Pause

Good food, super accommodating toward families with small kids, and most importantly for any Portland parent, a good beer selection. Because kids.

People will disagree with me, but I truly feel that Pause does the best reuben in town. The pastrami is perfectly spiced, tender, and delightfully smoky, the kraut has just the right amount of crunch/​tang and the Russian dressing has the ideal zip. Beyond that, Pause makes excellent seasonal vegetable dishes, decent cocktails, and great Brussels sprouts. No joke.
The staff are personable and knowledgeable, and the atmosphere is casual without being divey, or pretentious. The tap list is decent, and they always have something interesting on Nitro. Come check out one of the most underrated bars in Portland, you’ll be glad you did.

Been coming here for years and it never disappoints. Their veggie burgers are to die for! Great atmosphere, fresh ingredients, very kid friendly, (free noodles for the kiddos!) and the owner is a real gem. We love you Pause!

Eaten here several times and had first bad experience last night. A burger cooked way less then ordered and cold fries. Not a great time.

Came here to order dinner to go, they charge $ 1 per take out container and they didn’t even chop the lettuce on my Cobb salad… That tasted like dirt. Would not recommend

I came here for burger week and had their Italian sausage burger, with a side of fries. It was really, really good, and really, really cheap. Plus, friendly service, and the iced tea was delicious (and unexpected, ginger peach flavor!).

I had very high hopes for this place. Sometimes you just *need* a cheeseburger, or mac & cheese. I went for a burger and OMFG’ed when I saw mac & cheese on the menu. Aww yiss.
What came was noodles with bread crumbs. I’m not exaggerating. I searched through the whole pile of noodles and crumbs for some cheese and found a suggestion of cheese at the bottom of the plate. Stirring did nothing. I had a pile of unfortunate noodles.
I was promised cheese, and not only was there no cheese, but they hid the lack of cheese under a pile of crumbs. There was more crumbs than glitter at a drag show.
Everything else was meh or acceptable. The sliders were well done but hit the spot. The french fries were yummy. My dream of mac & cheese was smooshed.
If you want a beer or french fries, this place is probably acceptable. Their patio area is rather nice.

A really nice spot with amazing staff.
Low key and quite laid back, but the sort of place I really like.
Good vibe and beer selection and food available pretty late.
Only been here twice, but hope this place doesn’t change. The logger lager is a great session beer.

Normally, it whomps to miss happy hour. Especially by only half hour. (For the unenlightened, Pause’s HH ends at 6pm.) However, sitting outside on the beautiful patio and having the option of getting what’s on tap served in cute half-​pint glasses went a long way in making up for it. You can easily try several different beers in one sitting and not feel too bad for your liver. Or your wallet.
In terms of food, it was pretty standard fare. Surprisingly, the veggie burger was quite the hit around my table and it comes with a side of salad or fries. But being the meat lover that I am, I opted to try the daily special of pork chop glazed with brandied cherries. The sauce that my super juicy pork chop was sitting in was superb and paired excellently with the roasted potatoes. However, the prices are a little steep for me to want to come regularly. And if I wanted a place for a special occasion, there’s fancier places to visit. Pause is solid but not extraordinary.

I’m sad to give Pause 2 stars but they have really dropped off over the last year or more. Used to be a nice clean establishment I looked forward to for dinner. Last few times I went (over a period of 6 – 12 months) the bathroom is gross and structurally falling apart (looking up also shows caked dust on the duct and a fire alarm without a battery in the open compartment), the wide ledge adjacent to the booths had old dust with streaks through it and a few dead bugs feet up laying right next to the table with our food on it. The walls have large chunks of paint missing. All of that had me questioning my food. Too bad. I liked this place. There are too many good restaurants to let a place go like this. Hate to see Pause fade out but this wasn’t the first time I found the place this way. It’s like they straight fired their janitorial service. :/

This used to be our regular go to spot for meals as a family. The pasta with cheese and butter keeps our kiddo happy and the burgers are pretty consistent. Well the last 2 times we’ve eaten here have been a nightmare!
First being we arrive 30 minutes before when they turn into strictly a bar so no kids allowed past that point. The waiter (bald and unfriendly) made us very aware of this fact as we had our daughter with us. We just wanted a quick bite so figured if we got our order in right away (like within 2 minutes, which we did) we’d be ok to get our food and and wolf it down in time.
30 minutes rolled around and still no food. A little annoyed that it took so long just to make 2 burgers but we got over it and figured we’d just take it to go. Well the same waiter came over and scolded us that he’d warned us and now we had to get out. We let him know that we understood but he could be a little nicer about it. He literally kicked us out as if we were hooligans trashing his bar. We took our food to go as we only live a mile away and discovered it was all over cooked and soggy…
Second experience from hell was last night. My grandmother order the Mac n cheese and shared some of it with my husband and daughter. My daughter was throwing up all night and my grandmother and husband have been throwing up all morning. My grandpa and I didn’t eat any of it and have been fine. We had a young male waiter this time who was friendly enough but we had another glorious run in with the bald jerk of a waiter when I went to let them know we needed menus (we were seated for 5 – 10 minutes without so much as a greeting or menu) and when I pointed to where we were seated and how many adults/​children we had he rudely snapped at me «you can’t sit there with a child!!» He thought I was saying we were seated near the bar which we were not. I clarified and he just said «Oh.» No apology for ripping my head off.
Up until the macaroni and cheese incident. I would’ve said their food is ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ in consistency, sometimes great sometimes mediocre and just be prepared for rude, slow service. But after last night we will never be returning.
Do yourselves a favor and fire the bald waiter. He seems generally miserable to be there and treats the customers like shit.

My husband got burgers with cheddar cheese and bacon, and fries, and brought them home tonight. My problem is NOT with the food, which was excellent.
However, he had found a menu (I think on Menu*
), and called in his order. This was apparently a VERY old menu… showed burgers w/​extras as $ 8 + $ 2.
When he got there, the food was substantially more expensive, and he was also charged $ 2 for carryout containers.
My problem is that the staff apparently was aware that this old menu is posted online, and has not updated it. The server was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing, and did not explain why the cost for containers was not even noted on the menu.
Don’t get me wrong, the food was GREAT. However, I believe it is irresponsible to not update the menu online, and also inform people of the additional charge for carryout items. There is a place on the Menu*Pix site to update your menu.
It would also be most helpful if they posted a current menu on their own website.
Thanks for your prompt attention to this matter, (I hope)…folks at Pause!

If I could give Pause 4.5 Stars I would. There are so many things this place does consistently right that it is, by far and away, one of my favorite go-​to places for dinner.

I used to describe their food as American. But now after years of dining at Pause I’d say it’s more in line with everything good about my childhood family dinners.
I almost invariably order whatever their dinner special is. I say ‘almost’ because some of the time their dinner special is sold out. It’s nearly the only question I have when I sit down, ‘What’s the dinner special?’ Beyond that it must be said that the food is consistently delicious. There is something magical in sitting down to a simple meal of meat and potatoes with some kind of veggie on the side.
I also have never really gone wrong with any of their standard menu items. Or the deserts… those are always good too.
So why not 5 Stars? I think it’s worth noting that I can’t seem to get a good cocktail. Beer on tap is easy but if you’ve been a bar tender for as long as I know their staff has tended the bar at Pause you would think a mixed drink would be second nature.
Lastly, going to a place where, even if they don’t know your name, they still welcome you and your partner with a nice smile and a warm ‘sit anywhere’ is probably why I never hesitate to go back to Pause.
This is one place I’m happy to be familiar with.
Thanks guys. –John

I don’t understand all the ravings about the veggie burger. At least on this day it is subpar. Like something I made in the blender and had in the freezer a while. The regular burger was good though. I got a slider of each. I like this lounge though. Maybe the veggie burger will be better next time. So many rave reviews. I’m drunk.

Pause is right in my neighborhood which has come in handy a number of times. I have enjoyed the veggie burger here and love the fact that they make it in house. I have also had the pleasure of sampling a few salads here, their roasted Brussels sprouts, and they have a pickle plate! (I am such a sucker for most things pickled)
The food has always been decent and does the trick in filling my empty stomach. They have a sizable outdoor patio out back and a full bar. The only thing that tends to be a turn off for me is the number of small children that typically can be found here. This is to be expected as they offer a kids menu.
It is great that this place is open late and has food that is better than your typical bar. Not my go to spot as there tend to be more kids than I would prefer to be around, and the menu is defiantly better for those who partake in eating meat.

I really enjoyed the burger and fries here.
Late night and Pause was open. Had the Painted Hills Chuck Burger (well-​done). Juicy burger, good cheese, everything was fresh. The fries, thick and cooked nice, little crunch to them.
The guy working there was really nice, food came out fast.
Good that it’s not to far from a MAX station. On street parking if you drive. Simple menu (and has a kids section with Mac & cheese, burger, chicken, so your kid should like something). Open restaurant with a big window to see MAX going by.
Again, really enjoyed my meal and will be back.

It’s the food and service that makes this a 4-​star stop. But, I didn’t find the ambiance to my preference.
The service though, they really did improve the ambiance and once I tried the food… ooooh, I was sold.
Have you had confit chicken wings? Correction, have you had frenched confit chicken wings? Me neither. And now, I’m a die-​hard fan. I hope a local restaurant picks up this recipe close to home! Tender confit balls of loveliness, they are. Spicy and buttery, the serving was generous, especially considering the price and the effort that goes into them.
They were really proud of their veggie patty sliders. I eat a LOT of veggie patties and these weren’t that exceptional to me. Plain, a little too mushy for me, and lacked accoutrements.
But if you like poultry, I highly recommend the tallest chicken sandwich I ever had. Huge portions of sliced, seasoned deli meat, delicious cranberry and tarragon sauce… it’s SO GOOD. And the fries? Double-​fried of course, crispy outside and super soft inside – just the way I like them :)
So inexpensive. Quality service. Atypical bar food.

Homemade dill pickles are crisp and flavorful. The homemade chips are just the right amount of crispy/​salty.
The Reuben is the best I’ve ever had, EVER. The corned beef is so perfect that it feels almost like soft butter melting in your mouth!
Whenever the weather is nice, we sit outside. Although I wish they had table umbrellas for the really hot days.
Service can be hit-​or-​miss. A couple times it was like the waiter/​waitress completely forgot there were customers sitting outside. I had to go inside to ask for more water and to pay the check. For the prices they charge the service should be A+.
The less than stellar service is the only reason I didn’t rate 5 stars.

Pause. Is exactly what I do before I decided on having a meal here. During my pause, I quickly think about other options and questions if I’m making the right decision.
I’ve had a handful of things from the menu all of which have been A-​okay. I once had a burger that was atrocious — horribly overcooked, burnt even! What happened to medium Pause? Since then I’ve given them another shot and they’ve been just fine. The burger is a solid option although as mentioned there has been some variability. I HATE steak fries. I realize that’s a personal preference and if thats you’re thing they’re great! The salad which I normally have in lieu of said fries is nice, dressing is on point.
I’ve tried the meatloaf, veggie burger and a few of the specials. Pause is pretty forgettable for me. While nothing is truly disappointing, nothing is that inspired. Despite the close proximity I hardly make it here.
Solid american food, just lacking a «wow» factor in my humble opinion.

This is my first time reviewing Pause but I have been here 3 – 4 times before. It is close to home and has a nice neighborhood feel to it.
We sat inside but I have sat outside alot in nice weather. They have a great patio space.
My go to here is the Mac and Cheese. It has been one of the best in Portland. This time, it was a litte dry with too many bread crumbs.
We also tried the slider special. It came with a cheese slider and a bacon blue cheese slider, fries and a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or soda for $ 8.50.
It was the right amount of food and I liked the variety of two different burgers. The service can be spotty at times but this time it was good.