout-​Moon and Sixpence-​but Fats’ was better and again had a nice lingering spice that just made you want to drink more beer…
Finished with the bananoffee pie, and wanted to high five myself it was so good. Looks like a trifle, but has all the components of a pie. We had a spoon fight trying to get to the bottom of the glass.
Relaxed with a couple of Carpano Antica’s, and decided that we have found a new Sunday hangout. Great ambience with great big windows to watch the street scene. Even loved the music selection and that is a hot button for me. Don’t go in expecting overly solicitous service, cause you won’t get it. But you will get your poutine on and if that is not enough for you then I can’t help you anymore than I have…

I love the décor. Love the food. Staff is excellent… now read on!
I arrived at 6pm it was not too slow or too busy, just right I’d say. I sat down at the bar, and was promptly (and politely) greeted by the bartender/​server. I looked over the menu, everything was clearly translated (for those of you who don’t eat brit food often) I chose the Beef Wellington. Once ordered the food arrived pretty promptly. Smelled epic, tasted better. I tasted the beef and the sauce and was blown away. I am a former restaurateur. I _​thought_​I could cook until I tasted the food at fats.
Trust me when I say your mouth will thank you for eating there!

PIC (partner in crime): «Where are we eating?»
Me: «Fats.»
PIC: «Fats? Huh? We are on Killingsworth. there is nothing on Kilingsworth… «
Me: «Shut up.»
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First of all, this place was DEAD on Friday at 6PM… no really. we were the ONLY people in the restaurant, except the waitress and a mysterious hand that kept placing food on the counter… i was concerned that this place might be crap and the guys down at williweek had lost their mind giving this place a recco, but the waitress reassured me that there was no botulism special and that the happy hour menu was in play ALL DAY LONG!
I will repeat that: the happy hour menu was in play ALL DAY LONG!
so now that my mind was put to rest, i started to glance around and see a SHITLOAD of bottles of beer and even started to feel giddy! the wall of old payphones was cool and ever the pub-​like theme not too overbearing and seemed very subtle.
The menu makes almost no sense, so the very kind waitress has to tell everybody what everything is and then explain it again… how hard is it to put a description on a menu? save this girl 20 – 45 minutes a night and let us know what «bubble & squeaks» and «devil’s on horseback» are for christ sakes, allready!
We had all but 4 of the happy hour items on the menu and almost everything was good to great. special props to the scotch egg and the devil’s on horseback!!! The toasties or anything with toast was not very good at all… HARD bread and then bake it for that ‘toothbreaking’ delicious crunchiness… is the owner a part time dentist in the local area, as well.
The beer selection is off the charts diverse (and not just for diversity sake wither… all great beers) with everything a growing boy needs to survive. we both had several beers and I found my new favorite beer AVENETIS… a german doppelbock… WOW!!!
all in all a great meal and fantastic drinks. We will try the dinner menu when hell freezes over or they run out of scotch eggs… the HH menu is that good!

I think I will just throw away all the «best of“s and «dining guides» in various Portland publications, which lead me to lame dining experiences like this place. The vaunted all-​day happy hour offers no drink discounts, just a list of snacks. OK, I’ll buy a full-​priced beer and a snack. Most of the menu items are written in British slang, things like Toad in a Hole or Dogs Riding a Broomstick. Which might be authentic, but how about a printed translation? But the real trouble comes after you order. The food isn’t bad but it is all meat and white flour and cheese and butter and even marrow. We just don’t eat like that in Portland. It’s OK to make an authentic Banging the Dragon or whatever, with all the lard, but then please serve a bit of salad with it, or some green beans or brussels sprouts maybe. I asked the waiter if there were any vegetable-​based dishes and he directed me to the mac and cheese. No, sir, there are no vegetables in mac and cheese. I am not anti-​meat, I’m pro-​vegetable. And this place sure isn’t. I had to stop at the supermarket on the way home to buy some salad fixings to eat as an antidote. I guess I didn’t realize the name «Fats» was to be taken so literally.

Checked out Fats last night. Only a 5 minute or so walk from our house and as a Brit ex-​pat, very excited to try the food. Owned by the same family that owns Yakuza, Beast and the little Italian place over the road whose name always slips my mind… Anyway, I digress… The Yorkshire puddings (given as a little taster) were pretty good (though not a patch on my Mum’s) and the draft Boddington’s is really good — traveled well. My better half had the cider soup with marrow bone toast which was great. I had toad in the hole (small appetizer) followed by the duck and dumplings — both very good.
Great décor, really nice vibe to it. Great to have a taste of home on my doorstep. It’s a new local for us for sure. Happy days.

C and I want to buy this space. Not for any particular reason except for that it’s SUPER CUTE & in a great location.

And then we had brunch here.
Poutine — thin gravy (not the lumpy crap) over fries w/​goat cheese & a poached egg w/​just the right amount of seasoning — not too salty, just right. DEEEELISH.
French toast — light, fluffy, not saturated w/​maple syrup, decorated w/​a touch of whipped cream & berries. OH MY LANDS. This was fantabulous.
Coffee — I’m assuming it’s Stumptown — whatever it was, it was really good.
Service — Super cool waiter from Yakuza told us about this place… turns out he works the brunch shift @ Fats as well. Bonus!
Atmosphere — small, cute, very cool British-​based pub space — LOVE IT.
The only thing I wasn’t thrilled about was the fact that I *think* there were pieces of bacon in my poutine and it wasn’t stated in the menu, so I spent some time picking it out.
Otherwise it was amazing and I’m sure we’ll spend many more brunches there!

Very excited about what this restaurant will have to offer. They’ve already made a great start with a nice selection of brunch and lunch specialties. The French toast made from 1.5 inch thick crusty bread smothered in blackberries appeared delectable and sweet. I decided on the eggs Benedict with a tart and not overly creamy Hollandaise sauce. My counterpart had the burger, with a sharp cheddar cheese on a crusty baguette. No other bread product would hold this tasty grease dripping morsel together. The french fries were deliciously seasoned and served with a side of very cold ketchup. It’s such attention to detail that will make this restaurant a destination.
The broad beer selection includes local and international bevies with no less than 10 on tap, living up to the pub portion of the name. The atmosphere is lightly English or Irish with dark painted windows and velvet seat cushions, but without the dinge.
I’m excited to come back and enjoy some more delicious food, tasty drinks, in this clean and comfortable almost pub.