Sadly, we discovered this place too late to make it a regular stop. It will be closing soon. Another unique Portland restaurant bites the dust. Their work with Asian fusion made it a must stop if you are feeling the need for hot, sour, salty, sweet and umami. Goodbye!

I'm so sad that Smallwares is closing. It was my favorite restaurant in Portland.

Unfortunately, smallwares is closing. It is a true gem in teh Beaumont neighborhood and I am sad to see it go.

We went because we heard they were closing in a few weeks. We'll miss their great food.

One last trip to smallwares before it closes. Much like the last time we went, the food was great, but the service was terrible.

This time, we arrived a bit before our reservation and were seated on time, but once we sat down, it took about 30 minutes to been seen by a waiter. After about 15 minutes of waiting, we told a host we were ready to order, and even though we saw the host immediately tell the server, it took about another 10 minutes for our server to even come over to the table. When she finally came over, she didn't even acknowledge that we'd been waiting for so long... Very odd.

The previous time we visited, the waiter mixed up our ticket with someone else's so that we got all of the wrong food. When we told the server that the food they brought wasn't what we ordered, the waiter came over an apologized, telling us that she mixed up our ticket with another table, and that our correct food was on the way. 45 minutes later, we flagged the waiter to let her know that we still hadn't gotten any food, and she acted like we were totally inconveniencing her. She was completely unapologetic, which again was very odd. When she went to the kitchen to check, she came back and said that she needed to take our order again. Again, the whole time, she acted like we had done something wrong. So, we finally got our food after another 30 minutes.

Both of these times, we weren't comped anything nor did we get an apology at the end. It was very bizarre. We're not complainers, and we've gotten desserts or appetizers comped for so much less. Even if it weren't closing, I'm not sure we'd go here again since the service is so bad.

The food was creative, tasty, fusion, and most plates was very good. One dish was not as balanced in flavor as I would have liked - one ingredient was too overkill. I note this because while I love intense flavors, including chile and spice, and am quite adventurous as a cook and as a patron, I also appreciate not being knocked over the head with a single ingredient.
We both thought the service was, overall, not very good - unclear why. Overall, we both recommend this restaurant.

Our visit to smallwares was pretty mixed. We made a reservation (which I can't recommend highly enough), and were able to jump ahead of a pretty long line of people waiting. Our server was friendly, but very busy and not terribly attentive as a result. She knew the menu well, and was able to recommend both drinks and plates, which was helpful.

Our drinks-- The Tequila and The Sake-- were excellent, with complex flavors. Our first four plates were also very good-- we had the oysters of the day, hamachi sashimi, tuna tartare, and the roasted cauliflower. All were mouth-wateringly excellent with complex flavors and unusual combinations. Unfortunately, our next three plates were disappointing-- the fried artichokes were difficult to eat and too oily, the chicken lollipops were ho-hum nothing special, and the fried kale was ok, but also too oily.

We left thinking that the first half of our meal was great-- good food, good drinks, good energy-- but that the second half could have been in an entirely different restaurant given the difference in success of the dishes.

Service was excellent. We were disappointed the fried kale was so overly salted we couldn't eat it. Everything else was good but still very salty.

Great eclectic meal - fun because it was so different and the taste was great, just a touch salty, but we all enjoyed the meal. Service was excellent!!

Great for medium sized groups. Food is delicious!

Waitress was pushy and talked very fast. She put everyone on edge. Food was good. A little heavy on the salt. Like the setting.

Kale should never taste this good, it's unfair.

Sat outside wth an out of town guest who was blown away. Great food and service. Will definitely return.

The food was amazing!!!!!!

The Oregonian listed smallwares #7 of the 10 top spots for ramen. We ordered the flank-steak ramen; my husband was disappointed they wouldn't do a pork version. We also ordered the kim chi - which neither of us cared for as it tasted "spicy-funny". A true foodie might say the tastes were complicated; I found them to be too odd to finish the dish. The flank steak was tough & fatty. We brought ours home, dumped the broth and finished just the noodles. The place is typical trendy in decor; staff was young and also typical (e.g. nothing special). There was a very noisy bachelorette party at the next table, which didn't help the accoustically-alive room. Others may find this venue fun and eclectic; I found the Oregonian's review overblown; which is to say, my experience was the paper's fault, not the restaurant's.

First of all I made reservations for Smallwares, but ended up seated in Barwares. I didn't say anything about it at the time, but if there weren't going to be tables available in the restaurant I should've been told ahead of time when I made the reservation. The music was loud and it was hard to have a conversation. The food was tasty. The ceviche had too little fish in it to merit being called a ceviche, but it was tasty. The fried kale was very good but there could've been anything inside the batter. Again flavor was good, but unfortunately the sauce was all at the bottom and we didn't even realize it was there until halfway through the bowl. The oxtail curry was amazing and you got a small amount of minced scotch bonnet on the side which really ratcheted up the heat. Our waitron was a bit loud, maybe to talk over the music, but the service was efficient. Little dishes plus drinks can add up fast but the servings were well sized and we couldn't finish all the food.

We love Smallwares/Barwares. Great ambience & service, and the food -- the flavors & textures of the dishes are out of this world. Be sure to try the furikake peanuts - perfect with a cocktail. Speaking of which, the cocktails are fabulous. A regular on our rotation.

The food and flavors were incredible. We sat at the bar even though tables were an option. Prince playing over speakers and PurpleRain playing on a big screen. I can't remember everything that we ate but the food is adventurous and delicious. I'm bringing my mom some time. Oyters, a rabbit dish, ceviche, fried kale, rockfish, octopus, Staff was awesome and the owner came and talked to us and made some recommendations.

Awesome! Excellent!

We have been to Smallwears a few time before - great food and a cool vibe
however this time was not the same experience .... we got there and it was not full in the back part..but but the time we left it was packed and the staff was/looked like they were in a frenzy
we had 4 people in our group -- none of our meals came out together, so we all ate separate (strange) and some plates came out super late.... the waitress started out very attentive but then became the bartender so we were left in the dust.. not ideal to have this situation happen on a busy Saturday night. I had the 3 course meal with wine paring and all my plates were rushed on me -- along with the wine .... this is a sign that no one was there the gage our experience---- sad

This place rocks. The crowd who are eating are both young and old. Everyone is very casual. The atmosphere is sort of industrial. The menu is small. The food choices are unusual. The food is fantastic. The food is very well prepared and special. The price is so low for what you get. They have some good wines for low prices. Ask your server for advice. We will go back for sure. This is Portland at its best - - a small, casual dining spot with very cool food that is different and delicious.

Love the menu. The quality and variety never misses. . Everything was delicious. We never miss the kale salad. Also, out waitress was exceptionally helpful.

checked in for a early dinner on a sunday night and turned out to be some of the first there. we tend to order plates for sharing and no different this night except two of our party had the march $29 three course specials. we also indulged in the fried kale with bacon, fresh oysters, and the oxtail curry. everything was excellent although the oxtail curry is to die for.

Sometimes a restaurant shows you its absolute best when it stumbles. We had an excellent experience here, even though it started off with a bit of a hitch. We'd scheduled, but had to call and push back our reservation. No problem, lovely response from smallwares. We arrived, they were running late and quoted us about 10 minutes to be seated. Not an issue. It turned out to be more like 30, but we were okay. We were offered our choice of two excellent tables. Once seated, we ordered our drinks, which came quickly, then our server informed us that, due to the delay, the restaurant would be paying for our drinks. They encouraged the members of our party who hadn't ordered anything to choose something. Very nicely handled! I really appreciate that they wanted to make it right without waiting for us to complain. Everything else was wonderful. The food was amazing and creative. They were very kind to accommodate one of our party who had a touchy stomach and needed something simple. The waiter was pleasant and funny. We left very happy and well fed.

Loved the various flavors and use of traditional Asian recipes and ingredients as a base to create fusion dishes with great flavor. One criticism here though, and that is the overuse of cilantro and 5 spice in various dishes. Okay for me but other people might not be so fond of these two ingredients Friendly service but we had to remind the server that 2 of our dishes had not been delivered after waiting for some time. When they were delivered they were cold - they must have been sitting around for awhile before they came to us.

Delicious food with incredibly unique flavors. Will definitely be back!

This was my second time at smallwares and the food was excellent as usual. Exciting, inventive, and delicious.

Our service was bad. Our server was rude to my elderly grandmother on several occasions. He did not want to repeat anything she misheard without a rude comment, forgot to bring us drinks, and let our table wanting for service on several occasions.

Cmon smallwares you can do better

Expectations were high and although the food was neither the best, nor worst experience in recent memory, it's simply not a restaurant we thought we'd choose again soon nor would we discourage anyone to try it for themselves.

The food is adventurous, but for our tastes didn't really pop! As if someone had commented to the chef before service that she/he should dial back the flavor on dishes.

The menu is fantastic for a group of 4-6 to share, and when we asked questions before ordering the answers came in detail to help us pace, select, design our experience. As well as an enthusiastic server, the server assistant attending to our table was very helpful and there seems to be a good vibe between the team.

The restaurant was quite busy, so therefore quite noisy (not so bad as we couldn't have a conversation). Our table was situated right next to an exit door to the bathrooms, which caused a few uncomfortable moments on an evening when it was below 50 degrees outside. I would describe the decor and seating similar to a train station, with hard seats, pretty sparsely decorated, not cozy at all.

Bill was $45 pp without adding tip. Very reasonable we thought.

We love this restaurant. It is the best Restaurant in the neighbood. It is so good I would go here even if it were not in the neighborhood .
Food is amazing. Tasty , creative, spicy , and high quality . Menu changes so there is always something new and exciting. They are wonderful to accommodate for kids also!!

The service was great and the food was great. I loved the scallop sashimi. I went for Portland Dining Month and that was my favorite dish. The mushroom salad was very good as well. The pasta for the third course was just ok, but I loved the whole experience and will go back again.
They made us feel very comfortable and welcomed.

We had a party of 4, and ordered lots of plates to share, 3 from the happy hour menu, and 7 from the regular menu. Flavorwise, there wasn't a dud. The only dish we had quibbles with was the dan dan noodles, just a little gloppy (peanut butter makes it a pretty tricky dish), though the Sichuanese flavors were perfect. The favorite of the night was the fried kale, crispy, tangy, spicy... we could have ordered another plate easily. The service of the plates was a bit slow, it seemed the kitchen might have been a little understaffed for a Friday. The plates came out staggered, which our wait person warned us of, no problem with that, but we were there about 2.5 hours. If you're in a relative hurry, I wouldn't order too many dishes. But we will definitely be back. The food really is exceptional.

Very quiet on a Saturday night.
Service was good. Food was pretty good.

Everything we had was amazing. All our food was perfectly prepared, fantastic flavor profiles and combinations

$1 oysters on Monday...delicious! Rabbit ragu in egg custard was so savory...definitely need some rice with it. Braised greens in black garlic were perfectly cooked and the sauce was too good to not add rice to.

We made the OpenTable reservation and received the usual email confirmation. When we got there, they did not know about it. It was busy and the only place to sit would have been at the bar, which did not look all that appealing. So, we went somewhere else. I gave middle of the road ratings to food and value because I did not experience them.

Always a pleasure. I continue to be impressed with the quality and innovation of the dishes.

Such wonderful flavors, no need for so much salt. Wonderful atmosphere and so delicious! Server this time was distracted and didn't take time to check in or explain food- last time great.

My wife and I ate at Smallwares for Valentines. They offered a Prix Fix menu with a wine flight. The food was good and creative, but each of the 3 plates was way too small. The wine pairings were good for the first 2 plates, but only half pours. I didn't understand the Red paired with the fish on the 3rd course.

When you have dinner spend $190. 00 for 2 and leave hungry and sober, It's difficult to justify.

I just don't understand why the plates couldn't have been more substantial.

The staff is energetic and friendly. The small plates are all delicious ( get the oxtail curry ) and they were playing hip hop music while projecting Alien on the wall. Not a bad way to spend an evening.

Lots of stuff on the menu that was spicy. Good for spicy fans