McMenamins Hillsdale Brewery & Public House

Went there today for lunch, the menu was pretty boring... So I went for the ginger mushroom soup and tried their margarita ... Soup was good, my fiance's steak wrap was ok and the margarita tasted good but had barely any alcohol. I hope they remodel and revise their menu soon.... Especially with all the new restaurants and food carts popping up next to them with very fun menus!

McMenamins needs to become a little bit more competitive for Happy Hour.  A dry cheeseburger with no fries for $5 isn't that great of a deal.   Wake up and smell the bacon,  brothers.

Hillsdale Neighborhood

Perhaps it is the location as to why not too many Yelpers have descended upon this spot, or perhaps it is how saturated Portland is with restaurants and the many choices Yelpers have, or perhaps it's something else. Either way this place definitely found a fan in me. I came here simply because Salvador Molly's was so packed and this was right next door. My good buddy lives in this area so to keep things simple we went to his "Cheers" spot... funny thing is nobody knew him on this evening... Talk about ammunition! I've known this guy since 1990!

We started off by sharing their Buffalo Wings: <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mcmenamins-pubs-portland-3?select=90yPUuQ9YBuIdoVBdCteeg#JLsQrsb8xSq9KglIWG3suA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a> and while him and his wife were not that impressed saying they've had better there I actually enjoyed the couple that I had. I have kind of a small appetitie and didn't want to ruin it for my Steak Wrap. These wings had plenty of tender chicken meat, were nicely dressed with Buffalo Sauce that had a nice little zing to them without being too "Vinegary," and were not drown in stomach real estate taking breading! The Ranch Dressing made for a nice cool contrast to the heat of the sauce.

For an entree I went with the most delicious Cowboy Steak Wrap: <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mcmenamins-pubs-portland-3?select=90yPUuQ9YBuIdoVBdCteeg#90yPUuQ9YBuIdoVBdCteeg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a> which is mesquite steak, smoked mozzarella, tomato, frizzled onions, lettuce, & chipotle mayonnaise wrapped in warm a tortilla. Ironically and in a most welcome fashion this wrap had a bacon taste about it. I can easily tell you ladies and gentlemen that this was easily one the best choices I've ever made and cannot thank McMineman's enough for coming up with this combination. Every component just had me so happy from flavor to texture. You get a choice of side so I went with the rarely offered Cajun Tots... again a slammin choice and they had a nice kick to them that is rarely found. I also loved how crunchy they were. I just couldn't push this item enough.

Their prices are pretty average, but were made even better with our arrival time during happy hour. The wings were discounted and so were the couple beers that we had.

There is a very old school feel about this place, but it is still very welcoming. You don't get the sense you are in any sort of chain at all. Gone is corporate and contrived while present is individualism.

Service is extremely nice, attentive, helpful, and expedient, by the whole staff.

Their private lot features plenty of parking.