Culture

Feels like authentic Mediterranean cuisine. A wide variety of cocktails available with distinctly Mediterranean twists to popular american drinks. Several tasty courses served at a perfectly relaxed pace. Definitely a lovely experience.

We were very excited to be able to go out to dinner somewhere new to celebrate a recent achievement. We sat outside on the cute patio, and I had to switch seats with my husband because the wooden bench was WAY higher than the table and it was hurting my back. We had a few cocktails that weren’t anything special. We ordered the Kafta experience, which is a multi-course dinner complete with a tabletop kafta heating machine! Every single course was extremely plain. Maybe they were out of salt and lemon? For both of us, it was the most “blah” dinner we’ve had in a really long time. Tabbouli wasn’t bright and flavorful, the baba ganoush was boring and we couldn’t detect a hint of smokey eggplant, and the falafel was super dry and flavorless. I was also bummed that they didn’t have a rice option. Instead, we were presented with a ridiculous mountain of improperly prepared fries (dark brown with that bitter burnt taste - they did not soak the starch off) and no seasoning to speak of. The machine was fun. It slowly spins the meat and keeps it warm. We took almost everything home and had it for lunch the next day after rescuing the food with some seasoning.

Great!! Server and service. Good good and LOTS of it. Great drinks. Good value for the money. Will return.

Brunch on the weekends is awesome!!!

I booked what I thought would be an amazing dinner at Culture, for Valentine’s Day. At first, the ambiance and entertainment were on point. The seating, however, was very awkward and was put together very cheap and with poor tastes. I would of thought paying a minimum of $120 plus the added wine (Dinner was $200 with exceptional tip for poor service) would have filled our bellies and at least been able to hear my date talk/be worth the money that I worked hard for. The food was sub-par, which also took more than 30-45 mins between courses. Not only did the wait time for each course take entirely too long, each course I could have made myself for 1/16th of the cost and probably would of taste better. Not to mention the servings were enough for one person, if that. It took us so long to get our entree meal, that the kitchen had to (without my date and I even asking) send out an order of Sashimi/Sushi (which was also sub-par). Being that this establishment was one of the highest rated of its type on google, I would have thought that this experience would have been different. I am not asking for any hand-outs or give-Me’s however I do think that this establishment should reimburse/fix this issue because I guarantee that I am not the only one that has made this complaint. I took this time to write this review because we were so displeased and still hungry after dinner that my date and I went to MOD pizza right after and spent $40 bucks (fraction of the entire rip-off dinner) because we were still hungry. I am more than willing to provide receipts if necessary.

We did not know there was a Valentine’s Day menu. 60$ for a salad, 3 scallops and a shared desert. Outrageous price for the meal. The food was good, not outstanding. Went because of their menu online. Special menu was not that interesting. The musician was pretty bad. They did turn down the volume when we asked.

Terrible food and service! We went there for Valentine’s Day and it was a Prix Fixe menu they were offering so nine came with a burrata salad, risotto and a SHARED dessert for $60!!! The salad lacked flavor and the risotto was not even edible! I took one bite and I couldn’t eat anymore! It was overcooked and dry and they didn’t bring me out anything else but a small cup of soup and still charged me the full $60!!! I was shocked and asked why they would still charge me if the food was not edible and they didn’t even bring me out a different entree. The server then had her manager give us a 20% discount on my meal! Never again will I ever go back! They tried to squeeze as many tables as possible where we were literally elbow to elbow with other guests. So disappointed with my valentines dinner experience here!

Enjoyed a nice Valentines Day dinner there. Great live music! Portions were quite small for the price however. Would go back when it’s not a special occasion in hopes of not paying $120 (a salad, entree - I had scallops as my main and got three medium sized scallops with nothing else on the plate but sauce, and shared cheese & fruit with only one kind of cheese and four strawberries, not including drinks) for two.

The food was really tasty, but not worth the price and portion. Again it was Valentine’s Day so I know most places up charge a bunch...but this was a bit steep.

How disappointing! We went to Culture to celebrate Valentine's Day. There was a prix fixe dinner - one appetizer, one entree and a shared dessert for $60 each, pricey but could have been OK. Unfortunately, although well prepared, all three courses were very small leaving us hungry and feeling ripped off. In addition, the food wasn't their usual Mediterranean fare.

Amazing attention to detail and magical Valentines event. Singer was great. Staff was amazing and food was creative and well done

The food,the service was Amazing. Definitely recommend and will be returning

Other middle eastern restaurants around town that are better and less expensive.

Very nice bar, starter courses are great, entrees are a great deal!

The only negative I have was that due to the high ceilings, the noise level can be a bit much. However, the staff was more than kind to move us to an area away from a noisy group. The food and service are excellent. Pricing is very reasonable (a pleasant surprise). Will definitely be back! Thanks so much!

Good selection of tasty dishes from around the Mediterranean (did not try the tableside shawarma). Servers recommendations were spot on. Portion sizes large enough to share. Background music (ethnic) was moderately loud. I imagine that later in the evening with a full house and live music it could become quite noisy.

We live in the neighborhood and had been wanting to go to Culture. We finally did it and are really pleased we did! The food and service were very good. Tasty and attractive Mediterranean dishes...a real variety from every corner of the region (North African, Middle Eastern, Southern French, Spanish...!). We will return soon to try the Shawarma meal. The only reason for the lower star on "ambiance" was the t.v. in the bar. It's just not something we care for. But, the place is otherwise very cozy.

The team at the restaurant works well together. Our server did a great job with recommendations. The octopus appetizer was just right.

I really hope Culture catches on. I've been there three times and I've been very happy with everything every time. They all seem to work hard at making it a welcoming, warm environment and the food has been great every time. I love the variety of the menu. I do wish the happy hour lasted till 6, though, and they'd continue to play the middle eastern music longer into the evening. Small things. Overall, it's great. And there is always parking!! A real plus in Portland these days. Division restaurants are impossible to find parking for. So, c'mon over to Hawthorne!

The food was excellent! My hat off to the chef. The staff was attentive, checking each others tables. I was surprised that the noise was low. We could hear each other talk. We will be back

Thank you all for making my birthday brunch party amazing! Everything was perfect from the food to the service. I will definitely be coming back!!

Absolutely delicious food!! Everything we ordered was amazing, and we ordered a lot. Service was great and we can’t wait to return. They also have very good cocktails.

We had such a wonderful time at Culture! The wait staff were friendly and helpful without being intrusive. The ambiance was beautiful and charming. But most importantly, the food was outstanding!! My husband and I each got something we'd never tried before and the food was flavorful, exciting, and perfectly prepared. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars across the board is because the music was a little louder than we prefer, but that's a matter of opinion that not everyone will share, and was certainly not a deal-breaker. We will absolutely be back!

The mains and appetizers were tasty and well presented. The drinks were made from interesting ingredients - everyone at the table enjoyed tasting each others drinks. My only complaint was the overuse of salt in the accompaniments.

We had wonderful service and even better food. The brunch menu had a great variety of options and the bottomless mimosas were a perfect compliment.

Great group place to eat. We had the beef schwarma. It was very good. The staff was attentive. Good ambience. We will be back.

Great for large groups, we shared the tableside Shawarma and really enjoyed it!

We enjoyed our meal and visiting with friends. The service was excellent and the food was very good.

Went for the Kaleidiosound dinner show. The show was great and the service was fantastic. The food was good but not amazing. I would go back for another show/music but not just for dinner.

A unique and fun restaurant with excellent food you won’t easily find at other establishments. A perfect place for a group of friends just looking to hangout over good food and drinks.

We decided to try out Culture to celebrate my wife’s 40th birthday. So glad we did. The evening was great from the service to the amazing food. Everything was wonderful and will definitely be going back. Glad to have this new restaurant in the neighborhood.

My husband & friends (& me!) absolutely loved our dinner@ Culture. The food was fantastic & the experience so unique w/ table side shawarma cookers. Everyone bringing us our food were very informative of what they’d served & how to eat. We’ll be back!

I liked the ambiance and our server was friendly but kinda awkward. Most of the food was great but the main course- the lamb shawarma- was the dryest, toughest shawarma I’ve ever had. I eat a lot of shawarma in the US and in Lebanon. Felt like overcooked steak. Definitely not tender and juicy as it should be. Overpriced for the quality. I did like the lemony tabouli and grape leaves. Fries seemed fresh and crispy. Happy hour menu looked like a better value.

The food was absolutely delicious! Service was super nice. Definitely coming back.

We absolutely loved our experience at Culture! Our food was fresh and super flavorful. We went for the Shwarma option and really enjoyed the variety of foods included. The service was on point and our server, Jeff, was a solid guy. We would definitely recommend this place to friends and family...in fact, we already have!

Great place Service was good. Food was excellent

Excellent everything! Staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Food was superb and very plentiful! Highly recommend Culture. It's a fun dining experience! We'll definitely go again :-)

Service was great! The staff is very accommodating.

We've now been to Culture a number of times since they opened not long ago. The food has been consistently excellent, and the service equally as great. The shawarma is a fun experience, either with a group or as a couple. There was a trio playing Irish music when we were there, though somewhat loud, it was interesting and they were very good. Highly recommend calling ahead so they can start the shawarma going, if you are ordering this course, otherwise it takes 60-90 minutes. The staff have been super-accommodating and have had our food ready when we got there.

This was my second time at Culture for brunch. I love it!
Great service, the food is delicious and you can't beat the bottomless mimosas.

We has a wonderful anniversary dinner at Culture. The service was delightful and we were there on the first Saturday of the month, which is when they have belly dancing and live Greek music. In terms of food, the Eggplant appetizer was the best, followed by lamb balls. Squid was tasty but skimpy in portion size. Moroccan chicken was was over-peppered. Rotisserie chicken was fun and tasty - possibly undercooked a bit. Baklava has great flavor but could have been flakier. In the past, we have enjoyed leg of lamb, which was fabulous and a salmon risotto which was also amazing. Overall, I recommend this place - very charming and fun.