Decarli

My husband and I come here for all of our special occasions. We appreciate having such wonderful dining options close to home. Consider us your regulars! Now we just need more excuses to go there.

My husband and I went here last weekend to celebrate our 6^th year anniversary of our first date. We had reservations on a Saturday for 5:30 pm. It wasn’t too packed thankfully, but make sure you make your reservations just in case! The open bar area was packed, but the dining room area wasn’t bad at all. The ambiance of this place is perfect for a romantic night out. Our food came fairly quickly; I had the tagliatelle and my husband had the short ribs. The pasta was cooked perfectly, a bit al dente, with a wonderful ragu. Maybe the tiniest tad bit salty for my taste, though. The short ribs fell off the bone, very dense and flavorful.
I really like how limited their entrées were, as this is a good indication of a restaurant specializing in a few great dishes rather than trying to master a whole bunch of different things.
The portions were more than substantial, despite what some other reviewers find lacking. You also need to keep in mind this isn’t a family-​style restaurant, but more of a pricier place that isn’t going to serve Olive Garden portions.

The best short ribs I’ve ever had In my life! Great atmosphere and great food. They also have very tasty drinks. The atmosphere is very much like something in the pearl district, but not too fancy. Great place.

Tried this place for the first time Saturday and LOVED it! Let’s start with the service — our waiter was charming, funny, and attentive without hovering — he always seemed to appear at just the right time to check in. Now on to the food — I had a pasta I had never tried before — chitarra (kind of a thick, chewy spaghetti) with pancetta, ricotta, shallots and roasted broccoli and it was wonderful. My husband tried the short ribs and raved about them — I sampled them too and they were pretty awesome. We started with the carmelized onion cazuela — a thick bread topper with goat cheese and olive tapenade which was also amazing. Portions were generous and reasonably priced — we both took home leftovers, all the better to save some room for some crème brûlée!
The wine and beer list was also interesting — I tried a Left Coast white pinot noir which was really tasty. The ambiance was charming — lively and cozy but maybe just a tad too dark. Parking is on the street and wasn’t really an issue. Overall, a first class experience — we will be back!

A super cute place with pretty chandeliers and the atmosphere and lighting is great for dinner. I love, love, love their short rib sandwich. It’s a must try! It’s so amazingly delicious. I also like their service here, Jennifer is super friendly and provides great service.

The food here is always on point. My favorite dish is the pork chops, although they haven’t had it on the menu for a while now, the clams are delicious and the spaetzle is amazing!

Braised beef (I think that was the dish name) was amazing. It was covered in some apricot currant sauce and cooked to tender perfection. Beet salad was good, fennel fetuccini sausage was good too.

Decarli is home to the fanciest Cheetos that I’ve ever eaten. Yes, I’m talking about those polenta fries. Sticks of cornmeal, powdered in cheese, and then dipped in a butter of (surprise!) gorgonzola cheese. They were rather underwhelming, and I’m very glad I was able to share it because there’s no way I could scarf down the whole app myself. I never thought I’d say this but TOO much cheese.
Out of the entrées, get the beef short ribs. Not only was the meat tender and flavorful, but its delicious juices were absorbed into the bed of spaetzle that it sat on. We also ordered the tagliatelle (subject to change daily) and the black pepper chitarra. You can definitely taste how fresh the homemade noodles were. The chitarra is surprisingly mild, thanks to the butternut squash and ricotta, so make sure you mix the garlic well! Otherwise, your breath will be enough to take Edward and Bella out of Twilight existence. I was also not a fan of the mega-​doughy consistency of the chitarra noodles, so I would personally pick the tagliatelle over the chitarra. The tagliatelle, besides having a name that’s fun to say, was the typical red sauce and meaty pasta that could probably be made at home. But there’s nothing wrong with a good, meaty pasta.
You can’t wrap up an Italian meal without gelato, so we finished it off with the pear crisp. Honestly, I’d much rather have an apple crisp à la mode; pears are a little too mushy for a good crisp. But I suppose I can settle for one since it comes with vanilla gelato.
For decent Italian food, Decarli’s not a poor choice.

Nice ambience, I like the exposed brick wall .
Food is okay. I have eaten better. Nothing much to rave about.

WARNING: Check your bill.
It is so freakin’ dark in here… you can’t even read the menu without using your flashlight on your phone or with the candle on the table.
It’s so dark even for the employees too… as they can’t see how much you tipped them either…
Now I have to go through the pain of disputing a charge with my credit card company…
I wonder if I can change my tip to ZERO because of this headache…
As a restaurant, this place is great. It’s literally a Portland restaurant that’s in Beaverton. Polenta fries are delicious and the best I’ve had, but I was really disappointed with the short ribs. The ribs were pretty boring and not worth the hype and price. I stole a bit of the pasta and that was a much better option!

As others have stated, the wait staff is awesome.
I’ve only been to Declari once, and it certainly did not go as planned, but we left having a great experience anyway.
We made our drink order first and then our food order after receiving our drinks.
Then an insane amount of time went by, and no food. Just when we were about to ask what in the world was going on, because the table next to us, who arrived a half hour after us, was already done eating their meal, while there was still no sign of ours, the waitress came and explained the situation. The computers were down, and they went down right after we ordered, so our order was lost.
While it ended up being 1 hour and 45 minute wait for our food from the time we walked in, the waitress entirely kept her cool, and was apologetic in a sincere, and humorous way. Things happen, no biggie :). Also, when she realized what had happened she brought us a few free appetizers to tide us over, and some free booze.
We didn’t have anywhere to be, so big whoop. The atmosphere was relaxing, and our waitress rocked. She was fantastic. Her positive attitude and professionalism really made what could have been a bad situation into a relaxing evening.

We had high hopes for this place for our anniversary dinner, but left underwhelmed.
To start, the one impressive thing was that I accidentally broke my glass that had a full beverage in it, and they replaced it immediately without charging me for a new one. That was great.
We ordered calamari, expecting you know… Calamari. We got something that we didn’t recognize as traditional Calamari, there was no breading or crisp. It was just the meat in a weird tasting sauce.
Dinner was ok, but overpriced for what we got. The service was extremely slow. We only saw our waitress once after our food came out and that was for the bill. We decided to take our business elsewhere for desserts and more drinks, because she didn’t even come back to offer us more drinks!

This place is a very lovely, intimate lighting, classy yet rustic, and cozy atmosphere! They update their menu weekly with at least a few new entrees. We had the Beef short ribs that’s braised in espresso and dried prunes with creamy spaetzle, omgosh this was hands down absolutely delicious! Gnocchi and Risotto entrees are also our favs! The Linguine with Dungeness crab in light tomato sauce was a bit on the drier side and not as flavorful as I would have liked. 3 out of 4 entrée dishes we’ve tried here were amazingly delicious and full of elevated flavors! The tasty entrees is what keeps up coming back!

Place is money. Turned on by a friend and go often. Great happy hour, signature polenta fries are delicious, delectable food, decent tap selection, clean, classy. Older crowd. Only reason they didn’t get a #perfect5 is because they seem to always be playing thievery corporation station. They could switch it up and play some hip hop once in a while. Some older Nas, classic Wu, Doom or something off stones throw, something a bit less sterile.

Went here for a friends 50^th party. I didn’t see the bill, but I am sure the damage was decent, we brought 3 bottles of champagne and bought 2 bottles of red and had enough people to hit the mandatory 18% gratuity.
But the place was absolutely amazing. The food was expertly prepared, exquisitely presented, and delicious. I had no idea that Beaverton had a place of anywhere near this quality… I was in shock at first, then pissed that I hadn’t found out about this place earlier… I mean I lived in the area for 12 years and never went until now!
They handled our group very well and we had everything from a teenager to a senior in a wheelchair. This cannot be easy, but they did it without hesitation and did it expertly.
I will definitely go back and I like knowing of a place that can really handle a diverse group so well.

I treated myself to a romantic late night dinner for one. Decarli has been a place I have wanted to try for awhile. I was pleasantly surprised at the warm welcoming interior of exposed brick walls, high wooden beam ceilings, lamps, and flickering candles galore.
I had la paloma from their HH drink menu. Grapefruit, tequila (?), and few other things and it was perfect Summer drink. My fennel, garlic, and spinach topped mussels were one of myfavorites in recent memory. The white wine broth and the perfectly cooked mussels were ready for extra helping of bread to sop it up with. It was a generous serving and I had a hard time finishing, especially since I ordered extra bread. When my waitress asked if Dessert was to be considered, «of course» was the thought. As with my drink choice, she was again helpful and friendly and recommended the panna cotta with fresh peach slices. The delicious panna cotta tasted more like a crème brûlée without the crust. Did I say I couldnt eat another bite? Got 2 more to go for the
other dessert lovers. Well, I will be back for great service, food, drinks, and ambiance. I may come alone again, but I look forward to dining alone at the romantic Decarli.

This place had the potential to have 5 stars, but the service knocked them down a star.
I had the Polenta Fries with Gorgonzola Butter as my appetizer. Honestly, the idea of Polenta Fries is what was really tugging me to try out this restaurant, but considering how much other reviews raved about them, I was a little disappointed. They were good, yes, but they didn’t blow my mind.
My entrée, the Coulotte Steak with Asparagus, on the other hand, was DELICIOUS. The portion was rather large, and I ended up eating everything. Unfortunately, to get this, I had to go through 5 minutes of telling my server I wanted the steak cooked medium well, having him tell me that they usually suggest medium or less, me telling him, yeah, I get it, but I want medium well, and him continuing to go on about how if I want «beef» I should order the short ribs (where I just continued to smile). When he finally stopped telling me what I wanted, I reiterated my original order, and he finally took it.
To be quite honest, I actually like my steak cooked well done, but I’ve found that restaurant cooks are usually spiteful about people ordering steak cooked that way and usually end up unnecessarily charring it.
Ultimately, the server should have given his recommendation, and when I listened to his recommendation and informed him that I still wanted my steak cooked medium well, the exchange should have stopped there.
Since it was my birthday, I also ended up ordering a dessert — I had a Pretzel Crusted Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream (subbed for banana) and Butterscotch Topping. This was fabulous, and I wish I could have eaten everything. They even put a candle in the ice cream for me, which was a nice touch.
Reservations are available via OpenTable on their website (but not via their Unilocal page for some reason).
Ambiance was very nice — the main portion of their seating area has a beautiful exposed brick wall.

We ordered the polenta fries (zero calories ladies, I swear) the bruschetta which in hind sight I wish I had asked the flavored cause we weren’t a fan of the salmon version — otherwise the other two were great!
Main course we spilt a dish from the main dining room menu which was savory — pasta cooked to perfection!
There is. Late night happy hour from 9pm — close. $ 4 drafts $ 2 off wine and $ 6 select cocktails. And then the happy hour food menu is a few bucks off select dishes.
All and all, it’s a great Italian spot good for date night or hanging out with friends. I was there from 9 – 10 and was surprised about the older crowd still hangin around!
Ps — our server Jen was amazing! She’s so sweet, personable and knows real customer service. Thanks Jen!

There are a few aspects to Decarli that drew me towards a 5 star review:
The wait staff, the menu (food), and the ambiance. The wait staff is great. They are friendly and whether we sit at the bar or at a table they’re actually happy to serve us.
Their bar menu and happy hour prices are excellent. The food on the bar menu is awesome. We almost always order too much. Their wines by the glass are reasonably priced and fun to drink. Their bartenders know how to pour a cocktail. And the polenta fries are… amazing.
The ambiance is great. Beautiful exposed brick and open kitchen and bar really give the curious minded something to watch. It can be a bit loud at times especially if you’ve got an overzealous group dining along side you. Additionally, avoid sitting by the door in the winter because it can get chilly when someone holds the door open.
We rarely have a problem finding a seat, which is great since I consider Decarli a gem of a restaurant — a place everyone in Beaverton should try at least twice.

A great dinner leaves us smiling. Sunday evening was a great night to have our visit. Not too busy, not too slow. Kelly was our waiter and he was full of good advice, given in good humor to we visiting Boisians.
Sunday night has an all night Happy Hour from 5 – 9 pm. Prices for certain appetizers and drinks are reduced, but we chose the full menu. We noticed that the menu is not overly large, but one that the chef and staff can master and do well with. Overly large menus leave us wondering if all things are great.
We started with great cocktails. A ruby red martini and a Prosecco-​based Italian Metropolitan were the choices. Both hit the spot with appetizers of polenta fries and a triumvirate of bruschetta. The raves for the polenta fries are well earned and the brushette were wide ranging and tasty, with the chicken liver mousse being a favorite. There were others we need to try in a return visit.
Entries were equally hard to decide upon. The short ribs, their signature dish, were hard to say no to. But the grilled wild steelhead on a bed of cannellini beans, crème friache and oyster mushrooms and a bucatini pasta with an olive oil, white wine and guanciale crisped were the winners. The pasta dish had florets of broccoli so nicely done that even a George H. W. Bush hater of the green might have liked it. The steelhead could have spent another 30 – 60 seconds grilling as my wife loves all the fish skin crunched up, but this probably more a personal taste than a cookin flaw. With the entres Kelly recommend glasses of a red Bordeaux style blend from WA, Ramsey Red. We both liked it, even with fish.
Full as ticks (as they say in the South-​Texas, not CA), we still had to see what dessert held. We selected the cheese cake with salt caramel sauce. A couple of surprises were included with this dessert, one it is more like a flan, but cheesecake in a flan like ramekin. Secondly, it is made with goat cheese. I was ready to say No, but Kelly said I would be making a mistake. He was right, there was not a hint of «goatiness» in it. Another prejudice done the tubes.
Ambiance, service, and food were all 5 stars. With 2 cocktails, 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, 2 red wines, and a dessert, we barely broke the C-​note barrier (before tip). We thought it was not exorbitant at all.

This is a cozy little restaurant with warm lighting and an exposed brick wall. Our food was 5 star — get the polenta fries!!! Get the short ribs! They were both phenomenal. I have never had polenta fries like that in my life. I would love the recipe. The short ribs can be made gluten free by putting them over polenta.
Our server was quirky and had a great dry sense of humor. He was funny and attentive and we really liked him.
The only con about this place was the martinis were super duper tiny. TINY. Like a Barbie sized shot glass shaped like a martini glass. Tasty tho so I guess it’s quality not quantity :)

Food was good and service fine, but for the money, I expected a bit better all-​around experience. We arrived 5 minutes late for our reservation, but still had to wait 5 minutes for our table. Then it took a while before anyone poured water, came to get our drink order, etc. The first thing the waitress did was advise of several items that were sold out. Fortunately, none were the items we wanted, but I thought it strange they should be out of so much by 8:30 on a Saturday night. Not the best start, but service went better from there.
I had polenta fries, which were delicious, but I wish they were served with a different condiment. Mussels were fine, but not remarkable. The short ribs were delicious, although under-​seasoned (no problem since there’s salt on the table). Fettucine Verde was good (again, under-​seasoned), but the portion was small. Salad greens were fresh and delicious. Dessert was ok – profiteroles would have been better if they hadn’t run out of pistachio gelato. I ordered the salted caramel cheesecake, but had to send it back due to burnt caramel that ruined the whole dish.
As others mentioned, it’s very noisy inside.
We might go back if in the area, but it’s not worth a special trip. Not a bad spot, though.

I came here for happy hour with high high expectations but left instead with salt overload.
I had the pizzetta with prosciutto, grilled corn, shaved red onion, chives and chevre. The worst part was that I could tell that it would have been delicious had it not been for the massive quantity of salt. I could visibly see the salt granules all over the pizza and the pan. My boyfriend had the burger, which was fine, but the fries that came with it were also drowned in salt.
It was probably just an off night and I would love to try Decarli again but this experience has left me with a fear of going back.

Everything was great!!!
Don’t forget to order the Polenta Fries! YUM YUM YUM!