Departure Restaurant and LoungeMother's Day BrunchSunday brunch has an excellent selection of Sushi, quick fried beef, made to order omelettes, & very tasty small pastiries for desert.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food and a great vibe.Great food and a great vibe. I'd recommend this to anybody who is out looking for a great place to eat.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMFirst timeI would recommend to take your first date here. The atmosphere was perfect.
The food was top notch. The happy hour menu was superb.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMMy wife and I ordered theMy wife and I ordered the Pear and Apple Salad, Ishiyaki Steak, Wild Salmon, and garlic fried rice. They were a delight.to the palate and to the eyes. For desert my wife had the ASIAN PEAR, GINGER & CRANBERRY CRISP which was the best desert I think she or I have ever had in our lives ! ! The wait staff, particularly, the bar staff, were on point and very professional. One could have not asked for more.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMAn adventure in diningThis was a first time experience at this restaurant. The waiter was outstanding and made helpful recommendations. He explained each of the menu items thoroughly and gave us suggestions on items that were easily shared. We could not have been happier with the food, the atmosphere or the service. We will be back.5/9/2013 12:00:00 AMThe next LEVEL in dinning !Wow!!!!, from the food & staff to the ambiance and city view the Departure lounge is on a whole different level.
It was my wife's Bday so I wanted everything to be very special, and it was! The staff was great, everyone knew every detail about there food menu (which is to die for) as well as there cocktail menu, which both came to your table looking as artfully crafted as they were delicious to taste. The flavor combinations in the dishes as well as there cocktails are in incredible. After dinner we had champagne and desert (another level) on the roof top patio overlooking the beautiful city and river views. It was a Birthday like no other and I would say for a fair price at Departure you get the Red Carpet treatment and celebrity feel !5/6/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food - Really, GREAT FOODeverything was delicious. Very nice selection, broad appeal.5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMFabulous View!!!The view and the atmosphere is fantastic. Service was also outstanding. The food portions were small and very expensive. Although the food was very good...I would probably only go back for Happy Hour or maybe a special dinner. The outdoor bar was fantastic and we were able to find a place to sit even though it was crowded. Very nice place to have a glass of wine and enjoy the view:)5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMFlavorful bitesWe enjoyed happy hour at Departures, ordering many of their happy hour foods and enjoyed every bite!4/30/2013 12:00:00 AMAnother Great Vegan MealI have eaten here so many times that I'm running out of good things to say. Chef Gregory really understands how to make vegan food zing. Great place to bring a group of friends with divergent eating habits. Perhaps you can convert your meat eating friends to move over to the vegan conspiracy side. Then we can take over the world. The vegan mafia rules.4/30/2013 12:00:00 AMI've been to Departure manyI've been to Departure many times now, and they never really disappoint. The only downside to dining there, is it's popularity, therefore making it very busy on popular nights like the weekend, which in result can make the service a little slow. But other than that, every time I go there, it always feels like a special experience and for generally affordable prices on most stuff, it makes for a great place to keep coming back too. I love going there and it was very nice to know I could make reservations online at my own convenience.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat view from the balconyGreat view from the balcony and great service from the hostesses, servers, and server assistants. Food was a bit pricey but the beer was good. Overall a good experience, especially for a special occasion it would be nice.4/23/2013 12:00:00 AMGet surprisedsurprising food. Not a standard "Asian". A real experience4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMYumm yummm yummmmmThe food here was amazing. Every meal I tried I just could not believe it. The Scallops, pork belly, Departure wings, and more. I want to know how you make the scallops because they melted in my mouth. Never have i tasted something so yummy. My only complaint was the seating. The tables are so close together, but also really long. I could hear both conversations of the people next to me, but could hardly hear my boyfriend speak. I think having a little more privacy while eating would make the experience a little bit better. Other then that it was amazing.4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMExpensive!! $30 for 4oz ofExpensive!! $30 for 4oz of steak split between 4 people? Come on.... The smoked salmon roll was amazing, the tempura was way too oily.. Also, I liked the tempura sauce, but my table-mates thought it was too vinegary. Overall, delicious!4/15/2013 12:00:00 AMBeautiful, Delicious,& AccomodatingChef Gregory Gourdet has been pushing the envelope with Asian flavors for years. I've following him from restaurant to restaurant and while always really good (inventive flavors put together in beautiful presentations), he's gotten even better. I am gluten-intolerant, which usually prevents me from eating in Asian restaurants (too hard to explain if someone is confused about what ingredients I can eat when it comes to soy-sauce based dishes), but Chef Greg gets it. I can't WAIT to return!4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMFamily birthday dinner and drinksHad dinner with my family to celebrate my birthday. Our party of 7 was easily taken care of. Server was very nice and checked in often. We almost ordered the whole menu and everything was great. Even my 85 year old grandma had a great time. We met friends in the bar after, great time.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMLike entering a Space Ship -Most of the food was excellent; however the vegetable tempura was awful. It had a heavy coating and very small pieces of vegetables.
I left most of it on my plate.
The pork bellies were fantastic. I think I will order them for dessert next time.Like going into a Space Ship4/7/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had never been to DepartureWe had never been to Departure - the food was amazing and loved the variety of vegan, gluten-free, etc. My husband thought highly of the 3-headed elephant.4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMFantastic food and serviceFantastic food and service our waiter Connor was excellent not the typical " How is your food?" and walk away. He had a passion for his job knew details most waiters don't care to tell or remember to tell about preparation of dishes. He was also very entertaining.
The place was very romantic modern and perfect for special occasions such as ours celebrating new life. IT was raining but the view was still awesome just kinda wet but it is the Northwest so nothing to be upset about.
My Date and I enjoyed our evening very much and totally plan on returning in the future.4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMMake Departures your destinationWe went to Departures for an Asian-inspired Easter Brunch. This was not the typical brunch by a long shot. The three of us ate outside on the patio enjoying a rare sunny Portland March afternoon. The view was spectacular, the food was excellent and filling. The Easter menu was a one-of-a-kind so reviewing the food would not help the average diner ... but suffice to say the flavors on the many small plates of rabbit & potato confit, ham, salmon, cod, lamb, sushi, Thai donut, and peanut butter/chocolate dessert were awesome. My wife had a grapefruit inspired drink with a kick - something '88 I think it was called.
We're Portland locals - we will come back. The bar/restaurant inside is quite pleasant for those other PDX days.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent Service!!As soon as I walked in the music and the energy created an atmosphere I hadn't been exposed to before. The Departure is sexy, chic, vibrant and perfect for the night life. Everything from the hospitality to the food was excellent. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who wants to wine, dine and mingle in the best of Portland.3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was for my birthday dinnerThis was for my birthday dinner while I was at a conference. Departure was cool. I love tapas, and these were very tasty. Everyone should try the brussel sprouts! Everything was delicious. Nice to be on the 15th floor with a city view.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMBest find in Portland allBest find in Portland all year, will stop in here ever time visiting again.3/13/2013 12:00:00 AM