Hawthorne Lobster House

We had dinner here tonight (Halloween 2015) and had a great time! The restaurant was pretty much empty and frankly, it was awesome. Excellent service (I get the impression it would be great even with a packed house) everyone was super friendly.
The cocktails were awesome, Moscow Mules and rum and cokes. The popcorn lobster was perfection, the cold seafood tower was fresh and delicious, lobster mac and cheese was amazing, and the Baked Alaska was a perfect ending. My husband ordered the tenderloin and it was cooked perfectly. I ate his cauliflower served with caramelized onions, so tasty! We can’t wait to come back!

Made reservation for a Sunday evening.
Took 15 minutes to finally get seated at one of at least 10 open tables.
Only 2 servers on and one was about 6 – 7 months pregnant. The other worked at the speed of cold honey. We ordered the special suggested by the waitress after 25 minutes our ice teas arrived with some nice cool bread.
The food finally arrived and was spread out on butcher paper. All seafood heated in the same water as crawdaddys so lobster and prawns tasted the same. Lol prawns were smaller then crawdaddys and crab claws were crab pinkys.
The lobster was obviously pre cooked and heated in spicy dishwater.
This was the worst seafood I’ve eaten ever. Only saving grace was the crew brûlée.
Waitress thought I was joking when I told her how bad food was.
They advertise the «best tail in town».
They’re right it tasted like that part of the body.
Will tell all that will listen want good seafood buy some Gortons Fisherman Fishsticks.

WOW!!! I am a seafood junkie but not really when lobster is involved. This place is amazing the lobster here is to die for. Lobster bites will leave you wanting another order! Service is quick warm and welcoming. The prices are reasonable for the area and definitely worth it for the food.
Cheers happy eating
Ck

This review has sat in my to finish box for 4 months.
As most Portlanders know we have such a vast and extensive selection of fine dinning in our lovely city of roses that any true restaurateur owner should know that customer service at times out weighs even the best of food!
Unfortunate that was not the case at this over priced and under served imitation of a high end seafood and steak house .
Let me start by saying our server was very sweet and she made sure not to hound us, yet gave us the right amount of return Service need to assure a pleasant meal.
The issue was the food, the lobster bites where awesome not a problem there, however the lobster bisque was like luke warm at best and I had to remove five pieces of lobster shell from my mouth. It obviously wasn’t put through a sieve after the purée !
Now big O and I decide we are going to splurge and do the 16 ounce Rib eye cut I ordered mine med rare and he ordered medium and we of course added on the lobster. I also ordered the Brussels sprouts and he ordered lobster mash potatoes.
Now when our main meal came to the table, wow i was a little shocked when I cut into my steak about third bite in, it was all bad! Mind you it was a 37.00 steak and i ordered it medium rare… Now i know what it suppose to look like and trust me the damn thing was trying to get up off the plate. So, I just marked it up as well obviously they didn’t hire someone with a butcher/​chef/​grill master background to do their meat. I looked for the waitress, however she was no where to be found and i just finished off my lobster.
Eventually 15 minutes later when she did return to our table, I explained to her that the steak was wayyyyyy under cooked and that I would like to send it back. Of course she offered to have them grill it again, ha, ha, ha… now coming from a background of butchers and meat carnivorous connoisseurs, I know that you get one chance and one chance only to cook that steak. It will never taste the same so I polity declined.
Of course the bill came, oh and what do you think was still on the bill? Well of course that steak that was not cooked properly to order. I politley asked the waitress if it could be removed that i didn’t feel it would be proper to charge me for something that was not cooked as requested. Our waitress polity explained that she tried to remove it but the manager refused. I then expressed how i would like to speak with the manager. Of course was her answer and then we waited and waited and waited some more while the manager stood at the bar chit chatting with the two people that had been there since we arrived.
Upon her strut over to the table it was obvious this woman had a passive aggressive attitude just by her body language and boy was a right. !!!
I politely stated that I had ordered the steak medium rare and it came more than rare to the table and then the argumentative behavior started. She told me while GLARING at me that they had offered to «re-​Cook» the steak… lol. Of course being a stubborn Irish born red headed bitch when I want to be with piercing blue eyes, i never once blinked. I expressed that I found it to be very unprofessional as a food establishment that claims to be a SEAFOOD establishment to prepare steak if they don’t know what it means to cook a expensive piece of meat properly and they should stick to boiling water! I wanted the steak removed from my bill immediately.
With great reluctance and a strut of im not getting my way she pranced off to the register and when our bill arrived again it was minus the 37.00 steak but was still calculated to be tipped out at the higher price total. Shaking my head I gave the 20% tip for our courteous server and promptly left as the manager snickered at us while we walked out the door.
My summation: Don’t bother ordering steak from someone that really only knows how to boil water, and with a bad attitude at that.

Went with my parents as a birthday celebration for my 81 year old Dad. It was a big outing for them and my Dad is pretty hard to please. He left happy!
The food is spendy but it was all really tasty. We shared the cold tower and started with lobster bisque and sliders.
If you have a special occasion or just extra cash to burn (hah, right) check this place out.

Hawthorne Lobster House would have had a 5 star review from me, but unfortunately the service and the price were not up to par.
To start with the positive– the seafood was awesome! We had the lobster bisque, and the regular hot seafood platter for 2. Everything was hot, fresh, and the butter that they give you is absolutely delicious! I think it has garlic, cream and lemon in it.
The service was painfully slow. There was literally 3 other parties in the whole restaurant, and our server seemed to disappear for 20 minutes at a time throughout the evening when we were trying to order food and drinks. Also this place is extremely pricey. $ 150 was our tab for the seafood platter, 2 bowls of soup and 3 cocktails. I have a feeling that is why this place was so dead.

Lobster in Portland Oregon (not Maine) but the lobsters are from Maine of course. And yes –they are fresh. I heard them swearing at me and felt their beady little eyes follow me to my seat after all from their tank. At least you know where they come from! Not out of the grocery store all nice and neat where the work is done for you. Na uh.
We went here for our anniversary. I’ve been dying for an excuse to spend my money here but it had to be a special occasion after all.
The place itself is low key with no high pressure sales and they are local, not a chain, which to me is such an important part of dining.
I wanted to get the most lobster meat for the buck. I don’t mess around so I just flat out asked our server and he helped me make up my mind.
I also had to have lobster bisque. I think it’s been 40 years when I lived in Boston since I’ve had this nectar from the lobster gods. It was just scrumptious, and tasted like. well lobster, not cream soup. It also was topped off with some lobster meat. nice tease.
We ordered the big lobster rolls a la carte with a side of caesar salad just to be civil. I actually could have done without the salad as I was more focused on devouring the main dish. I would also ask for less dressing next time as it was a bit too much but that’s not my focus as I said. The roll was absolutely loaded with lobster. I had the «cold» roll which is lobster salad while Doug had the warm one which is basically warm lobster with butter. I will probably order that next time around not to take away from the lobster salad though! It was wonderful too.
This restaurant has so many lobster choices that I expected them to have some sort of lobster mousse dessert or some such thing.
Speaking of dessert — they treated us to one because it was our anniversary. Not a lot of restaurants do that anymore and if they do you get some sort of little scoop of ice cream with chocolate syrup on it. We got their blond chocolate chip brownie with butterscotch ice cream. And that my friends is how you do it up right. It was a nice finish to a great meal.
As far as I can tell they’ve got the whole lobster market down all the way to its antennae.

They earned their three stars for two items…
I am an east coast girl and I visit home as often as I can… With that said — I have also eaten plenty of seafood, lobster etc on both coasts up and down both shores. Just throwing that out there to start this review. I am far from a food snob on either coast, am willing to pay for a good meal. I have paid A LOT of money for good lobster, mediocre lobster and all levels of in between.
We took a lot of time with the menu which seemed almost limited — it is just oddly arranged and, of course, lobster heavy (I should hope so). We were also looking at the prices which on some things just seemed ridiculously overpriced so there was a lot of discussion about what to order… half the appetizers did not sound great or were just crazy expensive sounding. We decided to give the «Lobster Pop» a go… This was quite tasty — hard to go wrong when you wrap lobster with bacon and deep fry it — the lobster was perfect and the bacon was perfect AND it was not greasy at all. Very tasty actually for $ 17.95…not bad and a nice size.
Everything came at once which was ok — we sorta went ala cart which you can do and I did like that but to me that screams east coast lobster shack… That is NOT a bad thing but when you are charging $ 28 for a lobster salad you might want to rethink that. The Caesar salads were… ok… I prefer my Caesar with a bit more anchovy paste personally and these were sorta nothing to write home about. Also, the menu gives you the option to order seafood or chicken on your salad. I ordered prawns which were grilled — there were only three, not four like the menu promised and they seemed overcooked. They were not horrible but… nothing to write home about. You charge me $ 14 for a salad… I would like a $ 14 salad — this was not that. The bread that came with our meal was bleh AND it was served LITERALLY WITH THE MEAL. The herbed butter is good (needs more garlic — we make herbed butter at home all the time…) but does not make up for bread with zero flavor and has a stale texture. Again… you are trying to be a fancy place with fancy prices and everything is overpriced… give me good bread at least. My husband wanted to give the fries a go — they had him at Asiago. Oh dear lord… THOSE are tasty so yes, do that. Lastly we actually went there for lobster rolls. YOU HAVE OPTIONS! Hot or cold… I am an east coast girl who loves it traditional which is cold (and btw — most places in Cape Cod automatically give you a small side of drawn butter because their rolls have filling falling out of them for a $ 20 – 24 roll so you dip…). Here for $ 14 each we got the «regular» sized. We asked what the difference was and were told 6oz ($ 13.95) versus 8oz for the large which was like $ 24.95… The regular size was fine and, I will say was not unreasonable at all. The bread was buttered and cooked very well, good filling… they cook lobster well here and did not over complicate the filling… it was actual chunks of claw meat which is perfect. I was impressed. So… come here — order a lobster roll and some fries… enjoy those, pay under $ 20… I cannot imagine coming here for their lobster tails and such by the look of the prices. Our meal was $ 83 + tip… some some rolls, meh salad, fries, and a small appetizer — I cannot even imagine what the heck it would be if we ordered fancy food. I have a great restaurant in Boston I order lobster from which costs less and comes with a lobster pot — I am NOT joking…

The looks on the outside is very deceiving. But when you walk in it has a very comfortable feel and very upscale. We were sat down right away to a table of our choosing and little did we know the owner had ordered us lobster Fondu as a welcoming to Portland and might I say it was THE BEST! My dad ordered the lobster bites and yes I ate them all lol. By far this place does have the best tail in Portland. I love it

The food was good. Some dishes had more flavor than others. The soup was ok but maybe I was expecting more since the reviews talked it up to much… Service was nice and friendly. They serve melted butter under a candle to keep it melted, great idea. The famous bloody marry was all looks, no flavor; presentation was beautiful but I had to add about 4 slices of lemon to make it drinkable.
We ordered oysters, the large hot tower, the soups, the bloody marry, the raspberry drop, the blood orange sangria (best one of all), the lobster roll, and one of the seafood mixed in sauce (I can’t recall the name). The best part of the meal was the lobster roll.

My friend saw that the Hawthorne Lobster House was part of a «Bloody Mary» competition… or had been written up somewhere as having one of the best in Portland, so she wanted to come here for that. I came for happy hour, expecting to spend $ 20. $ 42 later…
What I did not know is that the servings would be tapas sized. That means ordering multiple items. I got the lobster bisque ($ 6 for a small cup) and a lobster slider (one potato rolls filled with crab). Both $ 5.99. That’s not to say it wasn’t delicious… just spendy for the small size.
I also ordered a happy hour white wine and then a «Lobster pop» from the main menu. That was $ 14.99. While also spendy, it was absolutely divine! Who would have thought to bake bacon over a piece of lobster and put it on a stick? These are 2 blessed foods that they have joined together and are a reason to know that there is a God. ha ha
My advice is to just order off of the main menu, so that you really get your monies worth.

We had a great time at this fine restaurant last night! This spot is decorated tastefully, had great food, great service, and live music! Amanda was our server and she was one of the nicest and most attentive servers I have ever had in a restaurant. I had a surf and turf combo and loved every bite. The prices are what you would expect for a quality seafood and steak dish. I am struggling to come up with anything that was even mildly annoying. If you are a tightwad and just can’t bring yourself to spend more than $ 20 on a nice dinner out, DONT GO HERE! Go to Carl’s Jr.

One of the beast lobsters i have ever had. Not to sure why people don’t like the place other than the price.
Prices range from $ 25 to $ 120 depending on if you share.
The food was great and well presented. Very nice servers who helped decide on some dishes.
Give it a try but i would recommend going with the entries rather than everything els.

It’s funny they don’t want to be compared to an east coast fish house — but that’s exactly what they are. Lobster is really over-​priced, for what you get.
My friend had to have the lobster bloody mary, and I can see why it’s so highly rated — it’s huge. Mac and cheese was tasty, but really over priced for a cup.
Overall — overpriced, great service, with an almost cheesy décor. They’re trying, they are, it’s obvious — but prices are ridiculously high for what you get. Then again, if you want lobster — I guess you’re options may be limited if you expect them to be flown from Maine, first class, with little pillows.

I had to look up a word in the «Big Boy» dictionary to best describe my experience here. «PRESUMPTUOUS».
My wife and I were surrounded by empty tables. Overly ambitious was my take on the owners. With casual optimism, we ordered the small «Tower Of Seafood». Imagine my surprise, then, when you picture a TOWER OF SEAFOOD, you get what looks like the results of a drone strike. Epic disappointment. Tasted great, though, but come on, for $ 74, couldn’t the chef just toss on some extra goodies ?? Make me want to come back. I am the 98% that you should be marketing to. I hope you don’t expect the other 2% to support your business. Lobster bisque was good. My cocktail was good. Even the 70’s playlist throughout dinner, was good. But holy plasma center !! It’s a big pain in my wallet !!
Street parking available.

I came here a couple nights ago with friends for the first time. We had a reservation so the wait was only a few minutes. The waitress was nice and the restaurant was clean.
I had the crab cocktail and oysters on the half shell. The cocktail was unremarkable and the oysters were small.
Overall the food was ok. I’m giving this place 2 stars instead of 3 because it’s a bit over priced. The total for 4 of us was almost $ 250 and the portions were small.
I probably won’t be going back

We have been seeing a lot of advertising on this place… So we decided to give it a try after picking our son (Jason) from the airport.
The place was very quiet and very casual… But that was perfect for us!
Service was EXCELLENT! I had the pork chop, the wife had (spicy) Bouillabaisse and the son had lobster bisque! ALL were good to excellent!
My big negative is that the menu selection is extremely limited…
I wanted halibut or some type of seafood other than lobster… And they just don’t have it.
They had a better steak /​meat selection than seafood .
You would think with a name like they have it would feature seafood… Nope.
So if you are looking for a variety of seafood… This joint is not for you!
If you want a very decent meal… I would recommend Hawthorne Lobster.
Enjoy

DO NOT ODER THE LOBSTER PESCATORE UNLESS YOU WANT TO LEAVE UNSATISFIED AND FEELING RIPPED OFF. $ 50.00 FOR PASTA WHICH COSTS PENNIES AND A FEW PIECES OF SEAFOOD.
My girlfriend and her mom both ordered a lobster roll. My girlfriend asked for hers without onions. They looked completely different. The order her mom got was nice and mixed, moist and looked like it was supposed to. My Gf’s dish was dry, looked like a completely different meal, not only did it not have onions but it looked as if it wasnt even finished before they brought it out. She isnt one to complain so she just ate it.
Ambiance– 3.5 stars
Location– 4 stars
Service– 4.5 stars
Price– 2.5 stars
Food– 4 Stars… I wish I could get a 3.75 option. I really enjoyed our night here because of the company I was in, and the service, but I couldnt help but wonder what I paid so much for a pasta dish. The actual food was good, just way over priced in my opinion.

There are lots of other seafood restaurants that I would have rather gone to for a $ 50 entrée. Saltys, Ringside, Jakes, to name a few. A lot of these other places I could have got 2 entrée’s for that price.

Ok, so we ordered take out since we have a small baby. The lobster roll was good. We ordered a side of asparagus for $ 8… And there were about 8 asparagus spears, only seasoned with salt and grilled. Seriously, I know that veggies aren’t really your thing but I don’t understand punishing those who might want to order a side of vegetables with nothing less than highway robbery! I will attach a photo to demonstrate the way they were presented.
Service over the phone /​at the counter, not good. Not impressed.

Hawthorne Lobster House is the cat’s pajamas, the bee’s knees and any other number of animal– or insect-​related superlatives meaning ‘fan-freakin’-tastic!’ We went for the grand opening and were more than impressed — we fell in love.
First, let’s talk location: At 24^th & Hawthorne, this place is a good-​grub beacon halfway between the downtown swank-​fest and the Hawthorne hippie fest — it serves as a perfect little transition between the two with the drawbacks of neither: You get the quaintness and creativity of Hawthorne, the pretty views of downtown and the attention to detail, attentive service and impeccable deliciousness of the Pearl — all with plentiful free parking. Be still my beating heart!
On to the interior: It’s not your typical temple o’ fish. Banish all thoughts of Red Lobster or the unimaginative surf’n’turf emporiums of your parents’ generation. Yes, there’s a lobster tank (duh), but they don’t try to make it the focal point of the place, which was a good call. Instead, the décor strikes a perfect balance between modern and rustic: high ceilings, exposed Edison bulbs, cozy seating spaces and hip art with a strong local flair (check out the big ol’ wood-​plank Oregon map on the back wall!)
Let’s not forget the food: Was everything we had good? No. No, everything we had was knock-​it-​out-​of-​the-​proverbial-​ballpark a-​may-​zing. The menu’s got a heavy lobster bent (whodathunkit?) so if you’r a lobster fiend this is the place for you. Think you’ve had lobster every which way? Think again — try the everloving LOBSTER FONDUE. That’s right, cheese and lobster together at last! We demolished this and licked the bowl, manners be damned. So. Freakin’. Good. Lobster not your scene? We also shared a bowl of the salmon bisque, which was my personal favorite — it was creamy and salmony and tomatoey and just absolute heaven.
On to the entrees (you thought we were done, didn’t you? Nope. We’re not leaving until you feel as stuffed as I was when I left this place.) We had a lobster salad (plentiful lobster, perfectly crunchy veggies n greens, unexpected but complimentary sweet fruits, house-​made dressing!) and TWO count-‘em TWO varieties of lobster rolls: One hot, one cold. I was hard-​pressed to pick a favorite.
And then — then! The dessert: Crème brûlée. Not any ordinary crème brûlée, my friends, but PERFECT crème brûlée, served in a deeper-​than-​usual dish. Why does this matter, you ask? Because I happen to be obsessed with crème brûlée. I once ate a «serves 4» recipe all by myself, in one sitting. Don’t you judge me. Anyway, whenever I order this out on the town, I’m usually disappointed — as soon as I break through that wonderful crunchy top, I hit the bottom of the always-​too-​shallow ramekin, and I feel sad. This bowl was plenty deep enough to satisfy my sweet tooth without being gluttonous. Perf!
And now what we’ve all been waiting for: Cocktails! We tried several: Standouts included «Shelly’s Tomorrow We Sail,» a surprisingly strong but delicious (and gorgeous) drink that I’m pretty sure I could drink all day, every day; and «Coaches Cabin Old Fashioned,» a perfect interpretation of the classic drink everyone should love.
The service was perfectly spot-​on, too — our waters were always full, the cocktails kept coming, and the servers were that perfect mix of unobtrusive and attentive without any of that Portland standoffishness. We left full, tipsy, happy and making plans for our next trip.