Toro Bravo
Portland, OR 97212
Phone: (503) 281-4464
- Price:
- $$
- Cross Street:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
- Hours:
- Sun-Thu 5pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-11pm
Editorial Review for Toro Bravo – by Elizabeth Lopeman
In Short
Fried chickpeas are served for guests to nibble on while they peruse the extensive selection of tapas. The menu features both traditional and fusion-inspired dishes, creating a confluence of fresh Oregon and Spanish flavors. Fried anchovies with fennel and lemon and tortillas, and paella are common Spanish items, but this northeast spot also has hamburgers for the less adventurous. Dessert ranges from traditional cheese plates to chocolate molten cake.
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Insider Tips
What to DrinkTry the house recipe sangria, which mixes red wine and seasonal fresh fruit.
Where to SitCouples should try sitting at the kitchen bar for an authentic experience; big parties take a long table.
User Reviews for Toro Bravo
09/22/2008 Posted by maguro
It got some fine reviews so now if you get there at opening you can have seat; otherwise wait one and one half hours. But the tapas are ordinary and certainly not authentic. They are tasty but the food is far more Spanish at lolo despite what the uninformed reviewer wrote. The squid ink fideo paella was excellent and the food tastes good but nothing mouth-watering or memorable. They would rather die than speak Spanish to the customers so it is very Americanized and I suspect the crowds are so thick because of the hype. The service is kind of brusque which is all right is Spain since I don't have to tip there. Try it for sure (at 5 PM sharp) and see for yourself. Also, don't go with a vegetarian (I corrected this the third time).
09/15/2008 Posted by IndigoFenix
I've been to Toro Bravo 3 times, for no special occasion. Each time we got there early enough (before 6pm) to get seated. Service was fast, as service for tapas should be. Its Spanish fast food, not a long lingering meal sort of deal. Get in, get out. If you want a quiet, gaze into your lover's eyes meal, or a long 'catch up and chat' sort of place, this isn't it. And perhaps that's the problem, customer's don't LEAVE fast enough so others are left standing around waiting. Get in, eat, get on with your evening, that's what tapas is all about. Kinda like sushi is Japanese fast food, get in, snack it up, have a drink, get out! The drinks at Toro Bravo are tasty, but on the spendy side. I totally get that drinks are the bread and butter of the food industry in Portland... so let's move on. The fried sardines are probably my favorite menu item. I agree with another review which maligned the bacon wrapped dates for being 'small... they were totally tiny (you guys know that Barbur World Foods has HUGE fresh dates for cheap right?). We've had their salads and found them tasty. There's a pork dish that was good as well. Ultimately though if I'm not in love with a restaurant by the 3rd visit, I'm not likely to go back. To their credit, they didn't manage to scare me off the first two visits with bad food or crappy service, so that's something right? Toro Bravo is good, but if you're a good cook you can make you and your friends a mess of tapas and drinks for a fraction of what it costs to have tapas at Toro Bravo.
Pros: good food, quick service once seated
Cons: Noisy, pricy small portions - euro prices on a dollar budget
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