BridgePort Brewpub

Reviews 4

C

C and H Dukeshier

Service so bad I had to write this review: Since moving to the Portland area, earlier this year, weve been gradually working our way through the numerous establishments offering brews (for the adults) and grub (for the kiddos). To our dismay, while on the hunt for something yummy a new to try today, we stumbled upon a place called Bridgeport Brewery in downtown Portland. Very old establishment but definitely not on top of their service. Why: To begin, we waited patiently (15-20 minutes) with several others to be seated although nearly an entire section of their downstairs establishment was left 50%, for no reason, empty. Plenty of servers and really not that many tables per server. Being 4th of the July weekend (Friday afternoon), we didnt mind waiting for whatever reason though... upon being seated... we thought it was best to give our drink order and place our food order once he came back. To our surprise, we ended up waiting another 25-30 minutes for our drinks to arrive (which lacked in many ways). The sad thing, we only ordered one mixed drink and water for the kids because it was 100 degrees outside. Thank god I ordered my beer from the bar while we were waiting initially to be seated. At some point, while we waited, a clean cut man dressed in a suit; maybe in his mid 50s, politely asked us if a bag belonged to us? He had seen us parking near the bag across the street and took the time to bring it in and ask us once he noticed nobody claimed it. As we carried on a short conversation, an extremely rude lady came up to him and began badgering the man without taking the time to see what was going on. Very disturbing and no reason to be going on in front of everyone sitting in the area. Her initial words were something like, "Im the manager here" and "what are you doing". Did I miss something... shes really the manager here? No customer service skills. How about "sir, can I help you" or something else that supports appropriate. So... once the drinks were served, the server finally asked if we wanted to place our order. Really! As I pondered what I might want to say, I decided to go with... "no thanks, can I get the bill, were used to better service." Without an apology, or care in the world for why we were upset, the server walked off to a small server station and began a lengthy conversation with the rude "manager" lady. Never mind the rudeness, get to work man... people everywhere had nothing but luke warm tap water on their tables. Ever heard of ICE! As they talked to one another, it became more and more apparent she didnt care about us and that... for whatever reason... they got a kick out of what I said because they were smiling and making it pretty obvious it was about us since they couldnt stop looking our way every few seconds. Being in my late 30s, and with my very young children, I refrained from being an ass who had every right to be irritated. Hoping I was wrong about what I was witnessing, I waited patiently for someone to visit our table and perhaps get a better idea of why we didnt want to eat there after waiting about an hour to just get some simple drinks. Only thing that came was a bill without words being exchanged. Not even, "heres your bill" or "have a wonderful day." WOW!!! As a business owner, who relies primarily on customers spreading the good, Im mind boggled the owners dont see whats going on in their fairly nice establishment that has tons and tons of history. Kind of seems "someone" has become complacent within the community and thats a recipe for disaster. Too many great places, with amazing service, popping up everywhere. We may not be important to you but I assure you our business, and those who we come across, will not be visiting your brewery anytime (if at all) soon. :(

MI

Mike Perkins

Big brewery and pub located in NW Portland. Huge downstairs area with bar in the back and another bar and seating area upstairs. Outside seating also available along the back deck. Bridgeport is one of the original Portland breweries, opening up in 1984. Most famous is their IPA, Blue Heron Ale, and Old Knucklehead Barleywine. My favorite is the Hop Czar, which a serious hop bomb for you IPA lovers! Bridgeport stays active in the craft game with seasonal releases and experimental beers, but most of their success still lies in their bottle sales reaching out to 18+ states nationwide. Above average food menu with items like fresh baked house pretzels, Shepherds Pie (with porter-braised black angus beef and lamb) grilled smoked Bratwursts (with bacon-braised red cabbage and sweet, hot pepper relish) and my favorite the Cuban sandwich (with citrus & cumin braised pork) and the Brick Burger (with bacon jam and roasted jalapeno beer cheese sauce.) Happy Hour upstairs in the bar is a must visit (4-6 pm) with $3-6.50 food items available that are better than most youll find around town, especially for the price. Parking can be difficult to find around this area, so you may have to walk a few blocks or you can take the street car.

RE

Rebecca G

I had the house mac n cheese. Topped with crumbled kettle chips and fresh herbs, it was delicious. It was even a fair price as far as eating out is concerned. The issue came with service. The first round of drinks was brought out pretty quickly, but then the waitress came around to take orders. She took them from two people, then left. I waited 20 minutes before asking another waitress if she could send ours back over for food orders. I ordered my (delicious) mac n cheese. 30 minutes later, two peoples food arrived. Mine was not amongst it. I figured their hands were full and they would promptly go back for it. They didnt. I waited another 10 minutes, before asking them where my plate was. They said "it had gotten lost" and theyd look for it. A few minutes later, they grabbed a plate off the counter (which I had been staring intently at thinking it was my meal). It had been sitting there for 15-20 minutes. I told them I would prefer a fresh batch, rather than one that had been sitting. 5 minutes later (wow, a decent speed that time), and it finally arrived. They add an 18% gratuity to the check for groups of seven or more. This kind of service is why tips should be earned, not required.

SY

SyleenaDiva Walden

Bridgeport is conveniently located across the street from my job. Ive been here for months and never knew that they serve food. Honestly, the nauseating smell I get every morning, I found out comes from the brewery. I dont drink at all, so maybe thats why I find it so smelly! With that being said, I took a chance and went for lunch (to go) and ordered something Im familiar with, the Shepards Pie. Ive eaten Shepards Pie my whole life and never tasted anything like that before! It was waaaaay over cooked and it was made with shredded lamb! Im not even sure I want lamb anymore after that. Not to mention, I paid almost $15 for it!! Too bad, I tossed after 1 bite. Honestly, the hostess was so nice, and they are so conveniently located, but that food was some of the worst Ive ever had! Im nervous about going back, because if they can destroy a simple meal like Shepards Pie, Im scared for the rest of the menu. I know every place is not for everyone, so Im guessing this place is not for me. There are other eateries that have really good simple food in the area. Lets hope their beer-drinkers think the beer is worth going there for. Good luck!