McCormick & Schmick’s Harborside at the Marina

Great location right on the riverfront, with beautiful views! So idyllic to sit outside on a soft summer’s eve, it’s hard to argue against the «life is good» maxim. Especially when you’ve got a tankard of local ale to cool you off. (Now if only my table colleague was my wife, life would be even better …) M & S is a national chain seafood restaurant and I’ve always been fairly happy with them and this one was no exception: reliable, fresh, and well-​rendered seafood. We shared a couple of appetizers, the Dungeness crab (very sweet and moist, I like crab better than lobster) and shrimp cocktail. I had the Alaskan halibut, simply grilled, and it was excellent, didn’t need any more accompaniments than that. My colleague had the cedar-​planked salmon and said it was very good. Maybe it was the locale and ambiance that added to the gusto of the dishes, but this M&S seemed to be a bit better than others I’ve been to. Service was also very good, no issues there.

I had a very good brunch at McCormick & Schmick’s a few weekends ago, so I am surprised to see its 3-​star rating. I also wasn’t aware of it being a chain restaurant.
First of all, the restaurant’s location in the scenic RiverPlace Marina makes for great ambiance, with scenic views of the Willamette River. The restaurant itself is also upscale with white tablecloth and uniformed waitstaff.
The food we ordered was excellent. We shared a flatbread topped with sun-​dried tomato pesto, mushroom, basil and goat cheese. It was quite tasty! The flatbread had a great crispy consistency without being bogged down by the plentiful toppings.
It was cut into 8 smaller pieces, making it a good dish to share. We also shared the calamari, which were perfectly cooked and crunchy without being too oily. The portions seemed fairly generous.
Finally, I ordered the «Eggs Purgatory» as my main. Let me tell you, this dish’s taste lived up to its name. If you like heat, then this is the perfect brunch dish for you. It was the perfect combination of savory and spicy in one dish.
It consisted of 3 poached eggs (and then likely baked) in tomato sauce, covered with mozzarella cheese, basil and a nice slice of pancetta. It was also served with two pieces of grilled ciabatta, which served as the perfect vehicle to soak up the tangy and spicy tomato sauce.
Overall, I had a good brunch experience at McCormick & Schmick’s. It doesn’t seem to be the trendiest brunch in Portland, but I definitely think it’s a good option for people looking to avoid long lines. The pricing is fair, the portions are generous, the service is excellent and most importantly the food is tasty.

Alas, weep for the real McCormick & Schmick’s is Gone Forever! Ate there for lunch and was surprised that the quality had dropped like a rock while the prices had skyrocketed. Ordered cod sandwiches and got two small pre-​frozen and breaded pieces on cole slaw and a piece of lettuce on a tasteless bun. Of all the places in Portland, the town of great restaurants, we made the mistake of stopping here thinking that it was still good. Great wait staff and bar tender but the restaurant also had filthy restrooms; a sure sign of decline. Great view, drinks are OK but high priced. Too Bad, Farewell to a great restaurant.

I’m not sure why this place only has three stars. Perhaps too many pretentious hipster scum ruined its rating. Service and food was excellent, very pleased. Glad I didn’t look at the ratings and skip this place.
Thankfully a local recommended this place and we are all very happy we came. Great job, die hipster scum!

Drinks were ok, the sea scallops were pretty averaged and the combination with the crab meat and potatoes just didn’t work at all. Left disappointed.

I wish this wasn’t the closest restaurant to me The food is horrible. I keep trying but it just gets worse. They need to revamp and update their menu and execution. It’s an extremely expensive chain restaurant.
So sad. Not fit for downtown Portland. Greasy «bread», gagged on the oysters, dried up prawns and ceviche? Joke.
$$$$ for nothing.

Sadly I can only give this place two stars. Most of my reviews are positive. So I will start with the positive. The appetizers were super. We had bacon wrapped prawns, tuna sashimi, crab stack (should have been called no crab stack) and a few other small items. All good.
The service was super.
Sadly the main courses were not. Not only did I have the smallest piece of Halibut ever but I had to cut it with a knife in a saw like manner.
Yes you heard me right. The portions were horrible for the price and the halibut was atrocious. Even on Hells Kitchen, their disaster would have been better than the dried piece of fish I had. With maybe a little pepper on it. No other seasoning. I didn’t even taste any butter. What gives? For a 36 dollar plate, I expect way more than that in quality and yes in proper size. It was like a cigar tube, dried and tasteless. Sadly the waiter ran away from our table instead of offering to do something. Other than a bev and appetizer I most likely will never go back.

One of my favorite restaurants! Excellent service and delicious food! Manny is the best!

My Wife and I visited this Brewery as the 1^st one in our brewery tour in Portland. The Waitstaff was attentive and our food was great. My wife had the Mac and Cheese and I had a Bacon Burger. No complaints here, we will be back. The IPAs were good but not as good as many other IPAs I routinely drink.

Stopped in for a happy hour drink. The bartender was great, very funny and entertaining. Even warned us to wait a few minutes for happy hour to start. Beautiful view of the marina and of the Willamette River.

Came here yesterday after bridal gown shopping. Our server, Martinez was amazing! We asked to be seated outside and as our stay continued the sun went away and we got a little cold. The food and drinks were great for everyone in our party. Not to mention Martinez found us some blankets! How awesome is that?! I will definitely be back and will request to be seated in his section.

Unfortunately, this review relates only to the service provided at this location, not the food itself (because we were not allowed to eat here). I should say that I have had good experiences at the M & S in Chicago, but I would have to recommend not dining at this location. Unlike in most service-​related organizations where the customer is always right, the customer is apparently never right at this restaurant (especially when the manager, Dave, apparently wants to go home early). If you are looking for a good restaurant in this area, go down the street to the restaurant called Veritable Quandry; that’s the wonderful restaurant that we discovered when we had to leave M & S.
Here’s what happened: We made a reservation on Open Table for 9:45 one evening (there was actually an opening for 10PM, too). When we showed up, within minutes of 9:45, the staff immediately told us that the kitchen was closed, that the kitchen crew had already been sent home. We were also told that they had already announced «last call» at the bar (which was actually full of people). We questioned why they would accept a 9:45 reservation, and informed them that there was even a 10:00 option. After a few minutes of rude treatment, we finally asked to speak with a manager.
We probably waited 8 – 10 minutes before the manager came out, and he was also very rude. I have never dealt with a manager who had only excuses; everything was our fault, and he just wanted us to leave. I am convinced that he wanted to go home, or perhaps out to party (it was St. Patrick’s Day). He actually didn’t appear to be very happy when I said, «I bet the corporate office would love to know that you are closing early.» He blamed us for showing up late, and he blamed Open Table for including 10PM as an option. We actually showed up on time for our 9:45 reservation, so none of this made sense. He just wanted us to leave… so we did.
As I mentioned earlier, the good news is that we discovered Veritable Quandry down the road. Please give them your business.

Loved the atmosphere and ambiance of this dining house. The view of the marina was spectacular from our floor to ceiling window.
Our server, Shelby was super friendly and very helpful in explaining the menu. Not to mention, her recommendation of the Chef’s Choice was spot on. The oysters were a perfect way to start off the dining experience.

McCormick & Schmick is a really large chain now famous for very fresh seafood with your choice of preparation.
The Harborside is my favorite location for a really unique restaurant interior which makes it a a favorite for an intimate dinner or a dinner with a business associate. What is really unique is it has a tiered seating which provides for some amazing river views and a more spacious restaurant then one with all the seating on a single level. Take my word for it — make a reservation and ask for the tiered seating — it makes for a very pleasurable dining experience.
I have a very specific few dishes I always get here as I have had none better per the preparation here. The Dungarees Crab Tower has everything good between seafood, avocado and mango — great presentation and amazing taste.
I had my first ever plank Salmon here and they do it just right. The added depth of taste that the plank adds to the Salmon makes this dish something really special. I have to thank the server I had the first time here for this recommendation. The berry reduction is just the right compliment as well as the roasted vegetables.
All dinners come with fresh bread which it is tempting to eat allot of but try to pull back so you have room for dessert.
The desserts here are a must!!! My preference is chocolate and berries but there are so many good choices.
Give this location a try and I think you will be a fan like I am — great dining experience based not just on the food. For sure let me know if you agree on my dish selection!

Decided to come here for Portland Dining month.
Started off so well! The Shrimp bisque was bursting with flavor, so good! The garlic bread was also very tasty.
Main course of sole stuffed with crab and shrimp? I was looking forward to this but it was mushy and didn’t taste like anything. The mashed potatoes and veggies were alright.
The chocolate lava torte was just ok as well. My husband had the vanilla panna cotta which was very nice!
The service was great! My main and dessert however were not. I would maybe come back because that bisque was on point. The restaurant itself was beautiful and offered a beautiful view of the marina.

We made a reservation here for a group of 8 on a Saturday night. The restaurant wasn’t very busy and we were seated right away. The waiter was friendly but took awhile to take our order.
It was hard to choose what to order off the menu. Everything seemed overpriced to come without sides.
I ended up ordering the kale salad and a cup of clam chowder. The kale salad was great! It had apples in it and a balsamic dressing. The clam chowder was way too salty. I had to add some water to it to get rid of the salt taste which left the soup cold. There were too many potatoes in the soup and no clams.
The restaurant itself seems like a nice atmosphere. I would definitely like to come back during the summer to try their happy hour.

With a large party of 7, we made reservations for 7pm on Saturday night when a few friends came into town. I have eaten here 3 – 4 times, almost always for happy hour after strolling down the river with friends. We came for Portland Food Month. Thinking that there would be something on the limited menu that we would be interested in. No luck.
Instead hubs got the burger, which was good. and I got a cup of chowder, which was recommended and a wedge salad.
Burger: Great. Nicely cooked, display was nice and tasted delicious. (Just like the happy hour burger just 3x the price)
Wedge: It’s a joke. VERY small wedge, with very finely chopped bacon and tomatoes on the sides of the lettuce.
Clam Chowder: Extremely salty, I didn’t even finish the $ 6 runny salty potato filled cup. Yuck.
Service: Server felt overwhelmed, and took a while to come back around to us since we were at the very top corner. Very kind, nothing outstanding.
The only thing that saves this review is the desert. Great Crème Brulee and Apple pie.
Rating for Dinner: 2 — way over priced. Food is so-​so. Just because you are located on the river doesn’t mean you are anything to write home about.

Hubby and I celebrated out 1^st Christmas in Portland, and since we were orphans for the day we went out to lunch. We were lucky and managed to score a table here :)
We shared the shrimp kisses to start, I had seared sea scallops for my main and hubby had the dry rubbed black Angus steak (of course!). We went all out and had a couple cocktails, and for dessert had rich chocolate cheesecake. Tasty!
We also signed up with the loyalty card and got a $ 25 credit to use next time!
Went again recently for dinner, I had stuffed salmon and hubby had steak again and we shared the apple pie for dessert, yum!

Just had lunch here, we were amazed! The food was really good… sizzling fish tacos, grilled salmon, kale salad… excellent! $ 62 for 2.
Great drinks and view, can’t beat it. Waiter was totally human. The manager person even appeared…
It had been a while, I had been missing the old McCormick’s on Oak, so it’s great to see this is still a cool option, we’ll be back soon!

I give this place 4 stars. Not that I will go out of my way to go here again, but because we had a perfectly good date night here.
Their building has the best view and the inside is very nice. They have an over look to their wonderful waterfront view in cozy two person booths, it sets a very nice private and romantic mood.
Our waitress, (I think her name is Laura, I can’t remember) was super nice and helpful. We got glasses of water right away, put in our drink orders and got those right away. I had a Raspberry Mule and the BF had Olé’ Blue both were very tasty drinks.
While waiting for our food, our waitress brought us focaccia bread that was super good!
We both decided on the Shrimp and andouille mac and cheese and we received that quite quickly as well and she brought us more bread with our meal just in case we wanted more.
The sauce was very tasty and the shrimp had a great taste and so did the sausage. I didn’t personally care for the noodles, but the BF said he liked them. So no complaints there.
We had a perfectly good experience here, all staff were prompt and friendly. It’s classy, but not overly expensive.

This is a NW chain restaurant. The food is ok taking that into consideration, but overpriced for the quality. I think a lot of the fish is farm raised, not fresh water. You really can’t beat the location though, right on the Portland waterfront. Great ambiance, friendly service and a really great place to sit outside on the water in the summer. I wish I could give it a 3.5 but the food is a definite 3. This place is always busy due to the great view and also the fact that it’s right in the middle of all the hotels on the south waterfront. I’m sure I’ll go again, but I don’t expect a 5 star meal. Maybe order drinks and grab an appetizer only or just come for happy hour during the summer and sit outside.

Food was overpriced and just barely ok. Service was below sub-​par for the the price we paid. Overpriced food is ok if there is amazing service and ambiance, they had non. They servers were lost and confused. Water and bread took forever, and when they validated my ticket. They only gave me a 2 dollar voucher for the parking. So I had to pay for the rest of my own parking. I came to buy a friend a gift card, and being a Landry member, you get a 10 dollar reward card for buying gift cards. Management and servers didn’t believe and had to show them the email Landry’s sent me and they still weren’t able to do anything. I got the good gift card anyways and left, I really hope they fix there problems. I use to love the place!!!

Really was a 2.5 star visit, with my last two visits being 4 stars. So definitely try it, just know what to get.
Definitely go for:
Calamari
Stuffed sole
Salmon
Desserts
And pretty much everything seafood related on the menu
However, avoid the halibut it all costs! The first one was dried out, and the second was completely raw. See attached photo of the later.
Also, the halibut comes on a bed of mashed potatoes and a side of string beans. That’s it… no compote, no mango salsa. Just plain beans, plain potatoes, and plain fish. For $ 39, I was figuring it would come with a least some better veggies, and some homemade sauce for the fish/​potatoes. But what do I know lol

We came here today for lunch– we were extremely hungry and wanted seafood.
We were seated outdoors right away (it was a perfect and warm sunny day). The view was great– the Portland waterfront and the marina.
We ordered raspberry lemonades and began looking at the menu.
The drinks came quickly, and we went with the Oregon Ling Cod, fish and chips, and blackened chicken fettuccine. The wait for our food was a little long.
Once we got our food and tried it I was pretty satisfied– the fish and chips were crunchy and fresh. The cod was simply prepared and delicious as well. The fettuccine was very good as well!
Overall I was happy with this place, only complaint was that it took a while for our food to get there.