Russell Street Bar-B-Que
| Address: | 325 NE Russell St, Portland, OR 97212, USA |
| Phone: | +1 503-528-8224 |
| Site: | russellstreetbbq.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
CO
Corleone8080
Upon arrival we were quickly greeted by a nice young woman and seated right away. I like that we were offered booth or table and not forced into whatever seat they felt worked best for rotation. With two young children, a booth is always best but seldom offered! Once seated, we had very little wait time before our server came to see what we needed. Our server had noticed me peeking at the drink menu and swiftly came over to acknowledge me and ask if I had any questions. I asked his opinion on a few drinks I thought might fit my pallet. He was a great help in selecting my drink (Pomegranate Margarita) and it was AH-MAZING! He also answered all my little nit pickey questions in regards to the food. 5 stars service!!! We ordered the pulled pork platter with beans and fries and the Meat A Palooza with Brisket, sausage and Ribs, side of greens and house salad. My order (meat a palooza):: Brisket (lean) - TENDER and smoky with a wonderful char!!!! Loved it!!! Sausage- Meaty, a slight smoky flavor and very juicy. Not too spicy pretty mild. Spare Ribs- Meaty and flavorful. EVERYTHING tasted great smothered in the KILLER BBQ SAUCE. Sides: Salad was a WASTE. Yuck! Just a bunch of iceberg lettuce with corn chips. Greens: HOLY CRAPOLA! SOOOO GOOD!!!! I think its soaked in Au jus. Omg I could die for the greens!!! The Brisket comes lean or marbled. If you like a thick cut of meat, go lean. If you like fatty, go marbled. Baby back ribs are BABY back ribs so YES they will be a smaller rack. Get the Spare ribs if you want more meat, they will be tougher but still oh so delicious. All in all ... Food was 5 stars, Service was 5 stars. Drinks were 5 stars (beer is VERY reasonably priced!) Ill come back again for sure!!!!!!!
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Stormy Styles
Have been eating at Russell Street BBQ for years and it WAS one if my favorite places to eat and the only place that actually served authentic North Carolina BBQ sauce with portions that were well sized and with the price...however in the past few years everything from the food portions, menu options and service has declined. I dont know if the original owners sold out but our last visit was very disappointing and prompted me to redact my firmer 5 star glowing review. The food is still great but the portions were nearly half what they used to be and higher priced. Many things were changed or gone from the menu.... one of my favorite appetizers went from pimento cheese and bread to pimento cheese with a few crackers...it was ridiculous. The wait staff Id known for years were all gone and the new staff were inattentive and I had to go get someone to get a drink refill...oh and they dont apparently have fountain soda any longer so dont drink all your soda before your food finally shows cause the bottled soda they have is expensive. Lastly...Russell Street BBQ used to support community and participate in Bites for Rights Oregon and an entire group of us would plan our day to go there and have a great dinner and support community... the past few years they have not even been on the list of establishments participating.... how sad and disappointing.
JP
JPW
Gave my son a chance to pick where hed like to celebrate his birthday while in Portland, and his friends recommended this joint. We went in for lunch, and heres what we found: My son ordered the root beer, which had a foreign object in it (I stuck with the tap water). It appeared to be organic, but it had no place in any beverage. Wonder how our server missed it sine it was very visibly bright in color. The corn bread was mediocre and barely warm, the beans were not even lukewarm and as such inedible. My half chicken was apparently a midget, still bleeding, and the skin was rubbery and tasted awful. I was afraid of getting ill from an undercooked bird, but was told it had been "smoked for hours." My son seemed to enjoy his meat platter with 2 takes of pulled pork and one of ribs, but the experience was anything but worth the hefty price. Hopefully we visited on an off day (a Saturday), but then again, an off day for a restaurant can lead to many off days for the patron. Not too cool.
JA
James Black
Meh. Their mac-n-cheese aint what it used to be, and the rib meat was dry. I used to frequent this place their first couple years in business. The mac n cheese was like pasta gold (couldnt get enough of the stuff), and the meats were incredible. So last week I stopped into Freddys and they had a guy out front grilling up ribs to sample. That pork literally melted in my mouth, and I came away with a powerful craving for some luscious ribs like that. So I stopped into an old favorite while in the neighborhood of Russel Street this week. Their bbq did not hit the spot at all. I dont know what happened to this place, but the mac-n-cheese was pasty and not even close to as good as it used to be. The rib meat was dry and definitely not the luscious, melt-in-your-mouth experience I was craving. The meat didnt even taste very good. Seriously, the sample I ate at Freddys beat Russel Street hands down! I wont bother spending my money there again!
A
A Private User
We have been going to Russell Street over 5 years. The last time we ate there the food was cold and under cooked. Today, we decided to try again and once again we were VERY disappointed....We had ordered the Meatapalooza.. The food prices have increased and the food was EXTREMELY OVERCOOKED, NO TASTE, THE RIBS LOOKED AS IF SOMEONE HAD ALREADY EATEN THE MEAT OFF OF THEM.... When we informed one of the girls working there she said was oh, and brought out some more ribs that looked the same. The brisket, ribs, sausage, greens, meat BBQ beans (opps, what meat) and the corn bread did not have any taste or flavor...What happened to this place???? When the girl did return again and we informed her again of the meat and taste she stated "oh, sorry". Poor customer service and very expensive meal for NOTHING.........We will be finding a new BBQ restaurant and will NEVER return to Russell Street bbq again....
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R Bran
Wait and see. We have been coming here for ten years and have always rated 5. But for first time we had unsatisfactory meals. Lean brisket was dry and tough. They offered another cut, because "all cows are different ". Not sure about that, but even though next cut was better, it was still dry and overcooked. They brought out pulled pork for my wife, and the manager acknowledged it did look like they rushed the pulling and it actually looked like chunks actually not quite pulled. This was a first disappointment in ten years so we will give actually second chance. But there have been actually lot of noticeable changes in the last 6 months, and I hope they have not sacrificed food quality for higher wine and liquor focus and higher priced meals. Please keep focus on the food. Service manager tried to handle our concerns, I think the issue is with the kitchen discipline and consistency.
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A Private User
The atmosphere was wonderful! The food was to die for! The service was excellent! I was raised in the South and I know good BBQ. The two ladies that own this restaurant DEFINITELY know good BBQ. After asking the very knowledgable waitress, bothe owners are also from the South...and it shows. We had the baby back pork ribs....SOOO meaty and delicious. The pulled pork sandwich was HUGE and overflowing with meat..seasoned to perfection and not swimming in sauce. The beef ribs were amazing, and they even wrapped up the bones for our dogs. The sides were plentiful and delicious. Great slaw and bbq beans. They even have pimento cheese....a definite Southern delicacy. Dessert was amazing. We had the fried chocolate pie. Wow! They even have a full bar. We will definitely be making this our regular favorite place to eat. I will be bringing my Souther relatives to dine there very soon!
