Jo Bar & Rotisserie

A seriously enjoyable experience. JoBar offered a menu full of delicious choices.I/enjoyed our meal. It was both delicious and an excellent value I highly recommend JoBar for a delightful dining experience.

In stead of eating at Jo Bar proper, a friend and I were offered seats in the adjoining Papa Haydn, where we were underwhelmed by several things:First, the ambiance is sadly lacking. I mean, you could find nicer seating and surrounds at your local Denny's for goodness sake. No real theme or rhyme or reason, just kind of sad, tired old decor.Second, the food: Meh. I mean, C'mon! This is the famous Papa Haydn for goodness sakes. The prices are high and the food is just ok. Not the food we'd come to expect from this place on the previously trendy 23rd. In addition, I was certain Papa Haydn was a place to go for a well-made mixed drink. My Lemon Drop was served in a tiny cordial glass, and not a martini glass -- big no no in my experience. No sugar rim, tiny glass. My companion's drink was just as bad. Poorly mixed, poorly presented, and a real disappointment.Third, the wait staff: What is the deal with these kids in their street clothes, with the horrible table presence, lack of eye contact, and customer engagement? I just don't appreciate this whole situation, and feel it was a waste of our time. C'mon Papa Haydn and Jo Bar, get it together!

Jo Bar is basically just an extension of this particular Papa Haydn, serving the same food and drinks, although for years, I only knew it as the place next door that Papa Haydn's customers walked through to use the shared restroom. Now I know better. My wife and I are sentimentally attached to Papa Haydn, since our first date was at their Sellwood location, but this one on NW 23rd Ave was my first favorite. Stellar service, fantastic food, brilliant beverages (their green tea concoctions are a must-try!), delectable desserts (their biggest claim to fame), and a reputation as a romantic rendezvous makes Papa Haydn perfectly permitted to such praise. The fare here is composed of simple, familiar dishes elevated to elegance: sandwiches with sophistication, paninis with pizzazz and pastas with panache, soups and salads with substance and style. A perennial favorite of mine is the cubano which, to be fair, is a bit like bunting in baseball: a safe choice that is hard to screw up.Nights and weekends tend to fill up fast, so lock in a reservation, or be prepared to loiter around outside. Thankfully, any visit to Papa Haydn is worth the wait.

Have been to Jo Bar many times, typically for Happy Hour. They have discounted cocktails with fun names and inventive twists. The HH red or white wine for $8 is always a safe bet. HH snacks are varied. Burrata & crostini, wedge salad, hamburger sliders, pork tacos, Cubano sliders, to name a few. Prices $8-9. Get a few to share. The tacos have a delicious avocado cream sauce, but the teeny, tiny chunks or pork were few; all you can taste is the avocado and onions. Add more pork! The wedge salad was tasty but needed more dressing.Servers are friendly and check in frequently. Lots of seats at the bar and a mix of high tops and regular tables. Seating outside on sidewalk for those who prefer people watching. Many nights they have music starting at 7ish.

Stoped by here on a whim today and was instantly reminded of why I love this place so much.I really appreciate the dedication they put into their cocktails. The ... Hattan and Bartenders Choice were top-notch. The food is just as good. I greatly enjoyed the Smoked Salmon dip and El Pastor tacos. So much so that I had to order a second helping of the tacos so I could get a picture!The space is also very comfortable and I enjoy the music they play here. They seem to cater to an older crowd (my people). I'd like to come back to enjoy some live jazz.

They still have happy hour and it's excellent with things I like- wedge salad, Cubano Pork sandwich with a side salad and Burrata cheese plate. The bartender was a great server and mixed my wife a custom drink and the Boneyard ZiPA for me was just $5...

We went in for my wife's birthday. We had reservations. We did not get our preferred seating, we were told it was specifically reserved by someone else. For the two hours were there no one sat in the booth. Our guest had to order three times before they had the whiskey in stock that he prefered. Needless to say the service level didn't meet our expectation. I request the birthday candle for the wife's desert and was the waiter said of course and I will sing Happy Birthday to her. We got the cake and he opted out of singing at the table when delivering the cake, stating he had a terrible singing voice, we handled it ourselves making sure not to interrupt the flow of the night. The food was okay. I would say the fries were to the top. I would rate the food as average compared to other restaurants in the area. The ambiance was nice with the jazz band playing. We had the honor of having Jimmie Herrod stop by for a drink. They talked him to singing a few sets with made the night even better. We saw him perform with Pink Martini. Great singer!

We came here because we heard about the $12 throwback menu they had in cooperation with Papa Haydn. Who can say no to $12 entrees -- in fact we even splurged and got a third $12 item as an app just for shits because it was so cheap. The food was good, I would give it 4* but it was 40 minutes between when the appetizer came and when the entrees came. Which would be fine if we were slow eaters but we weren't. The worst part, though, was that my torta rustica was cold. It's pie shaped and the tip was warmer than the wide end so I suspect it just wasn't heated through enough? (Otherwise the tip would be cooler if it was sitting out, right?) Hubby suspects it might have been frozen?

The salmon salad was best salad that I've had in a really long time. I'm very critical of salmon and this was perfect. All the staff was friendly as well. Vibes on point. I didn't get desert but I will be going back just for this salad again and a slice of cake!

Great stalwart neighborhood restaurant, unfortunately held back by this painting.Remove this painting, which makes me sad every time I see it, and I guarantee your business will increase by 25%. Tips will increase. Lines will form out the door. If you don't want that, then I guess keep the painting.I am so sick of this painting. 20 years is long enough. Great food, service, people, however. It's just a really bad painting.Put up a picture of some bridges. An Ansel Adam photograph. Dogs playing poker, a brick wall. It probably has lead paint too.