Departure Restaurant and Lounge

Review summary

1. S

   Steve

   VIP

   Portland

   69 reviews

   3.0

   69 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 5

   We ordered the holiday season Peking Duck special, and sorry to report it was nothing special. For $80+ per person you get a tray of duck meat but little else. They present a beautiful whole baked duck to the table, complete with flowers, for photos and aesthetics, then remove it back to kitchen to carve and “prepare.” More than a half hour later (with nothing to eat) we finally got the tray of duck bits. Service was extraordinarily slow and food was underwhelming.
   

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2. S

   Sarah

   Portland

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Our server was very attentive and helpful and had great suggestions! The view of the city was very pretty at night. The food had great flavor and the sushi was a 10/10! My husband and I enjoyed the Tasho Macho house cocktail.
   

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3. G

   Gary

   Toronto

   3 reviews

   4.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   Service was just o.k. Felt like we were forgotten for extended periods of time. Brought two bottles of wine with us. Corkage on the first was $30. On the second we were charged $45. Also some menu changes that were disappointing. We've been dining here on Dec 23rd for many years. Next year we'll probably try something else.
   

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4. M

   Michael

   Portland

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Peking Duck dinner was meh. Probably wouldn’t go again. Feel like this place is ready to move on and should start something else.
   

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5. Q

   Quan

   Portland

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Paid $340 for the so called "peking duck experience". First course was some bland duck broth. It was meh. Then we waited 20-30 mins for them to bring out an already cooked duck, that was supposedly ours, to show to us. Then took it to the back to "prep". 45 mins went by, no food. We asked, and they said that they just took the ducks out of the fryer (even though they showed us our cooked duck). Also, they told us that we would get 2 ducks for 4 people. They served 2 half duck. We asked why there were only 2 wings, they were suttering and couldn't tell us why 🤣. Told us it came like that, and we could bring it up to the manager. Oh well 🤷‍♂️. I guess their ducks come w 1 leg each. Well to top it off. NO, IT WAS NOT REAL PEKING DUCK, it was just some regular roasted duck. The duck was worse than some random chinese market roasted duck that I could get for $18.99. And no, the "peking duck experience" did not include a table side demonstration. Anyway, they charged $340 for a $18.99 duck that we waited 1.5 hrs to be served. And it was horrible. Lastly, beside the 20% tip that they forced us to pay (which is standard in fine dining facilities, and we are more than ok w it), they added on a 4% surcharge for "employee well being" and 1% for clean energy 😂. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE. Any real food lover would wanna avoid this fine dining wannabe place.
   

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6. L

   Lynna

   Hawaii

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   Service was very slow due to crowd. Our server Jessica was super nice though. Food was a bit salty, portion was very small so eat first before you show up to the restaurant.
   

   Departure Restaurant and LoungeResponded 6 days ago

   Hello Lynna, I am glad that you appreciated the service under the circumstances. I assure you, we are fully staffed. Unfortunately, it is flu season. We have had multiple associates call out sick everyday this week. I would appreciate it if you would call the restaurant. I would like to get you a gift certificate to come back and let us show you how we normally operate.
   

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7. T

   Tyler

   Portland

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   I don’t intend to leave a negative review, but it’s hard to after our experience there. The food was quite good, but the service was not adequate. It was apparent that there was a breakdown in the flow of how drinks were brought out. It took over 10 minutes for our first round to come out. I then ordered a glass of wine right after our food came. It took 10 to 15 minutes for that glass of wine to come. Only after our server came to our table and noticed that the wine was not there did he then comment “oh jt would be nice to have your wine with your dinner.” I mildly appreciated the self deprecating humor, but it wasn’t funny. This was topped after dinner when our server came to ask us how our ice cream was. We responded “we have not gotten it yet” it had been so long since he had been to our table that he assumed someone else had brought our ice cream and already taken it away. We did appreciate that he comped the glass of wine and he also brought us two small glasses of champagne after he was embarrassed about the ice cream. But a $250 dinner should not have this level of service gaffs.
   

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8. W

   William

   VIP

   Portland

   86 reviews

   5.0

   86 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The December Peking Duck meal is one of the best meals we’ve ever had in Portland and we look forward to December when it is always offered. They stopped doing this for a few years after COVID and we’re so glad it’s back and better than ever! The duck is amazing, so much so that we’re coming back later this week to have it again. A unique and wonderful experience that included exceptional service.
   

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9. R

   Robin

   VIP

   Portland

   37 reviews

   4.0

   37 reviews

   Dined on December 21, 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Duck night is a long standing family tradition but this trip, while good, was lack luster. Our server was engaging but way too busy. Our table got forgotten between courses and we even got our bill before dessert. The duck was great but a little dry, and the wraps were definitely dry, cracked and clearly mass produced. It’s time to kick it up a notch if you’re going to charge $85/person. While Open Table said our slot was for two hours, due to service issues, it was more than two and a half hours. The restaurant wasn’t as crowded as usual—just very understaffed.
   

   Departure Restaurant and LoungeResponded 6 days ago

   Hello Robin, Thank you for showing your appreciation for the staff. Believe me, we would love to be fully staffed! Unfortunately, it is flu season and we have had multiple associates sick everyday this week. My team has rallied the best that they can. I would like it if you could contact the restaurant so that I could offer you a gift certificate to come back so that we can show you how we normally operate.
   

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10. A

    Amanda

    Portland

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 19, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    We had a party of 5 and it was a wonderful experience. Attentive staff and great food. Worth the price!
    

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