Le Pigeon

My boyfriend surprised me with reservations here for my birthday and it was a perfect spot to celebrate. We sat right at the counter and got to watch the chefs do their thing! The space is small and cozy with some really fun decor. It's French, so there was a wine pairing, I'm not a wine person, so I opted for a cocktail, but the menu is pretty limited there. The food though, it was incredible. From the first bite to the last, we were treated to some really fun and creative flavor and texture combinations. I absolutely loved the starter, which was a savory unagi rice krispie. We also opted for the supplementary plate, which was a twist on musubi. Everything was perfectly cooked, I'd love to come back to see what they come up with for other seasons.

This place is an experience for sure, but I wasn't overly impressed with the tasting menu. We had people order the vegetarian track and the omnivore track, and there were some misses on both. I enjoy chef creativity compiling flavor profiles you wouldn't put together yourself, but a few of the dishes were so overpowering they were not enjoyable. The wine pairings were nice but the explanations were focused more on who owned the vineyard and for how long vs the flavor profile or how it would combine with the food.

Visiting with wine and food loving friends in the area and he suggested we dine in Portland's finest restaurant. I have very little to compare it with, not having spent much time in Portland, but after dining here I have no reason to doubt him. If Michelin reviewed restaurants here I have no doubt they'd have a star. The tasting menu with wine pairings were delicious, creative and well arranged. We made the mistake, however, of doing the add on bonus course... Foie Gras I believe it was... which was excellent, but just too much for one evening. By the time we were on the last dish/wine we were too engorged to savor it properly. Very professional staff, a nice intimate space, it's exactly what I was hoping to experience on our visit.

Had high hopes after reading raving reviews, but it fell short. A few things to discuss.Interior: 4/5It is a small restaurant that gives off a speakeasy vibe with an open kitchen. If you sit by the bar, you can see all the action. It looks like watching a scene in the Bear, which is quite entertaining. Because I made a comparison to a speakeasy, I have to say... their walls need to be sound proof because there were overlapping music throughout the entire night that was distracting.Food: 3/5We opted to get one regular menu and one vegan option and included the add-on options for both menu. The night started with a wonderful drink and scrumptious first course. Then it sort of just fell from that point onward. There's too many flavors going on in every dish. An example is the chicken stuffed with lobster. You can't tell which ingredient is the highlight. The lobster was dry and barely noticeable. The chicken was tender and juicy, but had no flavors. On the vegan side, the kimchi was probably the most sour kimchi I ever had. It tasted like a glass of pure vinegar and it stayed in my pallet for the rest of the night. Overall, the tasting menu could have been amazing if they embrace less is more.

Outstanding meal at Le Pigeon tonight. I feel like we had the best seats in the house because we could see all the meals being prepared. The food was delicious and the service was incredible. This restaurant is a must visit if you are in the Portland area.

Meh. Kinda tasty but not worth the price. I have had similar experiences at other portland restaurants for usually around half the price. And the food was better too. It's a $135/person set menu, either vegetarian or meat course w/ option for foie gras supplement for +$25 which we passed on. The food itself, while creative seemed too much an amalgamation of different flavors trying to sound fancy that it resulted in no flavor really standing out or being too memorable.Most of the dishes I can't even remember what they were because they each came w/ a speech listing about 10 ingredients per dish. But there were a few that were kind of tasty and interesting. - Venison: thinly sliced venison w/ a crunchy paper thing fried burdock root was a tiny bite but tasty. - Chicken Dumplings: not like dumplings at all, more like rice cakes if you've ever had Korean Duckbokki. pretty tasty and came w/ a savory broth and we actually got a few bites out of it.- Dessert was really good - the Foie Gras profiterole was decadent and the lemon tart was tart and refreshing. After auto gratuity and drinks, it ended up being almost $200/person which wasn't worth it to me. Also, it is quite cramped in there as other reviews mention.

Excellent tasting menu! It was a bit too slowly paced at times, especially in the beginning, but we enjoyed the meal very much. The venison tartare with a fantastic start, and the chicken and dumplings was super flavorful. We also enjoyed the short rib and foie gras (add-on) courses very much. I enjoyed the foie gras profiteroles best. The ambiance is rustic and homey. We had a chardonnay from Williamette Valley to go with our dishes, and it was super smooth and buttery.

After scouring the internet to find the best restaurants in Portland, I landed on celebrating my birthday dinner at Le Pigeon. I don't have much experience with French food so I wasn't sure what to expect, but we were extremely impressed to say the least. The restaurant was much smaller than I expected, and had a very intimate atmosphere. We were seated at the counter so we were able to watch the kitchen staff artfully prepare and present each dish. From the first bite, we knew we were in for an amazing meal. I've never had a tasting menu experience where every single course was an absolute 10/10. The complexity of flavors and textures was unmatched. The texture of the gnocchi in particular was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It was crisp and buttery on the outside while being as soft and creamy as a cloud on the inside. The tomato butter served with warm bread was so amazing that we asked for 3 rounds by the time the night was over. My boyfriend is still talking about how much he loved the scallop course. And don't even get me started on the lamb. Typically when I try a new upscale restaurant, I don't come back frequently because I want to experience everything the city has to offer. However, Le Pigeon left such an immaculate impression that we will be making it a priority to visit several times a year as the menu changes. This was genuinely the best meal I've had in my life thus far.

UPDATED REVIEW: I had previously had a poor experience but the second visit completely changed my mind. I'm really happy I gave it a second shot. TLDR: Le Pigeon went from 2 stars to 5 stars after our second experience there because it really is a phenomenal spot to dine for special occasions or anyone looking for an excellent tasting menu. Andy (co-owner) reached out to me pretty quickly after seeing my review and hadn't seen the private review I had given due to their switch from Resy to OpenTable. The email really put me at ease because Andy was very understanding and didn't make excuses for any of the reasons I gave regarding our poor experience. He is a first class owner. Every interaction via email as well as in person was pleasant and professional. Andy even made sure to introduce himself to myself and my husband the second time we came in. Every dish was cooked to perfection this time. We opted for the chef's counter which I HIGHLY recommend, especially if you likes asking questions about the meals and preparations. The chefs were very knowledge, down-to-earth, super friendly and willing to share enthusiastically. My favorite dish was the sea scallop with macadamia nut, mezcal and strawberry (to die for, melts in your mouth) and the opening dish which was a savory rice crispy with onion jam, unagi, and shaved truffle - divine! The dessert was also so delicious and refreshing. The halibut dish was another winner, poached to perfection in olive oil, tasted like spring. Every staff member this time was friendly, I never had my water lower than half way (which I really appreciate because I'm always thirsty lol), the atmosphere was pleasant and the playlist was great while not being too loud. Huge thanks to Andy and Molly for the wonderful experience and being open to any feedback given. I am truly thankful for the second shot and very happy we were able to experience Le Pigeon in the right way.

We ate here on the first day of our visit to Portland and had a great time. The chef dana and the other chefs were amazing at what they did and were very friendly and welcoming. The staff was also very informative. The food and wine that was paired were amazing! We would definitely come back again!