Buffalo Gap Saloon & Eatery

While house sitting and exploring the wilds of Lake Oswego, my partner and I came upon Buffalo Gap, and decided to venture in. It’s big, with lots of rooms, and on a Monday night, wasn’t too crowded. The sign said to seat ourselves so we did, then waited a few minutes, but obviously no one knew we were there. My partner finally got up and found our server, she was really embarrassed, but it was no big deal. We weren’t in a hurry and she was very nice.
The ambiance? Well, it’s kind of like an Applebee’s for the Lake O crowd, perhaps a bit nicer, but all in all, just fine. And sometimes that’s just great.
We ordered drinks and waited for our food. There was only one other table that was seated in the room we were in. I got to listen the guy trying to impress his date by basically mis-​identifying a certain type of Tex-​Mex dish and then mispronouncing the name of the dish that it wasn’t. Did I mention I moved here from Texas and have six years of Spanish under my belt? Ah well, it was very amusing, our adventure in suburbia.
Then the food arrived. I ordered the pesto pizza, which is also topped with chopped tomatoes and pepperoni. It was good, though not the best in Portland, but perfectly satisfying. The pizza was exceptionally cheese-​y, which was a nice indulgence. My partner got the Reuben and I have to say, it was one of the best ones I’ve tasted. Also, the fries were amazing. We were going to town on them and I kept saying, «Why are these so good? Did they put crack in them?»
Since we were feeling indulgent, we split the hot fudge brownie with whipped cream. Wow, truly delicious! It was rich, sweet and fantastic!
I don’t know if I would seek this place out, but if we were in the area again, I’d definitely go back. If you’re looking for this type of food, give a whirl!

A Portland classic. Been here many times but most recently wasn’t feeling like greasy food so I ordered the Asian kale salad… And my GOD it was damn good.
Classic dive atmosphere, friendly service, good food and great deals… What’s not to love?!

We love Buffalo Gap. Love, love, love it. The food is mediocre at best, but the service and atmosphere are top notch. To be honest, we’ve been here probably two dozen times and we’ve never left displeased.

Four stars for breakfast over dinner.
We came for dinner one weekend night. There are several different seating areas; tables up front, booths by the bar, an open seating area, outdoor patio, game room. Something for everyone.
They offer a HUGE dinner menu as opposed to the one page breakfast menu. Hubbs did a massive garlic burger and I did the fish tacos. On Fish Friday. Kinda feel like I got the over-​done ends. Otherwise, they were fresh. Excellent salsa. The waitress was busy and efficient though no too personal.
I tried a couple of their specialty mixed drinks which were well done. They’ve got an Old Fashioned Menu, which I love and intend to work my way through. The Spicy has plum bitters and cinnamon, though I would tweak it a little, it was tasty.
Breakfast the next day was another story. Our waitress had no idea that we had just walked out of a regular favorite of ours due to terrible service to give breakfast here a try, hanger close on our heels. She was wonderful and so friendly. Service was lightning fast and very good. Well worth the money and best of all, no wait.

I went here for breakfast nearly 9 years ago and loved their biscuits and gravy but it took me that long to get back here and I’m glad I did.
We went to dinner here with another couple for a double date after going shooting and mudding with them that afternoon.
We got beer and drink and their clam strips to start, OMG best clams strips I’ve had in my entire life, better then I’ve even had at the beach.
And then the burgers! Huge, juicy, full of flavor with thick cut bacon and amazing goop sauce as they call it on top soo good. Love the thick cut fries and I used the left over tartar sauce from the clam strips as a dipping sauces I swear they must make it themselves. Soo good! will be going back again soon all 4 of us left stuffed to the gills.

Were long time good customers that tip well and always respectful to waitresses… Until today.
They were not busy and my girlfriend and i came in to kill some time and study. I pulled out a bag of almonds and i know that’s frowned upon at a restaurant, but i didn’t even have time to think about what i was doing before the tall goofy manager guy was pushing us out of there.
I would understand if they were busy and taking up their tables but they weren’t.
Oh and it took about 20 mins for them to even approach us with a menu.
Not bringing our softball and flag teams here after games anymore

I drive by this place every day to and from work. I always assumed it was more of a bar than a restaurant. I randomly decided to pop in after work to see what’s what and was pleasantly surprised! Very friendly staff, great food, fast service. I will absolutely be coming back, maybe to try their breakfast next time.

Back in the olden days when the world and I were both younger, I used to meet friends here to play pool and listen to music in the summer when it was quite hot. Because we couldn’t sleep, the air conditioning helped a lot, and when we were finally exhausted, we’d head home and sleep once houses and apartments had cooled down.
Moving forward a few years, Ron and I had both been so busy that Valentine Day plans and reservations had been back burnered until the last minute. He picked me up and we talked our way through as many options as possible, but each option crashed and burned for various reasons. Out of nowhere, he looked at me and blurted out «Buffalo Gap,» and I said «Perfect»!
It really was perfect. I felt like I had time traveled back to a certain place in time. Parking is still tricky in their small lot and crowded neighborhood streets. It was startling how little things had changed and how I remembered the layout of the place so well. Ron found us a cozy little booth in the back. Our waitress was charming and gave great service and checked back several times. We both had hamburgers (mine peppercorns and parmesan, Ron’s bleu and bacon). He had a side salad and a Pint of Hefe. Since I have no power of refusal over tater tots, well you know the end of that story. I had a pint of excellent apple honey hard cider.
The hamburger patties were hand-​formed and nicely seasoned. I loved the tang of the peppercorns and parmesan, and he loved the beautiful meaty, smoky bacon and bleu cheese flavor. His salad was wonderful, and I won’t write a book here about the tater tots, but so, so good and so many of them (can there ever be too many in an order?). Cider and beer were great matches for our food.
We voted against dessert because we would have otherwise burst. I’m so glad I time traveled back to the olden times with many happy memories, but also had a chance to travel forward with Ron and make new memories. We’ll be back!

Atmosphere isn’t so much red robin meets sports bar as say, Buffalo Wild Wings, so it was a good place for the food selection and the beer. Beer menu is limited, but they had Ninkasi and Guinness on tap, so who can complain, right?
Easy to find, but parking is limited, so be prepared to park on a side-​street. I had the Reuben sandwich, which was one of the best I’ve had!
So my tip here is the following… Great neighborhood eatery and bar. If you like sports. Several TVs. I’d give it a try if you live in the area or if you need a halfway meeting place between say Sellwood and Raliegh Hills (wow, that was specific, wasn’t it?).
I can’t give more than 3 stars because of the parking and overall location is a little challenging, but the food, atmosphere, and service made up for it. I’d definitely go back.

This is a fantastic neighborhood bar and grill. The food is above average for bar food, and the price+portion size make it a real bargain.
A great place for a casual dinner date, to watch the game, or to shoot pool with friends. It never really gets too rowdy, and there’s always a place for conversation.
The staff are genuinely friendly, polite and very professional. If you like American bar and grills you should definitely check out the B Gap!

Love the Buffalo gap, however we were there and my mom tripped and resulted in her breaking her hip. There was no followup and we were the ones to call 911. We were disappointed in the reaction and concern they showed for their customers care. We will not be going back.

I review a breakfast place by their chicken fried steak.
Not only was the service great and the patio was very comfortable to just hang out the CFS was one of the best I have ever had. The reason it did not get 5 stars was that I wasn’t a super fan of the gravy, but still better than most and I will be back.

A friend from the industry asked me to take a trip out to Portland to see a couple of local bands and give me her opinion. The bands were good and we went to a couple other clubs that night and saw some more bands and all I can say is that I have yet to hear a bad band in Portland! That being said, the pulled pork nachos are the bomb. My friend insisted that I have an oyster shooter which I do not particularly like anyway, but I had a stomach ache the rest of the night and thought I was going to toss! Boo! The sound could be a little better and it’s a little bit dingy, but oh well, it’s not bad.

Need a place to go… best get on over to the Buffalo!
There is 3 things every restaurant/​pub/​bar must get right to have staying power. Atmosphere, consistency, and quality. When a business like Buffalo Gap has been going strong since 1974, you better believe they work hard to keep it that way. I’ve been several times now, and I’m continually impressed with the food selection, drinks, and a unique atmosphere not found anywhere else in Stumptown.
The story behind the Gap is really appealing, check out their website and read it. It has a frontier theme, with nice wooden walls, charming décor, and an emphasis on local musicians. The place has added on over the years, so it has a strange layout with several rooms, including one for games and billiards, and an upstairs music venue.
I met a friend here recently and it reminded me of why I love this place. It’s just so Portland, without being Portlandia. It’s old school, with good burgers, pizza, salads, and sandwiches. They make the most out of big game days, with plenty of seating for groups and large appetizer platters. You can tell that after 40 years they have found what works and give their customers what they want.
I had a hummus plate for dinner here, and it did not disappoint. Nice garlicky, creamy hummus with plenty of veggies and feta cheese. My buddy had a beef au jus (French Dip), and loved it. Prices are reasonable too. This is hard to find on the west side, especially in the upscale McCadam /​Hwy 43 area. It’s nice to meet up with friends for a few beers and a meal and not feel gouged for $ 20.
Overall, this place just keeps on going and fires on all cylinders for this reviewer. Negatives? Service can be a bit spotty at times, especially when it gets busy for happy hour and special events. Not necessarily the servers fault, there just needs to be an extra person on staff to cover the amount of people. They always seem stressed. Only other thing is that with all the cool décor and darker walls, it gives the feeling that it’s dusty and old. Probably needs a deep clean and a spruce up to brighten the rooms. Also it can get a little loud, so probably not the best place for date night.
Get to the Gap… you will have a good time!

I love this place. Huge menu and great drinks. Service is amazing. Outdoor seating and lots of TVs. One if my favorites!

Been coming here for years. Love it food is great. Buffalo pie, large one for 25 bucks cans feed two for 3 days. Garlic burger and bacon blue is to die for. Great burgers at reasonable price.
Country fried steak and eggs are unbelievable for breakfast. Recommend to come here for food and drinks!!!

great drinks and happy hour food is good! I always enjoy the relaxed atmosphere!!!
*happy hour, in the evening, starts at 10 pm — 7days a week!

Went to listen to a blues band Saturday night, it was my first visit. Fun, quirky layout, with music in «The Attic». We ordered a multitude of things to share, I was starving! And was not disappointed!
Anyplace that has oyster shooters on their menu is an instant favorite for me. They were perfect. In a city that over does outdoing the restaurant down the street, they nail it with the simplicity of a light cocktail sauce & lemon. My cousin had the taco salad & loved it. I had the roast beef sandwich on rosemary bread with blue cheese spread. Absolutely delicious! We added the garlic parmesan wings, I just HAD to try them. Again, perfectly simple. I am impressed with how clean the flavors are. Old school execution is hard to come by. Buffalo Gap gets it right, kudos!

I grew to love this place because my boyfriend lived right around the corner from BG. It’s typical pub food but you get so used to certain dishes (NACHOS) that you then start to crave them. He (and I) have since moved to another part of Portland but keep getting drawn back over there for their late night happy hour deals and trivia nights (Wednesdays at 8pm).
On sports nights, it’s loud so expect that. There are also events and live music happening throughout the week.

The food here is not really anything special. However, they have a nice happy hour and I do like their mac’n’cheese with chili. Besides that, the waitresses have all been hit or miss. Some really great and some not so much. This is a great place to come to watch some sports and relax with friends. I would recommend this place only for the drinks. But honestly the drinks aren’t really anything special either. The margaritas weren’t that great either (probably because I’m from Texas, and there’s really no comparison). It’s just really average restaurant/​bar, but I do like the atmosphere of the restaurant. It’s really colorful and quirky.
Will I come back… Yes, because of happy hour.