This was our second visit to Sur Lie. We originally had dinner here in October of 2018 and have been trying to get back because that visit was so awesome. We were disappointed though. We spent literally twice as much this time and it was half as good. But to be fair half as good was pretty darned good for some of their plates. We did not care for the Duck Breast it was tough and no to the Porchetta, it was mostly fat…really not good. The scallops, halibut and lobster we enjoyed. We were there early, right when it opened. Not many people there and service was slow. And unremarkable. At our first visit there the chef and owner came out and it was so nice to have them speak of their love of their food. I wish this visit was as memorable.
Lissa Kline
Had a nice dinner here! Love the tapas style. Some were a challenge to share, so not really tapas. But good overall was great. Enjoyed the service as well.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Vera Pustovalov
Best food I ever had! I usually don’t love the idea of small plates but everything was perfection! Our waitress was delightful and so great with recommendations! 10/10 would recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jimmy Crehan
Food Service Atmosphere all top notch. Have been 4 times in the last 8-10 years and has never disappointed
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anthony Rampersad
Simply some of the best food I’ve ever had. Well balanced flavours in appealing combinations presented with just enough class to set it apart from the mundane. The atmosphere of the small restaurant is warm, feels almost communal, bustling yet the staff’s service felt personal.
We did the chef’s tasting menu which took us over their highlights. Everything was both unique and slowly savoured.
Add this to your next Portland trip.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shami
Recommended to me by a friend and very much enjoyed! Staff were excellent and the food was delicious. Would love to visit again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jennifer Komissarenko
I think it’s a good restaurant overall, but the experience left a lot to be desired. Our tomato salad was served with a produce sticker still on it, and while our server apologized, no manager came by to acknowledge the mistake. The salad was simply remade, but nothing was comped or offered as a gesture, which is usually standard when something like this happens.
Later, after some back-and-forth about drinks, our server (who was kind overall) brought me a cocktail I hadn’t ordered. Even my dinner companion confirmed I had asked for the other one. The server then attempted to argue, but quickly stopped herself. Having served tables in college, we were always told to repeat the order back to guests, especially when a guest is undecided between options, as it tends to really reduce mistakes. We also asked a different server for a spoon to share our soup (maybe it was bisque) when he brought our dishes and it never happened.
As for the food, it was hit-or-miss. A couple of dishes were excellent, while others were just plain underwhelming. Overall, it didn’t feel like a $200+ experience. I might consider coming back, but I’m definitely not eager to.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
WMSME
Sur Lie recently changed chefs and based on my memory of a few years ago, it is even better than it was. While our experience had some hiccups, some of what we had was exceptionally good and we expect to return. We had six items. Four were outstanding (both craft cocktails, the corn soup and the tuna crudo, though the portion was minuscule). A Korean-style schnitzel was pleasant but not distinctive, and the halibut entree did not work. The fish was overcooked, the dish seemed excessively salty and the diverse ingredients did not work well together. Note that portion size can vary considerably. The halibut and the schnitzel were ample, for instance, and the scallop dish we did not order has only two scallops. Also, your server will tell you that dishes come out in no particular order. This was not quite accurate, since the dishes we chose as starters came at the same time, but there was a 20-minute gap between the arrival of the two entrees. Everything will probably work fine if you share plates, but my wife and I wanted totally different things which made the pacing of our dinner a bit ragged. We also noted that a couple near us struggled with very long waits for their ordered items. Our server was excellent, knowledgeable and almost a counselor. We felt he took really good care of us, but a server cannot control the kitchen. Another plus for Sue Lie is that the noise level is animated but not obtrusive. So many Portland restaurants these days are so loud that conversation can be challenging, but fortunately that is not the case here. And for what is unquestionably fine dining, the price point is refreshingly reasonable. Finally, when you make a reservation, you are told that you have your table for 90 minutes. For us, that would have precluded dessert (though nothing on the 3-item dessert menu appealed to us). Our server said that limitation is meant for larger parties and should not be something a couple worries about. But if you are 4 or 6 people dining, this could be a problem because the kitchen cannot produce dishes that quickly in a reliable fashion. Anyway, Sur Lie has enormous potential and we will certainly return.
James McGillivray
Spot on service including great descriptions of drinks and tapas. And wow - hard to say which item was best as they all were amazing! Ok, maybe the corn chowder wins…
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michelle Yoon
This restaurant was AMAZING. hands down. Food was so delicious - every dish we got. We did the chefs tasting and everything was amazing. And that was such a good deal. The service was so impeccable too and drinks were amazing. All in all a wonderful experience!
Very creative tapas. Loved the schnitzel, summer salad and parsnips cake. Coffee was delicious too!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ariel Burress
Wowwwww. This concept is so fun and everything from service to ambience was perfect. The meal was amazing! Tuna crudo was possibly the best bite I’ve ever had. Will say the lobster popover didn’t live up to expectations, but to be fair everything else blew my mind.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Peter Milman
Minus the extra bright light over our heads, we had an amazing experience. Please get rid of the halogen and put in a dimmable LED
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Taylor Stuut
Stopped in for happy hour for the first time even though I’ve lived here for awhile, and it was amazing! Definitely don’t sleep on this gem; Cole and Travis made some amazing drinks and they were so fun to chat with! Can’t wait to come back!
This was our second visit to Sur Lie. We originally had dinner here in October of 2018 and have been trying to get back because that visit was so awesome. We were disappointed though. We spent literally twice as much this time and it was half as good. But to be fair half as good was pretty darned good for some of their plates. We did not care for the Duck Breast it was tough and no to the Porchetta, it was mostly fat…really not good. The scallops, halibut and lobster we enjoyed. We were there early, right when it opened. Not many people there and service was slow. And unremarkable. At our first visit there the chef and owner came out and it was so nice to have them speak of their love of their food. I wish this visit was as memorable.
Had a nice dinner here! Love the tapas style. Some were a challenge to share, so not really tapas. But good overall was great. Enjoyed the service as well.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Best food I ever had! I usually don’t love the idea of small plates but everything was perfection! Our waitress was delightful and so great with recommendations! 10/10 would recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food Service Atmosphere all top notch. Have been 4 times in the last 8-10 years and has never disappointed
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Simply some of the best food I’ve ever had. Well balanced flavours in appealing combinations presented with just enough class to set it apart from the mundane. The atmosphere of the small restaurant is warm, feels almost communal, bustling yet the staff’s service felt personal.
We did the chef’s tasting menu which took us over their highlights. Everything was both unique and slowly savoured.
Add this to your next Portland trip.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended to me by a friend and very much enjoyed! Staff were excellent and the food was delicious. Would love to visit again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I think it’s a good restaurant overall, but the experience left a lot to be desired. Our tomato salad was served with a produce sticker still on it, and while our server apologized, no manager came by to acknowledge the mistake. The salad was simply remade, but nothing was comped or offered as a gesture, which is usually standard when something like this happens.
Later, after some back-and-forth about drinks, our server (who was kind overall) brought me a cocktail I hadn’t ordered. Even my dinner companion confirmed I had asked for the other one. The server then attempted to argue, but quickly stopped herself. Having served tables in college, we were always told to repeat the order back to guests, especially when a guest is undecided between options, as it tends to really reduce mistakes. We also asked a different server for a spoon to share our soup (maybe it was bisque) when he brought our dishes and it never happened.
As for the food, it was hit-or-miss. A couple of dishes were excellent, while others were just plain underwhelming. Overall, it didn’t feel like a $200+ experience. I might consider coming back, but I’m definitely not eager to.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Sur Lie recently changed chefs and based on my memory of a few years ago, it is even better than it was. While our experience had some hiccups, some of what we had was exceptionally good and we expect to return. We had six items. Four were outstanding (both craft cocktails, the corn soup and the tuna crudo, though the portion was minuscule). A Korean-style schnitzel was pleasant but not distinctive, and the halibut entree did not work. The fish was overcooked, the dish seemed excessively salty and the diverse ingredients did not work well together. Note that portion size can vary considerably. The halibut and the schnitzel were ample, for instance, and the scallop dish we did not order has only two scallops. Also, your server will tell you that dishes come out in no particular order. This was not quite accurate, since the dishes we chose as starters came at the same time, but there was a 20-minute gap between the arrival of the two entrees. Everything will probably work fine if you share plates, but my wife and I wanted totally different things which made the pacing of our dinner a bit ragged. We also noted that a couple near us struggled with very long waits for their ordered items. Our server was excellent, knowledgeable and almost a counselor. We felt he took really good care of us, but a server cannot control the kitchen. Another plus for Sue Lie is that the noise level is animated but not obtrusive. So many Portland restaurants these days are so loud that conversation can be challenging, but fortunately that is not the case here. And for what is unquestionably fine dining, the price point is refreshingly reasonable. Finally, when you make a reservation, you are told that you have your table for 90 minutes. For us, that would have precluded dessert (though nothing on the 3-item dessert menu appealed to us). Our server said that limitation is meant for larger parties and should not be something a couple worries about. But if you are 4 or 6 people dining, this could be a problem because the kitchen cannot produce dishes that quickly in a reliable fashion. Anyway, Sur Lie has enormous potential and we will certainly return.
Spot on service including great descriptions of drinks and tapas. And wow - hard to say which item was best as they all were amazing! Ok, maybe the corn chowder wins…
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This restaurant was AMAZING. hands down. Food was so delicious - every dish we got. We did the chefs tasting and everything was amazing. And that was such a good deal. The service was so impeccable too and drinks were amazing. All in all a wonderful experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lobster Popover, Seared Scallops, Beet Salad
Restaurantji Recommends
Very creative tapas. Loved the schnitzel, summer salad and parsnips cake. Coffee was delicious too!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wowwwww. This concept is so fun and everything from service to ambience was perfect. The meal was amazing! Tuna crudo was possibly the best bite I’ve ever had. Will say the lobster popover didn’t live up to expectations, but to be fair everything else blew my mind.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Minus the extra bright light over our heads, we had an amazing experience. Please get rid of the halogen and put in a dimmable LED
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stopped in for happy hour for the first time even though I’ve lived here for awhile, and it was amazing! Definitely don’t sleep on this gem; Cole and Travis made some amazing drinks and they were so fun to chat with! Can’t wait to come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
$20 FOR 2 SCALLOPS!
Food: 1
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