4. Restaurants

Saucebox

214 SW Broadway, Portland, OR, 97205
  • (503) 241-3393
  • Store is closed

Saucebox Menu

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  • Kelly S.

    Portland's late night food happy hours are a thing of legend. It's like... I don't even want to eat during normal hours now because you can get incredible gourmet stuff at 9pm+. Sauce box was exactly what we wanted when we wanted it. I led my group on a goose chase looking for the proverbial pot of food gold and we found it. Spicy pad thai and duck wings and french fries and soft shell crab and pork noodles and brussels sprouts and cauliflower curry. That's all on their late night menu. It's on par with restaurants' normal day time menus. Kelly (our server) was awesome. He was fast and kind and funny and fantastic. Give that man a raise please. I'm sure there are other spots but Saucebox remains my mecca of late night noshes.

    (5)

  • Aditi A.

    A solid two stars. Saucebox is decidedly un-Portland. Feels like any sushi restaurant in LA except with poor service. We only came here because we just got off a flight, were super hangry/tired, and luc lac's line was really lac-king speed. Our appetizers were high in oil and low in flavor. They forgot the rest of our order. The zombie drink had hot pink sauce all over the outside (meant to resemble blood), which was just messy and cumbersome. The mains (after they realized they forgot it) took forever to come out. Oh yes and the furikake sushi spicy mayo was basically regular mayo. Eeeeeew. The server was frazzled yet unapologetic. Decor trite and uninspiring. Then it took at least twenty minutes for them to notice the credit card sticking out and the check resting at the edge of the table. Company aside (my dude), this place sucks. I went to the food trucks after and my $6 box of mediocre noodles basically owned the entire menu at Saucebox.

    (2)

  • Christopher D.

    As trendy restaurants go, this at first looks like a good one, but then you look under the hood and you start to discover its misgivings. To start, it has a bar immediately next door as part of the combined new restaurant and bar combo; however, it's loud and obnoxious and doesn't make for a pleasant dining experience. Second, the food is average, if not sub par. Had a few sushi rolls, soup and drinks. The quality of the food was so bland I had a hard time finishing it. Try other places for the money.

    (2)

  • Justin G.

    You crazy, Portland. Hair in food and dirty plates on the table highlighted our experience there on a Saturday early dinner. The drinks were alright... I'll give it that. The food; however, was subpar. Edamame overcooked. Fries were cool though I can get that at McDonalds. Wings were alright... crispy albeit lacking in actual meat. The tapioca meatballs were weird. I like my tapioca, but it just didn't work. The burger, supposedly medium rare, came well done. The BBQ noodle dish? I think that was just BBQ pork you get at the supermarket along with some overcooked noodles. Just... yeah. The place and decor itself was really nice. Just really misleading about the experience itself.

    (2)

  • Roger M.

    Sauce box was packed out in the bar at happy hour on a Wednesday. So they kindly gave us a table with window view in the main dining room with happy hour menu. So we ordered items off the happy hour and dinner menus too, Sweet! Some dim sum! Some spicy pork udon noodles! Korean baby back ribs! Pan fried cabbage and mushroom pot stickers! Sweet potato spring rolls! Organic miso! Sauvie Island carrots! Some draft IPA! Some fun! Sauce's made my nose run, that's a good thing! Convivial dining! Very friendly and accommodating service! Delicious dishes! Come and get it!

    (4)

  • Lygia W.

    I wanted to love it, but it fell short. I ordered the pupu platter, which had some highs and lows The tapioca dumplings were yummy, as were the pork sarongs and nigiri. The spring roll was non-descript, forgetful. I saved the sticky, dark ribs for last, and got a mouthful of salt, so disappointing. And I'm a salt lover. My husband's crab roll was not good, crab had a weird texture. Service was ok, server seemed to want to chat and hang out, we just wanted to eat. We ate outside, which was lovely. Overall the food has potential, but execution seems to be overlooked.

    (3)

  • Jahmin L.

    I visited Saucebox during a recent trip to Portland. Even though the restaurant appeared to be quite packed (it was a Thursday evening), we were sat right away. The ambiance is quite cool and I was a fan of the vibe. On to the food! We ordered the Vietnamese salad rolls to start and I was pleased with how light and fresh they were. I enjoyed both dipping sauces--the peanut sauce and I forget the other one. For my meal, I ordered the crispy brussels sprouts in dashi broth (I'm on an epic quest to try brussels sprouts at any restaurant offering them) and the red lantern roll (spicy ahi, avocado and spicy mayo). My brother ordered the cauliflower curry. All in all, we were quite pleased with the meal but it was a little pricier for what we got than some other places we went in the area. The brussels sprouts were phenomenal, but the red lantern roll was just a basic spicy tuna roll (I had been expecting a bit more from it). The waiter wasn't super attentive, but it was a cool restaurant with decent food. If I had the choice, I probably would go back but maybe just for drinks!

    (3)

  • Brad B.

    After touring the Portland underground, Nate M and I decided to grab a bite to eat since we were starving. Apparently endless conversation about death, ghosts, torture and deception builds a pretty big appetite... weird. So, we busted out the trusty Yelp app and Saucebox showed up as both close and awesome. We made a few dirty jokes about the name and were quickly en route arriving in about five minutes. Seats at the bar were available so we bellied up, ordered a few drinks and peeped out the menu. I still had my app open and saw tons of delicious looking pictures and tried to cross reference them off the menu - nothing was matching up! I ended up pointing out pictures to our bartender and asked him, "what's this, can I order this?" He replied, "nope, that's on the happy hour menu." Then again, same answer. And again, again, again and again. I was quickly losing interest and contemplated waiting for the late-night happy hour to begin in order to get what I wanted rather than settling - hunger won this battle and I settled for the duck. Winner! The duck came out quickly and from what I could tell, it was cooked perfectly, (the lighting was very dim). The portion size was big but not overwhelming and it paired nicely with the crispy udon and kale. We also ordered some of the sweet potato spring rolls, which were good but I'm sure taste much better at the happy hour price point. So yeah, we enjoyed our meal here but I need to make my way back for happy hour and the cheap deals they have on a bunch of their menu items. For the price I paid for dinner I could have had a small feast while getting to try much more of what Saucebox has to offer. Now I know. Next time, Saucebox, next time.

    (4)

  • Astha M.

    Only went here for drinks and appetizers. Great bartender and he had some great drink suggestions. House infused keifer lime leaves gin straight up was amazing! Also the Han dynasty whiskey cocktail was perfect for my husband's taste buds who is not a fan of cocktails. I like how they have divided their cocktail menu into different spirits. The potstickers were perfect! Great fillings and great sear on them. I will definitely go back for dinner.

    (5)

  • Eric B.

    We had a really.wonderful experience here. The service was amazing. Our server, Tim fixed us up with a omakaze style meal with a nice variety! Highly recommend!!!

    (4)

  • Ely L.

    Good food, many small plates for sharing, upscale decor, delicious cocktails that lean fruity/sweet all lead to this place being a good date spot. Sometimes a place with fancy decor like this is all fluff and no substance, this isn't the case for sbx. The food here is actually really good! I'm a sucker for spicy cocktails and the Hidden Fortress really hit the spot. For dinner we got all small plates: The Brussels sprouts were really good! The egg and dashi broth adding a cool interesting spin to this hipster mainstay. I was worried the sprouts would be soggy with the extra liquid but they weren't at all. Very delicious, definitely recommended. The soft shelled crab buns were delicious but you only get two and they are about two bites each so be warned. Still totally worth it though. The grilled octopus was solid. Cooked well, I've had more interesting sauces on grilled octopus at other places but still very tasty. The tapioca dumplings were a surprise favorite! Really fun texture and well spiced chicken inside, try these! Note that their menu seems to change somewhat seasonally so be aware that you may not find some of the dishes other Yelpers talk about.

    (4)

  • Tinie T.

    I think I'd have to go here again and try different things on the menu. The things I ordered were on the salty side. The happy hour prices were pretty awesome, though! My dining companion and I got full from sharing just two happy hour items. It's loud, noisy and crowded during happy hour - but the servers are still great about checking in with you regularly. It's a modern (westernized) take on dim sum, so if you're willing to try something different from traditional dim sum, and you don't mind a little noise and crowds, Saucebox has great happy hour prices, lots of small items ideal for sharing, and a lively contemporary setting.

    (2)

  • Rudrajit D.

    Started with the lilikoi sour cocktail. Excellent flavor of kafir lime gin. Very refreshing. Fries - good, solid fries, nothing exceptional. Edamame - boils pea pretenders, nothing to write really. Saucebox burger - now we're talking! Sesame bun holds its structural integrity very well. Solid patty, perfectly medium rare. And goes very well with the Tilamook cheese and bacon. For $8 excellent, excellent burger. Totally coming back again for more burger! Plus they're open till midnight. Additionally, we had a really fun server. Always makes for a pleasant experience. Not one of the best lit places I've been to. The darkness is sufficient for you to need additional light to read the menu.

    (4)

  • Ron T.

    Who needs cafeteria lighting when you can always look sexy and handsome on dimly lit environment? It is not too dark where you will stumble over the chairs and their giant flower arrangements. The drinks are good. They will be your beer goggles after one or two. Depending on your alcohol tolerance. The food is amazing. I love the flavor. The pork butt hum bao is so good. The meatballs are so good. Their sushi rolls and ribs, amazing. So, if you can't really figure out if your date is worth it or good looking, keep eating. Or order more drinks until your date starts looking like a Hollywood celebrity. They need to check their music selection and audibility. What they are playing is not conducive to the whole place. It seems contrived. The washrooms needs more urinal. 1 urinal, REALLY?

    (4)

  • Phoenix S.

    This place has some of the best mixed drinks in all of Portland. As someone who loves alcohol but hates the flavor of it, Saucebox is a place that will swallow all of my money in drinks alone. The sugary, sweet, fruity concoctions that are made here are divine, heavenly, especially their watermelon flavored drinks. While I have heard of and seen people guzzling down alcohol like it was candy I was never inclined to do that. Even some of the best cocktails are still a tad bit bitter. Not here. You wouldn't even know there was alcohol in any of them until you were 4, 5, 6 drinks in and everything in this club-like environment starts getting hazy but relaxing. Excellent drinks aside, there is also great food here. Their curries? Get them. Their burgers? Get them, both of them in fact. Their small happy hour dishes? Get 3 or 5 of them. The food does not disappoint - which is not something you usually expect out of a hip, trendy "fusion" restaurant. No combination of flavors feels out of place. This place is a bit loud so if you're looking for a place that's more lowkey, this might not be the place for you but I'd recommend it to you anyway. The music is great. The lighting makes this large space more intimate, even if the whole place is packed. The ambience, much like the food, doesn't seem like it should work well together but it does.

    (5)

  • Michelle Pearl G.

    I used to come here a lot before spending most of my time in Seattle. The drinks and food are good. However, my first time back in over a year left me wondering if I was on a prank show, the service was that bad. Food took on average of 40 minutes to arrive. My edamame and miso soup took 50 minutes. Drink orders were forgotten and never delivered after 30 minutes. After many reminders of asking about our order, the server ("21 Alec B") put down a glass of water for the girl directly in front of him. For some reason, he extended his arm to our end of the table and bumped the water glass into our martini glass, finishing off with a little shove. It completely knocked over our glass which we narrowly caught, still spilling all over our table and friends jeans. Without any apologies Alec starts to walk off and I stop him, asking for a towel to clean of the spillage. He replies under his breath "Oh, sorry" and quickly walks away. After 1.5 hours (most of the time spent waiting for orders that never came or that were incredibly delayed) -- it ended with one girl finally getting her entree after the rest of us had our plates cleared and two others never getting their drinks. There was only one other table in the entire downstairs, being busy is not an excuse that works here. A small party was upstairs, with (being generous here) about 10 people. There is no reason that service should have been this awful, this slow and this rude. If he hadn't auto charged a 20% tip, it would have been the first time I ever left a bad one. I mean come on, edamame take 3 minutes and the miso is already prepared. Why in the world did it take 50 minutes for me to get it? I'm sad to see that the service here went down so much. I used to love this place.

    (2)

  • Tiffany L.

    We had the Korean baby back ribs, the pork sarong, and the shigoku oysters. All of the dishes were amazing. Lots of flavor and delicious. Service was great. The atmosphere is very nice. I would come back here for the ribs mostly though. Those are a must!

    (4)

  • Shauna M.

    LOVE Saucebox! Always AMAZING meals and superior service! Recommend trying different drinks, lots of great ones to choose from as well as delicious plates to share, you do not want to miss the incredible flavors! I love everything I have tried, but if I have to narrow down the field... my fav go-to plates have to be the Octopus, Thai Cucumber Salad, Tapioca Dumplings and the Minter Sweets Oysters. Ugh... now my mouth is watering. They have an incredible happy hour and they make it easy to get a reservation online with OpenTable diectly from the yelp site! A MUST to try, if you have not already!

    (5)

  • Anna C.

    Late night happy hour was great. It was over priced for the amount of food & drinks. Shared the pineapple drink which is split between two, the amount of drink they give you does not justify the $18 price. Atmosphere is awesome. Great place for first date, romantic environment in the lounge. I will go back just for the fact I can drink out of a coconut & pineapple. The sauce box burger was amazing, highly recommend trying.

    (4)

  • Emily K.

    Stopped in for a small bite to eat after seeing the good reviews. We were seated quickly and greeted by a wonderful server. Though I don't remember his name, he was very attentive and immediately took our drink orders. Overall, we were very happy with what we ordered. Wasn't able to take any pictures because it was very dark inside! - Potstickers (cabbage, smoked seasonal mushrooms, brussels, lime soy): very flavorful considering it was meatless! Great appetizer. - Crispy Brussels Sprouts (dashi broth, soft egg, togarashi, scallions): AMAZING. We all loved this and talked about it throughout the entire meal. I loveeee Brussels sprouts and these were soooo good. GET THIS. - Grilled Octopus (yuzu corn hollandaise, kaffir lime, crispy shallots, cilantro): Got this because the sbx chicken wings were sold out. It was cooked well and tasted pretty good, but I don't think it was worth $14. Pretty pricey considering the portion size. The most memorable part of our experience at Saucebox (besides the Brussels) was definitely the service. Upon learning that we were visiting for the weekend, our server (who, it turned out, was also originally from the LA area) conversed with us throughout the night and toward the end, brought out a handwritten list of recommendations of places we should check out during our visit. So thoughtful!! And we ended up going to several of the places on the list. (If you're reading this - thank you!!) Will definitely come back to try other dishes and the drinks!

    (5)

  • BW A.

    So like many we came here based on proximity and reviews. We started with the Thai iced teaser and kickboxer - delicious and spicy, like promised. My friend and I split pan-fried stickers. They were smokey like described and so tasty. We also split the Vietnamese salad roll, it was good. She had the sbx chicken wings - limey spicy kick that was really good. manzanita roll. I had the manzanita roll which was a good balance of red crab, avocado, cucumber and sauce. Not fishy or overpowering. The spring rolls were also really good. I finished with the scorpion martini, a must if u like ginger drinks with a kick. Kelly was our server and the only server for the whole place. He did a great job seeing as how they were busy. At 10 pm they switch to a night menu, didn't get a chance to try it. I would come back. Almost forgot, they have a dj spinning. It goes with the vibe of the place.

    (5)

  • Tiffany D.

    I feel like almost every place you step into, in Portland central downtown area, there is some sort of happy hour going on! I heard about this place through a friend and their happy hours are a good start to turn it up! It is a nice bar lounge with Asian decor theme. I love their raw oysters and chicken wings! They are both great bar foods to munch on with drinks! Their pad thai was spot on. I also did like their brussel sprouts with poached egg in a bowl! It was hearty. Service was right on and we were a minute away until happy hour ended! They were lenient on that part! Cheers!

    (4)

  • Shirin V.

    Really disappointing eggplant curry. Duck entree was tasty. Overall, this place seems to be very overrated. Inside seating extremely noisy.

    (2)

  • Caitlin S.

    I've been to Saucebox for Happy Hour on two occasions, and was very impressed each time with the delicious food and excellent service. On my most recent visit, I had the sbx daiquiri and the boxcar (or something like that) off of the HH menu. Both were very delicious beverages, and at $5 each, quite a deal for one of their amazing cocktails. I also enjoyed the miso soup (delicious!), which seemed like a larger portion than the last time I ordered if off the HH menu. I also ordered the tofu pad thai, which was delicious but VERY spicy. The fired tofu along the edges was incredibly delicious. I added some lime to cut the spice, and next time I think I will ask for it to be a little less spicy, if possible. The servers are all friendly and efficient, and very helpful. I love the atmosphere - it's comfortable and trendy at the same time, and they have an upstairs seating area which is great because on Friday night for happy hour, it sounded like the bar area downstairs had some louder music and more of a party vibe, so we were happy to be seated upstairs where we could have a quiet conversation. I'll definitely be back for happy hour again soon.

    (4)

  • Kate H.

    Had the Best Drink (basically a mojito- very good), the pot stickers (delightful), and the crispy duck (omg). Worth a visit.

    (5)

  • Janet H.

    Two words: Happy Hour. You must come here for happy hour.... the food is such a steal for their HH prices! Their Asian-fusion food is also quite delicious and I also love the decor in here. If you're also a fan of Flying Lotus and eccentric music, this is the place for you! We started off with the drink of the day which was amazing! It was some sort of watermelon mixture, perfect for summer. One drink was definitely not enough, heh. And the food was yummy, too! The most interesting dish was the tapioca dumplings... so unique and worth a try! Also, if you love brussel sprouts, you have to get them! Yummm. Also, be careful about the spring rolls ... they are fried... so misleading... :( Otherwise, pretty solid food! Total bill was ~$20. Not bad for a drink and three appetizers!

    (4)

  • Leighanna K.

    The restaurant was sleek and had a great ambiance. I was surprised it wasn't packed. They start you off with complimentary house made taro chips flavored with nori flakes - these were crispy and delicious. Their cocktail menu is impressive. We tried the afterglow, Han dynasty and Mai tai me up. The Mai tai was the best, albeit a sweeter drink. We had the red lantern and sbx sake rolls which were good - the red lantern was a little more spicy and had a tad too much sauce. The sbx sake roll was delicious. We also tried the hiramasa and salmon (Alaskan) nigiri, and these were cut too large. The hiramasa was a tad fishy - and I'm not enough of a connoisseur to say if that was typical. The salmon was delicious. We had the kimchi and cucumber salad sides, as well as a miso soup. Don't miss the cuke salad - especially if you get a spicy roll. For dessert we tried the chocolate cake with matcha and lemongrass ice cream. I liked the matcha taste but the cake was dry. The ice cream was refreshing.

    (4)

  • Steve MoungJin K.

    Food 4/5 Price 4/5 Service 4/5 Atmosphere 4/5 Food was pretty good. Tapioca dumplings were incredible. A bit sticky so it was hard to eat but very flavorful and sweet! I absolutely loved it. Rolls (Manzanita and Sbx Sake) were pretty good, but standard. Price was a bit expensive, but rolls go around this price in other places too. Server was very courteous and professional, but he disappeared for a while several times so had to wait a big. Atmosphere was nice: very classy. A lot of glass walls/windows. Two different sections were surrounded with two contrasting colors of white and black. It was pretty cool!

    (4)

  • sue t.

    Pros: dark, romantic, sexy atmosphere coupled with delicious cocktails Cons: Explaining to your server that you have a life threatening food allergy will fall on deaf ears and said food item will still appear in your entree. Unfortunately, the dark setting will hinder your ability to notice said ingredient. One bite will confirm your fears, though. sigh

    (2)

  • Andy A.

    I had really high hopes for this place. It was okay, but in the end disappointed. We were really excited when we entered, the atmosphere was great and me and my partner were so giddy looking around and also smelling the food. I first ordered the fries which were yummy, I mean how could fries not be? For my entree I ordered the Kobe Beef. It was alright and I really expected a tiny bit more for the price, it was very steep. I understand that it's meant to be the 'best' beef in the world but it really did not taste that special; at least in the way they prepared it. I recommend anyone just getting one of their burgers and nothing that high in price. Overall the food just tasted sub par and was not something I would order again. I may come in again in the future and try some other items but this particular experience I did not really enjoy.

    (2)

  • Dan P.

    Saucebox strays far from traditional, instead this edgy, high tempo, Asian hot spot provides a fusion of flavor done right. I've eaten dinner a few times but what I keep coming back for is their awesome HH. The staples typically never change but they always seem to be throwing down new items to keep things interesting. So if you're in the area looking to satisfy your hunger go get some food that will send your mouth a karate chop of flavor! Also, if you find yourself stumbling out of Mary's, Baileys or Tugboat and need to take your buzz further they have an insanely inventive cocktail list organized by your favorite spirits. I recommend the Dragon Fire, this fierce and fiery cocktail is made up of Thai chile infused tequila spiked with locally made sake. The HH menu is organized by very reasonable price points that range between $1 - $5. My three personal favorites in no particular order are the following: Brussel Sprout Soup - A soup filled with blissfully braised, crispy buds, that float in a slightly sweet broth kissed with soy, tamarind and ginger. It gets a boost of salt from a seasoned egg which runs, not swims, at its center. This dish is simple but the flavor impresses from its balance and an enjoyment to eat cruciferous vegetables. Pork Noodles - Can pork loin be better? Hell yes it can! Chop it thin, braise it in a spicy sauce, pair it with noodles bathed in pork fat and top it with a poached egg. Press this savory experiment to your lips and presto! You'll experience immediate gratification for minimal cost. Green Papaya salad - This sexy salad is made up of crunchy shoestring papaya slaw, wickedly spiced chili sauce and this addicts holy grail of meat, pork jowl!!! The only thing wrong with this dish is the menu doesn't indicate spice level because it might be the hottest @#$% salad on the planet! Whoever thought up this vegetarian nightmare deserves my respect and perhaps worship. During my homage my date took a bite and said "they need to add pork jowl pad Thai to the menu." My Libra loins were primed for pork pleasuring but at that moment I couldn't decide which P- lust was stronger, I almost jumped over the table to dry hump her! Yet I decided this salad deserved my full attention, besides I could always finish her off for dessert. And to think, we indulged in all these fantastic delights for only $18 bucks. Why are you still reading this? Get to Saucebox and go on a pork jowl excursion!

    (5)

  • Steph T.

    Yesterday (November 8th) was my first time going to Saucebox and I was very pleased with the experience! I thought the service was friendly and nice. The environment of the restaurant is inviting. I definitely recommend this place for either a date night or a small (10-12 people) birthday celebration in downtown pdx. I had a Mai Tai Me Up drink, which was delicious and fruity. I would recommend this mix drink to anyone because there is a nice balance to it. From the Happy Hour menu I had tried the Edamame and the Fresh Vietnamese Salad Rolls. The Edamame has Oregon Sea Salt which is pretty good. The Fresh Vietnamese Salad Rolls was pretty good and I think it's a good size also. From the Dinner Menu My boyfriend and I had shared the SBX Sake Roll (8 pieces), the Furikake Roll (8 pieces) and the Javanese Salmon (on the raw side). I like how the roll sizes from both of these sushi plates were a decent size. They were not too big and not too small. They were both delicious. As for the Javanese Salmon cooked on the raw size was extremely delectable. The sauce had pretty much masked the fishy taste. I would recommend anyone to try these dishes. I would definitely like to come back here again :)

    (5)

  • Walter S.

    Perfect cocktails, followed by even better food. The Kobe beef in the coriander sauce was amazing. Even though the atmosphere was a bit posh our server was down to earth and made us feel at home. And you might think that $26 is a bit much for a shot of whiskey, but when it's Van Winkel we're talking about the price is well worth it.

    (5)

  • Alison V.

    I'm a fan! You really can't go wrong at their happy hour. I got the tofu pad thai and it was grrreat! A little spicy, but overall great. I've had their edamame, salad rolls, all good. I got their daiquiri for $5 on happy hour, excellent. Great prices for happy hour, and a neat interior to check out.

    (4)

  • Shaedyn M.

    The happy hour at this place is truly amazing. It's affordable, a HUGE selection for a HH, and it's delicioussssss! The environment was good, we were sat upstairs for our reservation. It was possible to hear everyone in our party, and I don't remember our neighbors being too loud, but I was bumping chairs with the person at the table behind me the whole time. Pad Thai was amazing, especiallyyyyy for the price! And there's plenty of food! The salmon hand roll was good as well. Good proportions of everything. Wish it came with some kind of liquid dipping sauce, even soy. Probably could have asked if I really wanted though! The Vietnamese salad rolls were delicious! We only went for the peanut sauce, and it was good too. I tasted Asian notes in jt, but it was quite peanut-Y. But the star- the brussel sprouts!!! Everyone agreed that these were amazing. The perfect texture, the egg wasn't noticeable, but that broth!! I am not sure of the name of it, but it resembled maple. It was sweet, and I wouldn't have expected it, but it was perfection!

    (4)

  • Jonathan K.

    One star for decent food but the positive review pretty much stops there. We came for a dinner on Christmas Eve and were seated in the cafe area. The waitstaff was in a rush to take out orders and once we did, it took over 50 minutes for our food to come out. When the food came out, 3 of the 4 dishes were lukewarm at best and the lamb was overcooked (we asked for medium rare, we got dull brown that was chewy and cold) the Christmas Eve menu came with turkey as the second course and was actually cold to the touch.. Honestly, I feel like the experience and lack of service was unacceptable. The worst part? There were MAYBE 4 other parties in the restaurant. I know right? SUPER BUSY.

    (1)

  • Sharon K.

    Great dinner shared many small plates with friends. Mixed drinks were awesome and fun. What really worked was Tim our waiter reading is well and making outstanding recommendations all the way around. Highly recommend and very fun!

    (5)

  • Ford F.

    Wow Really great food, crowded like hell. I understand why. Dark inside, cool bar made the wait easy. Went here late with some friends to have a drink and a bite downtown. Great spot for a date. Wagyu beef- best steak I have ever had Pu pu platter- amazing array of asian fusion

    (5)

  • Momo K.

    Very fancy pancy restaurant that is fill with ambiance and dim lights! We were out of town checking out this place prior to the morning before our hiking trip at the gorge. I highly recommend getting the brussel sprouts with poached egg... to die for! I give it a 3 star due to it's ridiculously high price!

    (3)

  • Kyle A.

    Fabulous food with a different flare. Great drink choices. Energetic modern Asian atmosphere. Would highly recommend and will be back.

    (5)

  • Rob S.

    Called ahead for a reservation for a large group (20) and the staff was very accommodating. The food and drink service remained at a high level throughout our meal and the food did not disappoint. The tapioca dumplings and Brussels sprouts were great starters and all of the sushi that followed was well-received by our group. The team definitely enjoyed the experience.

    (5)

  • C F.

    Just so you know the late night happy hour is a bit of a farce . there are no drink specials and the food is only slightly discounted. we found the food very typical nothing special. suggest you try some other place. this place seems a bit over rated.

    (1)

  • Emily H.

    First things first - drink a Coco Colada, a Pina Colada-esque beverage served in a coconut. What's better?! This enough makes for a terrific spot, but the food too was excellent and flavorful. The only downside was slow service, which was totally understandable given our huge party, but otherwise everything was perfect.

    (4)

  • Ziyan C.

    It's hard to find late night food in Portland! We flew in at about 11pm on a Thursday, starving, & after going through the few options available, decided this was the best option for real meal. Saucebox had pretty good quality for our thin pickings at this time of night, but maybe wasn't the most authentic thai I've had. Maybe it was that the kitchen was closing down and weren't doing their best. Their kitchen was closing at midnight, and after coming in at 11:30pm we were still able to get a full order of food & drinks. Our server was pretty patient with our indecisiveness. We loved the names of the drinks and decided they work as our porn star names in an alternate universe =). There was no wait, and the total was about $20 each for 3 drinks, 2 small plates, and 3 mains. MUST-HAVES: Jade scorpion cocktail! Drinks menu: yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… ~~DRINKS~~ * Jade scorpion - 4.5 stars (house-infused thai chili vodka, house-infused ginger vodka, muddled w/ thai basil, grapefruit, lemon-lime, finished w/ ginger brew. $8) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… Wow, this had all the flavors I love in a drink: spicy, ginger, and citrus/tart! This drink worked so well, had a great kick, was definitely spicy, and also had great texture with the crush basil. Loved it. * The han dynasty - 3.5 stars (house-infused black tea old forrester, bitters w/ orange blossom syrup and a bordeaux cherry. $8) My bf ordered this and it's definitely his style of whisky-strong drink. All I tasted was the bourbon, but the guys I was with could really taste all the other elements and enjoyed this. Dinner menu: yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… ~~SMALL PLATES~~ * Taro chips - 3.5 stars (fried & salted. $2) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… The chips were nice & big, pretty thin & crispy. I wish they were a little thicker and had a softer part of the chip to contrast the crispness. The saltiness was a little uneven. * Sweet potato spring rolls - 3 stars (groundworks lettuce, soft egg, togarashi, scallions. $9) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… Not very impressive. The ingredients seemed undercooked, and I couldn't taste much of the sweet potato! ~~NOODLES~~ * Chicken pad thai - 3.5 stars (rice noodles w/ chicken, egg, bean sprouts, tamarind, fish sauce, peanuts, lime. $8) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… A solid dish. I always think pad thai is good but never amazing, and this definitely falls in that category. The noodles were nice & soft, not super intense in flavors - I guess they do well on the subtlety. The chicken could be more tender if I'm being picky, but at least it's not that rubbery overcooked stuff I've had a cheaper thai spots. ~~BURGERS~~ * Miyako burger, medium rare - 3.5 stars (avocado, roasted red jalapenos, teriyaki sauce, & lettuce. $10) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… cross-section: yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… The meat was soft, pink in the middle. However, I found the bun to be too airy and unsubstantial.

    (3)

  • Jan H.

    I had high hopes for this spot after reading all the reviews. We had the octopus, lantern roll, duck special, pot stickers, wings and sweet potato spring rolls but none of what I tried wowed me. The food is alright, but not for the price. The ambiance is a little too hip and it feels like there's too much going on when it comes to the decor. They do have a great drink menu, so I'd say this is a cool spot to meet for a drink but save dinner for somewhere else.

    (2)

  • Robert G.

    I hate Brussels sprouts, however, theirs are very good. They serve the best papaya salad in town. The bartender made a perfect pear for me - the cocktail - order this ! This is an elegant place with highly attentive employees in the front and back of the house. Overall elegance award in Portland. Great value and a wonderful place for a romantic dinner.

    (5)

  • Alexander M.

    Went to Saucebox for happy hour food and libations before a show at the Roseland Theater on Friday night. Seems like a number of others had the same idea, as it was packed. We got there at 5:30 and ended up waiting 15 minutes or so for a place to sit. Seating achieved, we turned our attention to the serious business of ordering. The happy hour cocktail list skews to the fruity/sweet side of the spectrum so I ended up ordering a beer. However, my wife got the happy hour cocktail special, which had coconut puree, lemon, vodka and ginger and loved it. Saucebox offers a variety of well-priced "snacks" which can easily serve as a meal. We particularly enjoyed the pork udon noodles, which were delightfully rich with a light notes of heat and the brussels sprouts, which came in a smoky/sweet/savory broth and were topped with a poached egg. We got out for under $30 after tip for 2 drinks and a variety of 5 of the snacks and were quite satiated. Saucebox is a great option if you're in the area.

    (4)

  • Sandee T.

    What. The. Heck. Not sure if it was all the drinks leading up to this point in the wee hours of the mornin' one fine autumn night in Portland, but who knew Saucebox was such a "box" of deliciousness? * GET - Tofu pad thai [noodles with tofu, egg, bean sprouts, tamarind, fish sauce, lime] = probably hands-down the BEST pad thai we've ever had. Not the conventionally sweet pad thai but rather this extremely savory rendition of it. Ermahgerd. * GET - Crispy brussel sprouts [dashi broth, soft egg, togarashi, scallions] = perfectly crispy and salty in all the right amounts. * YES - Great friendly service from bartender Kurt. * WOA: - Ample seating throughout large joint - Beautifully-lit bar on right as you enter - House-made mixtures available in large jars bar-top - Great dark modern decor

    (5)

  • Meredith B.

    We randomly stoped here after the starlight parade and it was awesome. Our server was great-five stars! The "best" drink was delicious, the Saucebox burger was delicious and the food and drinks were well priced.

    (4)

  • Chelsea G.

    Good food. Ribs were fall off the bone delicious and Brussel sprouts were crunchy and yummy. Service was great!

    (5)

  • Michael C.

    We have been several times because we like the food, but the last two times they have sent our food to the wrong table and it took forever. Sushi is not great, but the buns and entrees are pretty dynamite. I hope they fix their service issues because we like this place.

    (3)

  • Stacy S.

    If you're coming from out of town and don't have many places to enjoy fun Asian fusion food at home with good sake and cocktail selection, this is a perfect stop. It reminded us of Betelnut in SF. Lively with delicious unique flavors. Nice to have some sidewalk seating too.

    (5)

  • Cathy P.

    Dinner date with my girlfriends while we are in Portland. We ordered the pupu platter, rice noodle curry, Thai cucumber salad, manzanita (sp), and the sbx sake. The only things I liked was the tapioca balls, the cucumber salad, and the Korean short ribs. Sushi was eh for me. After eating the nigiri my standard for it here was eh. It was warm, not cool, and the rice tasted slightly old and undercooked. The rice noodle curry was not that great, the curry sauce was much sweeter than I thought. Plus there was too much okra, and adding the eggplant is not that great for that dish. Too little noodles. I loved the cucumber salad as after you eaten it suddenly there is kick of spice in it. Definitely my fave dish from here. The tapioca balls was a different taste, but I am Asian-American so I'm not thaaaat picky to a different taste. The pork inside was delish. Definite a must try.

    (3)

  • Ariel S.

    Their food is amazing. Super great, 100% love their food. It's really loud inside, which I personally don't like. But, lots of other people like it loud, which is fine. I will be coming back, even though I prefer quieter venues because the food is out of this world amazing. I loved their Tapioca Dim Sum, and their Softshelled Crab Buns were great. My cocktail was also super. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because of personal preference against such loud bars. I really like this places food. Also, really neat lighting.

    (4)

  • Spenser T.

    For the price I shouldn't have to track down my damn waiter to get a glass of water. We went in with a group of 4 waiting on the fifth. The waiter came to get our order every 30 damn seconds until the fifth person showed up (about 10 minutes later) then he was nowhere to be found. The food was very good though. The place is super neat with two major quirks. One, on the menu is a USB drive with the DJ's playlist, I shit you not. Two, the bathrooms don't have doors, they're just positioned behind a wall so from the aisle you can't see the urinals, and the sink is located OUTSIDE the bathroom and shared with both the men's and women's restroom.

    (3)

  • Erica R.

    Had a few drinks.. Really don't rember the names but dayum they were GOOD and good prices! I did have the Chicken pad thai, i'd try something else next time. It was good but I felt it lacked flavor. The only real downside, althoe for downtown Portland I can kinda understand.. Is I feel they need to chose to be a club.. OR a resturant/ bar. It was almost too dark.. Walking in I found it ocward to walk thru a big open dance floor looking thing to walk up stairs to dine.. But I did enjoy the view from upstairs with the red lights...

    (3)

  • Andrew B.

    Best drink menu in town. The Jade Scorpion is amazing. Come during happy hour for cheap food and to offset the price of cocktails. Recommend the edamame, brussels sprouts, sweet potato rolls, pad thai and the SAUCEBOX BURGER! The tastiest burger i've ever had and it was only $5. Good ambience and music. Service is hit or miss. One time our bartender didn't ask us for another drink for over 20 minutes, we just left cash and got out of there. Not enough to keep me away though!

    (5)

  • Dave L.

    Ive been there 2x now. I didnt think I was gonna like the place but everythign Ive had there I liked. Heres a quick rundown: Service: good Softshell crab buns: really good hamburger: really good skirt steak: good chicken wings: really good brussel sprouts: good

    (5)

  • Chris O.

    Great food, great service, fun atmosphere. This is one of the places in Portland that makes me feel like I'm in New York or downtown SF. Hard to describe it but I liked it overall and even more they had great food as well. We tried a bunch of things and all of it was very tasty from the Tapioca dumplings (very unique and interesting, like a hallow snowball of white tapicoa filled with dumpling veg and meat) to the creative drinks.

    (4)

  • Deni B.

    SauceBox- I dream about your crispy brussels sprouts and tasty drinks. Happy hour here is truly one of my happiest hours!

    (5)

  • Mellissa B.

    Saucebox, I keep returning to your arms for old time's sake. . .and while I still purr over your drink menu and daily drink specials, your happy hour food is making me feel like perhaps we need some space apart. Since happy hour usually reflects a preview of dinner, I am reluctant to again try the dinner menu since it is on the spendier side. The happy hour food is sadly still just 2 stars because of the unfresh fish/sushi. The crispy brussel sprouts in broth topped with an egg is still delish and one of my faves, however! Your ambiance is 4 stars. Service was much better since my last review and the wait time speedier the last two times we met. As a bonus, the friendly Manager somehow magically found my friend and I a table when there was none, and even gave us two drinks on the house!

    (3)

  • Edward S.

    Not going towards my rating of the place, but the ambiance here is very romantic in the overly dim lights, candles on the table, kind of way. I thought the food was good and reasonably priced. Had the Pupu Platter, which consisted of: (3) Korean Braised Ribs (tender, a little too much soy-- I'm Korean, I know what this should taste like) (2) Tapioca Dumplings - this was interesting. The tapioca made for a chewy structure that I'm not sure I liked, and it was also quite a dense layer, so it got in the way of the fillings inside. (2) Pork Sarong - big ball of crispy, flavorful pork, I liked this one. (2) Vietnamese Salad Rolls - nothing that stands out amidst the 100s of other roll-type dishes I've had (1)x Tuna/Salmon/Yellowtail Nigiri - Great piece of fish that melts in your moth, little too much rice. The whole platter is $24, which I thought was well-priced, given the quality and quantity of food, definitely for 3-4 people to share (assuming you want to have space to order a main). Had the SBX Salmon and Red Lantern Rolls. Both rolls were good, I would give a slight edge to the Red Lantern if you are torn. They stuffed the rolls with a decent amount of fish and didn't douse the roll in sauce as some restaurants do. Long list of cocktails to choose from, I'm a huge fan of moscow mules, so I went with the "best drink", which is like a moscow mule meets mojito. Came pretty stiff, was well mixed, and very refreshing.

    (4)

  • Deborah J.

    Girl's weekend in Portland brought us here for dinner. We had made reservations but likely didn't end up needing them. This place was soo large inside I can't imagine the wait ever being long. I think there must have been like 6 rooms but that is just a guess. Huge selection of drinks which were categorized by type of liquor which was nice. Most everyone in our party asked for the waiters recommendations on what to drink. I should have went the same route but thought my judgment was okay, WRONG. I hated my drink but it was only because it was too girly and sweet so personal preference problem. Onto the food, we decided to just order a bunch of stuff and share. Some of the things I can remember were: Cauliflower --with apples and goat cheese YUM Yucca bits -- alright but could have been better Sweet potato spring rolls --YUM Tapioca dumplings-- HOLY what in the heck this is my new favorite food MUST FIND here at home! Baby back ribs --jkasdhfjgf mouthwatering fall off the bone deliciousness. My only regret was this was the last dish that came out and at that point after multiple ordered dishes above on repeat we were all pretty full, and this was just so enjoyable. I'll definitely be back next time I'm in Portland!!

    (5)

  • Jessica N.

    I planned a group dinner for 15 at the saucebox and had a great experience! Most notable; the reservation process, how friendly and helpful the staff was during our dinner, and everyone enjoyed their meal. Overall, great food and great experience!

    (5)

  • Heather S.

    The sauce box has an amazing cocktail list and the food was well prepared. The annoying part of the experience was that a Dee jay tool over the adjacent room and music which was heavy on the base pounded through the restaurant. Go early or be prepared to forfeit all conversations as you can not hear a thing.

    (2)

  • Lisa S.

    Eventually all great places jump the shark (see McMenamins, Voodoo Donuts and Porque No). Saucebox made the mistake of keeping the happy hour menu at the same prices over the last 10-15 years, while the cost of food goes up. The result? A menu that becomes more and more mediocre over the years, to the point where it is now inedible. See the picture I posted of the tapioca dumpling, which sounds good in theory and looks beautiful, but tastes completely foul. The pad thai, curry and spring rolls are equally bad. One star for the cocktails, the edamame and taro chips, and the wonderful service. The rest I'll do without.

    (1)

  • Maria G.

    I came back here again for its HH. It was definitely busy as many people were there for its HH. Our waiter was very nice and professional, even though she was definitely overwhelmed with requests and orders. I tried a variety of dishes from the udon to Brussels sprouts to fries. The fries were excellent! I totally loved it. It was served very fast. The Brussels sprouts were okay, the highlight was probably its sauce. Well, it is S-A-U-C-E-B-O-X after all. The udon was pretty tasty and very delicious. I think again, thanks to the SAUCE. The dishes were all pretty filling. So overall based on my two visits, I have to say the dishes were about average, its SAUCE was the highlight of this restaurant. If I do come back to visit, I will stick with its HH.

    (3)

  • Chris Y.

    Great happy hour $5 dollar dishes and the cocktails are pretty high class and amazingly good.

    (4)

  • Cassondra P.

    The music here is turned up SO LOUD it's not even worth going her, because you won't be able to have a conversation with anyone. I don't recommend it! You'll find a much cooler bar in Portland elsewhere.

    (1)

  • Stephanie K.

    I've been going to Saucebox since 2005. Always top-notch service and great food. Definitely one of my favorite downtown restaurants. Tonight I had a spider sushi roll and edamame. It was perfect. The portions are small, so keep that in mind. They also have a nice cocktail list.

    (5)

  • Nealie N.

    Oh man do I ever love this spot :) Can't wait to stop by next time I am in PDX :)

    (5)

  • Bruce W.

    Rarely do I give a place five stars but I have to for Saucebox, the food and drinks are consistently delicious.

    (5)

  • Kate C.

    Happy to have stumbles upon this place. Nice servers, great cocktails, service was prompt.

    (5)

  • Kathy A.

    We came in based on a recommendation of a server at Superfly Martini Bar in Brookings We had the softshell crab buns, the pork sarong and the Thai cucumber salad. All three were fabulous and Raylan, our server, was friendly and helpful. The only mediocre dish was the chicken wings. I don't recommend them; they don't stand up to the fabulousness of the others. There is a bit of a hipper than thou (moi?) vibe but the food is so good I blew it off.

    (4)

  • Sean G.

    The happy hour offers are solid! Came here two nights in a row, first night had the chicken pad thai for $4!! and it was enough for dinner. Second night had fried Brussels sprouts (so good!) and tapioca dumplings. 10/10 would recommend for good, affordable food (during happy hour, at least)

    (5)

  • Lauren G.

    You know... I love the food here. And the cocktails. Both are so yummy, beautifully presented, and have great unique flavors. That said, why is the service here always so spotty? When I was a server we had a rule that you greet the table within two minutes of them sitting down, and check back within two minutes of drinks or food hitting their table. I just can't seem to get consistent service here - it's either too eager (dare I say badgering?) or too inattentive. But the food is really good. Which is why I'm still giving it 4 stars.

    (4)

  • Sylvia C.

    This review is for happy hour only, as I've only been here for happy hour (so far). Excellent. Really tasty, well-prepared, affordable dim sum/sushi/thai dishes like savory tapioca dumplings and hand rolls mixed in with American classics like shoestring fries and itty bitty burgers. Super nice staff! They weren't quite slammed when we got there, but it was still busy, and everyone from the hostess to the waitstaff to the bartender was definitely hustling but didn't look stressed or pissed, like a lot of places' staff tends to when things get crowded. Everyone had their game faces on and was very helpful, funny (yay waiters who aren't afraid to crack a joke!), and friendly. Did I mention that HH is really affordable? I had two cocktails and paid for three or four dishes, and my check was under $30 with a 15% tip. Definitely coming back :)

    (5)

  • Tien D.

    Extensive drink menu and candlelight lighting. I love the feeling of Saucebox. They have both a chic looking interior and bartenders/servers. We usually just come here just for the drinks. The only thing I don't like about the environment is that the music is always way too loud. It is difficult to have a conversation with someone at this bar. Regardless of the music, I've had a lot of fond memories at this trendy place and most of the tropical themed drinks are great!

    (4)

  • Mia K.

    OMG, I am craving their tapoica dumplings. Amazing list of cocktails. We came here during a trip and were yelping our way through downtown. We had dinner elsewhere and apparently wanted to eat until we exploded, so, decided to stop here. Glad we did! Granted, I can only comment on 3 shared drinks and the dumplings but it did make an impression on us. :)

    (5)

  • Thomas C.

    Wasn't sure what to make of this place. The menu looked like really generic Asian fusion food. We only ordered three items. Turned out two of them, soft shell crab bun and spicy salmon sushi, were actually quite appetizing (good garnishing). The udon was way over sauced and I had to drink an entire cup of water per bite.

    (3)

  • Jason H.

    I had a random gift certificate to this place and I took my girlfriend for happy hour a few months ago. Our experience was awesome! Happy Hour from Tuesday-Friday 4:30-6:30 pm is stellar and have tons of dishes ranging from $1-5 that slice their menu in half so you can literally try a ton of the food they offer. If you're a vegetarian, the options are limitless. We shared the crispy, sweet brussels sprouts, which had one of the richest and sinful flavors I've ever tasted, and the sweet potato spring rolls were fresh and modestly priced. All of the food we had was quite filling on a budget, and the cocktails are all infused there on site, with daily specials that are quite exciting. The atmosphere is definitely very loud, and it's a hip environment--but it has a great vibe to it and the staff is very personable. It's very chic, but not pretentious, which is a major plus--especially downtown.

    (5)

  • Aimee L.

    Hmm. Haven't been here in years so we checked out the happy hour tge other day. Ok wine (the waiter warned us off the $12 pinot so we had the cheaper malbec) and the (gluten free) sweet potato spring rolls were quite tasty. Waiter was very nice. The negatives : 1) why does this place insist on pounding nightclub music at 4:30 pm? We sat outside because it was just obnoxious inside. 2) the spicy tuna hand roll was terrible - no spice and at a strange temperature. 3) WTF with the bathrooms where there are only two stalls and one is visible to anyone walking by and to add insult to injury, the sink is in the hallway for people to share, then go back in the bathroom to dry their hands? Very offputting. Not a complete stinker of an experience but I won't be returning.

    (3)

  • Rachel H.

    dumplings. pork udon noodle. happy hour is amazing.

    (5)

  • Gilbert Z.

    Saucebox was very convenient to where we were staying as it is just around the corner from Courtyard downtown city center. The place is huge, good vibe and decor has a contemporary asian flair. They have a good selection of drinks and specialty cocktails to choose from. The dinner menu was also great as we tried a variety of apps, entres, and desserts. Saucebox is a great alternative if you are tired of standing in the rain eating from a variety of choices from the Food trucks. I do recommend dining at Saucebox.

    (5)

  • Carling K.

    Fantastic happy hour food and prices.

    (4)

  • H M.

    Unfortunately overrated. The drinks were small and also disappointing. The food was all disappointing, with the exception of the pad Thai which was really good. Didn't get to try the tapioca dumplings as they were out. The enjoyment of the good pad Thai was cut by the odd service. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be "confused". First they gave us a wait time, then we stood around while empty tables were just sitting there. Finally after maybe 20 minutes we pointed to one and the girl was like "Oh, sure." We had about 4 servers. We asked two separately to bring us utensils as we had soup and the Brussel sprouts (which come with egg in liquid) and needed spoons, as well as pad Thai which isn't typically eaten with chopsticks. They both said they would and then didn't. By the end we were so done and ended up going elsewhere. Worth it for the pad Thai though.

    (3)

  • Melissa L.

    I came here for happy hour with a group of 8m once, and they were great! Food was good as were the drinks. The prices for happy hour were pretty good as well, especially for food. I've noticed a surprising lack of drink specials at most happy hours and if I recall - this place was not an exception. they had a drink special, but I believe it was more of a daily special than a happy hour exclusive price. There is a fair amount of seating and they were accomodating for a group. It was all on one tab, so I'm not sure what their policy is on separate checks. I've seen recently that they've posted some events with DJs, etc and I am curious to go back just to see how those are, because it didn't really strike me as a dance-type place. Although I haven't been back yet, I most definitely would like to go back! But alas, I am in the burbs so my laziness sometimes stops me from hitting up the Portland scene. I also am in the process of exploring different bars in the greater Portland area for happy hour, and it has been a slow process. Overall, a good spot.

    (4)

  • Alex S.

    You know for the price I think this place is just hyped. Sushi hear, although I knew would be bad, was worse than bad. Everything else was overly saucy and too sweet. But take my words with a grain of salt. I generally like authentic food, hearty food. This was over the top.

    (3)

  • kekai c.

    For those of you that like Bamboo two in downtown Honolulu, you will Love Saucebox! Went here a cauple days ago to welcome a classmate from Hawaii that was visiting town. We had lychee martinis and the Halekulani Mai Tai...to start with. For those of you that know me, I'm not usually a mai tai person...too "touristy"...but unlike other drinks I've had that are too sweet, both these drinks were just right. We followed that with sushi rolls. Can't remember their names, except that it was all of very good quality and tasted great. Hamachi Nigiri was also a standout. Of course there was the complementary edamame as an appetiser as well. For three of us food/drink came down to about $100. Not cheap, but definately not outrageous either especially considering how great everything tasted. Will I go back? One word, YES!

    (5)

  • Elizabeth G.

    Saucebox is always a great place to grab a drink with friends, as their drink menu features deliciously exotic flavors and has something for everyone. Drinks such as "The Kickboxer" and "The Lilikoi Sour" are always a hit with me. The food is good, but the drinks are what really shine here.

    (4)

  • Mao T.

    Caught this place late night, around 10 pm for some dinner after a movie. We got in right before the kitchen closed. The service was spot on. Our guy was super helpful and attentive even in a crowded night bar. We could barely hear ourselves but it was alright, since we weren't expecting that much so late at night. Had the tofu Pad Thai.....tofu tasted like cardboard. But the noodles were good. And the edamame...which came about half way through our meal. Wasn't that supposed to be an app? Two drinks and some Pad Thai later...we were on our way home since the scene was turning into more of a club with a DJ and all.

    (3)

  • Brandon C.

    Their cocktail menu is basically like a farmers market of fruit, of course without all the booths and vendors though. Lemon-lime, orange juice, citrus, pear, hibiscus, papaya, pomegranate, you name it, it's all there, which makes it very hard to decide on a drink. To make it easy, you can just opt for the "cocktail of the day" off the HH menu, if you want to make your decision and get your order in before HH is over. If you don't want that, then you can choose from drinks such as the "downtown girl," "thai boyfriend," "monkey business," "soft spot," or "twelve dollar martini," which actually is $12 (I was hoping it was the size and quality of a $12 one, but cheaper). The server came by frequently but we were still always scrambling to tell him what we wanted each time. We knew we wanted more though. From the exterior of the building and the name Saucebox, I wasn't sure what to expect. The hostess greeted us enthusiastically and got what looked like the last remaining table for us during HH on a Friday. It wasn't crammed in too tightly with the other tables on the row. I was pleasantly surprised w/ the HH food options, consisting of things like wok shrimp (pretty saucy and hot), pad thai (chicken or tofu), and spring rolls. I thought, this is my type of place. I wasn't sure about spending $5 on something listed as the "saucebox hand roll" though. Is it only one? I also wished the dim sum listed on the main menu was a HH option. I refrained from asking about the roll or demanding cheaper dim sum, cuz after all, then I may have come across like a saucebox.

    (4)

  • Courtney h.

    My friends and I came here on our trip to Portland because we were looking for a great place for happy hour. The drinks are cheap and the happy menu is good! My friends had a watermelon infused vodka that was AMAZING! I don't remember what I had but their drink have been on my mind since. The food on the happy hour menu was not my favorite, but my friends liked it. I would go there again next time I am in Portland.

    (4)

  • Juju M.

    I never tire of coming to Saucebox for a drink and some music. They have a very fun and extensive drink menu, pretty decent happy hour, and a lovely dining area in the back. I really like almost everyone who works there! The bartenders are always great, and when someone had been too sick to handle their liquor in the bathroom the bartender was so mortified he bought my friend and I a drink. A couple of times I've struggled with the happy hour waitresses, who are a little ditsy and forgetful. But! harmless. I was last there on Friday night. My friend and I put our drinks on the bar and our coats on the bar stools, and chatted while standing. We turned around and one of the wait staff had cleared our almost full drinks. When we asked her about it she got a little defensive, she was clearly not in the best mood. She explained that where we put our drinks was a clear away zone. Hmmm... why are there stools in front of it then? Its a counter. Where else are you supposed to put your drinks? Not to mention they were almost full, and if she put two and two together she might have realized what was going on. Oh well! The bartender apologized and made us fresh drinks. Still... rather strange.

    (3)

  • Sara S.

    The food was terrific for both a vegan and meat eating guest. Also the service was incredible! Looking forward to going back soon.

    (5)

  • Scott L.

    Came here on a late Tuesday night. I had tried coming to this place before, but it feels like it's always closed. Sure enough, they cater only to evening hours after 4pm which is pretty late. Going inside we got flooded out by the outrageously LOUD music coming from a DJ standing right by the greeter. Not that I have any problem with loud music, but not at a late night dinner location. We ordered the Miyoko Burger as our meal. When asked for ID I told the waitress that we weren't ordering any drinks. They said they had to card anyway. This is the first I've ever been asked for ID for ordering a burger but what can you do about OLCC I guess. The burger arrived and was not cooked medium rare, and instead well done. I've had $10 burgers before and this just was not worth it. The bun felt more like a solid bagel. We finished our meal and planned to use our Passport Card for the buy 1 get 1 discount. Apparently this only works on Entrees, and guess what was not offered at this hour; entrees. So I'm stuck with a restaurant that opens late but doesn't serve entrees if its TOO late, giving me this marginal window to take advantage of a great deal. At no fault of the waitress, this place needs to get things together and cut down on the music volume during the evening hours.

    (1)

  • Curtis C.

    Went for HH last night. The HH menu is pretty extensive with selections anywhere from $1 to $5. We tried a few things: Broiled brussel sprouts in a dashi broth w/ poached egg- Definitely one of the highlights of the meal. Brussell sprouts were caramelized, broth was excellent, egg was cooked just right. Spicy Tuna Hand Roll- Lots of fresh fish, not that spicy. Had to ask for Soy sauce, kinda of random. Hot & Sour eggplant- Good flavor, the sauce was a little over-powering, would have been perfect with a side of rice. Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls- Yummy, with mango, and lots of fresh herbs. What is up with all of the local places offering Chardonnay for the HH menu? I mean, what about a heavy, oak-ey, buttery glass of Chardonnay makes one want to pair it with Asian food? Something crisp like a Sauv Blanc, or a Pinot Gris, would be so much better. Saucebox offers Guenoc for their HH. You can get that crap for like $8 a bottle at Safeway. With all of the local wineries around, you would think they could source an inexpensive white wine that would actually pair with the food they serve... But I digress... Overall, I would come back for the food. The service was a little hit and miss. Server hadn't been informed of the daily HH drinks or beer, so he had to go back and ask. That and the no soy sauce thing, and running out of beer before he came back around, makes me think service could use some improvements.

    (3)

  • Bo H.

    My wife loves everything about asian-fusion food, including the most creative interpretations of sushi. I love everything about asian-fusion food except for anything even remotely resembling sushi. I also love walking less than a block form my hotel to the restaurant. It helps when finding your way back after a few cocktails. Ahhh, cocktails. This place does them right. My wifes' "Hemingway" was appropriately rum-fueled and my "Sazerac" was as classic as they get (some say the Sazerac is America's very 1st cocktail). She says her sushi and spring rolls were fantastic, but I wouldn't know. I can vouch for the lemongrass hangar steak which was pretty good. Though I really wish these trendy eateries would stop cutting my steak for me, I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself.

    (4)

  • Josh L.

    Great as a lounge, not so great for food. Service was lackluster as well. PuPu platter - a sampling of the spring rolls, yuca bites, cucumber salad, tapioca dumplings, nigiri sushi. The spring rolls are a bit odd as I thought they would be the rice paper (healthy) variety, but they turned out to be fried, then wrapped in fresh butter lettuce (which got soggy). The yuca bites were pretty good, also fried, and with a touch of dry heat which is apparent in the aftertaste. Tapioca dumplings were pretty terrible, actually. The tapioca was about 1/4" thick and chewy and dry. Sushi rolls are decent, but nothing out of the ordinary in terms of freshness or special creations. Ambiance of the place is nice and open at first, then starts getting filled in after dinner. There is a variety of specialty cocktails which are helpful when waiting for our server to come by for the check. Overall, I was expecting more

    (2)

  • S S.

    Came here with some friends and my husband on a Thursday evening (630pm)-- many people though not full by any means. The service was friendly, but slow regarding drinks (I think there was only one bartender working). The food was okay; I feel it was a little overpriced. The drink menu is awesome but again, a little overpriced. I would return in the future when craving a fancy cocktail but not for food.

    (2)

  • Katrina L.

    Great service! Amazing cocktails! Sweet potato spring rolls and brussel sprouts were fantastic!! I am usually opposed to trying new things and environments that are too trendy but this was awesome!!! Definitely coming back and bringing friends!!

    (5)

  • Sue L.

    Went here for happy hour with coworkers. Amazing food! We ordered a bunch of food off of the happy hour menu just to get a flavor and feel. It was all deliciousness. We had 2 people that were vegetarian and they were able to find many things to eat also. We ordered the drink of the day which was $5. Apparently they change it everyday. I don't even remember what it was but it was yummy. One thing to note is that several of our dishes were spicy so if you don't like spicy make sure you ask when ordering. I loved the brussel sprouts dish. Yes brussel sprouts. I will definitely be going back to try the other dishes that I didn't get a chance too.

    (5)

  • Elizabeth G.

    Dined here last night for the first time. We were seated upstairs which we enjoyed. The cocktail menu is huge and diverse. I highly recommend the Mirrorball. We shared several apps and sushi rolls. The absolute best of the night was the roasted brussel sprouts in dashi with soft boiled egg...OMG, I could eat this every day of the week! The service was very friendly and attentive, but not intrusive. The only negative was they were out of several items (oysters, tiramisu, and a few other items. ) Next time I'm in Portland, I would definitely come back.

    (4)

  • Aaron S.

    Tried the tapioca dumplings and Brussels, wasn't overly impressed. Service was mediocre and the atmosphere was trying too hard. Especially since it was empty inside.

    (3)

  • Ana R.

    Excellent cocktails, the service was lacking.

    (3)

  • Shane T.

    Actually came here to wait for the Voodoo Donuts line to slow down. Best move ever. Not really my scene, but very cool place. Everything we ate was good. Ambience is neat (again, not my scene), but definitely upbeat and fun. Drinks are reasonably priced. Service was great. We live in Hawaii, but will make it a point to come back next time I'm in Portland.

    (5)

  • Rachel H.

    We made reservations and we got seated right away in a secluded open area to have its own bar in the back. Our service was excellent and very friendly and prompt. I really enjoyed myself and the food was fantastic.

    (5)

  • Sarah A.

    My friend and I went to Saucebox for Happy Hour last Friday. The cocktail list is INCREDIBLE. The ambiance and design of their space is also really beautiful and fun place to go to escape the usual Portland food scene. I felt like the service was a tad slow and we had to remind our server about a missing dish that she then got out super quick. This is a WONDERFUL place to stop by and grab drinks and then move on down the street for food. Not very many options for vegans/vegetarians but still such an amazing vibe, you can find a snack and a drink to enjoy for sure. We had the happy hour cocktail and the Kickboxer, both were fresh, spicy, refreshing and nontraditional. Loved it!

    (4)

  • Jeremy C.

    We first found this place on our visit to Portland last year in the spring. Restaurant is very clean and decor is very nice. They are a awesome speaker system, great music selection. Bar has a great drink menu, cocktails are definitely worth the price. Food was amazing we each ordered a few small plates to share and each got a main course. Bartender was great and friendly, shared his favorites on the menu with us. Restrooms in this place are very clean. Now living in Portland we will definitely be returning for some food and drinks.

    (5)

  • Marie D.

    No complaints here! We very much enjoyed our dinner at Saucebox. We ordered a couple rolls, but the highlight of the night was the soft shell crab buns. Yum. Service was lovely and the atmosphere was charming. Would definitely come back next time we are in Portland.

    (5)

  • Tres B.

    I was tragically disappointed by the Saucebox. The interior is. cool, but. The staff is a bit haughty...like they are put upon designers in a fashion show. I find the menu self indulgent but to be fair, I am clearly in the minority on this one. Tapioca dumplings would be one unappealing example. Muscovy duck broth would be another. Then there is curry cauliflower broccolini. And the options are very limited. Six choices for entrees. I think they are trying so hard to be on the culinary cutting edge, they fell off the cliff. While the majority seem to love the in-your-face trendiness style here, for me it's just off-putting and worse yet, unappetizing.

    (2)

  • Jenni B.

    I just like this place. They have tasty food and friendly staff. This is a great place to get happy hour Tues- Sat. Their happy hour special cocktails are always unique and tasty and their happy hour food selection is really good. A lot of places have a pretty limited selection, but Saucebox is better. They have a lot of vegan and gluten free options as well. I highly recommend this place if you want a great cocktail and delicious food.

    (5)

  • Yan T.

    Great dinner at this modern Asian-fusion restaurant. It was probably the least "Portland" restaurant we visited on the trip, more of what I would expect to see in L.A., perhaps. Our server, who, like most people in the Portland service industry, was from someplace else (Boston in his case), was friendly and efficient. We started with the very savory salt and pepper shrimp (xo sauce, bonito flakes, oca greens) and continued on to three cup chicken (smoked chanterelles, blueberries, cauliflower pureé) and a furikake roll (salmon, tuna, avocado, shiso, tobiko mayo). There was, also, a very tempting dessert menu. As a bonus, Saucebox is across the street from Bailey's Tap Room, one of the best beer venues in all the city.

    (4)

  • Kelsey S.

    We got there at happy hour, and ate a little bit of everything! We had: the fries, they were perfectly salty. The spider roll, it was good, only came as 5 pieces though. Korean baby back ribs, which were the best ribs ever!! Highly recommended. The organic miso soup, it was good. The pork noodle, DELICIOUS! It had a spicy kick to it, the udon noodles were amazing, best noodles I've had anywhere. And the miyako burger, also very delicious, we actually even dipped it into the leftover sauce from the pork noodles, and they was also delicious :)

    (4)

  • Frank S.

    Terrible food. This restaurant can't decide what kind of food they serve so they just lump a bunch of mismatched flavors into a fake sushi roll. I was at a large table and was able to try almost everything on the menu since the menu is small, which is normally a good sign for a restaurant, but not in this case. The fried squid was very fishy tasting, usually a sign of seafood that is NOT fresh. The flavors with it were not paired well. Everything else I tried was also unsavory. I am willing to bet that most people who eat here have been drinking and their ability to discern well made food from poorly made food is greatly diminished. The one thing this restaurant seemed to put effort into was the drinks. There are a few gimmicky drinks served in a pineapple shell and a coconut shell that are clearly designed to entertain rather than amuse the pallete. Only eat here if you want to overpay for uninspired bourgeois food. I ate at several excellent restaurants in Portland and Sauce Box did not even compete with them. Actually, this was the only poor restaurant i ate at in Portland. This is the worst place I have eaten in Portland. Also, there aren't any sauces on the menu. Skip it. To respond to the owner's comment about how much love is put into the food, I would say that he needs to reevaluate what love means when considering that even the neon sign out front featuring the name of the restaurant is only half working. Please, explain to me how much love you put into the food when you don't even care enough to have a working sign.

    (1)

  • Eugene S.

    Okay so the food was just okay and that's like a two and half stars. The service and atmosphere is what I enjoyed the most during my visit. Next time I'll just come back for the drinks.

    (4)

  • katherine c.

    Really happy we found/discovered Saucebox. The food was excellent- we tried a little bit of everything here and everything was fantastic. Our waitress was great nad very helpful with suggestions. We had the salad rolls, the crispy brussel sprouts- OUTSTANDING and the tapioca balls/dumplings which to me sounded odd and not very interesting were probably our favorite thing we had. We had a few other things all of which were great but these stood out. We sat outside which was nice (our choice) though the inside looked like a nice atmosphere as well. Service and food 5 stars!!!

    (5)

  • Tamara C.

    Oh Saucebox, I truly adore thee. Happy hour here is always satisfying as the menu is quite varied and there is nothing over $5.00 I am fond of the Pad Thai and at only $4.00, the portion is quite substantial. On the $5.00 menu, the spicy chicken wings and the burger (the one with bacon) are another favorite of mine. The cocktail of the day is only $5.00, which is a pretty standard happy hour price. Last time I was there I had a vodka cocktail served with a lovely orchid flower which made the drink appear quite glamorous. The ambiance flirts with sexy yet unpretentious. The mirrored wall behind the length of the bar adds to the aura of spaciousness. When I have visited later on in the evening, they have D.J.'s pumping out upbeat house style music which adds an element of a club type atmosphere, which I really like. Saucebox, you seductive thang, you got it goin' on. 2014 - Review # 23

    (4)

  • Christina H.

    Wow. All's I can say is WOW. Beautiful decor. Very elegant, sophisticated, modern, chic. The highlight is the cocktails. You will not experience any better, more unique and extragagent and delicious in all of Portland. I am SO glad I happened there. Late night on Saturday. Only 2 blocks away from the Marriott City Center. The staff was kind, funny, engaging to the customer, and even very patient with the drunk man they had to cut off. I tasted several of their unique house created drinks and was incredibly surprised at how extravagent yet very tasty they were. If you want fine cocktails, whether you wish to try something new, fun, and original, or your regular faves, go to Saucebox. I don't understand why some reviews on here think they've paid too much for the drinks....unless you want a cheaper type of place. In my opinion the price was very reasonable for what you are receiving. I was not there during Happy Hour. I've paid $7.00 - $9.00 per drink for MUCH less quality, both in the drinks and establishment itself. I will absolutely be visiting the Saucebox each time I am in Portland, and will be trying some of their cuisine, which I hear is also very upscale. Very sad to not be able to see The Saucebox more often!

    (5)

  • Crystle B.

    I will first start by saying that my experience of Saucebox was on what was probably their busiest night of the year; New Years Eve. We spent $10 to get in which is a pretty normal cover. Once inside, it was almost impossible to move around. We spent over 40 minutes trying to get drinks! As soon as we were near the front, they had dancers come out and dance on the bar and subsequently stopped serving the people, now in front of the dancers, who had been waiting to get drinks. We never even got our drinks until after midnight and once we did, the place was so small there was nowhere to dance or enjoy ourselves. We left after that. Worst experience ever! Maybe someday I'll revisit this place and try their food or something, but I will never go back for any kind of event there.

    (1)

  • Alan H.

    Lovely happy hour--fun drinks, great atmosphere, great snack menu, great dinner menu, but... We really enjoyed our visit. Some of us ate off the happy hour snack menu (you can put together a medium sized meal out of 3-4 snacks for not much money), and some of us off the dinner menu. A wonderful and eclectic variety of choices. One of us is a vegetarian, another cherishes vegetables but wants meat too--and we were all satisfied. However, the "but" is that the chef loves sugar. He puts sugar in things that it just doesn't belong in: like brussel sprouts, and soba (I think it was in the sausage in the soba noodles, but I'm not sure). But not everything is sweetened--like the red curry--mmm, mmm, that was good! Likewise, beware the mixed drinks--some of them are sweeter than Fanta! So if you are trying to avoid sugar (I am), be sure to ask your waitron (not that they would necessarily know, but you can try). However, if you are used to processed food (most of which has lots of hidden sugar), you probably won't even notice, and everything else about the menu is fantastic.

    (4)

  • Vino's M.

    So this used to be a awesome spot to meet up. The food was pretty good (about 5 months ago). The bar is a little noisy, but the dining area is always elegant and a nice place to relax. Then we started to recommend our friends and family to meet us here as they have vegan friendly options. One time I took my parents and the food was cold, dishes/ ramekins that our food was served on were chipped and the seasoning/ saucing on dishes (we have had many times before was poor) and not consistent. Then we decided to have a joint birthday with about 6 people in attendance. Me being one of the birthday girls, ordered brussels sprouts with out egg. They delivered the dish with the runny egg on top. They then assured me that they would re make it. I received the next order burnt to a crisp. I politely asked that they remake it and I was assured the "chef" personally over saw this process and again they were so chard that the dish was un-ediable. When we went to leave, it took the waiter 45 minutes to get us our check. We had a show to catch and missed it, due to the wait. Bottom line this place is not consistent, from the food to the service. We used to really enjoy coming here but after the last 8 times being sub par, we are choosing to go somewhere else.

    (1)

  • Jay P.

    It's a little stuffy. The food is a bit expensive and it is unclear where they are getting most of their ingredients. It seems as though they may be getting them from a wholesale supplier making nice food with it and selling it a bit high. I like nice food and new spots but this one is trying a bit to hard and you can tell. The balding bartender in his 30s wearing a black V neck wasn't exactly a nice touch either.

    (3)

  • Abbie H.

    I like the Saucebox! Have been here a couple of times and really like the atmosphere. Music is loud but it fits with the environment. I like the pineapple full of booze, both because it looks really cool and tastes really good! Both times I have been there I have been served fast and the servers were super friendly. I want to go back and try the happy hour food.

    (4)

  • Pooja B.

    Great cocktail and drink menu. Don't expect a large food menu-they have a few items but they're good. Being vegan I tried the sweet potato spring rolls and it was really good. Great place for a date night!

    (4)

  • Drew W.

    we had our rehearsal dinner here..a lot of fun! for a regular dinner exp. tasty and fairly interesting. what a convenient location btw! woot!

    (4)

  • Kelin D.

    Great happy hour, Great drinks and their taro root chips were amazing. Service was very friendly. The bartender recommended a drink to my picky girlfriend. She didn't care for it. The bartender was nice enough to make something else (Which she loved) and comp the drink.

    (5)

  • Annie C.

    Saucebox has the best brussels sprouts, ever!! They are a MUST order (except if you're allergic to eggs). I'm sad for my husband who's allergic, can't enjoy them. I've had several other food items off their menu and have found all to be delicious too. The service and ambiance is excellent too!

    (5)

  • Sara K.

    Saucebox has the BEST happy hour of any restaurant in Portland hands down. All food items are $5 or under and there is a wide variety of things to choose from. There are several gluten free options and the portions are generous. I would highly recommend the brussel sprouts, chicken pad thai, green papaya salad, and pork noodles. The sweet potato egg rolls are also delicious. I have tried almost everything on the HH menu and have not been disappointed with any of it. They also have a wide variety of amazing cocktails ranging from 8-16 dollars. Monkey Business is to die for. The servers are friendly and attentive. The decor is modern and its a place that you could go for a casual happy hour with friends or for something a bit more romantic. The only reason I didn't give this all five stars is because their prices during NON happy hour times are much too high.

    (4)

  • Dan S.

    Best Brussels sprouts on the planet.

    (3)

  • Brian L.

    This is portland must stop drinks are awesome just tell the bartender what your pleasure and they will make you an awesome drink!!!

    (5)

  • Ryan L.

    Empty during the prime dinner hour: that was my first clue that this place has probably slipped since previous great Yelp reviews and such. The pupu platter was pretty good, though the sushi on it was really just so-so. I do believe it was farmed salmon instead of wild ... a no-no in my book, especially in the NW. The tapioca balls, while they are visually appealing ... chewy and dull. My duck noodles entree left me unimpressed. The broth was flavorless, the duck was overcooked and chewy. I ate a few bites and left the rest. In a foodie town such as Portland, I don't see this one lasting if this is the consistent quality here.

    (2)

  • Monica W.

    I came here with my friend after a shopping trip and it lived up to everything she said: nice, but overpriced. We weren't quite hungry enough for dinner, but wanted a bit more than a snack and sauce box was a nice atmosphere to take it in. We split sake, vietnamese salad rolls, and a spicy tuna roll. They were all good, but pretty standard fare. I'm glad I checked it out, but there are plenty of other places in Portland where you actually get what you pay for.

    (3)

  • Brian C.

    Part restaurant, part club - Saucebox consistently has great food, one of the best drink lists around, and horrible service. Every time. I can't even tell you how many people I have seen walk out of this restaurant or sit there fuming due to bad or nonexistent service. That being said, they do a really good job at Asian flavors and most of the food that comes out is executed perfectly. Even the chicken is great, and that really says something. I will be back - but only when I'm not even remotely in a rush. If you expect the absolute minimum on service, you'll really enjoy dinner here.

    (3)

  • Tara R.

    Liked this place so much I came here twice during my 5 day visit to Portland. First time I came with a group for happy hour. Everyone ordered cocktails but me (I had wine). They all ordered boxcars and they were really tasty. Had the tapioca dumplings, which were really very good...like tiny little clouds of flavor. My girlfriend and I split the crispy brussels sprouts, which is actually a soup and it was incredible; tons of flavor and I would definitely get it again. the second time out we got the shrimp appetizer and split the roasted half chicken with barley. It was DIVINE. Beautifully plated and so yummy. We also got a chocolate mousse for dessert which was also quite good. Music was great as well. I'll definitely go back.

    (4)

  • Sarah R.

    Happy Hour menu was pretty decent, huge portion of miso soup for $2, sushi roll was average at best, red curry was good but primarily sauce, but the atmosphere was good for a Monday night.

    (3)

  • Karla B.

    Great cocktail bar. Thai and Vietnamese flavors permeate the food and drink menu, and well, the walls, too. It makes it quite fun. Cocktail list is impressive, and props to bartender, he was so nice. Food wise, the happy hour times make it a steal, though fair warning, the place is so dark you will probably not see what's exactly in your plate. Still great, specially for later hours.

    (4)

  • Jason D.

    We had a great time at Saucebox. The food was delicious, the server was very friendly, and drinks were great. Sashimi was heavenly, skirt steak was sooo good. All of it. This place is a great place to eat all around.

    (5)

  • Alan J.

    We just had dim sum, all of which was really nice. I liked the tapioca dumplings, the sweet potato spring rolls were awesome, it was all good.

    (4)

  • Evelyn F.

    The miso soup was the most disappointing, very little kale and tofu in a $7 soup. The Mirrorball drink was similarly boring and too sweet, my friend and I thought it tasted like grapefruit soda. The sushi I got was the only part I really enjoyed, the gunkan-maki. Only $5, only two pieces of sushi but very interesting and yummy. The restaurant decor is lovely and I would definitely consider coming back but ordering more sushi and different drinks.

    (3)

  • Roman S.

    no experience with the HH menu that many people seem to be raving about. they have a lot of drinks.. although the one with the coconut was poured into a really bad tasting frozen coconut. completely unimpressed with regular food menu. small portions that have nothing special about them and sometimes are too salty or taste off.. with their prices you'd expect a lot but it just doesn't deliver

    (3)

  • E G.

    Happy hour is amazing. Lots of options for $2, $3, $4, $5. I ordered 3 things and it was too much! Gluten-free menu! Tasty drinks!

    (5)

  • Annie T.

    I love saucebox for the djs that come and spin. Happy hour is awesome. Outside of happy hour, drinks are typical price for fancy schmancy drinks and food.

    (4)

  • Wolf L.

    Yeah, any evening that ends with me chowing down a Naga Ghost Chile is a successful one in my book...'cuz... that's just how I roll. A mouth full of fiery red capsaicin death. Awesome! If I ever get stuck between some unruly protesters and the pepper spray wielding PoPo, I'm ready! I got on the MAX late the other night and the train was packed with folks headed for the Trailblazer game. I can only stand the sardine pack for just so long. I disembarked downtown with a plan to catch a bus the rest of the way home. Damn if I didn't miss that bus by a second or two. Another one wouldn't be along for 30 minutes. Crap. I was starving so I wandered around until I saw the Saucebox's neon beckoning me to check out the menu in the window. Looked good, so I went inside. Trendy decor with some trendy people scattered about the place, enjoying trendy libations and trendy pu pu's in a trendy atmosphere. Actually, I'm just jealous because it's been a long time since I could go into a bar to see and be seen. This old dog is better suited to a dark corner in a place a bit more seedy. I bellied up to the bar and ordered a drink--Ruby Manhattan. That was a tasty beverage and I enjoyed sipping down every ounce of it while the ribeye I ordered was prepared. That was a nice steak. I asked for it rare and it came that way. It practically melted in my mouth. My kid is an MMA fighter, so I had to order the "Kickboxer" for my second cocktail. It was made with Thai Chile infused vodka. It was genuinely spicy. I liked it. I asked the friendly bar manager, Sean, about the vodka and it turns out that he's some kind of hot pepper spirits wizard. He fixed me a margarita that contained a pepper tequila that he created with none other than the hottest of the hottest--the Bhut Jolokia, AKA the Naga Ghost Chile. Awesome. Sean pulled one of the little red devils out of the fridge and asked me if I want to try a bite. I popped the whole thing in my mouth and gobbled it up. "Most people just take a nibble," said Sean. "Most people are wussies," said I... to myself... before the burn started to go straight through my ears. Ow. Hey, I didn't cry but I did start to hallucinate. My eyes didn't stop watering until about five minutes ago. Saucebox gets my seal of approval and I'll absolutely go back again to see what other kind of devilishly hot cocktails can be made behind Sean's bar. There's certainly something special about a place that can help turn a slow, miserable commute into a fantastical, spicy adventure. I'm certain my lady will like the atmosphere and the food. I'll be back.

    (5)

  • Jarrod S.

    Happy hour at this place rules. Awesome portions, delicious food, and quite a variety to choose from. I hear dinner at this place is pricy, but I didn't have dinner so who cares?! The server was great, splitting the check even though they don't do that, making sure we always had a drink, and an empty plate never sat in front of me. As a matter of fact, the service was better than awesome because I don't even remember ordering anything, or feeling interrupted, or waiting for anything, at all! The place seemed a bit dark, I was the dork in the back using his phone as a light, but if you can't see, you can't see! But other than trying to order, the light is a non-issue, and is pleasant. I can't speak for the cocktails as I was the DD and only had a beer, which only 1 craft beer is available for HH pricing, but next time I am trying something special, or maybe a flight of sake. I really like Saucebox, and I look forward to having it in the regular rotation.

    (5)

  • Lauren D.

    Pros: cool vibe, friendly service, amazing drinks Cons: hit and miss on food We were eager to try this place after reading the reviews. The drinks were great, very yummy. Then went to order the pad Thai only to find out that it was served on the bar side of the restaurant (didn't realize it was separated). Our server quickly offered to move us to the other side, but we decided to try this menu. We ordered the pork sarong, the crispy brussel sprouts, and the salt prawns. The pork was like a meatball, tasty. The brussels sprouts were good and flavorful, but the prawns.... Yikes. They seemed to have been cooked then the heads of the shrimp were capped back on. No big deal, makes for a nice presentation. They sat upon what I thought was white rice, only to realize it was a huge bed of salt. Fine, except when you took a bite there were large pieces of salt attached to the shrimp making for an odd texture and clearly very salty. Even with the salt removed, the shrimp was pretty tasteless. We decided to finish our delicious drinks, pay the bill and move on.

    (3)

  • Greg B.

    Chef Alex Diestra (the Saucebox chef) is brilliant. He's always finding ways to put new twists into really good Asian food. Fun for dinner and one of the best happy hours in Portland but can be a good hit for late night as well. The noise level fluctuates based on who is DJing.

    (5)

  • Bunny E.

    Came to Portland with my mom, wanted to try a new place for dinner and we ended up at sauce box because of the majority of positive reviews on yelp! We ordered the pupu platter- which sampled the chicken dumplings, sweet potato spring rolls, pork sarong, a cucumber salad , korean babyback ribs,a trio of nigiri yellowtail, salmon and tuna- we also ordered the soft crab "bao" sandwiches and the highlight- hamachi (yellowtail) and avocado. Edamame as an appetizer, prompt service-Melissa was our server- she was super sweet and efficient. The music was a bit intense for me- lots of bass and dancy techno- but other than that- I'd definitely go back. Good price (for us) for how much food we got- I got a pellegrino- my mom 2 glasses of Chardonnay and we paid $80 total. Try it!

    (4)

  • Kyra S.

    Came here for a work function with a party of about 15. the service was HORRIBLY slow and they brought drinks and food put as they were ready. I was completely done with my entree by the time the guy across the table got his. Buuuut, the food was delish and I really mean delish. I loved everything I tried and I think my table tried everything on the menu. Come and eat but prepare to wait for it.

    (4)

  • Brant W.

    Wow. My experience was great. I found an exotic food place with a delightful menu. Every thing I tasted was incredible and had flavors that just intrigued me. Superb menu and what we had that night I defiantly could not make at home. Service was top notch. If I needed something all I had to do was look a the staff and give a short wave. WOW. I mean WOW. They knew their product and were always there to make us fell like we were the only patrons. Perfect Perfection in service. I will absolutley put this on my return list. SUPERB!

    (5)

  • Lauren B.

    You haven't lived until you've been to Saucebox, my favorite restaurant of all time. Unbeatable cocktails (try the Kickboxer, Tropicalitan, and Thai Boyfriend) and a ton of specialty cocktails - the menu is like 8 pages long or something ridiculous. The Javanese Salmon is heaven in your mouth, and I don't know what they do to make their potstickers so damn tasty. It's pricey but if you have any regrets you're a fool. I moved to Seattle and my craving for Saucebox must be what zombies feel for brains. I need it!! Also fabulous trendy decor. A Portland treasure.

    (5)

  • Liz T.

    By the name of this place and the big flashy sign on the outside it could be mistaken for a strip club, at least that's what one of my classmates thought. Turns out it's just a lounge that has one of the best happy hours that I have tried. Happy Hour Drinks only $5, and a large menu from 1-7 dollar items. The burgers were to die for- but just a word of warning they automatically cook the meat medium rare unless you specify otherwise. Everything we ordered we perfectly seasoned and well portioned. My favorite was the pulled pork udon noodles topped with egg. The dungenness crab handroll was small, but tasty. Good food. Great Prices. Fun Ambiance.

    (4)

  • Esther Y.

    Review for Happy Hour only: Today was a cool day because I assimilated to PDX culture and rode a bike from my house across the Hawthorne Bridge to Saucebox! I was pretty proud of myself for rolling with the cars for the first time. Conveniently, there was a bike rack right in front of the restaurant too. We walked in and immediately had the impression that it was a pretty nice swanky place, and I felt a little out of place in my cargo shorts and t-shirt, all sweaty and dirty from the bike ride. We were seated upstairs (haha probably to keep us from deterring other customers) and given a bunch of menus. I'd recommend the pulled pork udon noodles (so good that my friend who watched me eat eventually ordered one herself even though she was full...I loved the crunchy garlic chips in it and the noodles were perfectly al dente...though maybe ever so slightly on the salty side), the miyako burger, the spring rolls, and the grilled squid satay. The fries are a great deal at $2 for such a large bowl. And...the bathrooms were awesome. The lilies smelled great, and everything was automated. The way it was set up kinda reminded me of a smaller version of an airport bathroom, haha. Saucebox is really nicely designed and is mostly dimly list by candles, so would be a great date location and not a place to wear wide bellbottoms on the stairs for fear you might get your pants on fire from the candles lining the staircase (is that not a fire hazard?). Definitely recommended for happy hour!

    (4)

  • Amber S.

    I came here a couple of years ago (before I was yelptified) and I wanted to write a review because this place deserves it! I had both sushi and avocado burger both were amazing. I was in Portland for a week and hit this place twice. Once of lunch and the other for dinner. Dinner was a good time... ate, drank (amazing skull drinks) and danced to the Dj's house jamzzzz. I recommended this place to a friend who just moved to Portland and he too loved it!

    (5)

  • Sophia C.

    I really don't know what all the hype is about. I went to happy hour yesterday with two friends, and among the three of us, we were able to split and sample many dishes that were frankly unimpressive. Many of the dishes--lamb meatball bahn mi, pulled pork udon noodles, lamb stir fry, crispy brussel sprouts, and french fries-- were all fried (and some had too much oil) and/or heavily sauced, smothering the food instead of complimenting it and bringing out the best flavors of all of the ingredients. And, the $1 edamame really did taste what they were worth; they were the worst edamame that I've ever had. Our waiter didn't provide great service either. He accidentally gave us another party's dish, and throughout the evening, we had to either find him or ask another waiter to help us.

    (2)

  • Don S.

    Very good Asian fusion and drinks. It is kind of high priced for amount of food you receive. They have sushi, but it is ordinary and edible, not exceptional.

    (3)

  • Jacqueline F.

    Overall, I will go back again for Happy Hour. I went there for a Friday HH with three other folks in early June. The place was busy, but we had a great table on the upper floor. Atmosphere was lively with the onset buzz of summer. The HH menu has a striking good price. The signature cocktails and food were really incredible. The waiter was properly attentive and I liked that he called 'last call' for HH.

    (5)

  • Nikhil B.

    Excellent food. Good ambiance. Worth it....

    (5)

  • Neil H.

    Yesterday, I had a great day with my girlfriend. And, to all you folks out there who are looking for a fun way to spend the day, let me suggest the following itinerary (I've also listed this on the other places' reviews as well): If you find yourself in Oregon and don't know how to spend a day, here's what you should do. (1) Rent a car and head to the coast. If you go to the Agate Beach, there is a pier from Japan, washed up from the tsunami that you can go and see. It's pretty cool, and the drive from Corvallis was really pretty. (2) Drive to Salem, and stop off at a couple of the wineries. We made our way to the Eola Hills winery. It was pretty incredible. (3) Head into Portland, and have dinner at SauceBox. (4) Go searching for great books at Powells. SauceBox was a totally solid meal out. I enjoyed the Dinner Month menu. My girlfriend got some of the sushi as an appetizer, then the lamb for the main course, and we split some custard for desert. If you're a sushi fan, but not a spice person, watch out for this stuff. The curry sauce that the lamb was in was amazing. Though, the way the meat was cut and cooked, we found it a little difficult to get through. I ended up with some big chunks of fat. Overall, we really enjoyed our Portland adventure (being non-locals ourselves), and felt that SauceBox was a great meal as part of a great day!

    (4)

  • Sarah B.

    Went here for a friends birthday and loved it. The drink menu is amazing, and this place as the best bang for your buck anywhere. I was expecting for the specialty beverages (inside a pineapple or served in a coconut) to cost considerably more than they did. We definitely stayed longer and drank more because it was affordable! The food is decent also, we had some pad thai noodles. Food and beverage presentation here take everything up a notch and add pizzazz to the simplest dishes and drinks. The location is walking distance to a lot of other cool bars, and the dim lighting and modern decor gives it an upscale feel. Dress to impress, I would have felt slightly underdressed if I hadn't had worn heels. Guys I was with were in collared shirts, although I'm sure you can get in without them. I will definitely be going back here again.

    (5)

  • Jacquie P.

    Wow, probably one of the best Asian fusion places I've been in that price range range. Went nuts over their dim sun selection. Vietnamese rolls are basically your generic summer rolls with the peanut sauce, pretty average but still good. Tapiaca dumplings were like nothing I've ever had before. So amazing, not anything like I was expecting but would absolutely order them next time. Soft shell crab buns: probably one of my favorite dishes ever!!! The crab was perfectly cooked with a delicious sauce. Rainbow roll: so tasty and the fish was so fresh. They drizzled a semi sweet sauce on top that went really well with the roll. Salmon: the salmon was pretty good but nothing memorable. Overall everything was very good, but I think the 5 stars is definitely for the soft shell crab buns and the rainbow roll.

    (5)

  • Claire H.

    I was there for happy hour. The drink I had was good but a little over price. Food was great! I had the pork noodle, miso soup, and eggplant. There were all yummy! My server was very friendly as well. Nice place, and I will bring more friends to visit together

    (4)

  • Mike E.

    Stopped in here for drinks and snacks after reading about it on Yelp. We weren't disappointed. The cocktails were well made and the food was good - especially the mussels which I could have eat a bucket full!

    (4)

  • Janet S.

    The day my friends & I arrived to Portland happened to be on 4/20, but that is totally irrelevant. We were trying to find a low-key restaurant that was still open past 11pm. It was crowded outside so we thought it was a place to hit up. I opened the door & it looked like a total nightclub (empty nightclub to be exact). The entire place was dark with loud music & saw maybe one girl? YEAH, we did not end up going inside. However, we decided to stop by this place again (bc my guy friend was intrigued with the one girl we saw... loser) on Sunday evening before our flight. The first time really messed with our minds! We happened to be there during happy hour, and I LOVE happy hours. It also helped that not many people were there yet, so all eyes were on us. I'm a girl & know how to eat, so I ordered the Saucebox Burger (deliciousssss). As a group, we ordered taro chips (fried/salty so what's not to like?), spiced yucca bites (wth is yucca!) and tapioca dumplings (could live without). My friends had ordered the Thai Beef Salad & Pork Noodle = good recs. Fruity cocktails ftw! "Shiso lovely" was goooood, and I give it a plus because of the name. Good & simple spot to end my Portland trip with.

    (4)

  • Rei N.

    SauceBox's atmosphere and food is undeniably cool - I've eaten udon noodles in many restaurants from Alaska to Washington to Oregon to California to Japan to...you get the picture; but their pulled pork udon noodle dish is one of the best I've ever had. SauceBox is not the place to go if you have a huge appetite and are looking for a bargain, though. Their happy hour food has great prices but the drinks will more than make up for that difference on your final bill. That being said, they have some of the best cocktails in the city and have been doing it since 1995. Kickboxer anyone?

    (4)

  • Emilie C.

    At first glance, the vertical neon sign reading "Saucebox" initially appeared in my mind as a stip club or something of that nature, haha. Had no idea this was a restaurant until I checked out some reviews before venturing out for dinner with my mom while visiting Portland. When you walk inside the restaurant, you are first faced with the bar. Do not fear the loud bumping tunes if that's not necessarily your thing, because the restaurant is just on the other side of the wall that reads "Heavysugar" (go there and see what I mean;)... When you are led to the restaurant side, you can't help but admire the stunning decor, funky vibes, tall ceilings, giggle-worthy cocktail names, and pheNOMtastic food! Their food menu is one page long and there's a lengthy pamphlet that lists their drinks. The Poolside with David Hasselhoff (yes, amazing name) was hands down the best drink I've had... Ever! The sugar-rimmed glass mimicked the shape of bamboo, such a unique touch, and the drink itself had cucumber slices in a refreshing mix of watermelon vodka, shaved ice, balanced with citrusy lemon-lime. I highly recommend ordering this drink if you are to later dig into the Papaya Salad or the Acorn Squash Curry (with your choice of tofu, chicken, or prawns). It definitely provides a nice break from the tasty spicy food. My mom was taken aback with the Jade Scorpion martini she ordered, which was grapefruity, gingery, and mixed with a Thai-chili infused vodka. They conduct their own in-house infusing of these specialty vodkas too! Initially, you're brought a complimentary bowl of sea-salty edamame to get the show on the road. Then, the squash curry; perfectly spiced, with lovely cardamom, solid amount of fried tofu bits, kale, and a side of rice. Waning a bit on the more expensive side, the dishes are definitely intended for sharing. The quality did not disappoint, and dinner arrived in a perfectly timely manner. My mom found the papaya salad to be the closest she's ever tried to the real deal she had in Thailand. The menu provides an assortment of altered traditional Asian dishes with a bit of western, modern twist, with several gluten-free and vegetarian choices. Trendy atmosphere, cool tunes, decent service, amazing food.

    (5)

  • Paul V.

    This has been my go to the past 5 times since I don't feel the need to go to an actualy 'club.' The drinks are on point, DJ is playing a good variety of jams, and I gotta keep checking off the cocktails.. too many to choose from!!

    (5)

  • Well-Traveled I.

    Very impressed. Service was fantastic; I'd finish my glass of water (as I don't drink) and the waiter would be behind me, ready to fill up. Food was incredible. I ordered the Javanese salmon; it was cooked perfectly. The sauce was so damn tasty; spinach leeks were sumptuous and cooked "the right way." Also tried the sweet potato spring rolls; not a fan of sweet potatoes, but it worked and worked well. Only drawback is the noise. With its open architecture, sound travels area; there is second floor seating and they had floor-to-ceiling curtains they could've closed but didn't. If you're looking for an intimate, quiet space, this is not it. I like how the menu offers a unique spin on dishes that will appeal to a crowd of different palates. One final note...the space is gorgeous. The design team did a really great job with the place. Bathroom entry is a bit awkward, as the community sink faces the walkway that connects both dining areas and the space to get into the bathroom is quite small, so if there's a line, people beware. All in all, I can't wait to go back. I've wanted to go here for quite some time and it was definitely worth the wait, although I'm wishing I'd visited sooner.

    (4)

  • Jack L.

    Saucebox was utterly amazing!! The waitstaff is knowledgable, friendly, and non-intrusive. The food was excellent. The Mango Tofu Spring Rolls, Adobo Chicken, Mixed Greens, and the Pound Cake dessert were all spectacular. The flavor combinations were great, especially the peanut brittle on the mixed greens salad. A must stop in Portland.

    (5)

  • Matthew W.

    The cocktails are pretty good. The servers were very attentive, respectful, and knowledgeable. The only thing that bothered my party and I was the slightly clubby atmosphere. Either way it was a fun place to grab a good cocktail.

    (4)

  • Deborah G.

    The food was absolutely delicious; the waiter was a true professional. My husband and I shared four plates: tapioca dim sum (with chicken), five-spice cauliflower (which was my favorite...cauliflower in golden curry with a hint of goat cheese and thinly sliced apples), chicken with lemongrass and lime, and an almond brownie paired with coconut sorbet. Each dish's favors were expertly blended. The wine list was strong, and the cocktails were widely varied. There is truly something for everybody at Saucebox, and we had a wonderful time. Thanks!

    (5)

  • Jana C.

    Such a trendspot, and yet so merited, their 4 stars. Not only are the happy hours fun and a great time to chill with friends, the food they put out has wonderful taste. Asian fusion + cocktail hour... their drinks are rather well-known and naturally perform the marketing for them. Specialty list with some nice finds. Add to that feature affordably priced small plates. I distinctly remember a noodle bowl that was pretty sizable, though. I've also come for their dinner service....seafood and sauces were above average, though I'm not sure their price point reflects value. I think you'll be paying for the vibe and the atmosphere more than anything. Decor is very hip and colors are nice inside. Right at the south end of Broadway, close to Burnside and the Pdx City Grill. It can def get rather noisy inside, and depending on when you go, I hope you're not waiting for over 30 minutes for a table. Even their bathrooms have these cool sinks....that I recall.

    (4)

  • Olivia T.

    Look who's bringing the sexy back... Pork Udon Noodle is back on the Saucebox's Happy Hour menu. Portion is smaller than it used to be (they used to serve a whole bowl of it). It will take 4 bites before you will finish this meal, so make sure you order something else with it. The taste is oh so delicious. The soft boiled egg on top is perfect in so many ways. I'm so thrilled this place bounced back on my HH list. I'm rekindling my relationship with Saucebox for sure. Hopefully this time will last for a while :-).

    (4)

  • Levecke M.

    it was ok sat outside on an 95 degree night-great people watching. We enjoyed our cocktails. My friend has Celiacs so the menu was pretty limited for her. It was A-OK

    (3)

  • Kimberly P.

    I love love loooove this place for happy hour! The server was absolutely fantastic. He took such great care of us and seemed like a really nice and funny guy. Gave us some great recommendations on items that we weren't sure about or couldn't decide between. I was able to ask him about which items were gluten free or not and if he wasn't sure he checked with the kitchen. The drinks are always amazing! I of course got their Kickboxer, one of my all time faves there. You can't beat that combination of sweet and spicy. I also tried out the Shiso Lovely, which was very tasty as well. For food it's hard to go wrong. My group bought a plethora of items to share and left there absolutely stuffed.

    (5)

  • Eric P.

    I'm so glad I didn't just stay in and order room service. This place is, overall, fantastic. I had the pupu platter, and I dare anyone to find a better combination of great flavors, colors and textures on one plate for under $25. The ribs were ridiculously good. The background music is great and the bartender was fantastic. I travel alone for work and felt like I was a local here. I loved every bite, every drink, and every second of my time here. My favorite dinner restaurant on the road, period.

    (5)

  • S J.

    Amazing- Had a great table in the dining room looking out at the busy street. Love the calm feeling inside while watching the world beyond. We each had one of their new mocktails- yum! I love that they have tasty and fun drinks if you don't feel like drinking alcohol. LOVE the sweet potato spring rolls- we had to fight over the last one! The Korean ribs were awesome and super tender. Definitely worth eating in the dining room this time instead of HH, but we have always been into the happy hour.

    (5)

  • Elle P. S.

    I gave SB another chance this past Wednesday evening for happy hour. I can't believe that I drank 4.5 drinks (the spicy jade scorpion) and I was only slightly tipsy. Wow, watering down drinks is the OLDEST trick in the book and I'm shocked that an established place such as SB would do that! What a bummer because the drinks and place are so pretty, but that isn't enough for me. Food was not good either. Eggplant was very undercooked and all the 'sauce' was just soy sauce...not what I call 'Asian or Inspired'.

    (1)

  • Michael C.

    I hate the thought of returning to Boston once again and losing my access to happy hours. The very common happy hour in Portland is very uncommon in Boston. After eating at the Saucebox my discontent is greatly magnified. The first thing the bartender suggests for me try is some locally produced sake. I am not a huge fan of sake however I suspect that is because I had junk sake in the past. This sake was fantastic. The BT gets an A+. We had the chef's special sushi which was incredible. A little soy sauce and wasabi eaten with the fresh tuna and your are in the promised land. Sitting at the bar we received great service, some excellent leads on locally made vodka and a delicious food. Great spot.

    (5)

  • Tet W.

    Oh yeah! I love this place! I came here for dinner to check out their cocktails. As we walked into the bar the room was dimly lit with lights arranged like trees with red christmas lights and in the dining area the tables were lit with candle light. Definitely has a nice romantic touch. For dinner we ordered a couple of dim sum items and sushi rolls. I also ordered the Halekulani Mai Tai which is a blend of premium rums over crushed ice with lemon, orange juice, almond and rock candy syrup. This was great and had plenty of rum. This drink is hella strong and was worth the $9 I paid. They don't mess around with their drinks and they don't skimp out on the alcohol either. We ordered the sweet potato spring rolls, pan fried potstickers, manzanita rolls, and the reverse rainbow roll. The sweet potato spring rolls were very refreshing with groundworks lettuce wrapped around the spring rolls with chili dipping sauce. Each order comes with three spring rolls. Don't worry they got a small knife to split the rolls to even parts to share. This was mild in flavor and a nice appetizer to start. The pan fried potstickers were good, but they were more like gyoza to me. Potstickers are a bit larger and typically are not fried but rather steamed or boiled. Anyway, it came with 6 small pieces filled with wild mushrooms, soy lime and eggplant accompanied with a rice vinegar soy dipping sauce. The quality is very good but the quantity is very small. The manzanita rolls were small but pretty tasty. The rolls were filled with dungeness crab, avocado, cucumber, spicy mayo. A nice appetizer to share but a bit pricy. The reverse rainbow roll was great but a huge roll. It is nearly impossible to eat each piece in a single bite which makes eating this a bit difficult but I didn't mind. The more, the marrier! We concluded the night with a couple of desserts. I had the Saucebox Sundae and my friend got a dessert which I can't recall the name but it was an Asian fried doughnut filled with vanilla ice cream. Mighty tasty, but my sundae was better. My dessert came with a couple of banana chips, blue berries and fresh sliced apples on top of vanilla ice cream with caramel drizzled over the top. Service was excellent. Our waitress was very nice and food came out quick. She asked if it would be okay to bring items out as they come because our table was small and she didn't want too many plates on our table at once. Well, things came out so fast, we had all of our items on our table at close to the same time. We didn't complain. It was great to try a little of everything. It reminds me of going to an Asian tapas bar! Overall, I highly recommend Saucebox for a nice fun night out with friends. The evening vibe and cocktails are great!

    (5)

  • Don B.

    I finally made it back for dinner at Saucebox, and it was good. The new chef, Gregory G, from the kitchens of Jean Georges in NY via La Jolla and Urban Farmer, has definitely taken the menu up a notch. I enjoyed a long, casual, slow-food meal at Sbx the other night, and was treated to a wide array of food from the menu. We started with the beet salad, which consisted of gold and red beets, a mix of sliced green things (celery, etc), some candied nut bits, and a some form of light cream sauce. The combination was divine. Next came the Dynamite roll, a tempura shrimp sushi roll with an orange sauce. Good, but I am not super into rolls. I tend to stick with sashimi and nigiri. Then came the seared, crusted ahi. Still an amazing dish, with a crispy crust, nice and raw in the middle, and paired with a creamy sauce. It wasn't as phenomenal as I remembered, but still good. A tad on the small side for a $14 app, too. But what it lacks in size it brings in flavor. Finally, the last of our starters was a miso soup with pork dumplings. The soup had an amazing, deep, rich flavor, but was a little on the salty side. The pork dumplings were obviously hand made, and bomb. This is not your average miso, so be prepared. For my entree, I enjoyed the Javanese salmon. It was cooked through with a nice tasty crust seared on the top and sat beneath a pile of delicious salted fried root vegetables (?). The fish sat atop a pool of a delicious, surprisingly spicy Javanese sauce. It was like a 5-spice/soy combination (I'm sure more complex than that, but you should get the point - very indonesian in flavor). Very good. The fish came with a delicious spinach (I love spinach) that when combined with the salty/spicy Javanese sauce, made for a savory flavor pairing. I was told by my dining partners that the halibut was divine, and the korean ribs were good (falling off the bone) but on the salty side. Dessert consisted of what for me was the most stand out part of the meal. A pineapple basil sorbet floating in guava (or was it passion fruit?) soup with banana slices, pieces of candied ginger, and a mint sprig. The flavor combination in this dessert was absolutely perfect. Each flavor by it's own would have been too much, but the mix of cold basil/pineapple, warm, just-ripe banana, and zingy ginger bits was out of this world. So perfectly balanced. This is the dish that brought me to 5-stars. This dish could have done it alone. We also sampled the Saucebox Sundae, which was tasty, but I can't do much ice cream, so only had a few bites. Really, the sorbet blew my mind. The service was, as always, superb. The dining space is, still, one of the more fun, cool, and swank spots to eat downtown. Overall, I think I can finally give this place 5-stars, since the new chef has really upped the game. I have to say, however, that I am still encountering some dishes that are too salty, or simply not quite balanced enough to be over-the-top sublime. But the flashes of brilliance I see from this young chef, exemplified by the the dessert and the crispy ahi (and a tofu/bonito dish I tried at a recent media dinner) give me confidence that Chef Gregory will grow into his own soon. Left at the helm long enough, I think he'll find his stride. Overall, still an awesome spot for dinner. The cocktails are, as always, amazing. I had a house-special strawberry-infused marg that was DIVINE. The space: great. Although I have to say, I'm not sure how I feel about the new art in the black bar. They took out "robot poppy" and put in a big two-word, backwards written (so you have to look in the mirrors above the bar to read it) phrase "HEAVY SUGAR." I gotta give it to Bruce, he's the man who brought style to Portland restaurants. Before Bruce, there was nothing like this in town. But hey, I'm no art critic, so I'll leave it for the rest to decide.

    (5)

  • G M.

    First the positive: Dug the ambiance-- they even had beautiful pine trees for the winter holiday season.. And our waiter couldn't have been nicer (although he forgot to bring us things we asked for-- soy sauce, drink, etc.) BUT: The food just wasn't great. The food was either bland, or it was crazy spicy (but not in a flavorful way, just in a 'super spicy' way, if that makes sense). Won't be back. If I'm in the mood for something similar in that area, I'll be going to Luc Lac.

    (2)

  • Jennifer C.

    Love the happy hour here. It is a pretty good deal. They have my favorite cocktail: The Kickboxer. I find dinner here to be a bit overpriced, which is why I strongly recommend happy hour. It is such a popular happy hour that it maybe difficult to get a table. Sushi and cocktails makes for a fun date night.

    (4)

  • Anna T.

    I tend to rate these pricey restaurants down because I have to think about whether or not the food is worth the price they charge. Often times it's not, and so goes the story of my experience at Saucebox. My friends and I were in Portland for a weekend of booze and strippers, but decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal. I think Saucebox pleased all our palates. We started off with cocktails. Everything was kind of shitty except for my drink, which was "Crush" - mango puree, vodka, and citrus. I doubt that the bartender was particularly good or anything, just that you can't go wrong with sweet mango puree. Still, it was a great drink to get drunk off of since they didn't bring us our appetizers until we finished more than half our drinks on an empty stomach. Jeez, talk about slow service. For appetizers I would recommend the "crunchy rice cracker crusted tuna." My friend who is rather squeamish about eating raw fish really liked this, so that says a lot. My dinner was "wild alaskan sockeye salmon" which was a little salty for my taste, but balanced well with the white jasmine rice that it was served alongside. My piece of salmon was cooked perfectly because it was a thick middle section. Perfectly buttery and was medium rare per my request. My friend ordered the same, but his piece was thinner and sort of overcooked. The best part of the dish was that it was served with some fried shaved leaks. Such a great textural element! The ambiance was sort of off to me. It felt like it was trying too hard to be hipster, but maybe it was off putting because I'm an Asian person from San Francisco. This place was all white people, with a lot of Asian themed art and not an Asian person in sight. I wouldn't try their dim sum or sushi because it seemed like a rip off. After reading other reviews, I'm glad I didn't either. Go for the main courses to save yourself some money! I would go back here to try their happy hour the next time I'm in Portland! After all, it is across the street from Mary's... ha ha

    (4)

  • Lauren L.

    best. happy. hour. ever. i'm absolutely obsessed with happy hour and seriously, you can't get any better than this place. most places that have happy hour serve nasty, deep fried foods (aka wings, sliders, fries, mozerella sticks, etc) but here, you will get REAL food for the most affordable price! i'm talking about $1 edamame, $4 pad thai, $3 spring rolls, the list goes on and on. great specialty drinks as well for $5 bucks -- YUM. i'm coming back over and over again. SCORE.

    (5)

  • Jennifer Z.

    One of the best restaurants in Portland. I've been there in groups, with friends, and for romantic dinners. All were superb. Excellent, excellent food. Only thing I haven't tried yet is the sushi, but I'm not ever thinking "sushi" before going to Saucebox. Even if I was, everything else on the menu looks too good and would distract me. I'm very hard to please with cocktails, and their cocktails are pretty good. (Compared to other P-town restaurants.) White tablecloths, low lighting and candles at night, love the decor. The vibe is cool and you could go more dressy or casual--I've seen both there, and it all works. Service is good. We've had a couple arrogant and/or trying-too-hard male waiters, but nothing that annoyed me enough to not go back.

    (4)

  • Jael J.

    Fabulous place. Absolutely my favorite restaurant in all of Portland. I always recommend it and I have never been disappointed. They accommodate huge parties and small intimate dinners. The food is great, the drinks are yummy and the service is almost always amazing. My favorite dish is the Thai Beef Salad. I can't say enough good things about this restaurant. Love it and will always return.

    (5)

  • Syb B.

    when I think of Sauce box, my mouth waters. I always like to take portland visitors to this bar as one of my favorites

    (5)

  • Deepa S.

    My husband and I went to have late night appetizers on a Thursday night after it was recommended to us by the Marriott. We were pleasantly surprised at the choices we had for late night appies....we ordered the taro chips, the tofu pad thai, brussell sprouts, and vietnamese spring rolls. We were pleased by the service as well as the food....lots of flavors and nice portions--not too much and not too little. The prices were amazing too.....for those 4 appies and a diet coke (we didn't order any alcohol that night) it was $16! Can't beat it ! It was so nice to go to a place for late night happy hour and not have to look at a menu filled with deep fried stuff like most places! This had wonderful Asian flair and we enjoyed it thoroughly! We also took a peek at the dinner menu and that also looked very good!

    (5)

  • Ashley G.

    I went to Saucebox during Pride weekend prior to a Meetup event. Our large group (25+) had the entire upstairs to ourselves, which made for nice mingling and conversation opportunities. The waitstaff seemed to overwhelmed with keeping track of who ordered what and with people paying their own bill piecemeal off one tab. It took a long time for people who wanted to leave to find a waiter to accept their card/cash. We had a couple waiters/runners delivering things randomly. There are a few veg options here on the menu. I didn't actually eat or drink anything except water but everyone else seemed to be enjoying their food. The ambiance of the cafe/bar is very pleasant and nicely decorated. I might upgrade my review to 4 stars once I actually sample the food :)

    (3)

  • Willow B.

    They have awesome atmosphere! great drinks! and good music : )

    (5)

  • Antonino T.

    The happy hour here is great! Very cheap, but very tasty!

    (4)

  • Dr Monique B.

    Love this restaurant! Great servers and great food! The ribs (and I am not a big rib fan) are fabulous! The brussel sprouts (and I love them) are also amazing!

    (5)

  • Windy S.

    We mostly hit Saucebox up during happy hour. So I don't know much about their dinner menu. The drink menu is a bit overwhelming, but every different drink I've tried has always been good. Happy hour menu is great! A large selection of food items for super reasonable prices and good portions. You can always find something you're in the mood for. The service has always been consistent and good-looking. Oh yeah, the tapioca dumplings on the starter menu... Awesome!

    (4)

  • Darcy N.

    Good service and great food, but very high priced. I understand it's downtown & that people somehow stupidly accept a teeny tiny little portion to mean "gourmet," but $8 for "spring rolls," which was really just 1 spring roll cut into four pieces is absolutely ridiculous. Again, the food quality is great, but it's not worth the price. You can get an exceptional meal for the $24 price tag per person elsewhere. Here $24 gets you less than an appetizer.

    (3)

  • Danielle F.

    All I can say is wow I wish I would have made it here sooner. Saucebox has a GREAT happy hour! There were probably 20 different things to choose from. The bartender helped me narrow down my options. I went with crispy brussel sprouts, green papaya salad and udon noodles with pork and a soft egg. I think my favorite was the crispy brussel sprouts served with a soft egg with a broth in the bottom. It was 3 bucks and honestly one of the best things I've eaten recently. The green papaya salad was also really good. It had 3 huge prawns on it and the dressing was yummy! To bad it has fish sauce in it I wanted to tell my vegetarian friend to get it ( sans prawns). The udon with pork and a soft egg was my least favorite. The noodles were by no means udon, looked more like yakisoba noodles. The pork itself wasn't to tasty either ( just bland). The egg with the noodles and the sauce all went well together though. I was debating between 4 and 5 stars (wasn't thrilled with the udon and felt like it was a bit misleading based on the noodle served) but the happy hour is awesome and the food is so reasonable based on my trip I had to give it a 5.

    (5)

  • Tessa M.

    EVERYTHING GOOD. EAT IT ALL. This is the only place my husband and I HAD to order dessert twice, in the same sitting. I know that's kinda gross, but I don't care. It was a temptation we didn't resist.

    (5)

  • Brian G.

    Drinks are pretty tasty and the food...crowded at times but I guess that means it is good. Overall happy with this place.

    (3)

  • Alex P.

    It was a hopping place for a thursday night with a live DJ. The drinks were very creative and different with their ingredients. I enjoyed the selection but expect to pay $12-$15 a drink. The food, however, we're pricey and did not live up to its reviews. We ordered the "puu puu" sampler and was disappointed. The ribs were super salty and everything else was kinda bland. Waitress stuck us in a corner spot and left us alone. We had to flag down someone for water a couple of times. This place was the only place in Portland that I found a little pretentious.

    (2)

  • Irene W.

    Girls weekend in Portland, and we stayed not too far away from Saucebox, so when we yelped to find a spot for drinks, this popped right up with stellar reviews. I'm being generous and rounding up my 2.5 to 3 though because we weren't all that impressed. By the reviews on how awesome the drinks were, we were expecting all sorts of spectacular. I don't remember exactly what we got, but it was something like the Pimms, kaffir lime, and lemongrass martinis and a whiskey-based drink I can't remember. Yes, it was THAT memorable. Having frequented numerous bars and consumed many a cocktail in our lifetimes, we have a high appreciation for well-crafted, tasty, strong drinks. Just meeting one of those criteria doesn't cut it for us, nor should it for most people. In none of our drinks could we taste anything but the alcohol. If I wanted straight liquor, I would have ordered a gin martini. There's a time and a place for everything, and when we order off a menu of what appears to be creative, delicious drinks, that's what we expect to get, not just some chilled liquor. The lemongrass martini in particular, we tried and tried to get even a hint of the lemongrass that was supposedly in it. Nope, just another vodka martini with a lemon twist. Which means the kaffir lime one was just another vodka martini with a lime twist. Just because they're insanely strong doesn't mean they're good or worth the money. Saving grace came from the appetizers we ordered, which for the most part were quite tasty. In particular, the crispy brussels sprouts in dashi broth were divine. So, I'd return for the food but go elsewhere for my alcoholic consumption.

    (3)

  • John B.

    Great happy hour. Awesome drinks. This is a must go to bar! I really enjoyed it. Get some of there crazy cocktails!

    (5)

  • Lauren L.

    If Saucebox were in New York, I'd have to get a job there to support my addiction as on a 7-day stay in Portland, we ate and drank (and drank) here 3 times. This is now my favorite bar on the planet. THE PLANET. Every damn drink I had was better than the last, strong as hell, and sometimes even served in a tiki glass. And every bartender and server we had was hilarious and attentive. But next to the food stands my new obsession: their sweet potato spring rolls. Normally I hate spring rolls, and I usually avoid anything fried, but these gems, they are something else. I don't know how they make them, but these things haunt my dreams now. But everything was that awesome, including the sushi and the summer rolls. While we never ate a full dinner there, next time I'm in PDX, the second I get off that plane I'm rolling into Saucebox with my luggage in tow.

    (5)

  • Karl H.

    Great happy hour.

    (5)

  • Jason T.

    Oh man, where do I begin! Happy hour is your best option. Nothing is more than five dollars and is tiered beginning at one dollar! The cost for food offsets for the cost of drinks (roughly around 8 dollars+) on the full drinks menu. The portions of food are awesome, you will get your dollars worth!

    (5)

  • Benny C.

    The food was amazing, our waiter was not. She was very cocky and outright not very nice. She just seemed like she did not want to be there, and was very pretentious. Our service went down hill when she asked us what we wanted to drink, after having brought out water, and my friend asked for ice for his water, and she got very upset and left us... didn't even ask me about what I wanted to drink. We are from Florida, and everywhere we went in Portland and Seattle, we were served iceless water... we figured it was a northern thing, so we just asked for ice whenever we got water, no one had a problem but her. Anyway, so after she brought us a jug of ice... she took our orders, no issues until she took mine. I had ordered the Hanger Steak, and she decided to be pretentious and tell me that the way I wanted my steak to be cooked was wrong... I asked for it to be cooked medium-well, and I normally order it because I would rather my food to be overcooked than undercooked. That's when we both shut up and left a very nice paragraph on their comment card. Edit: the owner made such an effort to correct a mistake that it made my experience that much better, and has made me overlook a fluke. The food was absolutely amazing, try the Hanger steak, it's so sweet and flavorful.

    (5)

  • Doug P.

    Great place to drink and eat with friends. Some of the best miso soup I have ever indulged. Cannot believe I've not been here sooner!

    (4)

  • Alyssa M.

    I recently dined here with 14 people on a Thursday night. Initially, we were told we'd have an hour wait (not bad for such a large group), but it turned out that we were seated in less than 10 minutes! That's a great way to start the evening. We arrived with about 5 minutes left during happy hour and our server really hustled to make sure we got our orders into the kitchen before it ended. I highly recommend all of their happy hour specials--ample portions and great prices. Seriously, everything I tasted (which was basically the whole happy hour menu as I made a lap around the table) was delicious--well seasoned and really flavorful with good quality ingredients. The cocktail I had was so delicious--highly recommended if you like bourbon--it was called the "majestic." Overall, we had a great experience all the way through-- excellent service, food and cocktails. Check it out if you haven't been!

    (5)

  • Wayne E.

    I usually am suspect of hotel concierge recommendations, as they tend to lean on the conservative side. However, the level of enthusiasm for a must do dining experience convinced me to take a shot. Saucebox is a great find. The energy of the restaurant is the first thing I noticed...and the decor lends itself to being able to check out the energy from all angles; cool mirrors, lighting, and furnishings are just as hip as the clientele drawn to the place. We sat in the bar area so we could take in the video DJ....the small plates approach let us try a great array of dishes, each which impressed as much as the other. I was particularly impressed with the Pork Belly....and the bar does crank out very interesting and delicious cocktails. If you like high energy establishments who can delight, Saucebox should be something you would enjoy.

    (4)

  • Jim S.

    I don't know what the hell was up with traffic today, but it was enough to cause me to get right back off of the highway and into downtown. A quick glance at Yelp mobile, and I headed to Saucebox. At 6:30 on a Wednesday night there wasn't much going on in the lounge and there was plenty of seating available. Contrary to other reviews I found the service prompt, helpful and gracious. Per my servers suggestion after describing what I had in mind he suggested the Jade Scorpion Martini. This is a Thai chili infused vodka, with fresh Basil and a bit of ginger beer. The cocktail lived up to it's name as it certainly had a sting but all the elements combine to make this a great drink. For snacks I ordered the Papaya salad, and the pork egg rolls. Both apps were average in proportion with the salad getting the nod for the best combo of flavors. Warning, this salad has some heat also. The egg rolls were non descript. Take a peek in to the dining room even if your not there for dinner. Very nice space. All on all for 15.00 this is a solid choice in a neighborhood of very stiff competition. If you like the Asian fusion, this is your place. Do it Baby!

    (3)

  • Brie P.

    I made it here for valentines day this year. The drinks were great and everything we had off the happy hour menu was...ok. We also split an entree of pork butt cheeks which was a WOW. However, we just kept looking out side....at baileys taproom wishing we were over there.

    (3)

  • Dave M.

    Ok food and prices but the waitress pulled our happy hour menu and disappeared after our first order with 15 minutes left. I hate that kind of trick...

    (2)

  • Chris B.

    Great happy hour

    (4)

  • GL K.

    I've been to Portland twice, and to this place at least 3 or 4 times over those two visits, always at HHour. Accordingly, I know nothing of the late night cool kids scene at Saucebox. I also cannot speak to the food, never having consumed anything more substantive than whatever garnish had fallen into my drink. Oh, the drinks. The drinks are really, really good. The Hijito and the Thai Basil Gimlet stand out. And if you sit at the bar, the bartenders will occasionally use you as a guinea pig to test a new concoction . . .

    (4)

  • SaraJane L.

    Went here a couple of weeks for happy hour before the Bruno Mars concert and it was fantastic! They have a great mix of happy hour treats as well as some delicious drinks. The special that night was a strawberry margarita which came over ice instead of blended which was a nice surprise. The presentation was gorgeous. The food is kind of an Asian fusion mix and they have this burger with wasabi that is such a perfect blend of flavors. Also, a bowl of fries for $2 and a giant mixed drink that comes in a carved out pineapple. It may not look like much from the outside but this place is definitely worth checking out if you're looking for a happy hour spot downtown.

    (4)

  • Sara K.

    Good food. The Korean style ribs were amazing. Fun house drinks but warning the good food menu goes away at like 11pm. Portland as a whole is not friendly to late night diners. Atmosphere almost reminded me of Vegas. Nice restaurant early on loud cluby feel later on in the night.

    (4)

  • Jack F.

    What was supposed to be a quick snack ended up being a full-length "dining experience." You'd think that you'd be in-and-out with a simple drink order and 3 small plates (ended up canceling one of them) but we were stuck in the restaurant for 90 minutes. Yes, I'm using "stuck" because we only intended sample Saucebox before our actual dinner reservation elsewhere. It took the waitress 10 minutes to take our order. Then it took her another 10 minutes to get our cocktail. Then another 10 minutes for our first small plate (3 pieces of Korean Fried Chicken - lightly breaded, non-greasy, with an interesting ketchup with kimchi flavoring but the chicken must have been anorexic because there was barely any meat on these wings). Another ten minutes went by before they brought out the cheeseburger spring roll (the most ingenious comfort food I've seen in some time - who would've thought ground meat and cheese wrapped and fried would be such a great idea). Then we waited and waited for our last order of BBQ pork buns. They brought us a Korean Spare Ribs but that wasn't our order. So we waited some more. Finally, we canceled our last dish and waited even longer for our waitress to bring the check and then ... some more for her to bring back our credit card. Bottomline: If this review seems like it's dragging out for inexplicable reasons ... you now understand how I felt at Saucebox. It's a prototypical pan-Asian restaurant and lounge with a lounge-like atmosphere. Except the cheeseburger spring roll, most of the items on the menu is cookie-cutter for this restaurant genre. Judging by the other reviews, Saucebox seems to be an ideal happy hour hangout for locals but I recommend that out-of-town foodies skip this restaurant when looking for a novel meal. [Original Visit: December 17, 2010] Death by PDX - An Extended Weekend of Eating #1.

    (2)

  • Robert L.

    Very friendly. Good bartenders and wait staff. Came on a Tuesday and was pretty busy (a couple of open tables on average), so I'm sure on the weekends is packed.

    (4)

  • Colton N.

    The first time I went here I had a bad experience (it was valentines day and ended up waiting a very long time for food). The owner contacted me and made it right. I went back again for a second try and everything was great. The food here is so good. A little pricey, but you get what you pay for. I would definitely recommend this spot.

    (4)

  • Ben J.

    Pretty solid food and a large selection of drinks even including ones in a Pineapple or Coconut along with a dimly lit ambiance and an interesting crowd depending when you go provides for a fun experience. Prices are a little high for what you get but it's fun to try now and then or to take people to. Not sure if it is every night, but at night it turns more into a sort of dance club. I'm not exactly sure which nights, but I've before when it was a large dance crowd and they even had a few belly dancers out on the floor and on the bar.

    (4)

  • Nikolas A.

    I just had dinner at Saucebox and the food was excellent.:) I don't go here very often but I should go more often as everything they do is excellent:). I love the Korean ribs done with a gourmet twist. Not cheap chewy meat that you get at most Korean restaurants, but quality meat. Great service, great drinks,and friendly servers. I think friendly and attentive servers are becoming a rarity in PDX. Since, PDX is becoming like some little LA with everyone's attitude that they're on Portlandia, or a hipster. For, the record I think Portlandia sucks. It's mildly entertaining, but it features the bottom of the barrel with Fred Armiston,and they are too cheap to pay any of their locations or extras. Sorry, for the digression. I am so sick of hearing about how, "Everyone loves Portlandia". The atmosphere is great at Saucebox. You have the quiet elegant restaurant section,and the loud, dark rock and roll bar section. All though there were a few patrons in the restaurant section that were screaming,and I felt like saying shut up, and go to the bar where you belong. Another place where cheapskates should avoid. When I read other reviews on Yelp I can't believe how many cheapskates go to expensive restaurants,and then are mad that the restaurant isn't cheap. I like cheap eats sometimes, but I don't expect fine dining to be cheap. Duh, it's fine dining people not Taco Bell. LOL.

    (5)

  • Ki H.

    Saucebox! As if the name wasn't enough to bring you in they also have an amazing happy hour, great drinks, good food and always a featured drink! If you were to judge Saucebox by it's prime location downtown and upscale interior you would certainly think that your wallet was about to take a beating. Not so! This is one lounge that gives you an amazing experience as well as a great value! The bartenders know how to mix a good drink so feel free to try something of their specialty menu, you won't be disappointed!

    (5)

  • Matt R.

    Mighty tasty drinks. Little bartender dude with the tattoos made some might fine cocktails and made some great local restaurant recommendations. Took the time to chat with us even though the place was busy. Nice touch. Definitely has a Yuppie vibe...... but it was chill at the bar and the service was good. The cocktails they make here are KILLER. Check this place out.

    (5)

  • Fernet B.

    Always great food - service has been excellent every time.

    (5)

  • kelly s.

    I can't believe I never bothered to review Saucebox, I have some catching up to do. I started by realizing I'd neglected to ever write about Bluehour and Clarklewis, and then realized I've never expressed how awesome ALL of the Carey family establishments are. Saucebox defies many odds, as I feel the chances of a caucasian doing a good job at fusion are slim to none. My only complaint would mirror some other reviewer's observations that some of the portions and recipies have changed, I have never loved their attempts at sushi, but the chicken, the cocktails, and the happy hour still constitute a 4 star rating in my book. Looks like they may have to stop resting on their laurels, but I don't expect they will crash soon either. Here's to the rise of the Phoenix saucebox.

    (4)

  • Mac M.

    This has become my absolute favorite Happy Hour location; pound for pound, dollar for dollar, french fry vs french fry, there's nothing better than Saucebox. The particularly awesome aspect about this place is the Truffle Fries. The flavors of the truffle oil, combined with the crispiness of the fries make it an everlovin' haven of fried goodness that I can never resist; at $2 during Happy Hour, it cannot be beat. Speaking of cannot be beat, the Sauvie Island Burger, with crispy bacon, chiplotle mayonnaise, and awesomely tender ground beef, is perhaps one of the best burgers in the PDX. For the price of $4, I can't think of a better deal anywhere in the City. In case you haven't been able to tell, this is my spot, my haven, my bastion of meat, potato and cheese that I simply cannot resist.

    (5)

  • Matt M.

    The drinks are stupidly overpriced but, but, but the happy hour food was awesomely priced compared to the deliciousness. The fries are basically McDonald's fries minus the questionableness and actually cheaper than a jumbonomicon size. They're totally good. The pad thai was, meh, i prefer it...different. The pork sarong is, meh, i prefer it...different. The pork and shrimp rolls are tits. I had some drink with pineapple and amaretto and whatever in it that was pretty good. It was a little too sweet for my taste. It was weaker than a beer so, for 7 bucks, NNNNNNNOPE.

    (3)

  • Kenny P.

    Have been there quite a while for an happy hour ! Not wonderful.. services are just an OK.. food are just an OK.. atmosphere is not bad... could have been better though. Anyway, if you care about quiet and luxury happy hour places, this wont be the right one but if you have a bunch of great friends and just want to find a place to hang out and have a good time, this should be OK

    (3)

  • Melanie C.

    Killer music and cool bar vibe, but food was just so-so unfortunately... For happy hour though, you can't beat the prices! Brussel sprouts with dashi broth and poached egg was pretty killer. Everything else was so-so: banh mi needed more pate and juiciness, pork springrolls were kind of one-dimensional, sweet potato springrolls were bland (sad :(). Handrolls were filling!

    (3)

  • Brett F.

    Horrible waiting time...sushi took more than 45 minutes to come out...I'm never going back

    (1)

  • Regina C.

    This swanky lounge feeling cafe & bar is by far the best happy hour location in the portland area. Drinks from the happy hour menu are only $5 and food ranges from $1-7 per plate. For a price of $4 you would expect a tiny portion that would barely feed one person, but let me say, they don't cheap out on their portions. The noodle plates were able to feed at least 2 people happily. I do admit that some of the appetizer plates for a dollar or two is small and will barely feed one person, but for the price you pay it's still a steal. My favorite from them is their khao soi in its curry based soup and the pork pulled udon noodles thats topped with a sunny side. So when the time comes that you're trying to figure out where to go after work, this is the place to go!

    (4)

  • Holy-foo' X.

    After reading Jarrod and Frank L's respective reviews of Saucebox, I knew I just had to go check it out. Boy am I glad I did! The HH prices and crowd were shockingly down to earth. I barely spent twenty clams there, between 3 drinks and 2 appetizers! The service was, as they say, Johnny-on-the- spot. I had to remind myself I was downtown! I got right to business w/their Jade Scorpion (a medley of unlikely bedmates, incl. Thai chili- infused vodka, house-infused ginger vodka (ginger, mmmmmmmmm), grapefruit, lemon-lime, thai basil, and ginger brew (again channeling Homer: Ginger, mmmmmmmmmmm). What a phantasmagoria of flava blowin' up in the hiz-ouse! Next was the fresh hot and dirty--- a martini with house infused thai chili vodka. Nice kick, and an even better after-burn! Finally, to stick w/the theme, I finished w/their Dragon Fire, which involved an unholy and wickedly appealing union of momowa sake and the chili-infused tequila, along w/citruses and then completed w/a salt rind around the glass. Wow! That'll grab your attention.. A special word about the appetizers, or one in particular: their brussel sprouts. I got it having no idea what to expect, but imagining it to be vaguely like fried or baked okra. Mind you, I'm not a huge fan of okra in any sort of arrangement, but figured it would be much better than ordering fries or some other bull-crap. I couldn't have been further astray from the truth in guessing ahead of time what the sprouts would be like, and this is one of those times you are so very glad to be wrong! I was temporarily bummed I missed out on their miso soup, but once I had my first taste o' the fried brussel sprouts, all was forgiven, and made right in the world. You are served a large ramen-esque bowl, complete w/dashi broth, togarashi, a slow poached egg,and plentiful scallions to compliment the sprouts. This is hands down the best "new" dish I have tried in 2012. The waiter said he recommends the brussel sprouts all the time, to nearly universal acclaim. I can't claim any special insights or powers of perception b/c of ordering the dish of my own volition, just really lucky to have done so. There must be at least a hundred dang ol' bars downtown, and I have only been to probably two or three dozen of them. That said, I have no trouble declaring Saucebox my absolute favorite bar in all of downtown---so far!--- thus best in its class = 5 stars. Well done, guys! I'll be back, and in all likelihood, dragging a few co-workers or other assorted gluttons and wine-bibs along with me....

    (5)

  • Anna T.

    Came for drinks with a girlfriend, sat outside. Inside was too loud to even carry a conversation. Awesome collection of drinks. The pineapple drink was good, as all other drinks we tried. Sushi was decent, not worth it here. Good friendly service!

    (4)

  • J M.

    Service here is consitantly terrible. BUT the HH burger with wasabi mayo is excellent. Mixed drinks are creative as well. I still go here somewhat regularly even though the service drives me crazy.

    (2)

  • MK C.

    This place has an awesome Happy Hour menu! My husband and I stopped in before a concert and enjoyed some fantastic appetizers and a couple drinks. It tends to be a little noisy, but the fantastic food, stiff cocktails, and upscale aura more than make up for the noise.

    (5)

  • Devon D.

    What do I love more than Sake? hm... nothing. Pair it with Saucebox's immaculate and juicy fried chikcen, a fabulously savory and spicy udon, crisp house cured pickles, and yes I saved the BEST for last: grilled greens with pastrami tounge and squid - you will not regret it. Simply delectable. Rarely do I order desert, but you don't want to miss the sesame sorbet with fried bananas OR the basil, poached quince custard. The fact that the amazing food and libations are housed in a saucily designed space is enough to make me giddy. I don't know what the giant backwards painted "HEAVYSUGAR" is referencing, but I like it.

    (5)

  • Brittany C.

    Atmosphere is loud, dark and trendy. Long list of cocktails to choose from. The hot & sour eggplant dim sum was delicious. The panang curry was rich; not enough rice. I ordered the tofu version and there was probably only 3 chunks of tofu. Overall the food was good but I would order a variety of dim sum next time instead of a main entree. Service was friendly.

    (3)

  • Maya F.

    Tried this restaurant based on a recommendation. Space itself is great - dark, moody, fantastic murals. Food was just so-so. Interesting sushi - especially the one with the black rice. Fish was a bit dry. One of the dishes that they are known for, salmon with "javanese" sauce was salty with the salmon cooked a bit dry. This place doubles as a late night bar/club. Halfway through my dinner a group of 6 moved to a table near my corner - very hip, young. Unfortunately they started smoking - which absolutely ruined my dining experience. A bit of a shame that because while the food wasn't fantastic, I was enjoying myself people watching.

    (2)

  • Ann S.

    Tasty food, excellent service and fun atmosphere. Some folks had written this place is very Las Vegas, which scared me a bit before I went, but it's not quite like that (at least, not anymore if they happened to redecorate or something). I'd say it was a bit clubish, but not a scene at all, just dimmed lights and music. My husband and I ended up here for happy hour before a play at the Armory. We got a mix of pub-ish fare with Asian influence and some Asian food. A tasty wasabi hamburger, crispy hot french fries (I swear they were like McDonald's and sooo good!), an unusually spicy pad thai and fresh spring rolls with some interesting dipping sauces. Additionally the service was top notch -- orders taken quickly, food served hot and a good amount of checking in. We could not have asked for anything more. Also, they have a happy hour drink list with wines, beers and cocktails. I'd definitely go back again -- for happy hour or a regular meal. Yeah, Saucebox!

    (4)

  • Jaime A.

    Wait!! When did we get back home!! That was my initial thought as I walked into Saucebox after having an amazing dinner (see El Gaucho review). A live DJ spinning a great mix and strong mix of beautiful people provided an atmosphere I was all to familiar with. The immediate entrance provided a clear path to walk between the bar and a trendy wall bench with tables for those sitting. Adding a loft for what may have been for private dining added to that downtown culture I have become accustomed to. The drinks weren't exactly cheap, but based on the atmosphere of the place I wasn't surprised nor disappointed. Especially after the bartender took a half empty glass of mine threw it out and handed me a new one!! As pissed as I was at the time, I realized later I didn't get charged for it and perhaps it was her way of welcoming the out of towners. Who knew? We spent a few hours here drinking and having a good time before we realized it was time to get out of our comfort zone and try something new. For me however, it didn't get much better. Saucebox may be a little expensive and may be known as a trendy place to hang out, but if you've got your nose that far up in the air then you don't need to be there in the first place. Thanks again S-box (what I now call you), looking forward to the next time!

    (4)

  • Stephanie K.

    I've been here a couple times for late night happy hour and had a great time. This bar is perfect for the hipsters and they do have some good food. My last experience here however left a lot to be desired. I came here to hit up some happy hour sushi with a friend and the service was just horrendous. After being seated and presented with Taro chips, we were ignored for over 30 minutes. We barely got in our food for happy hour, but at that point neither of us felt like staying. We enjoyed our tasty, yet small portion food, and peaced out.

    (2)

  • Brian J.

    Pretty darn cool place, mostly ambience and energy... but with that comes long waits and annoying crowds and those kinds of things. I really like a bunch of these places in Portland but when the rest of the crowd does too, sometimes that is just torture. Had a pretty good couple of meals here and sometimes even when it was super crowded, didn't wait all that long. Maybe it was luck, or maybe was a night when I was solo just looking for a meal, and my single plate came out easy enough.

    (3)

  • Jeff D.

    Went only for drinks on a Fri night. Had a couple of the specialty drinks. A Mai Tai that was weird and sort of weak. My wife had one of the Kava drinks that has all sorts of warnings and limits to 1. Again sort of weird and weak. No apparent affects from the Kava Ice.

    (3)

  • Ben S.

    The food, especially the brussel sprouts with special drippings and soft egg, was fantastic!

    (4)

  • Jeremy H.

    Great service! Great Asian fusion feel. Try the Bao burger with a Kickboxer. Nothing you've ever had before.

    (4)

  • Diane K.

    Saucebox has a huge affordable happy hour menu full of pan-asian tapas, friendly service , and inventive although somewhat pricey drinks. This is NOT a quiet little get away. Go here if you want to be amidst a lively after work crowd buzzing with energetic chatter.

    (4)

  • Thomas B.

    Stayed at Benson Hotel and wandered over to Saucebox for dinner the first night for dinner for 4. They said the dining room was closing and we could eat in the bar. I'm sure the music volume level was double or triple that of the dining room. Made talking difficult. Ordered a bottle of Villa Maria New Zealand sauvignon blanc from their wine list. Waiter came back five minutes later to announce that they were out of the Villa Maria but proudly presented a bottle of Chardonay (not on wine list) and said this was a good replacement. Not in my book!!!! My son said the bottle was already uncorked but I can't verify that. I asked to see the wine list again. Choose a Pinot Gris from wine list. 5 minutes later the waiter returns to table along wth a woman (I suspect manager), holding a different bottle of Pinot Gris and announced that they were also out of the Pinot Gris I had ordered and suggested this Pinot Gris as a substitute. It also was not listed on the wine list so I confirmed price (same as what I had ordered) and ordered it. It was fine. The food quality was 4 star. The cigarette smoke blowing in the opened front door from patrons smoking outside was a bit much. Had waiter close the door. On a happier note, they did comp us the bottle of wine ($32). All in all, not a pleasant experience for the price of the dinner tab.

    (2)

  • Pamela B.

    Wow! What a great place to eat. The bartender gave me his speciality of the day--delicious! The food was very good, and the happy hour was just getting underway. Prices were great, food was better!

    (5)

  • Edward J.

    The atmosphere is nice! The service is great! But the food is not very good. The salmon is a bit too dry and too simple, I could've grilled it better myself. The "Saucebox" is not bad. Cold tofu marinated in soy sauce, sesame, ginger, and bonito (dry fish flakes). Still, I could've made it myself easily. The drinks are pretty good. I recommend the sake. Though I wish they served it in traditional sake cups instead of champagne glass. I have yet to go there for the friday DJ night, but I don't know how that works when most of the customers are suburban horribly dressed tourists. Come on people! Its a nice restaurant! Dress nice or at least get rid of those ugly beige khaki. Wear some skinny ties and black narrow trouser for goodness sake! oh yeah, and the waiters are hot and good for the eye candy.

    (3)

  • Michael P.

    I can see how this would be a great place to go for happy hour (go early--it ends at 6pm) or late night. The bartenders and cocktail menu seem top-notch. The atmosphere and service is great as well. But I can't help but be a little disappointed when it comes to the food. None of it is bad mind you; it's all above average. But I've yet to have anything that blows my mind there. And for $22-$28 an entree, I expect a mind-blowing experience at least 50% of the time! Is the sushi better than Mio Sushi? Yes. Is the duck with curry sauce better than Thai Palace? Yes. But is any of this food AMAZING and interesting like something you'd find at Le Pigeon or Pok Pok? Nope. And for the price it should be. I'll go back. But it will be for finger food and a stiff drink at Happy Hour, or at late night when the DJs set up.

    (3)

  • Tressa B.

    Slow service, seemed really understaffed. When we were actually brought food it was for the wrong table. Food was decent, some of it even good, but def not worth the price. Much better places out there, especially for the money.

    (2)

  • Tiffany S.

    Yes, the vibe is totally LA, maybe worse. I used to live in LA and for a couple of bright shiny years I was the IT girl in my tight dress smacking the SATC smack at the hippest restaurants...and now? Now I'm the girl in the down vest who really needs to hit the gym. So you can imagine I was a little uncomfortable when we were seated next to THOSE girls...the girls of Tiffany's past. Anyhoo, the food was good but you could rename this place Saltbox, and that'd be about right. I had a lime soda because we'd been wine tasting all day. It was super sour but drinkable. Chris had a vodka drink that he said was also sour. I had the miso, he had the crabcakes. Both were pretty good. He had the Kaku (it's a fish apparently) and I had the Korean ribs. I got a HUGE pile of ribs and though delicious, super salty. I had so much salt that night that I could barely stay awake the next day I was so dehydrated. Maybe this is how they sell more drinks. I dunno. The people watching from my down vest position was pretty entertaining (that and it was prom night so that made walking around downtown fun - hello, girls! Take your mother's advice and wear a wrap! It's not cool to freeze!) PS. We used a buy one, get one entree coupon from the hotel. I'm so old!

    (3)

  • Renee T.

    ACK! Tonight we took a tip from the concierge and went to eat at Saucebox...eeew. It was completely full of itself and LA shi-shi types! We powered through our hors d'oeuvres and ran as fast as we could to Powells books.

    (2)

  • Jessica J.

    Haters can suck it - Saucebox is great. Fantastic music - they were playing BAXTER during dinner service. As a music nerd, I was nodding my head to the melodic D&B beat. Heck YES! The space is stunning - street art adorning the walls in a uber-chic, clean-lined 2-story beauty. Uncluttered sushi menu, tender, smoky squid skewers, oysters with a sassy mignonette. Healthy, light and spot-on flavors. Here's my one & only gripe - don't serve wine in crap glassware. It is not right. We drank a lovely Willamette pinot out of a Target-quality wineglass and it suffered because of it. The fella next to us drank sake out of crystal. Play fair, please. My second time at Saucebox & I'm so glad I recommended it to my friend who'd not been. It stood up to my glowing review & then some. I will be back!

    (5)

  • Andrea D.

    Yum...best fries in town :)

    (5)

  • Drew S.

    I'd give zero stars if I could figure out how to on my phone. I'm in saucebox now - quite simply the worst and most disrespectful service I've had in years. The manager, in particular, is a miscast d-bag. Two hours I can't get back.

    (1)

  • Aaron D.

    I thought everything here was pretty solid, nothing amazing, but all pretty good. We went for a Friday happy hour and were even able to sit outside. The service was fine, considering how busy they were ,and our food and drinks all came as fast or faster than I expected. I'd definitely recommend the tapioca chicken dumplings and the khao soi, but thought the green papaya salad was a little bland and the drinks were just ok.

    (3)

  • Kristina B.

    My initial review would have been 4.5 stars. The drink menu is 6 or so pages long and is organized by alcohol type with fancy drinks to follow. This was how I started my first evening at Saucebox. It was about 9:30 when we got there and there was only walk-in seating available at the bar. "Wow" I thought, "this place is gooood." Happy to even have been seated, my party and I quickly ordered drinks. After about 30 minutes and no drinks, we were getting a little frustrated when all of a sudden the manager came over to inform us on of the servers was involved in a bike/car accident (he was on the bike) and was in the ER at the moment and our round of drinks was on the house. Awesome. Then came time to order food. We weren't that hungry so split the appetizer sampler and the Thai Beef Salad. And a sampler it was, it had me raving and craving more. After 10, a couple was seated at the table next to us and seemed to have ordered off of a totally different menu that looked absolutely delicious. We asked our server and she informed us that was the bar happy hour menu that was available after 10. We quickly ordered just one thing to try again ((the Vietnamese salad rolls) and again, the dish was delish. Fully satisfied, I was determined to come back for this late night menu and experience more. Enter round 2. This time, I came with a girlfriend and the place was empty, dining room and bar. Not really worried about a crowd, we seated ourselves and started perusing the menu. Nothing from my sampler app menu was on there and truthfully, nothing jumped out at me. I decided to order the Vietnamese sandwich and my girlfriend ordered the yellow curry. After what seamed like an extremely long time, our food arrived. My sandwich consisted of a boneless pork chop on a brioche bun with a flavored mayo. Not exactly a Vietnamese sandwich. The flavor was okay but it was truly lacking all the pickled veggies and toppings. My friend's yellow curry dish was extremely rich and thick and she ended up trading it out for the Pad Thai. Surprisingly, this simple noodle dish was anything but simple and was full of flavor. The noodles and sauce were done just right and I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't call this happy hour menu the best in Portland it is just okay. The food is good for late night grub, but so are the food carts. Will I come back? Probably, but it definitely will not be in the near future and I would probably like to try the actual dinner menu.

    (3)

  • Abby M.

    One of my personal favorites, even if the music is loud. (I'm not 40 yet.) I always take out of town guests here, and it never fails to impress. Just took a Seattle-ite last night and we enjoyed sumptuous salad rolls, something crazy good called the Bamboo rolls (tempura shrimp, crab, etc., wrapped in veggies with a kick-ass spicy sauce) and I introduced my friend to ahi poke; she loved it, given it's delicate balance of soy, ginger and cucumber sauce. Super cute, funny server to boot, with no pretension necessary. Love it!

    (5)

  • christy c.

    Cool hip atmosphere, funky foo-foo drinks, good place to hang with friends (not too loud, surprisingly.) Food options were abundant for most, but not many for veg/vegans. Go and get a drink though and check this place out- definitely a cool place worth some time to visit. Oh- great vegetarian sushi roll....Mmmm....for some reason, the tofu in it was scrumptious.

    (4)

  • Dirk M.

    Great space, friendly staff, a LOT of specials, some great drinks and good, affordable food. Really nice place.

    (4)

  • Adam M.

    They have an encyclopedia of freshly made scratch cocktails that are AMAZING! Fresh juices, herbs, house-infused liquors. They are not afraid to make a (nicely) strong drink. Whether you want a fantastic dinner with friends or business associates, or a little more edge and grit with pulsing ambient sounds in the dark sexy bar, they have two sides to this pan-asian coin. A wonderful space, and a Portland treasure!

    (5)

  • Cabernet M.

    A solid 3+. My wife and I may go back...there's a lot of options in Portland so I doubt it will be high on our list. Saying that, there were some things I really liked: We called Saucebox on the phone to ask about vegetarian options (to make sure fish/chicken stock were not added to the veggie options). The gentlemen on the phone said "No animal stock is used in the vegetarian dishes and then went the down the menu via phone on what we could eat...very classy! The Decor: awesome...loved the inside. Cool unisex sinks. The drinks: We had six drinks total that included a Mirrorball, Thai Basil Gimlet, Hot Dirty Sexy, Sling Blade, Foxy Brown and a martini with Sake-I forgot the name. All the drinks were great: My wife's favorite was the Sling Blade and I loved the Foxy Brown...but seriously...all the drinks were wonderful! Watch out for the Hot Dirty Sexy...that is Hot! :) Service-4+. A lot of people are mentioning the slow service...not us. We had a young man as our waiter and he couldn't have been more professional! He wasn't stuffy, he gave great recommendations (specifically around the drinks) and was very prompt! Food: 3. We started with the Miso Soup and a grapefruit salad. Both were disappointing. (my wife liked the earthiness of the Miso). The Miso came in a cool white square bowl (portion was wonderful), the temperature was luke warm, the flavor was bland, the mushrooms were not cooked in the slightest (hard and cold-and whole). My wife thought the Miso was different although she didn't "love" the dish. The salad was good, grapefruits were juicy and the dressing was subtle but nice. The issue we had was the lettuce...we had some arugula or mustard green that looked like a bush...all we had were chopsticks...we needed a machete! Next we had the Spring rolls and brussel spouts-Loved the sprouts...nice and crispy (could have done without the undercooked egg on top). The spring rolls...good...homemade...not great though. The last dish we shared we ordered a second round...the highlight was the pot stickers! to die for...charred a bit which gives the first bite a smokey crunch. The dipping sauce was awesome...highly recommend this dish. Then came dessert...a lime pot-de-creme....and Hello this was amazing! Have this dessert with a foxy brown and you'll be back. Overall-good experience. I recommend Saucebox...I just don't know if I'll be hurrying back anytime soon.

    (3)

  • Tracy T.

    The food was AMAZING, but the service was awful. It was clear that it wasn't the waitress's fault but they were completely understaffed and it wasn't even that busy. I was disappointed in the fact that, you pay that much for a meal with that crappy service. No thanks. Ten years ago, I would have dealt with it, but now that Portland has more delicious establishments to choose from?????? See ya Saucebox!

    (1)

  • Jen T.

    A review simply for Happy Hour. The cocktail of the day was this lychee-pear puree concoction...delish! I wish I had one right now! However, I ordered a Pad Thai under the waitress's recommendation (and she said it was one of her faves...) and it was so awful! Too salty, too soggy, too BLAH. However, the ambiance is very nice and is encouraging for large groups to stay as long as they like and drink till oblivion. I think if I hadn't had such a BAD THAI experience (ha ha...get it...nevermind), I would def give Saucebox a higher rating. I guess I just gotta come back again...

    (3)

  • Keith C.

    This place is awesome. The staff there are very friendly and the atmosphere is great. The interior is mostly black, the light source is from candles lighting up the entire room, two HUGE mirrors, one behind the bar and another on the opposite end. The hallway to the bathroom is very cool, you just have to go there and see it for yourself. There are alot of drink selections to pick out from the paperback menu, Ive been there a couple of times and ive always had the Maker's Mark whiskey sour with the miyako burger. Yum. Kinda hard to find parking, but it's downtown, get over it.

    (5)

  • Ali G.

    I highly recommend this place. Really unusual drinks, very pretty in the glasses. It is very pricey but worth it. I had the roasted beat appetizer and it was to die for! We had the halibut and salmon dinners, the salmon was superier and the halibut deeelicious. Service was very good too. Easy to walk to from downtown.

    (5)

  • Tyler J.

    Great dinner and happy hour spot in a not so great spot in old town. We sat outside and had a full view of Mary's.. A full nude venue! Worth checking out just sit inside

    (4)

  • Anni B.

    I really hate writing bad reviews, but I guess you have to sometimes when you have a sub-par experience. My husband and I come here occasionally and sit at the bar, and have always had killer drinks and a great bartender willing to use us as guinea pigs for their new concoctions. Truly delicious drinks and a huge selection! BUT, last month I had some friends from out of town visiting and I thought this place would be a good intro to the drink scene here in Portland...wow, what a mistake. It was my first time actually sitting down at the tables and we were pretty much ignored the whole time. Granted, it was busy, but we had to leave after an hour due to the horrible lack of service. I do like this place, but the owner needs to beef up the staff on Friday and Saturday nights.

    (3)

  • Josie R.

    After reading some reviews about how wonderful their late night happy hour food was, a friend and I decided to go and check it out. The food was pretty good, but outrageously priced ($9 for a bowl of brussel sprouts). We very much enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant , but the service was TERRIBLE. Our server (Tim K.) took my order and left without taking my friends order; he just turned around and walked away as she was speaking! He wasn't back to grab hers until he was delivering my food 10 minutes later. In the next half hour, he didn't come back to our table once, but we saw him talk with his coworkers and take out the trash. He then presented us with our bill with out washing his hands!! I am a server, so I understand the desire to get out of work at the end of the night, but COME ON. The waiter was absolutely appalling and I really hope no one else is stuck with this person "serving" them. Would have given them a higher review if it wasn't for Tim..

    (1)

  • Shannon M.

    It aways helps if.... the maitre de starts you off with a gratis glass of bubbly you get a personal stop-by the Executive Chef, the Chef de Cuisine, and the Sous Chef you get sent a sampling of desserts you get the best table in the joint you're friend works there and gets a sizeable discount on the tab But even if you don't have the hook-up, Saucebox still rocks. Beautifully appointed in a Forbidden City meets Minimalism decor, Saucebox hits it on every level. Stiff cocktails, yummy food (try the tapioca dumplings), and attractive, efficient servers. Hip + Portland = Saucebox

    (4)

  • Christa C.

    I love saucebox, the best happy hour in town. Perfect price, yummy food and great service!

    (5)

  • Terrell T.

    I've been going here for years. They have lots of unique happiness. From their house infused vodkas to their creative appetizers I've always left with a smiling belly and a fuzzy brain . One of my favorite apps is the tapioca dumplings - something you probably won't be making at home anytime soon. Service is always high-end in a chilled out atmosphere. If you haven't been there you're missing out on one of Portland's best.

    (5)

  • Ellen L.

    Like Kristine P., the owner of Saucebox invited me to give it another go. So I got bribed. Why not? The Happy Hour menu is generous and the ambiance (though the big lit branch has been replaced with large sprigs of yellow forsythia) is modern. The server was polite and prompt. Our $5 citrus martinis were tasty, the pad thai was good for $4, but not good enough to bring out-of-town friends to or anything. Of course, the check added up! I'll happily bump it up a star for the turnaround experience.

    (3)

  • Kelly D.

    Where can you find the hippest of hip in Portland? Where can you find spicy late night crab cakes and a killer dj? The Saucebox of course! If you hear music from the street, you know you just can't pass it by. The food is amazing as is the people watching. If you love a pan asian infusion menu and a chance to wear your best duds and get noticed, this is your spot!

    (4)

  • Seattle F.

    Food was great. Drinks were fabulous too. Portions are on the smaller side, which makes the overall meal slightly pricey. However, this place is worth indulging in on a regular basis!

    (4)

  • Vince D.

    I had a thoroughly enjoyable dinner here with friends. We sampled 6 or 7 different dishes, appetizers and sushi, and I found everything to be tasty and, best of all, innovative. Our first few dishes were so good we told the waiter to just bring whatever. Tapioca dumplings? Yum. Freshly grilled shrimp with pickled mango? Double yum. Hey, waiter! Bring us some damned dessert! Arrives coconut sorbet in a pool of vanilla vodka. I resolve to sacrifice my remaining years of health to this one dish. I recommend you do the same.

    (4)

  • Rainbow R.

    Lately, I have been all about happy hour. My friends have been saying how great it is as Saucebox, and last week I was finally able to experience it for myself. The menu has a good sized selection, broken down by price with items ranging $1+. I went with a group of five, and we had no trouble getting seating on a Wednesday. Most everyone ordered two items, the most popular being the salad rolls and miso soup (semi-predictable for a group of females?). I ordered those, and since too much looked too good to pass up, I decided to shake things up and get the veggie noodles as well. Joke was on me, because I was stuffed with all of that and a glass of wine! Will be back for more.

    (4)

  • Kim T.

    My husband and I finally ventured to Saucebox the other night and had some of the best sushi in Portland. Our server was just attentive enough without being pushy. I ordered "The best drink" and it was pretty tasty, very refreshing for a hot summer night. Hubby had a bottled beer. We started out with potstickers and spring roles, which were both absolutely delish. Some of the best potstickers I think I've ever had, we could have eaten 2 plates of them. We had sushi after that, the dynamite role was hubby's favorite and I was a big fan of the Hamachi & avocado, very light and flavorful. We had another role which was tasty as well, nothing mind blowing, but definitely good, I don't think you could have gone wrong with their sushi. I was surprised by the last review that was not a fan. Oh well, maybe they had an off night. As it got busier, service did get a lot slower, and they were a little disorganized, but that isn't going to stop me from not coming back, or thinking their drinks and sushi were fabulous.

    (5)

  • Ashley B.

    Disclaimer: I have only been for happy hour. The food is really yummy, there are a variety of options that range from $1-5. Some of my favorites are the sweet potato spring rolls, edamame and the noodle dishes. All of the noodle dishes are pretty big, I like to share them with a friend. I usually stick with the drink special of the day and so far it hasn't done me wrong.

    (4)

  • John R.

    Great atmosphere/decor, drinks were super stiff, I have heard there is a kickass happy hour, especially on Thursday nights 10 pm till close. I will be back.

    (4)

  • avant de mourir ..

    I like the set up, the food is okay, the service good, but the desserts are great! I only wish the side of kim chee wasn't as monstrous (and mild) and that they had more vegetarian food. The menu could take some improving. A tad bit pricey.

    (3)

  • Supek, L.

    I went to the Saucebox with a bachelorette party, def a fan! There was about 12 of us and we reserved a room upstairs. There was another party there as well, but didn't matter, the room was big enough that we didn't even see the other people much. The drinks were great, we had a bunch of appetizers for the table, the pot stickers were some how too spicy for me, but the prawns appetizer with avocado's were awesome! The Po Pu platter (spelling on that?) was good, a little mix of everything. I ordered the steak salad also... the meat was too rare for me, but the salad and dressing were great. The atmosphere was very trendy and our server was very patient in dealing with some of our loud mouth overly intoxicated ladies in the party... I would def go back to this place, maybe for happy hour too. Next time I will def try one of the dinners too. My mouth is still watering for that prawn appetizer!

    (4)

  • actkatiemacias M.

    This place is very hip and modern. If you are looking for a classy clean place to enjoy I would recommend Saucebox. The bartenders are friendly and lenient on the time when happy hour ends for the drinks. Their pad thai happy hour special with tofu is amazing and it is only $4! Check out this place before six thirty to take advantage of this great happy hour.

    (4)

  • Mark B.

    Let me keep it pithy. This was my second visit to Saucebox. Top marks from the first trip. Not so much this time. Everything was on par w/ my first visit except waiting for 30+ minutes for a sushi roll. When it finally arrived, it was the wrong one. The waiter was wise enough to comp us for it and bring out the correct one. However, waiting 30+ minutes was completely unacceptable. I will give Saucebox another visit. Hopefully the third attempt will be as good as the first.

    (4)

  • Natalie W.

    I decided to get on yelp just to give a review for this place. First off, 3 of us were sat at a 2 person table during happy hour. I understand it's their busiest times, so I didn't care too much because I was starving. We got our drinks which were not so great but again it's HH so I understood to a degree. We saw our server maybe 3 times... I had to get up to ask for silverware and a napkin. Our drinks never got refilled. My friends both ordered an appetizer that never came. When they asked about it he walked off to the kitchen only to return and say they ran out of it.... He never put the order in, in the first place. Awesome. He was rude and the least attentive server I've ever had. The Pad Thai was delish so that's why I gave 2 stars... If you're looking for a good server, make sure Elijah is having a good day or he'll make you serve yourself.

    (2)

  • Brent F.

    Get here early, especially on the weekends. Aweseome happy hour spot. M - Sat before 6:30. Totally reasonably priced food and stylish drinks. Nothing I have had here disappoints and the presentation is flawless. Even my iced tea was served in a stylish tall glass and had sexy black straws. Great vibe, great lighting, as long as its early and not too too crowded, I love it. Gets a bit intense at times with so many people in the space, but if you are into that.... I need to remember the happy hour. happy hour. happy hour at saucebox.

    (4)

  • Kaja T.

    I have never written a review for Yelp but I read them religiously. However, after reading Pete L.'s review, I must speak up!!!!! Yes, the drinks rock. Thai chili vodka a fabulous addition to any beverage! And the Happy Hour menu is extensive and well priced. Without a doubt. However, Pete and I disagree about one major point... THE FOOD!! I have been coming here since its beginning (almost 10 years) and over the past year, the menu at Saucebox has blossomed. I have yet to taste anything I didn't absolutely LOVE. ~the beet salad is refreshingly tangy and slightly crunchy... the way beets are supposed to be... ~the pork entree is melt in your mouth divine... enough said. ~the halibut is so amazing, I can't stop ordering it... and I don't usually love halibut ~the butternut squash soup is smooth and delicate with just the right amount of richness ~the squid salad (happy hour menu)= true perfection... If only it were bigger!! ~oh, the ribs... someone at the table always orders them and ends up having to share them with everyone... they are addictive! ~try the kim chi... I dare you. You will live longer if you do. ~the grilled prawns with marinated papaya is so flavorful yet the true taste of the prawn shines right on through... I could go on and on... (I eat here regularly... I even bring my 2 year old... this spot is totally kid-friendly by the way!!). The idea that the food here is anything but superb is ridiculous... I bring out of town guests here all the time and they ALWAYS want to go back. And I'm happy to take them. I'm trying to get one last order of halibut in before the menu changes. But I KNOW I'll love it's replacement. Because that's how it is at Saucebox these days...

    (5)

  • CaLiLu H.

    I've been to Saucebox a few times and it's definitely a go-to place for drinks with friends. Our group of 8 was seated comfortably and the late night menu was reasonably priced with many choices! Each person in our group ordered at least an item from the menu which we all proceeded to share. I'm a big fan of their salads and loved the papaya salad while my hubby preferred the beef salad. The burgers were also a big hit (we shared the one with avocado and horseradish mayo) as well as their crispy fries. We all downed some shots and their cocktails are strong! This was also the first time I've seen other SBX customers get up and dance to the music! Saucebox makes for a fun night out on the town with good food and drinks.

    (4)

  • Yaeka K.

    Valentines Dinner was wonderful! Service, atmosphere and food were all great. The music video mix was a plus. My husband and I really enjoyed our night here.

    (5)

  • Laura C.

    Sooo my boyfriend and I went last night. We decided to check it out since my sister reccommended me to it. AND minors are only allowed before 10 pm. OH MAN! Right when you enter the front door, you get that awesome vibe! its trendy, yet modern. It has a really good feel to it. And there crunch praw rolls and rainbow roll is DELICIOUS!!! A little spendy BUT it was the same as going to Olive Garden and I rather MUCH MORE go to SauceBox =) The servers were also very nice to us =) loves it!

    (5)

  • Heath A.

    The food was simple, sophisticated and delicious. The menu was filled with many tempting choices but I found that I couldn't pick between the Salmon and the Korean Style Baby Back Ribs. Thank god for the Surf and Turf selection that gave me a tasting of both. The Salmon was cooked to perfect temp of Med Rare. The subtle flavors imparted during the roasting provide a full mouth feel and was a perfect foil for the tender ribs that came with. The ribs were tender and falling off the bone. The flavors were a little salty for my taste but that was quickly extinguished by the firey Kim Chi that accompanied the ribs. The cocktails at Saucebox are strong and smooth. The Shiso Lovely is a fruity sounding drink but the lychee and mango martini with shiso leaves is a spicy and fresh concotion that is refreshing. I hear that the happy deals are the best and a must is the Chicken Satay.

    (4)

  • Amy C.

    This was another part of our tour of downtown portland. We really were not sure of our plan of attack but decided to stop by here for a drink and decide our next plan. The inside was packed and loud, but we were content outside at their cute little patio tables watching the crazy going on in Portland, I think people like to get their drink on here.....

    (3)

  • Justin K.

    This was the first Portland bar I visited - and it was a welcome introduction to the city. It's chic and cheap (during happy hour at least -- after happy hour ends at 6:30, prices go up substantially.) The service was excellent (not too obtrusive, but always around when I wanted to order another drink.) Tables were easy to come by, and the vibe was very chill. I had a drink of the day ($5), which was tequila, brown sugar, and something coconutty. It's a great way to start your evening.

    (4)

  • Evan R.

    As a place to eat Saucebox is closer to a 2 than a 3 as a bar it is closer to a 4 then a 3 so I went with the average. It isnt that the food isnt good because it is but it is so much better at other places. Granted after a few drinks here you are not going to care how good the food is but how fast they can get you some. The drinks are great and the few times I actually want something other than wine or a good beer, this is a good place to settle those mix drink cravings.

    (3)

  • Josh R.

    I recently went here for after work drinks/food, it had been several years. No real reason, I just hadn't happen to get back. I had a great experience (my three vs. stars is only b/c I feel like i need to go back at least once and get more food to really give it four;)). The staff was very nice, not at all pretentious. In fact, they were almost more nice than I anticipated given the trendy look of the place. The tapioca dumplings were great (and I ordered at the recommendation of our server) and went well with a Sapporo. I definitely want to go back with a group of friends - it's a great atmosphere - although it was perfect for just the two of us having a conversation.

    (3)

  • Lindsey D.

    We stopped by for after dinner drinks while visiting Portland. When we walked in we were completely and utterly ignored for a good long while. Finally someone mentioned she would seat us in a moment. Then we waited some more. We were able to snag a drinks menu to see if it was even worth it. The extensive menu swayed our decision to giving them a couple more minutes. We were finally able to sit at the bar, since it seemed no one was going to seat us. I will concede that the drink menu is extensive and interesting, however we received some of the weakest drinks I have ever had. I'm a lightweight and didn't get even the hint of a buzz off of one drink. We paid $17 to drink fruit juice...

    (2)

  • D G.

    Delicious food and great service. I had the green mango salad and the grilled rib eye, both were very well prepared with a little twist and the presentation was awesome. Great place if you need some food after your beer at the taproom. Highly recommended.

    (5)

  • Meech P.

    I was very excited to try Saucebox, based on the reviews I read and its proximity to the hotel our guests were staying at. I was planning a work meeting at the end of January, and tried to contact Saucebox by phone and by sending multiple e-mails to different e-mail addresses found on their website. After several unsuccessful attempts, I finally just walked over to speak to the manager. I waited some time before he was able to talk to me (I understand they were JUST opening). I just would expect a little more enthusiasm when presented with inquiries regarding a reservation for 15 people. Communication after was nearly impossible, responses only came when I would stop in. The night of the event, we arrived and our table was set up and ready with the appetizers we pre-ordered, as requested. The appetizers and drinks were tasty. The meals took a long time to arrive (again, I can understand that it was 15 people ordering at once). Some of the chicken was very pink. The manager explained the cooking process and assured us it was not under cooked, and replaced the dishes without hesitation, removing one of the items from the total bill. The food was good but not worth the prices charged. At the end of the evening, the credit card used to pay the bill (for dinner and drinks) was accidentally left behind. The dinner/drinks check had been entered separately from the pre-ordered appetizers, and they ran the credit card a second time (after our departure) for the appetizers, but they did not contact us to let us know the card was there, even though they knew who it belonged to (enough to run it again without a signature). Obviously we would have paid for it, but it would have been nice to make an attempt at communication. I would absolutely not recommend this place for any kind of group meal, and probably not for dinner. Perhaps the Happy Hour menu would be good, but I don't know for sure.

    (2)

  • Lisa D.

    Hate this place. Let me paint a picture.... It's late, it's Saturday night, its loud... And it's empty. Did I just enter a restaurant or a shitty dance club? The answer, sadly, is the latter. Turn the music DOWN and focus on the food you offer. My spring rolls were greasy yet tasty, the dipping sauce was pretty perfect, and the people I was with LOVED the shrimp. I just can't get over how unnecessarily loud the music was. The atmosphere left a lot to be desired.

    (2)

  • Kathleen Y.

    I was slightly skeptical when I heard it was Asian Fusion. Walking into the place it had pretty good decor/ambiance with the lighting and candles. It made the menu's a bit hard to see since it was so dim tho. A couple people in our group busted out with their phones to read the menu. They had music with some really strong bass, but nevertheless not too bad. We came for happy hour, which they have a pretty decent selection of food. Most of us got the cocktail of the day which was some blood orange citrus drink which was tastey, but they do have a very long selection of drinks. They started off with some taro chips which were quite addicting. I ended up getting the pork noodles which were to my surprise were unexpectedly good. It had a little kick to them which I liked. Others got the burger and curry which they loved as well. If you're looking for a happy hour place, definitely check it out!

    (4)

  • Ethan D.

    5 star happy hour! I can't believe how affordable their happy hour menu items are in light of how high end the quality and flavors are! The pork noodles may actually be the best thing I've ever ordered off a happy hour menu in this whole city and it was only $5! The Brussels Sprouts with egg are equally amazing at only $3! The house cocktail was this house-infused watermelon vodka drink that was easily among the best made cocktails I've had in this city too! Whoa Saucebox! I really hope I get this promotion downtown. If so, I'll see you guys at least once a week...

    (5)

  • Danni D.

    ***Happy Hour Review Only*** I am the first to admit that Saucebox lost me a long time ago because I could not handle the copious amounts of salt in everything that I ordered. But I am a glutton for punishment. And alcohol. So I went back the other night ready to give it second chance. After all, I cannot even keep up with the chef turnover, so who knows who was at the helm when I was last there downing salt licks. Best. Decision. Ever. I mainly stuck with the $5 "cocktail of the day," which most other places would be alcohol + mixer + shut-up-what-do-you-want-for-$5? Not the case here at all. I enjoyed a house infused watermelon vodka lemonade concoction which was tart, sweet, and most important element of all, boozy. It was refreshing. And, in an effort to drive the point home, it was $5. Their HH "snacks" are divided up among $1, $2, $3, $4 and $5 menus. Basically, you simply need to decide if you are kind of a cheap skate, or a complete and unabashed cheap skate, and the menu will guide you from there. I ventured into mid-range menu land and ordered the crispy Brussels sprouts in dashi broth. They were so damned good that I skipped the broth spoon entirely and picked up the bowl to drink the broth. What you were there that night? So yeah, that cave woman slurping broth straight out of the bowl was me. I enjoyed other items that night as well, and best of all, none of them was over-salted. All were perfectly fine HH options - the green papaya salad complete with prehistoric shrimp (heads still attached), the grapefruit salad with black sesame seeds, and the Szechuan noodles. I don't know if I would shell out for the dinner menu prices, but they are excellent happy hour fare. I will absolutely come back to Saucebox for their HH menu. I will be the one slurping the Brussels sprouts broth directly out of the bowl. What of it?

    (4)

  • Heather H.

    Saucebox is a funny little gem. It's like the love child of a really skanky tiki bar and a high-class sushi joint. The drinks I've ordered lean towards the sweet and too drinkable. The food is decent. They took the best item off the happy hour menu (the eggplant) which bummed me out to no end. As for atmosphere, the upstairs is like eating in dark closet, which is charming in a weird kinda way. It's often really loud, but then again, I'm usually there for happy hour when it's packed. Overall it's a solid happy hour experience. My one major complaint? The staff are actually too attentive. Please, just go away and let me get drunk in piece.

    (3)

  • Jasmine T.

    Came during Happy Hour on a Friday afternoon and it was busy. At first we didn't know if it was open because there are three completely different spaces all in a row that make up the one restaurant. The one that we happened upon first looked completely abandoned. The door we made it through brought us into a very dark interior. I liked the taro chips that arrived on the tables with our waters. The ones I grabbed were super salty though. I got a coke and my fiance got the $3 Sapporo Special. I ordered the pad thai, these meatballs with fried noodles around the outside to share and he got a miso soup. The miso soup was very flavourful and simple. The pad thai was nice and spicy and came with even more chili sauce. I was fine with the way it was spiced. I had ordered it plain, but there was a mixup and mine came with pieces of tofu. Perfect mix of cold bean sprouts, nuts and such. The meatballs were good, but there were only two. Again, filled with regret and wondering if taking both would have made my fiance mad. I gave him the other one. Wandered down the mirrored hall towards the Buddha statue to get to the washroom. Interesting set up: toilets and mirror for make up application around the corner from the sink. Lots of different people were involved with our meal, from the person who sat us, to the person who took our order and the many people who brought out our food. Our main server was super helpful, even giving us tips on what to do and where to go after Happy Hour was over.

    (3)

  • Rosetta S.

    I stopped for a quick drink with friends late on Saturday night. And I can't wait to go back. I had "the best drink" it was the best. I also tried the ginger cosmo. Both were amazing. I had a chance to try the taro chips, also amazing. My only complaint is that the bartender seemed more concerned with being an asshole than doing his job. The first time I went for a drink he straight up ignored me for a good while, (mind you, the bar wasn't busy whatsoever) so I went and sat back down with my friends. Lucky for business I really wanted to try one of there awesome sounding cocktails. So I went back to the bar, was ignored for a while, then finally asked in a snarky tone if I wanted to order something. I won't let this get me down though. I will be back!

    (4)

  • Kat M.

    Great happy hour place! Kind of posh decor on one side and more casual/hip bar on the other. They have really creative cocktail specials each day too. The happy hour menu is divided into pricings, $1- $5. There are only maybe 4 choices that fall in the $1-$2 range. For $3 I got the Vietnamese Fresh Rolls. They were pretty good but the dipping sauce wasn't on par. For $5 I got the Saucebox Burger: tillamook cheese, daikon coleslaw, peppered bacon. YUM! Worth it. So good that 3 out of 4 people at the table ended up ordering it one by one.

    (4)

  • Goose G.

    The place itself is really stylish and modern, what wasn't too great was the seating, empty room besides one other pair of ladies.... Yep got seated right next to them with no music play or no one else in the room.. The food in happy hour was pretty good for the money waiters were pretty consistent on checking in on you. The Burger to bun ratio is real low.

    (2)

  • Laura C.

    Love, Love, Love the happy hour! A group of 8 of us girls came and ordered pretty much one of everything, then shared it all (well, except the tofu. I don't do tofu. Never will) Any and all of their salad rolls are good. I also split the Saucebox Burger, which wasn't as daring as the Miyako burger, but really tasty. I didn't try the eggplant. Not that eggplant lovers wouldn't like it, but I am not friends with eggplant now, nor will I ever be. I love the simplicity of $1, $2, $3, $4 & $5 items. None of this $1.99 crap - which we all try to convince ourselves is $1 - until the realization of the bill comes. I've also been to a birthday dinner upstairs and immensely enjoyed the privacy, as well as the food. I ordered something yummy off the Dumsum menu, but mostly drank my dinner (when the birthday boy is springing for champagne, that is my focus) Mostly though, I love to come here for drinks on a Friday or Saturday night. The DJ's play great music, just not so loud that you can't have a conversation with a person 2 feet from you. The decor is chic and clean and not full of clubs kids. That is HUGE in my book! It's nice that this place has had longevity, because it seems like all my other favorite spots are flash-in-the-pan.

    (4)

  • Dan Q.

    An interesting fusion place of Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese. [five spice cauliflower apples, goat cheese, candied hazelnuts] This cauliflower is roasted, and served in a small tray. It was good, but for the amount of cauliflower you get, I thought it was kind of expensive. [roasted javanese salmon javanese sauce, spinach, fried leeks 26] The salmon was cooked perfectly with a bed of fried leeks on the top. The sauce had a salty/tangy balance. It was a nice cut of salmon. [thai red curry] The red curry seems to be made from scratch, because it doesn't have that msg mouthfeel from the red curry paste. Pretty spicy. [black pepper hanger steak shiitake mushrooms, bing cherries, nuoc cham sauce 25] Hanger steak is a harder cut to get in a restaurant, and I mainly see it in east coast restaurants. What is interesting is they cook the steak, then cut it into pieces for you. In one sense, that is a little bit more reminiscent of Vietnamese food, because we don't ever serve a large hunk of meat. The 'nuoc cham' sauce (which translates to a dipping sauce) is usually a dipping sauce, but instead it is a reduced glaze. [ambiance] We went at 8pm, and it just got louder and louder as the night progressed. I'm guessing this place turns into a club or something later in the day. It was so loud I couldn't even really hear my friends talking. Overall I would say the entrees are a good deal, the starters are a bit expensive, and it gets obnoxiously loud at night. Flavor composition wise, nothing is on the subtle side. Sauces are bold and nothing is undersalted. This is pretty reminiscent at least of Vietnamese cuisine, where Vietnamese chefs don't want you pondering and guessing the flavors presented. Those chefs are more interested in you having a flavor party in your mouth every time. I like this place.. but just not the ambiance.

    (4)

  • Jeremy J.

    I liked everything about this place. The venue was cool and fun. The servers were very friendly and (almost overly) attentive and we did not have to wait too long for our food. The cocktail menu is definitely half of the reason to visit this place, with many unique offerings that will be sure to pique your interest. I went for happy hour and enjoyed everything I tried. My date had the 'crush' drink, which was their special of the day. I had the Jade Scorpion, a chili/ginger infused vodka drink with muddled basil. Both were delicious in their own right, and both were served with a (slightly emasculating) orchid garnish. Presentation here was an 'A' all around. For our 'dinner' we tried a slew of items from the HH menu. My absolute favorite were the yucca bites. Crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside. Slightly spicy and with a wonderful coconut sauce to dip in. The Miyako burger was also delicious, a wonderful asian inspired burger with very profound flavors. The spicy salmon sushi was unique and delicious, as were the tapioca dumplings. The item I enjoyed the least (which was still tasty) was the sweet potato roll. Basically an egg roll shell stuffed with sweet potato and other tasty offerings and served with a relatively generic sweet chili sauce. For all of these food items, drinks, and generous tip, our total was $41. Definitely reasonable for such a good experience. The only reason I am not rating this restaurant 5 stars is because, for me, it is lacking some extra factor to push it over the edge to become a place I need to return ASAP and will recommend to all my friends. Still, it's a good place that I am sure I will return to eventually.

    (4)

  • Alyssa A.

    Scrumptious, Asian inspired food. I love the atmosphere of the restaurant. The bar side is very loud but the dining room is much quieter and very private feeling. I recommend making a reservation if you want to sit there. The drink menu is IMPRESSIVE. Six pages of cocktails is a lot to take in. My table decided to share several dishes so we tried the dimsum pupu platter, the miso soup, nigiri selection, and one of the sushi rolls as well as the prawns. Every last bite was exquisite. I think the miso soup was the best I've ever tasted. I'm coming back here because even though it's an expensive meal, everything is completely worth it.

    (4)

  • Jon L.

    Loved this place. A touch of trendy, but during happy hour we can all afford to be trendy! $1 Edamame and Taro Chips (the best), $4 Pad Thai, $4 Sweet Potato Spring Rolos, $5 Drink of the day. The one I experienced was a ginger infused vodka drink with a flower. The server had some attitude and didn't seem to like us. We sat at a tiny table on the sidewalk along with tons of others. Service was quick. Food was good. I would definitively return.

    (4)

  • Christina B.

    Amazing cocktails! It will take forever to get through the extensive cocktail menu, but I am determined to try my hardest. Every drink I've had so far has been exceptional. I love the watermelon infused vodka drinks the most. The food is so-so. This is THE place to go for drinks and a snack before dinner or after dinner. The decor is simple and clean, which I like. Really loud music on the late weekend nights makes it hard to chat with your besties or date.

    (4)

  • Jessica K.

    The trifecta of awesomeness is now complete! Between Saucebox, Santeria and Bailey's, I can now totter around a small area enjoying tasty food and libations to my heart 's (who are we kidding?-stomach's) content. I remembered enjoying a delicious drink or two a few years ago, but somehow never made it back to try anything else. Was looking for a good happy hour and Yelp pointed me here. A quick view of the drink and happy hour menu, as well as taking note that they had a fantastic gluten-free menu for another friend who was to join us and I was sold. Also noted that happy hour ran until 6:30, so everyone would have plenty of time to arrive and order. Game on! The interior is dark, lit by candles and a few hanging lamps. If I was going to have a clandestine meeting, it would be here. I was whisked to a table of my choosing and asked if I would like a drink while I was waiting for my group. Presented with an overwhelming volume of cocktails, most of which sounded fabulous, I conferred with my super cool, very attentive, engaging server. I said I needed something spicy and one of the drinks he suggested was the Kickboxer-house infused thai chili vodka with passion fruit and raspberry puree. Holy hotness! It tasted even better than it looked (see photo), but this is not a drink for those who can't handle heat! One of my friends enjoyed the refreshing cocktail of the day for $5. Noticed a few other happy hour cocktails for $5 with most of the regular cocktails run $7-$9 and there are a few to share. Nice sake offering and I saw some beers I would have enjoyed should I have chosen to go that route. Happy hour items range from $1-$5, all good portion sizes, prepared to perfection. Thoroughly enjoyed everything they brought out: the Vietnamese salad rolls, sweet potato spring rolls, grapefruit salad, spicy shrimp and my favorite, the crispy brussel sprouts in broth with a poached egg. Crispy, flavorful, wonderful textures, a dish to be savored for sure. My friends also got the Szechuan noodles which arrived in large bowls and appeared to disappear pretty rapidly. I guess this place makes its own trifecta of incredible drinks, food and service. Definitely one of those bittersweet moments where I was excited to have found a great new place, but also kicking myself for not having found it sooner.

    (5)

  • Jordan C.

    Saucebox, you did me so right. I came in for happy hour with 8 amigos and nearly everything about it gave me a "restaurant erection." The Saucebox Burger: OOOOOOO WEEEEE. So many flavors, so little time! Daikon slaw? That's some James Beard shit! Dirty Martini: I had two of you and I was flying high! Do ya feel me?!?! Papaya Salad: So spicy AND delicious that I wanted to slap my momma! Taro Chips: Did you invent this?! Holy crap I'll never look at a tortilla chip the same way again!! Service: Telling you how wonderful it was would be as difficult as describing how I felt the first time I saw a Playboy magazine. I'll see you again reallllllllllllllllllllllll soon.

    (5)

  • Brandon B.

    I went with my girlfriend during happy hour and whew... we ate our little hearts out. from the burger to the sushi roll to the spring rolls. its a chic place and almost too cool for school. it does the trick for the locals as well as the tourists. go during happy hour!!!

    (5)

  • Nick M.

    On a dark and rainy night in December, the Saucebox took us in and sheltered us, even though their concierge considered us not hip enough. The bartenders, three of the hipsterest young gentlemen it's ever been my pleasure to meet, were fun, informative, helpful, and not remotely condescending. The drinks were outstanding, the bar snacks ranged from ok to excellent. We'll be back.

    (4)

  • Calvin Y.

    SAUCED! With 40+ signature cocktails filling 4 pages, Saucebox's name is beyond fitting. Their drinks boast unique and creative combinations and many house-made infused vodkas. I recommend the Cucumber Caprioska -- ginger infused vodka with cucumber, lemon-lime, and ginger-brew. The drink is very crisp and clean. Expect to drop between $7-9 per cocktail. We ordered the PuPu Platter, an assortment of their signature appetizers, which included interesting hor'dourves such as the tapioca dumplings, tender ribs, sweet potato spring, rolls, and pork/mushroom dumplings, I didn't feel it was worth $22. If you're coming to Saucebox, I recommend just sticking to a liquid dinner of fruity cocktails.

    (4)

  • Anonymous P.

    Just left Saucebox and I wasnt impressed. I mean the atmosphere was nice and we did enjoy the drinks. But I am rating it two stars because the food wasnt good at all! We had chicken wings. They looked a nice color but had no taste! Nothing. And some of the chicken was still pink. Yuck. We also had chicken pad thai from the happy hour menu. It was drenched in sauce and the chicken pieces were dark meat. Not even the nice part of chicken. Geesh. I had the fresh vietnamese springs roll. B+ I guess and the Tapioca dumplings. No bueno. I may be back but strictly for drinks. We didnt have anything off the normal menu because it was happy hour so that may be the problem. Anyhoo, this is my opinion.

    (2)

  • Peg S.

    We dropped by the cafe for a late impromptu meal. Walking in, I was going to walk out because it was fittingly super loud and noisy for a Saturday night. Despite the overly stimulating music, light show, and noise level, the Asian fusion food was pretty good and the prices were reasonable. The whole thing and scene soon won us over. Green monster unagi with pears that tasted like radishes. Pork belly flavorful. Light mushroom miso soup. Potstickers were small, but good. It was initially forgotten by the waiter, but apologetically comped. Sizeable portions on their starters. Like that the food was light and not greasy or overly salty seasoned. Pleasantly surprised by Saucebox.

    (4)

  • Melissa L.

    I went on a Saturday night, outside of happy hour, and sat at the bar. Friendly bartenders, on-point service. While the food was good, it was way overpriced for the quality and portion size. I spent $40 in this place for an appetizer, entree, and a beer, and wasn't even all that full when I left. Guess I should have taken the advice of others and stuck with happy hour.

    (3)

  • Jana S.

    Best Happy Hour hands down! Must try: Kickboxer Pad Thai Brussel Sprouts (order at least two) Spring Rolls Avoid: Cauliflower - too much five spice Delish!

    (5)

  • Tilla L.

    Love this place especially when going on a night out downtown. The drinks are amazing and the happy hour menu is great. The food is great in the happy hour but I have not tried the regular menu yet. Definitely a must to try for the night scene. If you are not a fan of loud places then this is not the place for you. The music usually tends to be extremely loud and you meet and see interesting cool individuals :)

    (5)

  • Andrew J.

    Good vibe, good happy hour, and great customer service. Good spot in Downtown Portland

    (4)

  • Chris L.

    Here's the thing about the Saucebox: I've been here twice and they managed to well me. First time: They hosted a tango night awhile back. Everybody was dressed up, the venue closed at 6 am. Their sushi, which came in plate after plate was quite good: delicate, yet substantive. Their lighting lush yet dark. All in all, it was a great experience. What I really got out of that time was their use of space. The venue itself isn't large, but their use of dark floors and soft lighting and careful use of space makes the Saucebox feel always more spacious than it really is. By around 1:00 am, the floor had around 50 people, and yet, there was always enough room to fit another. Second time: This time around, I went with a friend for happy hour. We sat down, each ordered a drink and three things off the menu. It ended up being 20 dollars for a lot. The Pork Sarongs are totally worth it if you can eat pork. Don't underestimate the fact that when it comes up, it's only two meatballs. The blend of tamarind sauce, perfectly cooked meatballs, and chiles speaks for itself. The difficulty is subtler than expected: tamarind puts a slight sweet tang as a backdrop for a mix of a quiet burn of chili pepper and rich, juicy pork. Lastly, the bartender could pour a delicious sarzerac. I'm a sucker for good whiskey cocktails. Lastly, the food here was delicious, but don't let pan-asian as a category trick you into thinking you'll find a cacophony of authentic asian dishes here. Nevertheless, they're really worth a shot.

    (4)

  • Ken W.

    Manager is great!! The service is pleasant and the whole "box" exudes uber cool! The experience and food is worth the trip! Get up and get over to Saucebox now,... It's ! Well maybe not now at 2am,... But Saturday will be perfect !!!

    (4)

  • Benny C.

    Great food, great happy hour, tasty drinks, good music and attentive staff all make for a great experience here.

    (4)

  • Hawo G.

    I used to see this place a lot and I finally decided to go. The food was amazing I had the Pad Thai Noodle, it was the best. The drinks were fantastic, I had the kickboxer which little spicy for me, also Thia Boyfriend which was great. Definitely going back to this place again.

    (4)

  • Jess M.

    This place has been on my radar for a while, so I recently decided to check it out for happy hour. The interior is really nice, with very high ceilings and an excellent speaker system- I have to note a very good selection of music on said speakers. The staff was a little scatterbrained with HH going on, but was very kind. I ordered a happy hour drink special and it was good, but very watered down tasting. If I return, I think I'll steer clear of their HH drink menu, it needs some love. For food I ordered a wide variety of things, all very good. The only thing to call out was the burger. I waited about 30 minutes for the burger to arrive and when it did, it was pretty pathetic. It had one sliver of avocado! I mean, why even list your burger as having avocado if you don't really put any on there? The bun was excellent but way too big for the small patty. After waiting so long I was kinda pissed, photo below. Ultimately this restaurant experience was OK but not really impressive. With so many good restaurants around, I don't think I'll be frequenting this place very often.

    (2)

  • Christina N.

    I've visited Saucebox on two occasions, once during happy hour and second for dinner. Both experiences gave me entirely different impressions. My happy hour visit was much less than expected after reading a good number of reviews. The food was unsatisfying, waitress was unfriendly, and light was too dim to even see what I was eating. I ordered the yakiudon dish, it was slightly too flavorful to my liking. My second visit, however, was far better! Went with a group of girls and we ordered a handful of dishes to share. I have no complaints about the food this time, it was exceptional. My favorite's the pupu platter! The main dining area is a bit dim, and more appropriate with a smaller group or if you're just planning to grab a drink and small bite. The room adjacent, however, is perfect for large group gatherings or a casual dinner.

    (4)

  • Lucy S.

    Dark, modern restaurant with a pretty good happy hour menu, which is what we ordered off of. Loved the taro chips and tapioca dumplings. Amazing. Would definitely get those two again. Pork from the pork noodle dish was delicious and basically melted in my mouth. Super flavorful meat, but the noodles didn't really add much to that dish. Now for dishes that were not as impressive. The miyako burger was average and had this odd horseradish flavor to it that wasn't listed on the menu. The chicken pad thai was also ok, but nothing that great and the sbx wings were just disappointingly dry. I was also really excited for the sweet potato spring rolls but that fell a little short. I couldn't taste the sweet potato at all, unfortunately. The service was efficient, even during busy dinner hours and we got our food and drinks quickly. Overall some great items and some that were just average.

    (3)

  • Oscar B.

    Came here to get a snack and ordered the tapioca dumplings and the pork sarong. Out of the two, the dumplings tasted better. The pork sarong was off in taste and the sauce that came with it didn't help. In my opinion, both were not worth the price tag that came with it. I would skip and go to a food cart instead.

    (3)

  • J. F.

    This is one of my favorite happy hour spots in town. I ate here again last night...this place never disappoints. I like to sit at the bar, people watch, enjoy music & atmosphere and the friendly service. The ribs are always great, but last night went with the red lantern roll and the wings, to start--both perfect. The wings are super simple, but so tasty. I finished with with the miako burger (on the happy hour menu). This burger comes looking like nothing special, but OMG!! I haven't had a burger this good in a long time. Yum! Thanks Saucebox! I'll be back.

    (5)

  • Jencen R.

    The good: Best miso soup ever, and it was only $3, as opposed to the $7 advertised on the yelp menu. The soft cooked egg with the Brussel sprouts was the best egg I have ever had... The yolk was like custard and the white was cooked very well but didn't allude to any particular cooking method- not fried, poached, or boiled whole. The bad: The soft shell crab came with a spicy mayo so overpowering that I couldn't enjoy the crab. Pricing was steep for it too- $13 for two tea sandwiches in my opinion. Plus the place was advertised to have dim sum, but they only had potstickers and a tapioca dumpling on the menu. I'm not convinced that two items qualify a restaurant with lamb or steak on the menu as a dim sum establishment. We left before we even got to an entree.

    (3)

  • Seish H.

    Great tapioca dumpling!! Our server also corrected the terrible food tasting for making sure that we had a great night!! The Jackfruit panna cotta was just right!

    (5)

  • Andrew H.

    If you ever want a dessert from this place never get the flan. $8 for a small shit flan.

    (1)

  • Elise T.

    Loveedd Saucebox! It was definitely high up there as one of my favorite restaurants on our trip. We came for the happy hour, there a was a little bit of a wait but our party of 4 headed across the street to one of the breweries to wait. We ordered a bunch of dishes, the Pulled Pork Udon Noodles & Brussel Sprouts were def my favorite! Pork was very juicy and tender, creamy egg & very flavorful. The pad thai was also pretty good. Everything we ordered was great actually, and whats not to love about happy hour dranks?! The ambiance was also nice, modern, hip & dimly lit.

    (5)

  • Connie C.

    The appetizer sampler for this place was huge. But not worth the $24. Out of everything on the sampler, the tapioca dumplings were the highlight. Other than that, nothing was that amazing. We also shared a their rice noodle curry dish. There wasn't much noodles at all, just a ton of sauce and vegetables. Service was great, and the bar seemed really busy. Husband said their drinks were pretty strong and worth the $7.

    (3)

  • Christine W.

    To my dearest saucebox, I love you.. For the great people, the great atmosphere, and the beyond-great food. I'll be seeing you soon. xoxo In all seriousness, I really do love this place - especially their happy hour! I've only been here during their happy hour times, but I'm sure I'd love it even when it's not happy hour. This place has Asian-inspired food and decor. There is the main floor, the top floor, and outdoor seating - any of which are fabulous! I haven't been to the top floor but I could imagine it being great. The bathrooms are clean and the sink is outside for all to use. I think this is neat, especially for those who would have to squish around the bathroom to just wash their hands. Beautifully decorated. And if that wasn't enough already.. The servers were super nice, friendly, and accommodating! Thumbs up for environment and help!! Drink: 1. sbx volcano - kind of like a fish bowl drink that has fire in the center. Good for two ppl to share. 3 types of alcohol with fruits and flowers 2. The "pineapple" drink - served in a orchid decorated pineapple. Delicious because you can scoop or straw at the pineapple remains that wasn't cupped out. Put a flower in your hair! 3. During happy hour, I like to order the cocktail of the day - varies but from the times I've gone, I've always liked it :) Food: menu is categorized by $$$ signs 1. $3 chocolate torte - Vietnamese ice coffee ice cream with chocolate shards was delicious! It also came with this thick chocolate fudge thing.. Wasn't a fan of that /: 2. $4 chicken pad thai - yummy and light. Equal amounts of chicken and noodles. I'd recommend this if you like pad thai! 3. $4 pork sarong - basically meatball wrapped in a fried noodle. I wouldn't recommend getting this.. But it was tasteful and crunchy. 4. $5 pork noodle - UHM YUM!!!!!!! The best dish on this menu! Seriously, would come eat this everyday if I could. Udon noodles, shredded pork, a mostly cooked egg with a runny yolk all mixed in this scrumptious sauce. ORDER THIS, ORDER THIS. You're welcome, in advance 5. $5 Steamed clams - not a huge fan of clams but it wasn't bad. It was served with Brussels sprout leaves in this peanutty sauce 6. $5 daily oysters - again, not a huge fan of oysters, but this was the first (and probably the last) time I tried it raw.. Wasn't as bad as I thought. If you like raw oysters, then give it a go. Comes in 2 7. $5 sbx wings - comes in 3. Crispy and pretty delicious. I love wings so.. Maybe I'm biased but order and see for yourself! I LOVE THIS PLACE

    (5)

  • Katie H.

    I find it funny that "fancy" Saucebox is in a rather "dodgy" part of town. Got to love a place that after a lovely dinner and cocktails you can wander across the street to Portland's oldest strip bar. Hint: Put your tip for the waiter on your credit card.....save that cash for going across the street. Saucebox is lovely. Either for happy hour food (really good selection at great prices) or for dinner. They have a sushi selection that is well executed. Food can take a little long to arrive, and entrees can be over-sauced (if that makes sense). Beautifully designed interior (love the community hand-washing area....feels like the kind they put in grade school bathrooms) and outdoor seating allows for great people watching. So for whatever reason you decide to head here....enjoy.

    (4)

  • C T.

    This has become a regular stop whenever my husband and I are in town. Went for Happy Hour with our toddler and asked for a high chair. Nobody sneered or rolled their eyes, but we decided to sit outside out in everybody's best interest. Had the fries, salmon hand roll, pork noodles, pad thai and the Kickboxer cocktail. The fries were good, but not worth returning for. My husband had the salmon roll so I'm not sure how good it was. But the two noodle dishes were so so good. We eat a lot of Asian food, but these two dishes stood out to me as being noteworthy and tasty. 4.5 stars since I think even with happy hour prices the place is slightly on the high side compared to what I'm used to paying for noodles. But on taste and service alone, I'd gladly give 5 stars. Neighboring patrons were really friendly, so this place gets bonus points for not attracting jerks. We'll be back again.

    (5)

  • Merri P.

    I came here on a recommendation and I was happy I did! The place has a dark, lounge vibe to it but I enjoyed that aspect of it! Upon my arrival I was immediately seated in the bar area. I had NO idea what to order but I read that I had to try the brussel sprouts. I asked my waiter for some recommendations and decided on the brussel sprouts and the duck entree. The brussel sprouts were amazing!!! They are lightly fried and sit in a bowl of delicious Asian sauces. The best part was breaking the yoke of the egg that comes with them. It made the sauce nice and creamy and added a richness to the dish. Now, my duck, on the other hand was not so amazing. It had good flavor, but was way too fatty. I had a tough time chewing it. The drinks are pretty good here too. The drinks have a tiki bar flavor and flair to them. I had the Firecracker to start with and it was sweet and spicy! Delish! I would come back to this place as I hear the happy hour is pretty great too!

    (3)

  • Danielle M.

    Sauce Box + happy hour= freaking awesomeness! Cocktail list is extensive. Definitely the best drinks I've had in a long time plus great food. I can't believe I haven't been there before!

    (5)

  • Jacqueline Y.

    the best thing here are the drinks (thai basil martini) and the soft shell crab buns. that's it. the chicken wings aren't bad as well as the ribs, but nothing to really rave about.

    (3)

  • Helen W.

    The waitstaff looked like they could be rude and pretentious, but they were surprisingly nice. The food looked like it could be good and creative, but it was quite meh. I wanted to like this place, but in the end, I'd rather have good food than good service.

    (3)

  • Anna M.

    So, in the past I was less than impressed by this place. I went with some friends last month and what a turn around. The bar staff were super friendly, the cocktails impeccable and the food was beyond excellent. I had the Javanese Wild Salmon, it was a very nuanced and flavorful dish. I look forward to going back again.

    (4)

  • Hillary R.

    the recent review reminded me of how delicious the food was. i cant comment on the service, cause was there with a friend who works at bluehour for their work party a couple weeks back. as we had free drinks, i thought i was being clever to just focus on the free bar and ignore the large buffet saucebox had set up for us. this was a massive mistake. toward the end of the night, when i was 3 sheets to shit, i thought it would be good to hit the buffet as some of the food had already been taken away. it was the most amazing food i can recall tasting- and yes, everything tastes good when you are drunk, but this was no hammy's at 4 am taste. this was unreal- ribs that fell off the bone and dissolved on my tongue and two types of crazy amazing wings. one of them had a ginger sesame sauce and i have had fantasies of them ever since. usually in the fantasy there is a tall latino man feeding them to me like grapes. i will have to go for their happy hour to see if any of these items appear on their menu. i am a bit hesitant as if they don't the fantasy may end.

    (5)

  • Kelsey G.

    Wow! I actually thought for a few minutes that I was back in LA! That being said, the food and service were some of the best we had on our entire trip to PDX. We started off, hoping that it would be enough, with a couple of rolls. Their selection is not vast, which was a bit dissapointing, but the flavor was top notch. When it didn't fill us up, we went with a couple of entres. Des had the skirt steak, I had the green cury chicken. I love curry! The chicken was perfectly cooked and the curry had just the right amount of kick to it. The service was absolutely fantastic. 'nuff said!

    (4)

  • Karen S.

    I don't understand why people are so excited about this place. I had dinner there and it was by far, the WORST food I have ever had in my life. My mom's from Japan and if she served this garbage, she'd commit harakiri. I ordered this sashimi dish. It was served in a huge plate in the middle of some soy sauce concoction. It looked like a little island of raw fish in a sea of salty soy sauce I remember telling the waitress, "This is raw fish; not mashed potatoes and gravy." I don't think she caught on. The genmaicha tea (tea with pufed rice) was bitter which is an indication of either poor tea quality, poor tea making technique or poor teapot cleanliness. When the waitress asked me how my meal was, I told her it was awful. She then asked, "Compared to what?" My reply: "What real Asians eat at home." To call it Asian fusion would be a stretch. To call it garbage would be correct. As all my Asian friends say, and so far it has been true: "Don't eat Asian food in the mainland."

    (1)

  • Emily A.

    Saucebox thinks its sauce doesn't stink. But it's been lax in PDX way too long to rest on its laurels. While Portland has seen the emergence of pepe le moko, clyde common, blazing a trail that saucebox is either too lazy or too pretentious to follow. The bartenders suffer from chronic douchism and the hostess/wait staff has the over-tired head lean that indicates a career too long in food industry and a complete lack of desire for advancement. Or maybe she just suffers from trichotillomania, which has nothing to do with her bored mental state. Seems like Saucebox is just happy with the drippings coming from the innovators, the not necessarily new Portland scene, but the ones who don't feel complacent or tourists from the nearby hotels. Try Park Kitchen, Little Bird, Racion, Gruners, or the all-dependable Masu. The 90s are over, and so, it seems, is Saucebox.

    (1)

  • Kiki P.

    Love this place! I do have to say this place has that nice upscale vibe to it that I absolutely adore! The food here is amazing and ranges from a lighter happy hour fare to fine dining. Basically win win! last time I came for HH I was delighted at the different prices and selections to order from! Yum! Don't forget their signature drinks and drink specials too! I would definitely recommend this place to all my friends! Bonus* They have an upstairs area that can be booked for special events like birthdays or big gatherings... Just call ahead and ask for details! Even though the event I was at was upstairs and away from the rest of the restaurant the staff was very attentive always checking up on us to see if we needed anything and refilling our drinks and water too! Thanks Saucebox for a wonderful evening every time I visit!

    (5)

  • Fraulein C.

    Absolutely love this place! I came to Portland for a friend's birthday with a large group of 20. Of course, we all wanted to try so many different places but couldn't decide where to go after spending some time near a few bars and clubs. Luckily, we stumbled upon this place when we were trying to locate half of our group. Found out they serve late night happy hour for such a small price and they're open late until about 1-2am! The restaurant/lounge had a subtle ambiance, friendly staff, spectacular art deco and tables, and cool deep house music playing in the background. Read through the menu with so many enticing picks of food I wanted to order. Unfortunately, I didn't want to over indulge so I decided upon ordering off of their happy hour deals. All happy hour food listed was priced between $1-5!! So cheap! We all did tapas style and got a variation of small finger foods. Everything we ordered was tasty and nice presentation of their food. Would I come back again? Yes!!

    (4)

  • Ajay S.

    Look. The Roasted Brussel Sprouts with the poached egg on top were mind-blowing. Seriously good. Flavorful and crispy. The Tapioca Dumplings with Chicken were very good. The seasoned, ground chicken was the kind you'd get with Larb at a Thai restaurant. But the Pork Shank was just about alright, and the cocktails (Kickboxer and the Grapefruit Manhattan) were just downright mediocre. Stick with the beer here people. This is a food place. Eschew the drink.

    (3)

  • Jessica R.

    Happy hour is pretty much my favorite thing ever and Saucebox does a lovely happy hour! We'd driven down to Portland from Seattle, were starving and it was early dinner time... which is also happy hour time! The only bummer on the whole HH menu was that they have a VERY limited beer selection, but the wine on HH was pretty good and a good sized pour and they have a crazy long cocktail menu. Food wise, everything was great. I got the brussels sprouts (there was more broth than I was expecting, but they were SO. GOOD.) and the port sarong; My HH date got the burger and fries (fries are fries, but they were cheap. The burger was GIANT and delicious according to him). We sat near the window and ate, drank, and talked while watching the rain. It was pretty awesome and I would go back for sure next time I'm in Portland again.

    (4)

  • Karen L.

    The food here is pretty delicious. The BF was impressed. We had the pupu platter, the brussels sprouts, and the soft-shell crab buns. The platter had a variety of things: tapioca dumplings, beef ribs, spring rolls, pork sarong, and some nigiri (salmon, tuna, hamachi). Everything was yummy, especially the brussels sprouts and crab buns. We would definitely return and drag our friends here on our next visit to Portland.

    (4)

  • Jenni L.

    I've been here several times this past year for dates, dinner with friends, and drinks with the girls, and each time my experience had been nothing short of fantastic. Usually when I come to eat I share a table full of the small plates with whomever I'm with. I've tried a good portion of the small plates menu as well as most of the sushi. The Vietnamese salad rolls are a must every time I go; the peanut sauce makes them extra spectacular. The sushi is also good, although I've noticed pretty much every time I go that they aren't wrapped as tightly as they should be and fall apart easily. The waitstaff is superb. One of the last times I went, the waiter went out of his way to look up a particular cocktail recipe that they offered last fall to have the bartender make after I vaguely described it to him. I like my St. Germaine. Alot. To top it all off Saucebox is gorgeous and just plain sexy. It's like the restaurant equivalent of George Clooney. Go now, and tell George I said hello.

    (5)

  • Lina M.

    This place is overpriced and the food and service were lacking. We ordered the sweet potato spring rolls and the Korean baby back ribs. The rolls were good, but the baby back ribs left a bitter taste in my mouth. After 2 bites I ended up pushing the plate away. Disappointed that I basically gave $25 away. The drinks were okay, I had the Thai ice tea. We waited over 20 minutes to get our check and the place was not full. No plans to return.

    (1)

  • Brandon T.

    The discontinuation of late night happy hour is an unexpected and disappointing deal breaker, at least for me. The music, food and cocktails are still of respectable quality but my favorable opinion stops there as the slightly higher price point doesn't mesh well with the lazy service and overall lackluster experience. The positive twist is that the local economy might have recovered enough that enticements such as late night happy hour are no longer a business necessity.

    (2)

  • Brian S.

    One of my all time favorites in Portland, this place continues to do a great job and evolve. Though Saucebox is now nearly 20 years old, there are subtle changes every time I visit. Their cocktails are some of the best in the city and Saucebox was the place that launched Portland's cocktail revolution. They use infused booze, exotic ingredients, and creative recipes to make 100s of unique cocktails. Yum. Their food is what I would call fusion with heavy Asian influences. I almost always have the Javanese Salmon when I'm their for dinner (Salmon cooked medium rare with an Asian glaze, served on steamed spinach topped with crispy fried leeks). It is possibly the best salmon dish I've ever had.

    (4)

  • Fritter M.

    Melan, It was a really long night. I am almost 100% certain I ate here and it was delicious. The drinks were good too. You should go. Yours, Fritter

    (5)

  • Lindsay F.

    This place was pretty good for happy hour. Their cocktails are $5 and excellent and the food was pretty good. Not too expensive but it wasn't dirt cheap either. I would totally go back for happy hour!

    (4)

  • Merci W.

    Really liked this joint. Went with some friends and had a great evening with great food and great drink. The waiter was helpful and really cool. The sushi was some of the best! Will be back!

    (5)

  • Kirsten H.

    I love the Asian fusion food they serve but the prices are a little too high for the quality of food. Very open layout which creates a nice and relaxing atmosphere. Good for big groups of people too.

    (3)

  • Jessa F.

    WOW. I LOVE SAUCEBOX. My family and I ate here on Christmas Eve, and we had a really great time. The food was fan-freaking-tastic, especially my entree of suckling pig, which basically made everyone at the table die of envy. It was so rich and flavorful and amazing. My folks had the prie fixe menu and loved the variety of choices as well as the price. The cocktail menu was flat-out thrilling - I live in Los Angeles, and seeing such a wide range of mixed drinks at such affordable prices made my alcoholic little brain dizzy with delight. Our waitress, Alice, was as friendly and accommodating as she was pretty. All in all, a MOST enjoyable dining experience that I wouldn't hesitate to repeat!

    (5)

  • Brian N.

    Brussels sprouts were good on their own....why ruin their savoriness with such a saccharine sauce!? Pork sarong is pork so wrong...three measly meatballs for $5 at happy hour....at least they're open late and the atmosphere is kinda cool. Outdoor seating a plus.

    (3)

  • Mindy S.

    Go now. Have the Mai Tai - delicious pineapple on top. The "best cocktail" with gin, ginger beer and mint was also great. Been here for years, but they keep updating the interior, their menu and maintain great service.

    (4)

  • Lisa T.

    This place has cool unique drinks but they are pricey.. Chill atmosphere and that's bout it.. Food was ok... Nothing crazy Just another Asian infused place...don't know if I'd go back.. Maybe to give it another shot and try something else.. Open late is a plus ..

    (3)

  • Kerala Jane H.

    For the record, I love the name of this place. That was the main reason I wanted to eat here. That and the happy hour menu. A friend and I went this past weekend and caught the tail of the happy hour. We had a few drinks and a selection of appetizers between us and the total was $24. Not too bad considering I wasn't starving when it was over and the drinks were fairly strong. Food first: it was fine. For the price it was a good deal, but was for the most part uninspired. Also, the kitchen was really slow so our orders came pretty spread out, which was fine for us, but in general does not gain you bonus points for service. I got the Vietnamese Salad rolls which were nice and cool, but flaccid was the first word that sprang to mind when they arrived: they were tiny and the lack of filling made them look limp and sad. Apparently they were supposed to have mango, but I didn't taste any. My second dish was the pad thai. I don't even remember what it was like because it really was that boring. The flavor was fine, but it was a large plate and a small serving. I guess you get what you pay for. What really filled me up were the taro chips that came when we sat down. I love taro chips and we devoured two bowls of them throughout our meal. My friend got the miso, which she said was fine, as well as the egg rolls and the Shanghai lettuce cups. Maybe it's because anything fried is delicious, but the egg rolls were deemed "very tasty" and the lettuce cups were a perfect balance of flavor and lettuce. The booze: I had two boxcars, my friend ordered the special drink which was a watermelon lemonade. Normally I eschew anything with a sugared rim, but this was quite tasty. And by tasty, I mean I got a heavy pour but it didn't overwhelm the juice to the point of being off-putting. The watermelon lemonade was also delicious and remarkably refreshing. I'd love to sit at one of their little outside tables in the sunshine and sip on that. Hopefully they'll have it on the menu again soon. Bonus points: After nicely asking the waiter on more than one occasion about the status of our various dishes, he brought my friend a free second drink, as I had ordered number two and she wasn't having another. So, kudos to him for doing the nice waiter thing.

    (2)

  • Steve N.

    De-licious. This snazzy spot allowed for outdoor seating, cafe/lounge and your typical dark dimmed dating environment. Totally loved the random art pieces which included a huge glass display of their alcohols. Staff was lovely. Ordered the mai tai, roasted brussel sprouts and chicken curry. I had been in transit for 9 hrs with just a bagel for breakfast so this mai tai was perfect. Insta-buzz haha. The brussel sprouts was suggested by my server, Selina. Much enjoyed it although I should've been patient... Burnt my tongue a bit. The sprouts came in a broth that was reminiscent of miso soup and was accompanied by a poached egg. For such a simple idea it yielded an explosive flavor. The chicken curry had such a great presentation. Despite being immersed in the curry, all of the textures varied and were delightful.

    (4)

  • kristin e.

    Happy hour 4:30-6:30pm. $2 gets you a decent bowl of spicy (cold) peanut noodles. (deelish) $4 gets you one of their juicy burgers. In this case, I got the Miyako burger that was a little sweet with a wasabi mayo kick and had avocados (also deelish) $5 gets your their cocktail of the day. This day was a juicy blood orange drop. (more deelish) Lots of good selections for their nicely organized HH menu. I will make sure to come back and try their other offerings. Oh and being "Poolside with David Hasselhoff" (see original review) wasn't all that, but then again, I didn't need a drink to tell me that. However, "The Bikini" (rum drink made with berry rum and other fruity things) certainly made up for it.

    (5)

  • Lucia C.

    After my last visit, I almost vowed to never return to saucebox. Luckily for me, I was convinced to give it another go. And my my the food there has really turned 180! I took my buddy visiting from LA here, and it was a great intro for him to portland's fabulous culinary scene (&happy hours). Once again, I tried the pulled pork udon and pad thai. The pulled pork udon was fantastic (maybe they do read my reviews!); it had a bold saucy flavor & was supplemented by bites and bites of tender pork. The pad thai was better than last time, but still lack a bit of flavoring. To supplement our happy hr drinks, we ordered the squid salad, squid sticks, taro chips, and spring rolls. I would definitely recommend the squid salad &spring rolls for a healthier snack, and the squid sticks &taro chips if you're drinking beer. All of it seemed healthier than your typical bar food. After this visit, I've definitely been converted into a saucebox fan, and won't hesitate to go back!

    (4)

  • Kyan H.

    One of the best in downtown Portland! Not only do they have stellar ambiance / decor and great service, but their food is delicious. Ranging from small to large plates, there's something for most people here. If you like cocktails, this is the place to go - great, handcrafted drinks! Also a great place to people watch.

    (5)

  • Jordan S.

    How do I say this correctly without ruining your potential venture to this unique little eatery? Ah yes, ONLY GO HERE FOR HAPPY HOUR OR COCKTAILS. Please, please do not waste your money on dinner at this place. I am serious. I questioned if my $10 lettuce wrap's chicken came from the Panda Express down the street. However, happy hour here is a total steal! Cocktails for $5, beer for $3, wine for $4. You can get those same lettuce wraps for $4 or sushi for $5. I do give the drinks at this place 5*****! Get anything with ginger in it. This place makes a proper cocktail.

    (3)

  • Christine N.

    I had reservations because I don't tend to like asian fusion restaurants. We had the brussel sprouts in dashi broth was delicious. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. We also order the pull porked noodles which was the perfect compliment. It was a great, affordable quick afternoon snack after a long day of walking around town.

    (4)

  • Kaia H.

    Love the happy hour and mixed drink menu! It's a cool little place with tasty, hand crafted cocktails and a live DJ. Definitely a cool place to for girls night out or a fun date!

    (5)

  • Patrick P.

    I've been to Saucebox several times over the years and considered it one of my favorite restaurants. Their salmon entree is wonderful as is their exceptional drink menu. Last Monday I had the opportunity to dine there again and decided to order something other than the Salmon: The chicken. I and the four others at our table were amazed at the ridiculously small portion delivered. Compared with everything else on the menu, it was quite laughable. While it tasted okay, I would expect more than what they delivered for $23. Not sure if they procured designer chickens that warranted the price, but given the variety of exceptional restaurants in Portland, it was inexcusable and I likely won't be back. Moreover, before posting this review, I emailed them to express my dissatisfaction and gave them the opportunity to respond. They didn't. Second fail. If you go, don't order the chicken and you'll likely have a nice time + meal.

    (2)

  • Steve M.

    Yahoo!! The owner of Saucebox wrote me an excellent defense of what may have transpired on the night I was there. It was well reasoned, logical, and included an invitation to go back and give Saucebox another shot. I'm glad I did. I decided that I'd try to recreate the previous night as much as possible, and with my friend Amanda in tow, (our third person had flown back to NY) we ordered as close to what we had ordered previously to see how it worked out. It was literally like night and day since my previous visit. The service ran like a piece of finely tuned clockwork, the drinks (as always were delicious), and the food (which we ordered A LOT of) arrived promptly and perfectly prepared. Personal Recommendations from the HH menu include: spicy ahi tuna hand roll (so so so bloody good) bachelor pad thai (which was HUGE) The Grilled Squid & Herb salad (I can't tell you how much I love this salad. If you haven't tried it, I can't suggest it strongly enough! ...and of course, I re-ordered the Squid Satay and it arrived perfectly warm, toasty, and yummy as a squid can be. You get your fantastic rating back Saucebox (and more importantly to me personally, you regain your spot in the hollowed ranks of my favorite Happy Hours!)

    (5)

  • Jason B.

    Trendy, upscale place that has creative cocktails. Didn't try the food, but the drinks were well prepared, if not a little spendy for the size.

    (3)

  • Pete L.

    The drinks continue to be delicious, but what I ate easily garners my "Best Value for Happy Hour" vote and thoroughly erases a poor experience from months past. (menu: saucebox.com/menus/sbx_h… ) The Grilled Squid was tender and bright, the Pork Sarong meaty and delightfully crunchy, and the Khao Soi a pleasant array of flavors and textures (albeit maybe not the most authentic-tasting, but who cares). The best news, perhaps, was that this trio of foods was a total of $10--adroitly, a very competent light dinner. Pair this with a $5 glass of house white (that day, a Gruner-Veltliner), and I challenge anyone to come up with something of better value and flavor downtown. I'm pleased to report that the establishment that I remember so fondly is back! O Saucebox, I thought we had lost thee...

    (5)

  • Rebecca B.

    Amazing happy hour. Asian fusian at its best. The prices are really outrageous(ly low), food and service really great. Try the brussel sprouts, green papaya salad, and pad Thai.

    (4)

  • Laura N.

    Science meets Sexy....and my taste buds are their love child. Imagine your genius lab partner in high school - that really brilliant guy or gal with all the great ideas, who always seemed to be five-steps ahead of everyone else. And while he or she may have been a little eccentric, or perhaps took a "creative" way to come up with the solution...you were never left with anything but absolutely perfect results. Now visually slap that square around with the sexy-swank stick. Somewhere in the heat of this passionate and chemical combination you'll experience what I did at Saucebox - an absolutely jaw dropping experience that is bold, 'ballsy,' and anything but boring. From the snappy music and sharp atmosphere to the creative menu options and lavish cocktail list, Saucebox has been the Swanky-Square 'round these parts since 1995, racking up more awards than your valedictorian's science fair medals PLUS your Prom King's number of girlfriends. Our server Shelly had absolutely perfect timing - she was accommodating without hovering, and her cocktai-appetizer pairing suggestions were spot on (who would have thought that the house infused chili vodka in the kickboxer cocktail would so brilliantly compliment the wasabi from the nigiri sampler?) Ummm...ME from this point forward!! General Manager Matt was as warm and genuine as they come, and reminded our party that they have an under $4 happy hour Tues-Sat 4:30-6:00. Yes. a happy hour on both Friday AND Saturday. How saucy. If you're not hitting the happy hour, be prepared to dish out some dollars for your dining, but I assure you that every penny (and calorie) was well worth it... ..cough cough...try telling your trainer about your valrhona chocolate pot de creme dessert selection combined with the mink cocktail which consists of chocolate cream, frangelico, brandy, godiva dark, served warm and topped with whipped cream. But in my defense, my first drink WAS called the kickboxer! (Making me a kickbozer?) Don B's right - absolutely swank-tacular.

    (4)

  • Steve G.

    I haven't been to the Saucebox Cafe & Bar in long a while... It is good to see they have not changed much and still have class... The biggest change i did see is it looked like the menu was little bit more friendly to people with special diets... (vegetarian sushi options, and some gluten free dishes) This is great place to get some great drinks, high quality food, and listen to great DJs... Friday night the ThePrefectCyn was playing music and it was good to again hear some music that made me want to get up, jump around, and have fun... twitter.com/#!/theperfec… We had great dirt martinis and a ginger passion fruit martini... Some excellent light vegetarian sushi rolls... and the vietnamese coconut curry shrimp, japanese eggplant, shiitaké, baby bok choy... Which was perfect... The only reasons why don't frequent this place every week: A) The place can be a bit pricey... B) I wish when the DJ gets going with some funky beats there was a little spot to move around and groove to the music....

    (5)

  • Susan W.

    Food was Very very good, the pork confit was unbelievable (though looked slightly off at first glance) my noodle appetizer was a little on the cold side. A few of us did the 3 course fixed price menu which was a good deal but definitely eatable by one person. Ate in the actual restaurant area which was much quieter than the bar and has great people watching windows. Our server was either high, drunk or both because he couldn't get our orders right and ended up leaving after our appetizers and we had a different server who was modestly better, took two tries on the final receipt (and a $80 difference in price). I recommend the Kickboxer cocktail, it was hands down the best cocktail I have ever had in my entire life. Food is creative, fresh and tasty. I would go again just for the cocktail and the pork.

    (4)

  • JIMI P.

    This place is a Happy Hour Winner! Go back to the Burbs, if you want cheap beer, big screen, and cheese fry's! Or just head over to the Eastside, like I do.

    (5)

  • Stefanie N.

    Giving the place 5 stars exclusively for their HH! It's been several years since I've been here for dinner but recently stopped by for happy hour and wow am I impressed! Ordered their burger, brussel sprouts, beef salad and pad thai and it was all delicious! Great HH portions for great price!

    (5)

  • Stephanie B.

    Whoa! That happy hour! So tasty and crazy cheap Everybody's here.

    (3)

  • Nopojoe C.

    We ate in the main resturant, not in the bar. Looking at the price/quality of the meal, I should have stayed in the bar and did the happy hour food. Nothing wowed me here, nothing stands out in memory except the waiter appeared bored and disinterested. I have forgotten about the wasted time/money on a mediocre meal, until Yelp reminded me. I'd have soon forgot.

    (3)

  • Caitlin C.

    I like the drinks at Saucebox - the monkey business is my favorite, but the service is exceptionally bad. Last time I was there, my friend and I had ok service for our first couple drinks, and then our waitress just sort of disappeared. After maybe half an hour of sitting there with empty glasses, I asked another waitress who was wandering by if we could order more drinks. She very reluctantly took our order and said she would give it to our waitress. We did get those drinks... and then we sat there for another hour waiting. Eventually we just left, since no one seemed to want to bring us more drinks, and I didn't feel like flagging down another snotty waitress.

    (2)

  • Chris W.

    Worst service bar in downtown I think. It takes a long time to get a drink or for a server to come check on you. It's all about customer service and if the bar is busy and your staff can't keep up then you need to hire more. Just not happy with them at all.

    (1)

  • Bo R.

    Saucebox has the best Happy Hr menu in town! Bold statement but let me back it up. Sbx features a smartly scaled HH menu ranging from $1, $2, $3, $4, $5 options, which captures the entire market (smart economics)! Plus, they have the most creative mixologists! Having lived in LA, let me just say how grateful I am to an eating and drinking establishment that offers high-quality cocktails at $8 max instead of the standard $20 drinks in LA bars. This allows me to EAT and DRINK w/o the aftermath of living off a week's worth of ramen. Hallelujah! Every excellent food experience hinges on a happy balance between taste and ambiance. Saucebox finds the sweet spot between these two points. The interior is trendy, sleek, and minimal. I love the hanging lanterns. Grab a seat by the window if you can. The candlelit lighting adds to a cozy and romantic ambiance. On to HH food: the fries are cut in small slivers and great to nibble on in addition to the lightly salted pre-offered taro chips. The salmon and tuna rolls are handrolls not suitable for sharing. I thoroughly enjoyed the udon noodles which was wonderfully seasoned with sesame and shitake mushrooms and the noodles had the right amount of chew to them. The Bao Burger kind of reminds of me LA's Umami burger, which is TO DIE FOR so when I miss Umami, I come here for a little surrogate love. The Drinks: just the cocktails alone make me one happy camper. I definitely recommend the fruit infusions like the Geisha w/ vodka and peach infusions. Beware of the Thai Kickboxer b/c it really lives up to the name. The chili infused vodko gives quite the pow to your tastebuds! Pretty much, you can't go wrong here in Saucebox drinks-wise. If you want to get a little tipsy, $5 HH Daiquiri is quite good at getting the job done. I have nothing but good things to say. Oh...one thing though, they have slippery floor boards. My lovely friend slipped TWICE on the same spot on her way into and out of the restaurant. Nothing wrong w/ clean floor boards except when you're a klutz who's on a date. Just warnin'.

    (5)

  • Jeff M.

    A Haiku Review of Saucebox: (Written by my GF) What can a girl say? Box Cars, David Hasselhoff. Delicious cocktails.

    (4)

  • Leslie F.

    we went here because we have a passport that lets us buy one get one entree free. but we still walked out with QUITE the tab (this of course all depends on what you think is expensive, for us this was about $75 for two entrees one appetizer and two drinks with tip, with one of the $30 entrees free). but boyyyyyyy was it good. All four of us pretty much sat in silence eating our ribs and steak because nothing else really mattered for those few minutes. sooooo good. I don't have tons of money to spend eating out and this was a treat, and it was worth every penny.

    (4)

  • Chelsea A.

    I'm sure I need to give Suacebox another try, I didn't eat any of the food so I can't tell if that would make a difference. I mean it's not that I didn't like it (my Whiskey Ginger was fan-fucking-tastic) but it just came with a vibe of pretention that I wasn't feeling. I only really went to Saucebox because my friend DJs there (and the music was AWESOME!) and if it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't go back. BUT, I didn't have a bad time when I went. I mean the drinks were good, I talked to a couple next to me at the bar, even if my bartender was sort of a-wall. So Saucebox, in a nutshell? It's fine. I guess.

    (3)

  • Michael R.

    My son and daughter-in-law invited me to happy hour at Saucebox. They had been to Saucebox several times and had really liked it. I had already read the reviews and checked the menu online so with great anticipation we went to the restaurant. We arrived five minutes early - they open at 5:00 p.m. - and a server told us to sit outside and he'd bring us water and menus to look at. As we were looking at the menus, a couple arrived and were told by the same server that the restaurant would open in ten minutes. The man looked at his watch and said "It IS five o'clock now." The server then informed him that the manager said it would be an extra ten minutes before they opened. Strange since most restaurants open on time. Finally, the restaurant opened, we were seated in the bar and the server brought plates and chopsticks. Unfortunately, all three plates were very dirty with bits of food sticking to them. We sent them back and the server, embarrassed went back to get clean plates. The second set of plates arrived and they were just as dirty. We sent them back again and the green tea we had ordered arrived. The teapot had food caked on the bottom so I sent it back. By this time I was loathe to taste the appetizers that we had ordered fearing that the plates on which they were served were also dirty. I made our apologies to the server and we left. I never did taste any of the food and I will never go back to the Saucebox. Sad since the reviews are so good and the menu looked tasty.

    (1)

  • Sarah B.

    Eh. The drinks were innovative, but the food was extremely sub-par. The service was deliberately indifferent, but the decor was lovely. Kind of a wash, until you consider the price - $26 halibut that comes with nothing on the side - just a tiny slab of unimaginatively prepared halibut - not worth it.

    (2)

  • Faye M.

    *Ate here Dec. '09: For our first night in Portland, we ate at the Saucebox - great service, and the restaurant itself was very nicely decorated and dimly lit. My food was pretty good (I couldn't decide what to get, so I ended up getting the appetizer sampler), but some of it was salty. I think my sister had the Korean style spare ribs? Something that was Korean style - and that was salty also. I forgot what my BIL had, but it was salty also. We started calling it the Saltbox after that. I may go back again the next time I'm in town, everyone deserves a 2nd chance! Plus, I swear I saw Absinthe in their liquor cabinet in the back dining room! That, or just the apparatus...

    (3)

  • Jacob E.

    One of the owners of Saucebox contacted me pretty quickly after I wrote my review and expressed his regret at my experience. He also sent over a gift certificate to go back and give it another try. The level of concern for the customers experience has me pretty impressed. I'll update the star rating after we go back there.

    (3)

  • C K.

    My friend and I came here for dinner while we were in town as it was not too far from our hotel. We had just missed the happy hour but decided to go ahead and order a bunch of appetizers. We ordered the puu Platter which has an assortment of their signature appetizers: tapioca dumplings, tender "korean" ribs, sweet potato spring rolls, yasai roll, sarong. We also ordered the vietnamese salad rolls and the green papaya salad. the vietnamese salad rolls were not very good- a bit dry and the dipping sauce was not very flavorful. the green papaya salad however was fantastic! it was very fresh and crispy and the prawns were deliciously seasoned. the pupu platter was a nice assortment but my favorites were the ribs (they didn't taste like korean ribs but were delicious and fell right off the bone) and the sweet potato spring rolls. we were meeting friends for drinks at another place so i can't comment on their drinks. the area around the bar was quite loud but the dining area is open and had a good noise level. our waiter was attentive and the service was good. i would definitely go back if i'm ever in town again.

    (4)

  • doreen w.

    I like a good pan asian menu but not pan asian dishes...this place's menu measures up. My friend had a japanese style chicken dish while i had thai curry and vegetables. The food was great but the drinks here are the main event. I had the "best drink " a minty mojito with ginger brew on top, other than a vicodin in a warm bubble bath with an oregon pinot, it really was the best drink i ever had.

    (4)

  • LJ B.

    Went to Happy Hour here twice. First time was 4 star, great experience overall, pretty good food, great service. 2nd time was terrible, mainly because the waiter seemed to be trying to ignoring us -- not the usual way that waiters will disappear and you think maybe there is some sort of kitchen emergency being attended to, he actually was waiting on the tables all around us but refusing to wait on us other than to take our orders and then eventually bring us our check. The food here is good and the prices are great at happy hour. But our last visit was one of those experiences where I started to wonder if the waiter was actively hating us for some reason -- if maybe I cut him off in traffic earlier in the day or looked like someone who bullied him in junior high. Having waited tables myself for many years, obvious problems in the front of the house are usually a symptom of larger problems overall. So we won't be back.

    (1)

  • Eric S.

    Amazing ribs, terrible service. The meat dishes at suacebox are fantastic highlighted by the ribs where the meat litterally falls off the bone. However, the waitstaff is out to lunch. Order five drinks on your first order because that is your last chance for a beverage that night. My Singha could have been flown in from that Thailand night and made it to the table faster. And like a pu pu platter that comes a hour later, the management is also lukewarm and overall disappointing.

    (2)

  • Darvish B.

    I can't believe it's taken me so long to write a review about this place. They make the best specialty drinks. No diggity no doubt! The kickboxer is my favorite which is a house infused Thai chili vodka with a refreshing purée. Sometimes you actually get a few chilies in your drink and the heat just hits ya but it's irresistible and addicting! If you're not into the spicy fare, go for the cucumber capriosca. Just as delious. Oh, and find David. Coolest bartender and he serves them stiff. Be careful walking around though - it's super dark in there. Last I recall some girl walked straight into me even though I tried my best to avoid her. Here I thought she was being rude and didn't want to move. El-Oh-El! Loses one star because you can find better Asian fusion food in Portland at a much better price. I'll keep coming back for my kickboxer though!

    (4)

  • Amanda E.

    This cafe has a fabulous cocktail menu and a phenomenal happy hour! The happy hour scene is generally a good vibe, as the bar gets packed with young professionals getting off work. The bar can be hit or miss on the weekends, depending on whether the it is empty or full. There is occasionally a DJ on weekend nights that plays great music.

    (4)

  • Wendy Z.

    Sexy top, reasonably high heels and a little extra pouf to my hair --I'm feeling saucy enough for Saucebox. There aren't a ton of places in Portland where I anticipate such a cool vibe and plan my look accordingly. Too bad our table was practically underneath the bar on my last visit. Oh well, the food and drinks here make me happy enough. I have to say that I will probably only do Saucebox as a happy hour spot. I've been there twice for happy hour and once for the regular menu and I just like the content of the happy hour menu more. The bill for my most recent visit was a bit overpriced for the amount of food. My friend and I split two rolls of sushi, and an order of spare ribs. And when I say order I'm being kind (sample is more like it). Seriously, I've had more substantial portions at Costco demos. We also had two drinks, which seemed to be the pricey portion of our bill which came to around $70.00 before tip. The drinks here are worth it. I only wish I had eaten my orchid because I was still a little hungry when I left. Had it NOT been for the fact that I had a more satisfying meals there from the happy hour menu. I probably wouldn't have batted an eyelash at this bill. It seems like a common Portland dilemma... we're just too spoiled with the happy hour scene!

    (4)

  • Leo W.

    Go for happy hour! They have a huge selection of unique cocktails that are delicious. It's a nice place with a good DJ and great service.

    (5)

  • Tana J.

    Love this place and there Taro Chips amazing and there HH Saucebox Burger was to DIE FOR! So incredibly delish! Love this place.

    (5)

  • Kevin G.

    In Portland for a week from SF to take a class at Bullseye. Staying downtown and was sniffing around for a dinner spot that wasn't your usually touristy/downtown hotel type joint. Wandered past Saucebox and was intrigued by the Europop soundtrack, dimly candlelit ambiance, and the slogan painted backwards on the wall to reflect accurately in the giant mirror wall behind the bar. Took a quick ganger at the menu and thought I could come up with something appetizing here. Ordered a Hendricks Gimlet, my signature drink, figuring its always good to start with the old familiar, hard to mess up, gin and juice. Ordered Miso soup, green papaya salad, and the baked salmon. The miso arrived after a pretty decent wait along with the papaya salad. Unusual as miso soup is usually ladled out of the pot and served up almost immediately. I noticed immediately how unsalty it was, as if it had been diluted a few to many times. Miso is salty by nature so not sure how they ended up with a soup lacking salt. Hit a spoonfull of something tasting very nasty that looked like the head of an asparagus spear that was well past its prime that may have fallen in the soup pot. Decided to forgo the rest of the soup and move onto the salad. The salad arrived with 5 grilled whole prawns garnished on the top. Wasn't expecting them so it seemed a bonus. The prawns had been grilled at some point in their existence but it clearly was not within any time near when i ordered the salad. The prawns were neither hot nor cold, but room temp, bringing to mind shrimp flavored food poisoning later and I opted to leave the remaining shrimp on the plate. Overall the salad was ok, not very spicy and the peanuts on a small pile on the side rather than incorporated in the salad. Chef being creative or something. Since the gin was not great fit with the asian inspired cuisine, I took the barkeep up on the special of the eve, a chili infused vodka dirty martini. Chili vodka doesn't appear to mix well with olive juice so i was generally unhappy with it. At this point, i really wanted to like this place, but was striking out. The salmon arrived and I was skeptical. In their defense, I had ordered the salmon rare, which must be a fairly unusual request as most folks want their salmon cooked thru. It was not bad on a bed of spinach, with some soy sauce inspired broth but overall didn't offer much more than a salmon filet. Spent around $60 which wouldn't have been outrageous for a good meal, but felt gouged with fairly poor one. One bright spot was the cute bearded bear cub working the kitchen did provide some nice eye candy during the meal.

    (2)

  • Sarah R.

    Was recently in town and met up with a friend at Saucebox because it was near my hotel and looked like a good place to try. The cocktail menu was awesomely huge. So many choices! I tried a couple of the sparkling cocktails and they were yummy. We got a bunch of sushi rolls to share. They were all really tasty. The waiter was super nice and answered all of our questions and kept filling our water glasses even after our meal/drinks were done as we took our time leaving. Good experience. I wish this place was in San Francisco, so I could try all the cocktails!

    (4)

  • Noel P.

    Service - So-so at best, aggressively rude at worst Food - Consistently delicious and well-priced Drinks - Same, with better wine and cocktails on offer during HH than most The service has never been good, but I felt the food and wine made up for it. No longer. First my friends and I were ignored for more than 10 minutes in the half-empty bar by no fewer than 4 waiters. (If they'd been busy, I could understand the wait.) After flagging down a clearly annoyed waiter, we were shortly told "___ will serve you the rest of the evening."--and did they ever. Two waiters took over, and every few minutes we were conspicuously, tensely interrupted. It was so in-your-face, we could not relax or even have a decent conversation. Skip it. Gilt Club is mere blocks away, with a cozy-yet-upmarket atmosphere, equally good cocktails and food for similar prices, and stellar service at all hours of business.

    (2)

  • Megan F.

    I recently had a lovely dinner at Saucebox with a couple of friends. Their alcoholic drink list is rather large but their wait staff is very knowledgeable on what is good. I have been there before and I have to say, I'm pleased with their new autumn menu. I ordered the brook trout. My past experiences with fish has often left me wanting. It is almost always overcooked and lackluster in flavor. Not Saucebox, their trout was soft and flaky. The cashew puree gave it an interesting twist and I rather enjoyed the smoked marrow. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for fresh, innovated food.

    (4)

  • Liz A.

    I LOOOOOOVVVEEEE coming here during happy hour. They have a pretty good selection on food, but what I really like is the atmosphere. It's very open...what amuses me every time I go is when you look at the seating on the left right when you come in, the words are backwards..but as soon as you sit down and look across at the mirror..you will see what it spells out. Their drinks especially martinis are really great...my best friend ordered a drink that I've never heard of anywhere, it was vodka and cucumber infused..I didn't like it, but she loved it. The service here is great too.

    (4)

  • Porsha M.

    i heart saucebox. great pick for a dinner spot. late night it turns into a chill lounge with dope music and humongous drinks served up in actual pineapples and coconuts.

    (4)

  • Ken S.

    What a great meal I enjoyed last night. After being shut out of Eleni's Philoxenia because they would not seat a party of one even though I had called for a reservation, I ended up with a fabulous meal. I began the meal with their Pork Sarong, meatballs wrapped in noodle and deep fried. Just awesome! Fusion at it's best! I then devoured their sizzling RibEye with the most delicious sauce. It was a nice end to a challenging mealtime journey.

    (4)

  • Anna K.

    The food was pretty good...we went for happy hour, where my friend enjoyed what looked a terrific drink (I don't personally indulge). The taro chips could be addictive...the brussel sprout and soft egg most certainly is. The salad rolls were *eh* and the (non-happy hour) sushi was a tad overpriced for what it was. So why four vs. three stars? 'cause we had a great service, and the waiter did a lot to ensure my dishes were gluten-free. Now, Saucebox? it's really, really cool you have a GF menu for dinner...how about the same for happy hour? I suspect I could have tried a few more goodies...

    (4)

  • Raechel S.

    Good food...SMALL portions. Happy hour may mean like a great deal until you see the potions..be prepared tmorder lots! Great service and atmosphere.

    (4)

  • Jessica Y.

    cocktails + oysters = YUM impressed by your long drink list next time, I'll try food

    (4)

  • Zach C.

    the drinks in the place are stellar. i highly recommend "the kickboxer". it literally tastes like a thai kickboxer kicked you in the mouth--but then lovingly caresses you to immediately make it better. i'd say it's my favorite drink in town. the food is good, the space feels lively, and i've always had great service. the host shakir is a riot. i'd highly recommend talking to him as he's always been a delight when i've rolled in with obnoxious out of town friends who didn't deserve the niceness be brings.

    (4)

  • David L.

    The food at saucebox was very good. The drinks at saucebox were well made, if a little bit on the sweet side for my taste. The waitstaff was friendly and prompt, and overall the establishment was well run. However, the portions were rather small, the cocktails were rather expensive, and the yuppies who patronize this place ruin it's atmosphere. It's almost unfair to knock the establishment for the people it attracts, but seriously, if I wanted fake tans and sunglasses indoors I wouldn't be living in a place with 9 months of rain a year. Somehow despite being right near the strip clubs and voodoo this place attracts the kind of yuppie a-holes who wear high-heels and makeup to a happy hour on a Wednesday. I felt like I was downtown S.F. not downtown P-town.

    (3)

  • Shanna C.

    Is it just me, or have the portions here gotten smaller? My boyfriend and I like to joke that he has to have a snack before coming here, but then again, he eats a lot. The food quality though is quite up to par. I like to compare the food here to French quisine - the smaller the portion, the more flavor in it. I had the trout and wow - delicious! It came with a fantastic sauce that was sweet without being overpowering (this is coming from someone who doesn't like really sugary foods, so this was spot on for the fish pairing). He got the salmon. Crisp without being greasy or salty, but still full of flavor. His came with a bowl of rice. Mine - with a few edamame on the side. Delicious delicious, but I still wish there was more. This is still a great date place. Attentive service without being overbearing. Come on a weekday and you won't have to wait to be seated in the dining room area. Surprisingly, the bar seemed more full, but then again, this is Portland... :P

    (4)

  • K M.

    I always end up here when I visit Portland. I think its the wonderful cocktails!! But it IS NOT the service. EVERYTIME i come here, the service is lacking. They are either rude or cant answer simple questions about the menu. And the food...is overpriced and mediocre. The edamame is served COLD. Say whuuut? Since when is it cool to eat cold soy bean pods? Where I come from, those suckers are served piping hot covered in kosher salt!! The happy hour/late night menu is pretty good. I remember last time I was there I had some oysters and some fresh spring rolls. This last time I was there I had a bowl of the DELICIOUS miso soup that warmed me from the inside out. Oh, and one of my stars goes to the DJ (who plays every Wednesday night) because he made me able to stand the presence of house music! And another star goes to the decor and the beautiful bathrooms! i love the communal sink between the men/women room!

    (4)

  • Lyle M.

    great for happy hour! great atmosphere, very fancy, helpful wait service, and an evolving variety on the menu. drinks, they got your covered.

    (4)

  • Stephanie C.

    Hey so when you go to Saucebox don't listen to the that tall blonde hostess when she tells you they stop seating for dinner at 9:45pm and that you have to find your own table if you want to sit down. Cuz the super nice wait staff will still serve you delicious sushi and green papaya salad and pisco sours* till late late and be cool with it. * A drink i hadn't had since santiago de chile six years ago. I was so pleasantly surprised to see it on the drink menu along with other delicious mixalot concotions. Plus plus points for that.

    (5)

  • Steffy W.

    We discovered Saucebox completely by accident. The moment I entered the restaurant/bar, I fell in love with the clean lines of the interiior design. With a minor japanese motif, it was reminicent of a fancy metropolitan bar. My hunnie enjoyed it purely because the DJ was spinning his kind of music (Thievery, Everything But The Girl....) I have to applaud the owner of the bar for the level of attention they had placed on the execution of this restaurant. Everything from the communal sink in the bathroom with beautiful lilies and the absolutely gorgeous "icecube" glass for my Maker's mark on the rocks. AND they had an extensive bar that even served Corzo tequila mmmm tequila

    (4)

  • Sunset G.

    Very cool joint. First time checking out the nightlife in Portland, so having parked near Broadway the plan was to walk into the first cool place we saw, and this was it. And exactly the vibe we were looking for. Reminiscent of Wish SF, a fav spot to hang at home. Nice crowd, funky house beats, good drinks. Too bad about the smoking inside...! We'll be back.

    (4)

  • Cheryl M.

    Great happy hour! Went with my husband and loved the happy hour food -- had a burger with some wasabi mayo-- very tasty! Would definitely come back for happy hour!

    (4)

  • Barbara W.

    What has happened the great service Saucebox use to have? I was in Saturday evening for dinner and drinks. Food was good but slow on the drinks, service and food.

    (3)

  • Amy S.

    Happy hour. Yes. Edamame for a buck. Spring rolls for three. Spicy crab handroll five (least worth it) everything tasted healthy, light, solid. Good service multitude of options on their hh menu. Decent drinks. If I lived in Portland...

    (4)

  • Sav B.

    Trendy Portland gogo fashionista....oh men and women have the same bathroom entrance. wow. Food selection is thai..okay..but expensive. Drink selection is very good with all you want vodka. True ptown charm..gotta see this

    (4)

  • Brenna S.

    With some of the most creative and artful cocktails in all of Portland, Saucebox doesn't hold back on the food either. An Asian and Pacific Island infused menu offers delectable items such as pan seared ahi tuna (one of my faves!) and spicy crab cakes. Saucebox is fairly small, and often becomes more crowded the later the night gets, especially when there is a dj. But if you can manage to squeeze your way in, I promise that you won't be disappointed.

    (4)

  • James R.

    happy hour food ranging from $1-$5 an item. those items include: edamame ($1) up to pad thai ($4, I think). unbelievable deal, not to mention that the food and drinks are excellent, and the wall paintings rock. there is nothing not to like about this place except that it probably gets way overcrowded

    (5)

  • J. A.

    AMAZING!!!! My favorite restaurant in Portland so far. The inventive drinks are to die for and the food is the best Asian fusion I have had. My husband and I went for a somewhat early dinner one night so I have no idea how long of a wait you can usually expect but I'm telling you, it's worth it. We started out with the Kickboxer (a tropical drink with house infused Chili Vodka and raspberry puree) and the salad rolls. After gobbling the rolls down we noticed that there was an enormous dead daddy long legs spider in the lettuce garnishing the dish. I'm usually not too forgiving of bugs in my food, which is a testament to how good this place is...I really didn't care at all (especially after they removed the dish from our check). I ended up ordering the green curry and my man had a sea scallop dish...and we practically licked our plates clean. No room for dessert...but the waitress brought us some sorbet to make up for the spider incident and it was delicious. I'll definitely go back again, and again, and again...

    (5)

  • Michael V.

    Played third wheel last weekend when I visited the Saucebox with my sister and her bf. We went out for happy hour, which sadly ends at 6:30. Finding the actual place with all the one way streets was kind of difficult, and parking was a bit of a hassle. By the time we actually entered it was about 6:28. Our hostess knew that we were cutting it close, but told us she was sure that we could squeeze a few orders in. I had the Sauvie Island burger which had bacon, Tillamook cheddar cheese, tomato, red leaf lettuce, and a special sauce. Not sure if it was because I was dying of hunger, but it was probably the best tasting burger I have ever had! The bun was a bit toasted and nothing like your average fast food bun. The hamburger patty was really juicy, flavorful, and hot! Seriously, the Sauvie Island burger gave Red Robin's Monster burger a run for its money. For only $4 I was completely satisfied. I also had a bowl of fries to accompany my kick-ass burger, and let me tell you, they were some of the best tasting fries I have ever gorged upon. The table next to us ordered three bowls after devouring their first! I later found out by eavesdropping the table next to us, that the fries are cooked in soy oil. No wonder they're so damn delicious! $2? Aw hell nah! Didn't feel like ordering a drink because I had a bit of a hangover from playing baseball the previous night. Dim lighting, heavy sugar, and elementary school bathroom sinks complete the experience. Only complaint is that my water had no ice, and I was never asked for a refill. I'll let it slide though, since the burger and fries blew my mind.

    (5)

  • Tiffanie S.

    We went their for happy hour which was great. They have a menu which splits things up by price so you can determine how much you want to spend. Their happy hour drinks were also good, which included a drink of the day. I would definitely hit up their happy hour again.

    (4)

  • andrew m.

    food was decent though the selections felt a bit limited. service was great, as was the view from our 2nd floor table. i felt kinda bad for people sitting in the bar area because of the weird bathroom layout. i dropped a bomb in the toilet and there wasn't a door limiting the aroma to the immediate area. yeah i got no shame. deal with it

    (3)

  • Megan G.

    I wrote about Saucebox on February 22nd and it was an honest and very thorough review. A couple of weeks later I was presented with a proposition from one of the owners. He asked me if I would try Saucebox again and said that he would send me a gift-certificate. Honestly, I was hesitant but I accepted the offer and really respect Saucebox's ownership for being so involved with their restaurant. The gift-certificate of ($30) came in the mail a couple of days later I ordered some food to go. I was not interested in dinning-in again so I got food to go. The man that answered the phone was polite and even told me the special salad of the night which was roasted pork belly, pickled watermelon radishes and roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds). I was impressed with the innovation of the dish and thought about getting it, but I did not because I wanted to stick with the original menu for review purposes. I ordered the Dim Sum Tapioca dumplings ($8) which are (as the name suggests) tapioca dumplings filled with chicken, peanuts and cilantro drizzled with garlic oil. The consistency of the dumplings were firm but gummy (like tapioca), but I liked the texture because it made the dish true to it's name. The chicken, peanut and cilantro filling was extremely addicting and actually I enjoyed these dumplings very much and I will go to Saucebox again for them. For the entrée I decided to get the pan-roasted halibut with yellow pepper-fennel fondue, coconut-yoghurt emulsion and apple-jalapeno salad. It sounds wonderful right!? It was O.K...the halibut was halibut...no crispy skin (kind of disappointing), not overcooked, just a basic slab of mild white fish. I like the idea of calling the yellow pepper and fennel a "fondue" however, it simply was not. In French cooking a fondue can either mean the traditional way we Americans think of fondue; dipping food into a heated pot on the table or very slowly cooked vegetables that have been reduced to a pulp. Although the yellow peppers and fennel was not technically a "fondue" because they were not reduced enough, it was still tasty. The yellow peppers were warm and sweet and the fennel was delicately shaved into the apple and jalapeno salad that was on top of the halibut. Take note that I am a HUGE fennel fan and they used it perfectly in this dish. This fish dish could have easily been turned into a cold salad and used as an appetizer- which means that there was not a lot of food and for ($24) there should have been more but it was refreshing and I didn't hate it. I still think the restaurant is overpriced, but I really appreciate Saucebox for allowing me to try their food again and this second experience was a huge improvement from the first time. I will go back. As a matter of fact, I will probably order some of those yummy tapioca dumplings tonight ha-ha! Last and final note to the readers: the first time I went on a Saturday night and this time was on a Monday night....

    (2)

  • Krista T.

    I am between three and four stars on this one - If I could select three and a half, I would. It can be a great place to get a table with a group, but the tables in the front near the bar will always get taken early in the night. There's more seating in the back and upstairs but they just don't say "Hey, Look at me!" like the tables in the front do. The drinks are average to high priced and tasty. One of my friends got a drink called "the best drink". If you are going to call something the general term of "best" with no context, you're taking a big risk my friend. It was better than most, but I can't say its the best in PDX. The table service was attentive last night, but I have stood at the bar to order and it can take a while on a busy night. I've had really rude service only once, for the most part the servers are indifferent. Oh, and its smoking. ICK. And occasionally, the bar area becomes a dance floor which is a little akward since its lined with tables, its right in front of the entrance and the servers have to walk right through the middle of it to deliver drinks. Yeah for a good dj and dancing, boo for poor layout.

    (3)

  • Kate S.

    I ABSOLUTELY love this place. The food is spectacular and the drinks are good as well. I especially love the happy hour, nothing is over $5! My boyfriend and I can stop in for a light dinner for just $30 (2 drinks each, 2 large bowls of noodles, fries, and edamame). I also really like the atmosphere... very New York meets Portland. LOVE IT!

    (5)

  • Dave M.

    Sauncebox features a trendy atmosphere, Theivery Corporation's music floating through the air, and typical asian-fusion cuisine. The food doesn't live up to the atmosphere's hype, unfortunately. But, overall the experience is great, and I'd definately return again. Be sure to order one of their insane cocount drinks.

    (2)

  • Andrew L.

    Cool space, great drinks. Maybe a little pricey, but some of the food is actually quite good.

    (4)

  • Suzanne A.

    love this place, for the asian fusion nibbles, the yummy and unique cocktails, good DJs and the sleek decor. love the little loft seating area too - cozy if you can get a spot. it's a little pricey for portland, but being from San Francisco, it didn't really shock me. definitely one of my stops when i visit pdx. good place to stop before a show downtown. thai green curry....yummmmmmm......

    (4)

  • Todd S.

    Neat atmosphere. Food was tasty and the music was fun. I will return.

    (4)

  • sarah a.

    my girlfriends and i had a pat-on-our-back, end of the year ladies night out here and we had so much fun! not sure how it is now since i haven't been to portland in the last (eek!) 2 years, but drinks were always very creative and got the job done right.

    (4)

  • christina v.

    I went with a few friends for happy hour on Sunday. The food was just okay. We had the Thai Beef Salad, grilled satay squid, dungeness crab hand roll, the Bachelor pad thai the Vietnamese salad roll,and spicy ahi tuna hand roll from the Happy Hour Menu. From the sushi menu, we had the spider. They had their special ginger and papaya cocktail. Doesn't that all sound good? Well, the presentation of the food looks fabulous but the food not that good. From the happy menu I order, I liked the spicy ahi tuna hand roll the bachelor pad thai, and the Thai beef salad. In the Vietnamese salad consist of mango, tofu, and cabbage. It sounded interesting but when I took a bit of it, it was mostly cabbage and tofu; there was a small amt of mango puree (I thought it would have a slice of real mango but I was wrong). We order the bachelor pad thai with chicken but gave us tofu instead. The grilled satay squid was tasteless. Our waitress was very friendly but kept forgetting our order and giving our order to another table that was seated after us :( Oh, I would not recommend their specialty drink with the papaya and ginger; it's filled with chopped ginger, no papaya flavor; I think that drink will kill your cold. I had to ask my waitress a few times about our orders because she forgot.

    (2)

  • Bryon P.

    Chef special sushi meal was excellent, drinks not so much. Bartender couldn't make an Absolut Chocolate martini, Brazen version had to be replaced due to not having ingredients.

    (3)

  • Allie C.

    Delicious! The sushi was great and the cocktails were yummy too! My husband was amazed by their unique drink selection and I was a big fan of the sushi. We also loved the ambiance!!! We will definitely come back.

    (5)

  • Cyn M.

    Dined as a group for a birthday and nearly everyone had a poor food experience. My main dish, rack of lamb, was completely untrimmed arriving with much fat and gristle. They must have been in a hurry to move us along because they brought the check without offering any dessert. Drinks were good though.

    (1)

  • Jared B.

    Wow, their food was great quality. Best burger ive had in town for about 10 bucks.

    (5)

  • Nicole H.

    Based on the reviews, I figured this place would be hit or miss. Well, I was right about that! Though there was a lot of variety on the cocktail menu (and some unique drinks!) I'd advise the Saucebox go-er to order the more unique ones, because the standard cocktails are very, very average. Not really worth a 20 min wait time. I ordered one called Eternal Youth (or something like that) and it was the best drink I'd consumed the entire evening. Food is very mediocre. Do NOT order the banh mi (yes I know, I should have known better, but I decided to try it anyway). Well...unless you like your meat to be shredded to the consistency of cat food, steer clear. It also comes with way too much mayo and no pate. The bachelors pad thai tasted okay, but was pretty dry. My friend ordered a buger which she thought was delicious. The fries were awesome - hot, crispy and salty. The Thai Beef Salad was actually much better than I thought it would be considering my experience with the Pad Thai and banh mi. Except I encountered 1 piece of 1 inch beef in the entire thing?! The taro chips should definitely be on everyones table! Service was slooow. Not especially friendly. The decor was amazing though! I was so hyped when I walked in and sat down, but the rest of the experience was really lacking. Overall very blah experience. Is it worth downtown parking and traffic? No, not to me. Is it worth it, period? Maybe. Nothing to write home about, but a person could probably find some decent cheap eats there, but as for me? I'll stick to Pok Pok when I'm feelin Asian cuisine/drinks!

    (1)

  • David Y.

    visited Portland Oregon my first time to visit my cousin and i asked her to show me what your downtown has to offer she took me to the here to the saucebox its a decent bar nothing too impressive like all the other bars in all other downtowns around the world the DJ spinning tunes had some good vibes that mixed well with the alcohol mixing with the locals was a present surprise i had decent conversations much love from a so cal patron

    (3)

  • Adam E.

    I went to Saucebox for happy hour. While the main menu is rather pricey, there are tons of great deals to be had during happy hour. The atmosphere is upscale as is the menu. Service was consistent and friendly. During happy hour you'll find large appetizers priced between $1-5, with microbrews, wine, and mixed drinks in the $3-5 range. I put together an entire meal composed of appetizers plus several drinks for just over $10.

    (4)

  • Eric W.

    I'm usually not one to care about service...but this was some of the worst service I've ever had anywhere. Our server only came to the table about 4-5 times. We went without water for the entire entree portion. I kept trying to flag the waitress down, but she never raised her eyes off of the ground. We finally got our bill paid by working through another server. For the prices the food was pretty "meh". I had a piece of salmon over a bed of spinach. I think it might have been a good piece of fish, but I couldn't tell because it was completely covered by a char siu like sauce. You could buy a similar piece at the market for $8 and a bottle of asian sauce for $2 to replicate this at home. At $26 it was a major, major pass. My wife had a piece of halibut with a "fennel fondue" sauce and a cucumber jalepeno salad. The fondue was a pretty basic butter/cream sauce (buerre blanc?), and the salad was a little heavy on the jalapeno. I think this dish was $24...I would've been ok with it had it been $16. I will say that the pu pu platter was a decent appetizer. The tapioca dumplings stuffed with chicken were the highlight. Good texturally and well seasoned filling. The veggie sushi was ok for what it was. The "korean spare ribs" were cooked way too long -- I like asian ribs to have a little chew to them. These instantly fell of the bone like they were braised for 12 hours. The noodle wrapped meatball was pretty darn salty, but was ok. For $20 it was a good assortment, but once again left me thinking that I was overcharged by $5-10. All in all, I'd probably rather go to a hole in the wall vietnamese or thai place. Sure, i wouldn't feel nearly as hip eating somewhere else, but I'd leave with $40 more in my pocket.

    (1)

  • Dave H.

    Terrible service. It took a total of 3-1/2 hours for the salad and entree courses to arrive after ordering. After nearly 1-1/2 hours, we asked servers a couple of times about the delay, and received no response other than it would be "any time now." About an hour after that , we spoke to the manager. She offered no response or apology other than to say it was a busy night. The food itself was very good when it finally showed up, but the slow service was worse than we have ever experienced anywhere. To make matters worse, we had pre-ordered desserts, but at the end of this marathon wait, the server said that they had run out of the items we had ordered. Only then was there any sort of apology, and the restaurant decided to comp the entire bill. So the experience was awful due to the slow and somewhat surly service. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

    (1)

  • Cortney R.

    I'm not sure what it is about the Saucebox...It was the place my wedding party went after my first wedding, and one of the groomsmen got way too drunk and passed out in the street outside. The 2nd time around, it was a Bachelorette destination, and one of my friends thought it was a good idea to drink a pineapple all on her own. NOT GOOD. She ended up in the street too. Different street, but still!

    (5)

  • Jenny C.

    A trip here is worth trading your kidneys for. Both of them. Saucebox just oozes fancy. Visitors beware, yes, it's a Portland institution, and yes locals will sometime roll their eyes at the thought of having to leave their favorite dives to go here. But just bring up how great you think Powell's is again, and how you wish you had such rad places like these in your city and watch their annoyance turn into a proud puffed up chest as they lead the way to the front door. The blend of an original design by Allied Works Architecture, rich tunes pouring out of the speakers, and hip but bona fide personnel make for an excellent experience as short as a quick drink or as long as a full evening meal. While happy hour is apparently amazing, I've only ever stopped here towards the end of a night out at the snazzy spots in town. The drinks are unbeatable. Perfect really. Chatting at candlelit white linen tables one can't help but feel the tantalizing presence of a major metropolitan city just on the other side of the window. The whole experience should not be missed if you find yourself in town. And on an aside, the ice in the drinks is super cold. It just won't melt. Which is good, seeing that you'd have to fill a bathtub full of it to sit in after the organ -to- swanky beverage swap.

    (5)

  • Ann W.

    On vacation in Portland, we asked our concierge for a Happy Hour recommendation...OH MY! Did we get a good one! I wanted to pack this place up, put it in my pocket, and take it back to Seattle with me! The Happy Hour menu was great! Lots of food for great prices...and not just "food" but great burgers, hand rolls, drinks...mmmmmm, I'm getting sentimental just thinking about it! As for the decor, swanky, but by no means, pretentious! Sitting in the balcony gave us a birds-eye-view of both the bar (black) and the dining area (white)...perhaps a Ying and Yang theme? The staff was great. A bit hard to flag down at times, but it was Happy Hour. This place is definitely a "must-go" whether you're a local or a tourist!

    (5)

  • HOWIE B.

    The best happy hour in Portlandia! Terrific drink specials, yummy cheap food (and lots of choices) and great service (though some staffers can be a bit aloof).

    (4)

  • Ashley C.

    I love the ambiance, like the food, and people watching. Honestly, I was there with a couple of friends, so I didn't noticed much. Also, I was starving, so everything tasted good to me. The bartender and wait staff were very nice and attentive.

    (4)

  • Seasons K.

    Really great for dinner/night out etc... Happy Hour here kicks butt though! Very gourmet, very awesome thai goodies and cocktail specials while enjoying great downtown people watching!!

    (5)

  • Quynh b.

    Yum! and VERY cheap! Came here during HH and was very pleased. For 4 people we ordered: 8 dishes between us, 4 beers, and 2 sakes and it was only 48 dollars!! The burger was great. We also enjoyed the pad thai but only because we were really disappointed in Pok Pok the meal beforehand. The lettuce cups were good but quite salty and wet. Seems like it would be better with rice than lettuce. I will be making this my regular spot!

    (4)

  • Nisha D.

    Mmmm swanky. Wasn't at all dressed for this place, but I still had a good time. Got a pino griso and ordered the miso soup. Both were excellent. The soup wasn't too salty which is always a miracle. My friend got the duck curry which he said was pretty good, but he's had better. The space is really cool, with comic book-like art on the walls and lots and lots of mirrors. We took a peek at the quieter room which was pretty, but not as happening as the main room. If you go, dress up. It'll make it a lot more fun.

    (4)

  • Annette V.

    It was a decided mid-drink at a recent visit to Saucebox with friends for their happy hour that I have officially found my favorite place to get sauced and really happy at a reasonable price! Parking may be a drag to find, but once you manage to ditch your car somewhere (Anywhere!! Just get me to Saucebox!!) and let your eyes get adjusted to the dark enough to read the menu, your salivary glands will start thanking you for making the effort! From the non-traditional happy hour menu (what??!?! no nachos, chicken wings and artichoke dip?) to unique cocktails to the best bowl of fries $2 can buy...how can you walk away 1) sober and 2) not happy? Service is attentive and quick, bathroom sinks are unique, and the people watching is decent...if you can take your eyes off the food long enough :) Oh Saucebox, I'm so glad you are a Portland staple...can't wait to come back!

    (5)

  • Gina P.

    Disclaimer: usually I will not Yelp something unless I at least go twice, so this is an outlier but I can't help it...it started out so promising and then just let me down. I'll set the stage... It was a balmy Portland night, lovely weather for al fresco. I was with some co-workers... we wanted good cocktails and some dinner... hotel Monaco (which was great) recommended Saucebox. Being amused by the name, and happy that it was in walking distance, we headed that way. +1 for outdoor dining on a nice night -1 for waitress forgetting to put in our food order - 1 for restaurant being out of nearly everything on the menu +1 for innovative and flavorful cocktails - cucumber ginger martini thing was quite tasty. BUT they were out of the thai chili infused vodka and all of the tap beers and nearly ALL of the bottled beers... !?!? we kept trying to order food and they would be out of things... We had: - beet salad - was interesting. beets were kind of crunchy but the red jalepenos & cilantro were an interesting take. Also enjoyed the candied nuts but there wasn't any goat cheese, as promised. - The rolls (spicy tuna NOT SPICY) and Shrimp were flavorless, and not at all interesting. Served with one limp slice of ginger and a lame pea sized drop of wasabi. weak. - hamachi sashimi was decent. All in all, we waited nearly an hour for a second round of snacks which we then found out were never ordered; we were accosted by a bum; and then we could not get our check even though we begged... I will not be going back. The only solid thing about Saucebox is the name.

    (2)

  • Nathan Z.

    We were pretty much ignored for a good 10-15 minutes, just about when we were going to leave some seats at the bar opened up. The drinks were very weak. I definitely do not recommend.

    (1)

  • Sara S.

    Tourist cocktail review. This place is very cool, but very NOT what I think of when I visit Portland. I could be in Miami, Boston, New York, LA... many cities come to mind at a swanky, international-feeling place like this. Not Portland. My Cucumber Caprioska (muddled cucmber, house infused ginger vodka, ginger beer) was fantastic, and the service was attentive and quick. However, if I want a "different" experience, something that is unique to Portland, I wouldn't come here. Don't get me wrong, the quality, atmosphere, music, etc. was great. I would recommend Saucebox perhaps to someone who lives in the suburbs and doesn't get out that much. It's just that places atmospheres and Asian-fusion menus aren't very unique anymore. All in all, great end to the night. It was very enjoyable. Perhaps just a tad overrated.

    (4)

  • Jenna P.

    This place has always been on my must try list. Today I finally got to eat the food. I had only had drinks before. Happy hour offered a very diverse selection of both light and heavy fare. The staff was very attentive and friendly. I was so happy that my $5 cocktail of the day was a tall beverage. I usually have tiny children size glasses brought to my table pretending to be big kid drinks. The burgers aren't huge but what they lack in size they make up for in flavor. My "must tries" are the szechuan noodles and the pork egg rolls. You'll definitely feel "hip" but still feel taken care of as if you were in a homestyle restaurant.

    (5)

  • Jennifer W.

    The Asian influence and dark colors gave the lounge a warm ambiance and experience. When we walked in, we were directed to a table near the window. You have an option of sitting outside, but it was a bit chilly. This is where we started our happy hour drinks and eating... at Saucebox. Deciding the bites were easier for us, then looking at the six pages of cocktails. Yum! What should I get? My friend just stuck with the usual...Makers on ice. But, how can I not try these yummy concoctions especially if they have six pages of them. I actually don't remember what cocktail I tasted. It was so damn delicious! I had three of them. Not only that, to start the happy hour night off right, the tradition with my Hawaii friends is having a shot of whiskey..at least it was; back in the day. Whiskey shot? Yeah, I can see my liver working really hard right now. Of course, food needs to enter my tummy. As we're drinking we're eating the taro chips, the spicy ahi tuna roll, beef salad, fries, and the miyako burger. The happy hour dishes were delicious, but the drinks were more memorable. I had a great experience and the service was great! I love Oregon's happy hours!

    (4)

  • bridget n.

    i am reviewing soley on Saucebox's happy hour. This is probably one of the best i've had!!! food was good (very very good) came out fast, and reasonably priced. i would go there a few times a week if i could. the staff was also very friendly and kept making sure we were ok. sometimes you are overlooked in the midst of happy hour since they are so busy but kudos to Saucebox for making sure their customers are taken care of.

    (5)

  • Rachel R.

    Beautiful people, a whimsical cocktail menu, great music, seriously well-informed waitstaff, and the food... Depth of flavor. Creativity in preparation. Every person in my party loved their dish, to the point where the moans become a bit indecent. Highly recommended.

    (4)

  • Alexa P.

    Apparently this place is good for happy hour. I went there for dinner with my husband for a birthday dinner and was super disappointed. The food is: Terribly overpriced Not very good Portions are too small Service weird We ordered nigiri and rolls as appetizers: meh. Crispy quail as an entree. It was more like soggy fried sweet and sour quail. Boa bun: pointless. My cocktail was good. We went somewhere else for desert, still hungry. The total bill was $58. There are so many awesome restaurants in Portland we could have eaten really well at for that amount of money. What a bummer!

    (2)

  • Courtney D.

    Saucy bartenders at this joint With the risk of sounding like a stalker, the best part of the Sauce Box is sitting at the bar and watching the bartenders make their cocktails. I've been here a couple of times and have honestly thought it was a bit boring, except for the time we sat at the bar. This is the place for overpriced but hugely, creative cocktails. The bartenders were extremely charming and not hard on the eyes either. But it was their shaking and stirring that we found the most fascinating. They were truly entertaining to watch and reminded me of Tom Cruise in "Cocktail." We didn't know what to order so asked them for a suggestion and ended up with a fresh ginger/mint concoction. May sound a bit strange but it was tasty with a bite. The drawback came a couple hours later when the bill came. Several martinis each set up back about $80. This is why I wouldn't come here often, but it was fun for a quirky change of pace. Tip: Order their French fries at the bar. They were awesome.

    (3)

  • Tyson V.

    The pork belly is phenomenal! Great decor, atmosphere and the service was great. Thank you Saucebox for making our experience that night a wonderful one!

    (5)

  • Heather H.

    This place has a great little happy hour. Both drinks AND food are on the HH menu. The food menu is predominantly Asian food (mostly Thai, as I recall) and very good. You can get pad thai for like $4 (maybe it's $5, but who cares 'cuz that's a good price). I don't remember looking at the HH drink menu because I ordered the house red (which isn't bad) that was on HH. I do know that they also have a drink of the day that's on the HH menu. All in all, a good place.

    (4)

  • Danny n.

    About this place: If you happen to look for this place.. the outside is not appealing and the location is not the best, in terms of fanciness. Immediately you walk inside of this place you feel transported to an elegant and sophisticated bar/lounge. The best for people like me Music please! Ta ta ra ta tan... pages and pages of different drinks.. everything you could imagine. It is a candy stores but with drinks. Every flavor is there and it is usually like $9 dollars. I would totally recommend this place... a little bit expensive for Portland but it is worth it.

    (5)

  • Jennifer O.

    My friend and I decided to try Saucebox last night for Happy Hour. It was jam packed but buzzing with fun and chatter. We sat down next to a big picture window watching all the Portland action outside. Loved it. Our little tapas dishes were SO good. The flavors were like nothing I've tasted before. Very unique. I had a couple of hand rolls (spicy tuna and crab) and they both were very very good as well. The waitress was adorable and so attentive which I really appreciated. The decor was fun and modern Asian. Very cool. The night was pretty perfect. I recommend Saucebox completely. We will be back.

    (4)

  • Jeff C.

    I wasn't too impressed with this place. Americanized Spendy Chinese food really doesn't do anything for me. Though I will say the food was pretty. Service was great and the atmosphere was pretty good.

    (3)

  • Meg M.

    This is one of my favorite bars/restaurants in Portland. The suave decor and top notch DJs make for a super sexy ambiance. Their bartenders are amazing and the renowned and extensive cocktail menu does not disappoint. I always order the tropicalitan. And hats off to the chef--the dinner and happy hour / late night menus are both delicious. Top pick from the dinner menu would have to be the fall-off-the-bone melt-in-your-mouth ribs. As for the HH/late night menu, their burger and fries are, hands down, the BEST I've ever had. Daikon coleslaw, avocado, and peppered bacon complement the tasty burger perfectly, and those fries...you will die and go to fry heaven. I've always had a perfect night, whether it be attending an epic new year's eve party, gorging myself on their late night menu, sitting on the outside tables in the summertime for happy hour, or having an elegant date night in the restaurant side.

    (5)

  • Mike H.

    I have to say that I am HUGE fan of this place for Happy Hour. After hearing all about Saucebox for many years I decided that it was time to try it and see what all the hoopla was about. When I first walked in I noticed that it had a trendy feel to it, DJ music playing in the background, dimly lit, and almost everyone in the place was wearing black (should have gotten the heads up on that one since I decided to come in a red and blue plaid shirt, stood out like a sore thumb). But the atmosphere was not pretentious, still laid back enough for my tastes. We got a table outside, which was great! People watching on lower Burnside is a lot more entertaining than one might think. Food: Great overall Thai food based on the taste and the variety that is on the menu. There are probably 15-20 different choices for happy hour that range from just $1-5 bucks. Drinks: $5 speciality cocktail, $3 Blue Moon. Not the cheapest drink prices but the price of the food makes up for it. Been back three or four times since my first visit and havent been disappointed yet. Enjoy the cheap great food and tell them Mike sent you (haha actually don't do that because: a) you will receive a look of confusion and bewilderment from your waiter; b) they have no clue who I am)

    (5)

  • Holly M.

    Happy Hour here is wonderful. And their drink selection is dizzying, especially for a girl who doesn't like "bitch beer," but who likes her drinks on the sweeter side. Their happy hour food menu is great, and if you have friends who don't like the Asian food, the fries are good, too!

    (5)

  • Kristen M.

    AMAZING with a Capital A! Why Amazing? I have three reasons for you - 1. AMBIANCE: sexy, swanky, yet cool to your eye. Jagged set mirrors down the hallway give the area oomph! Also, just walking in you see a painted wall saying "RAGUSYVEAH" which is read "HEAVYSUGAR" from the mirror on the opposite wall. I do not know what it means but hey it stands out and it's cool. The place is hustling n' bustling so you know that this place is workin' it that night. Sitting upstairs gives you a grand view of the bar downstairs alongside with the diners. The dark stairway to the second floor is lit up with tea candles so beware of your steps! Don't be too worried though because the stairs are lined with rubber. Table settings are crisp, clean and white china. Chopsticks are uniquely stuffed within your napkin. Glassware that resembles bamboo! What else can surprise you?! The bathroom! Yes I said it! I do not know why I also judge a restaurant by their bathroom as well. Maybe I'm just weird like that but I think it's part of the package - a unique sink that automatically sprinkles water into your hands. It's kinda nice that it is in the middle of the entrance that way men and women can use it. Besides that automatic paper towels as well. Above the sink is a huge vase full of flowers that serve as an umbrella while you wash your hands. 2. ASIAN INSPIRED FOOD: Happy Hour is a must! It's cheap, delicious, great presentation, and most importantly - wonderful flavors. I had the Bachelor Pad Thai with Tofu ($4)- a medium spicy pad thai with savory veggies stir fried. I also had a chance to try their Miyako Burger ($4) - beef with teriyaki sauce burger engrossed with avocados and wasabi mayo. Delish! I was able to sample the Sauvie Island Burger that my friend was having and let me tell you this was just as good as the Miyako. This had Tillamook Cheese, bacon and its special sauce on the burger. I was also able to sample the Saucebox french fries. Who says you can't have burger without any fries? You can totally tell these were made fresh, because they tasted like they just got done cooking them. There were several other dishes that I had tried that I can't think of at the moment but everything on their HH menu was scrumptious. Pretty much you can't go wrong with whatever they have on their menu. 3. ALCOHOL: Happy hour is a must! What's even better is the Cocktail of the day. When I came I had the Lycheetini and let me tell you, I admit it is a girly drink but it was worth $5. Every single drop. I had a taste of the Hurricane and that was juicy itself. I give Saucebox an A+++ for everything. I'm definitely coming back here! They got some karate choppin' moves!

    (5)

  • Ladan R.

    Great spot! Their happy hour menu is really good- a lot of Asian inspired dishes. They usually have a DJ during the later hours; drinks are yummy too! Nice style as well.

    (4)

  • Alissa R.

    I LOVE this place. It has yet to disappoint me. Happy hour is wonderful and the attractive male staff aren't bad to look at either! The large cocktail menu will have something for everyone and the drink combinations are creative but not crazy. If you get there at 5 you won't have to wait for a table but if you do, its never an unbearably long wait. Its a great spot to meet up with friends after work to grab a cocktail and a small bite and the ambiance makes you feel like you are in some chic new york type bar rather than just off Burnside and Broadway (scary!) in little old Portland, OR

    (4)

  • Kristin D.

    YUM - drinks and food were excellent! there was a huge birthday party going on upstairs when we were here, so i didn't quite get a feel for the normal saturday evening vibe of this place. my boyfriend and i shared the korean bbq ribs and veggie red curry... they were both delicious. the curry could have been a little spicier for my taste but i generally like things on the hotter side of normal. i had the green dragon cocktail - very refreshing. boyfriend had the kickboxer - omg very very spicy chile infused vodka with fruit juices. saucebox was a great place to fuel up and begin our saturday night!

    (4)

  • Brittney L.

    I came here on my 21st birthday (and many times after that) and had a great experience. The staff has a tendency to make you wait quite awhile (this is a consistent trend), but the food is great and the drinks are pretty, so I guess it's okay... Ha! Overall, fantastic atmosphere, great food and drink, and a wonderful happy hour.

    (4)

  • Sophie E.

    The food is over priced. We ordered salad rolls and sushi- they did not taste good at all. The serving size is too small for the amount paid for. I am disappointed because I heard great things about this place. Lastly, the service was terrible. The staff didn't remember what we ordered and got the bill messed up. Charged us for ordering octopus and we didn't!

    (2)

  • J W.

    This restaurant is truly over-hyped. My husband and I are always on the hunt for great asian food, fusion or not... this placed missed the mark. The food was bland, overpriced, and the portions were hardly tapas size. The two stars are for the customer service, no complaints about our server or the pace of the food coming out. Don't be deceived by the fancy ambiance.

    (2)

  • Acacia F.

    I was not impressed with this place. I came here with a friend and we each ordered several dishes on the happy hour menu. I got the brussels sprouts with dashi and the fried sprouts were soggy and lackluster, the egg on top was barely cooked (super soft boiled) and I had to send it back. My other dishes were fine (fries and clams) but nothing special. This is the kind of 'asian fusion" that I find tiresome and overdone. Also they brought out all the dishes pretty much at the same time, so by the time I was done with one, the other was cold. The service was extremely minimal, though it was mostly the food I didn't like.

    (2)

  • Leighton P.

    It was raining and chilly in April in Portland (surprise). We were walking downtown and decided to duck in; it was on a short list of suggestions from a local foodie friend. Happy hour started at 4, and we were the first customers. It filled up within an hour. Staff is amazing, friendly, low-key, yet professional. I don't usually say this but the chicken wings are the bomb, and although they were sort of Asian fusion (which I normally don't like), they were truly delish. I also had the raw oyster app - fresh local raw oysters lightly flavored a la vinagrette. Yum.

    (4)

  • Kevin L.

    Had a large group. Love this restaurant but the service was awful tonight and when we said there was an issue the waiter and the manager said there was nothing where they were at fault. Disappointed. Understand there's a give and take but shouldn't both parties have an input? You don't have to agree with the customer, but how do you tell a group 10+ people that they're all wrong about their poor customer service l?appearance?

    (1)

  • Jonathan T.

    This place has awesome drinks! My friends and I are visiting and we were looking for a late night place to have a light meal and a drink. We found this place searching through yelp and decided to come here because of the happy hour and other people's posts on the pork udon and tapioca dumplings. Our server recommended the kick boxer and it was really good! Sweet with a little spice and strong! We all had the pork udon and shared the tapioca dumplings. We didn't realize it was spicy but it was good. It was a little sweet for my liking but it was a very tasty dish. It was also filling. I though the tapioca dumplings were good. They weren't as amazing as I thought they'd be based on the other reviews. Maybe it was just one of those things that had my expectations too high. They must save a good amount on their electric bill because this place was dark!! Enough light on the candles to see the menu and such though.

    (4)

  • Valerie W.

    Excellent drinks. And yes, come for the drinks...and more drinks. With fancy names like "Poolside with David Hasslehoff" or "The BEST drink" you are bound to find something snazzy to enjoy. They do many house infused liquors and they are all indeed tasty. Poolside with David Hasslehoff comes with their watermellon vodka blended with cucumber for a nice refreshing blend. The BEST drink slightly reminds me of a fizzy mojito. Orchid drink - it's purple and tastes like delicious berries. Also very good. Actually, all the drinks I've tried there are good no doubt. Wanna get funky? Get the drink that comes in the pineapple! The atmosphere is nice. Dim lighting, DJs on the weekends...it can get a bit loud. Would make for a nice little date spot. Staff is excellent, friendly, prompt, and knowledgeable about the menu. Food. I cannot say I have tried much here. Sorry, the drinks are just THAT good. I can say though the brussle sprouts....GET THEM. You will surely love their sweet yummyness. The salt and pepper shrimp...yeah....they don't taste like salt OR pepper. They are nicely cooked but covered in bonito flakes which really takes over the whole flavor. Kinda lost it for me. MEH to that one. Certainly one of those great places to get your night started, come in for a meal or snack, or just hang out with friends.

    (4)

  • Jenny H.

    I had high hopes for this place because of all the good reviews on yelp but I definitely left disappointed. The good thing about Saucebox is it's quite large and it's not too difficult to get a reservation on OpenTable. We were seated right away and we got our drinks quickly, but then we waited and waited and waited for our food. Our server didn't drop by to tell us that there would be a delay and we had to call him over to ask. It took around an hour before we got our first dish and then some more time to get the rest of the dishes. The wait for our food was way too long. Onto the food.... CRISPY BRUSSEL SPROUTS ($9) : My favorite dish! I love brussel sprouts and their version was delicious. Nicely browned and served with dash broth and a soft cooked egg. SWEET POTATO SPRING ROLLS ($8) : Eh, this was just okay. Sweet potato was soft and sweet which was good and maybe I just didn't like it in spring roll form. PORK SARONG ($9) : Pork meatballs made with ginger, garlic, and thai chili. It was just another okay dish. Nothing too great about the taste of the meatballs but presentation was somewhat nice. MANZANITA SUSHI ROLL ($9) : Dungeness crab roll with avocado and cucumber served with spicy mayo sauce. This roll and all other sushi rolls we ordered had horrible rice that I don't even think was sushi rice. The rice was dry which made it hard to enjoy the roll. GUNKAN-MAKI ($5) : This is a spicy salmon nigiri wrapped in seaweed that really made me sick. I don't know what they put in the spicy salmon roll but I couldn't really stomach the roll because of a creaminess. Perhaps it was coconut milk? All I know is I hated this dish. SPIDER ROLL ($12) : Typical spider roll with soft shell crab, avocado, and cucumber except with dry rice. JAVANESE SALMON ($25) : Tasted good but not something that I would pay $25 for since it didn't seem too different from something I could cook myself. Flavor was a little too sweet for me. I liked how it was served with spinach to balance out the dish.

    (2)

  • Craig L.

    Came for happy hour on a Saturday night. Drinks were strong. The burger on the happy hour menu was awesome, juicy but cooked through. Way more than what I anticipated for a Happy Hour burger. The ambiance is interesting, sat in the front and enjoyed the street action including view to strip club across the street. Our young server was excellent.

    (4)

  • Emma D.

    Happy hour menu from 4:30-6:30, Tues-Fri was awesome! Big portions for small prices, plus nice cocktails, too. We got edamame, a specialty burger, and fries -- all great! The one dish I personally wasn't a fan of were the tapioca dumplings -- the innards were fine, but the skin was this thick, glutinous wrapper that was way too chewy for a dumpling. We were seated by the big window in front, so it felt very airy and summery. Some outdoor seating in the front, but not a true patio.

    (4)

  • Lauriel E.

    My favorite happy hour in downtown. The food is inexpensive and delicious and the noodle bowl is always a good deal. The cocktail of the day is usually sweet and fruity (which I like) but there is also a substantial menu of other cocktails. Not much for beer or wine. Friendly and accommodating staff. It's usually noisy and crowded at happy hour, fyi.

    (5)

  • Sarah C.

    **HH review only** ~You really can't go wrong with the small cup of edamame for $1. They taste great when they're fresh & warm with just a hint of salt. ~The cup of miso soup for $2 seems a little high. The cup isn't any bigger than what you'd find elsewhere & it doesn't taste any different either. If you really love miso then try it otherwise use that $2 toward the $3 brussels sprouts. ~The brussels sprouts is one of my favorite items on the HH menu. Crispy on the outside, soft inside & rich in flavors that it's cooked in. ~The salad rolls, also for $3, weren't that great & they fell apart easily. They supposedly are made with mango but I couldn't see nor taste it. ~The sweet potato spring rolls for $4 weren't impressive either. As I recall they were very greasy & I don't even think we finished them. ~The Thai red curry ($4) is another favorite of mine. Typical red curry you'd find at a Thai restaurant served with steamed rice. Try this. ~The Tom Kha ($5) was underwhelming. It's a soup but it looked more like the thickness of gravy & it came with steamed rice. We didn't finish this dish either. HH cocktails are $5. The cocktail of the day & the sbx daiquiri are good choices. Service has always been friendly & attentive every time I've dined here. Saucebox has extremely dim lighting & I don't know why that is. I usually have to use the candlelight on the table or the lighting from my phone to read the menu. Besides my inability to read the menu in very low lighting I really do enjoy Saucebox.

    (4)

  • Katherine M.

    We originally went here for their Portland Dining Month menu. However, their happy hour menu sounded better at the time, so we chose that instead. For drinks, my bf got his usual whiskey and coke, while I got their cocktail of the day, which was a strawberry infused tequila with grapefruit and lime. The drinks were pretty good and stiff. I really liked the strawberry infused tequila a lot. As for the food, we got: tofu pad Thai, spicy tuna hand roll, gunkan maki, and the soft shell crab steam buns (not on the happy hour menu.) All were really tasty. The pad Thai wasn't the best I've had, but still pretty good. It had a stronger garlicky taste that I really liked. The hand roll and gunkan maki were decent. The fish were fresh, but flavor wise, it was a bit bland. The soft shell crab buns were my favorite. The crispy crab and the soft bun were a nice contrast in texture. I just wish it was a big bigger since it was really tasty! Also, the complimentary taro chips were really good as well. It's easy to screw that one up, but those were perfectly cooked and crisp. Service was good. Our server was nice, and the busboy refilled our water often. Although, our server kind of disappeared once in a while, so getting the check kinda took a while. We weren't in a hurry though, so it was ok. Overall, pretty good happy hour. I wouldn't mind going back there again to try the other items in the HH menu.

    (4)

  • johnny s.

    Upbeat scene in the evening with the the DJ right in front as you walk in (I must admit, I first time I visited I thought he was the host...duhhh) Lights are dimmed down and awesome art on the walls provide a good night time "hot spot" atmosphere. The cocktail list is extensive, with a lot of drinks offering an island twist. I've only ever been for happy hour but the menu does not disappoint. The Pad tai is ridiculously tasty with a fish sauce that leaves me always wanting more. Another dish I'd recommend is the tapioca dumplings. It feels like your eating a cloud. When I have friends visit, Saucebox is always on the list.

    (5)

  • Amy D.

    This review is for their Happy Hour. I'd actually been to Saucebox once before a couple of years ago on a weekend night, but it was pretty dead then. However, I liked their inventive drink menu. In any case, we decided to stop by for happy hour since they were within walking distance of our hotel, and had really good HH specials. We ordered a bunch of different plates to share since everything sounded really good: -Complimentary Taro Chips (Fried & Salted, yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… ): Good- the taro chips were salted well and nice and crispy. -Sweet Potato Spring Rolls (Groundworks Lettuces, House Sweet Chili Sauce, $4, yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… ): Ok- the sweet potato inside was interesting but I wouldn't order this again. -SBX Spicy Wings (Lime, Fish Sauce, Sambal, Cilantro, $5, yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… ): Good, but not spicy at all. I probably wouldn't get this again. -Crispy Brussels Sprouts (Dashi Broth, Soft Egg, Togarashi, Scallions, $3, yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… ): Yum! This dish is a must order, especially if you like brussels sprouts. They had a great char, and I loved the flavor. -Steamed Clams (Kaffir Lime, Coconut Milk, Portuguese Sausage, $5, yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… ): Good- they give you a good amount of clams for only $5, and I really liked the sauce. -Pork Sarong (Ginger, Garlic, Thai Chili, Tamarind Sauce, $4, yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… ): Just ok- the pork was a bit on the dry side. Skip! -Salted Prawns (Hoisin, Sambal, Lime, $5, yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… ): Ok. The prawns were sweet, but I prefer more than just a salt taste. -Tapioca Dumpling (Chicken, Garlic, Peanuts, Cilantro, Palm Sugar, $4, yelp.com/biz_photos/sauc… ): Yum! My second favorite dish. The tapioca part was sticky and chewy, and I've never had something like this before. I didn't get anything to drink but my friend's seemed to enjoy their drinks. The dishes we had were a little uneven, but the happy hour prices were a great deal, and I would definitely recommend coming here for happy hour. Also, the service was good, and our server was very attentive. Parking can be difficult in this area, but metered spots are available.

    (3)

  • Alayne H.

    We randomly stopped in here for a cocktail and were glad we did. What a great spot. The decor is contemporary and chic. The cocktails list is extensive and best of all inexpensive! We ordered the Mai Tai Me Up and Mirrorball. Loved reading the names given to the cocktails. The were tasty and potent. The service was excellent. Great place to come for drinks!

    (4)

  • Jessica T.

    Okay fancy food that took forever to be served.

    (3)

  • Cory M.

    Amazing decor, environment, and food presentation. I felt like this was the ideal place to hang out considering this was my first visit to Portland. Until I got food poison! Never again.

    (1)

  • Sonia A.

    My parents and I were visiting Portland, and were touring little China there for a hot minute. My mama bear (yes, my mom is mama bear, yep I said it!), was very hungry and nothing in Chinatown was really open or looked appealing. Since mama bear was jonesing some Asian food, and we didn't have much time to look before mama bear's stomach started going on a fritz, I found this place via OpenTable and there we started our adventure. When we got there, they greeted us with so much friendliness. They proceeded to seat us on the "fancy", white, elegant side of the restaurant, and wait us on with grandeur while we looked over the menu. Now this would be great if you are on a oh say, tres chic date, but we were just dining as casual tourist. So I kindly asked the waitress to move us to the other side. I am telling you all this so you can note this when you decide how you want to dine there that night:) So they happily moved us to the other side of the restaurant, and all was good. We then proceeded to ordered off the happy hour menu, which was extensive and stellar. We got so many things off that menu, and everything was soooo good! We had the curry, brussel sprouts, pad thai, edamame, chicken wings, soup, dumplings....and of course, cocktails, wine and beer! The food kept coming, we kept ordering, and everything came piping hot and smile by the staff who served us each dish. The bill came to a little over $50 for all of that and I was happily surprised! Long short, this place is the bomb for some many reasons, from the food to the service to the ambiance. When I go back to Portland to visit, or when my friends do, I am sure to hit this place again and recommend it as well. Bottom line, if you are in Portland, visiting or local for that matter, and want some good Asian food, you must go here!

    (5)

  • Mark F.

    We decided to give this a try after seeing the high volume of reviews. It lived up to the 4 star rating and may possibly be 5 but I noticed I seem to rate almost everything I review with 5. The sushi was great, plus the grilled octopus and soft she'll crab on buns was super. Even the mojito and Ankle Breaker coctail were done very well. The dining room was classy and quiet, compared to the bar area which was noisy and packed with people for happy hour.

    (4)

  • Cora L.

    This place has an excellent happy hour. Definitely try the: - Chicken pad thai - Brussels sprouts w/broth - Saucebox burger Also, baby back ribs are tasty. The lemon poundcake dessert is worth ordering, but skip the watered down coffee. The drinks are stiff and the music is trendy - they were playing Metric and some mainstream edm yesterday, LOVE IT! Saucebox is a great place to enjoy a meal with friends all around, I highly recommend it and will be back next time I'm in town!

    (5)

  • David L.

    As s native Asian I didn't find the food to be impressive. I am a vegetarian do not a whole lot I could order from menu. I ordered grilled Russell sprouts and potstickers. Both taste a little weird. Anyway if you are an Asian who's hungry I recommend you look for somewhere else.

    (3)

  • Joe S.

    Great ambiance. Cute late night menu. I tried the $1 edamame, $2 miso soup, $3 crispy brussels sprouts, $5 quilcene oysters and the $5 pork sarong. For the price all were great! The two things that stood out were the sprouts and the oysters. The sprouts were plenty, cooked to be crunchy and full of awesome. I enjoy ordering simple things at places like this, and with the addition of a poached egg its a perfect dish. My second favorite were the two oysters served with top shell for you to simply pick up to reveal a beautiful oyster with tobiko, cilantro and a little nuoc cham. The tastes were a great delicate dessert. Drinks looked fun and although it is two dollar signs .. Its really worth it. I had a great time writing at the bar and having a snack. All that and two glasses of house white came to $26. Totally reasonable in my opinion at 10pm on a Sunday. I love the no sales tax. Nice job guys! Derek the bartender was great. Thanks!

    (5)

  • Anca D.

    The food was delicious, but the best parts were: 1) The variety. Makes it really easy to please everyone in a group. 2) The yummy cocktails in pineapple or coconut containers. 3) The super comfy chairs. 4) Online reservations.

    (4)

  • Pegah Y.

    Saucebox was good, but not GREAT. It was just OK. Though I liked the atmosphere - the dark, trendy, loungey atmosphere with those (albeit somewhat tacky) white lights - I was not a huge fan of the food. I've traveled in Asia and Asian food has always been my favorite type of food, and this place was an Asian fusion Americanized version of Asian food. What we ordered: -Miyako burger, with avocado, roasted red jalapeños, teriyaki, butter lettuce. -Saucebox handroll (with spicy tuna) -The biggest bowl of miso soup I've ever had Though the portions were good, it wasn't as tasty as I'd like, and not really authentic Asian food. I wouldn't visit again next time I'm in Portland (there are way too many good restaurants to visit instead), but I do recommend visiting Saucebox during their Happy Hour (for better prices), if you do want to visit.

    (3)

  • Alisa G.

    Same friends and same waiter, but this time Alec was much friendlier. Maybe he was having an off day last time. More delicious cocktails, but this time we ordered food off the happy hour menu. Thumbs way up for the Brussels sprouts. They were so good we placed a second order. Edamame was fresh, plump, and salted just right. They chicken pad Thai was fabulous - also fresh and nicely citrusy. The fries were all right but not must-haves. The only real miss was the wings. In a town where everyone has tried Pok Pok's, you need to do them well or not at all. These were flabby and under-seasoned. Skip them.

    (4)

  • JW R.

    Holy shit is in dark in here. What are they hiding? I mean, it's DARK. I get "mood" lighting (I don't like it, but I get it) but if we hadn't been next to a window I would have had to bust out my Eye of God flashlight to read the freakin' menu and that would have pissed off everybody in the room. No, really, my flashlight is AMAZING. Anyway. I guess it's supposed to be swanky, I couldn't tell (It was dark, did I mention that?). The little lights on whatever's suspended over the bar are interesting, and there's kind of a tiki vibe going on here lately. The service was pretty good, but they need to brine the chicken for their pad thai. Buh-land. And it's not as overpriced as you'd expect. I'll be back when my GF drags me here, and not a second before.

    (2)

  • Matthew S.

    Went looking for a asian cuisine late on a friday night to find this place on yelp. Almost missed it with the low lighting it looked like it was closed. We walked in and was greeted with friendly services and very loungish atmosphere. My favorite part of the decore was all the mirrors that made everything very open, and the tree that hung over everything. The music, provided by dj, was very up beat. I ordered the chicken pad thai. It was a small portion but had tons of flavor. I also got a drink called 4 'o'clock in Bangkok. It looked like a girly drink in a martini glass but it was delicious and with some suttle thai chili had a hell of a bite to it. Will definitely have to check out more of their drinks and menu next time I come up from Los Angeles.

    (4)

  • KOisO K.

    Really good food and affordably priced.

    (4)

  • Tyler B.

    Tasty, fun, and somewhat experimental Asian fusion menu options which is nice. I would recommend not coming here with a larger group than say 6 ppl, however. I have been here with smaller groups and the service was fine. Our service was basically non-existent after we ordered our food and this led to us being stuck in the restaurant for 2.5 hrs. The manager blamed it on the chefs which I thought was a bit of a cop out. We brought our friends from another country here to show off Portland style dining, but unfortunately left feeling very embarrassed. Again stick with a small group and this restaurant is plenty fun and tasty.

    (2)

  • Whitney G.

    Our server Nick was excellent! Nice ambiance for a Friday night. We went to celebrate Chinese New Year and a friend's Birthday. The food was delicious. A few things we got included the sweet potato spring rolls, slow cooked chicken, sushi, and what seemed like half of their specialty cocktails. Try their house infused liquor. It's right downtown so parking is limited but we parked in the garage around the corner for $5 (you can stay until 2am). I would recommend making reservations on the weekend.

    (4)

  • Stephanie S.

    I suggest splitting the "volcano" with someone cute.. You'll both be deliciously tipsy by the end :) The food is great as well! I recommend the sushi and the Javanese salmon!! Soooo delish!

    (5)

  • Brittanie M.

    This is a go to place if you're feeling a cute frilly drink. They have a large selection and you can even order a drink served in a pineapple or coconut! It's in a good central location, making it a great place to go have a drink before heading out elsewhere. Kind of an interesting vibe with people that come here for dinner, coupled with others just out for a good time. There's a dj but no dancing and there will always, always, be some awkward couple on a date, as well as a couple a little too into each other for a public setting.

    (4)

  • K F.

    A group of us met here for dinner and cocktails a few weeks ago, and we had mixed reviews. For some of us, it was just the right combination of bar and fine dining. The rest of us were a bit underwhelmed. We struggled with the prawns and the Mediterranean rolls (I think that's them). I'd say they lacked both quality and quantity for the price tag. Seeing as we weren't there during happy hour, we found the cocktails to be a bit out of our evening budget. We sat upstairs, away from much of the hustle and bustle, and we still found ourselves straining to hear the person next to -or across from- us. It was very loud. If that wasn't bad enough, it was very dark. So dark that I wonder if it was even to code. Even though we were in a group, three of us paid on our own bill, and were still charged an automatic 20% gratuity. We were going to probably tip that anyway, but that's a bit high for an included gratuity, in my opinion. Even then, we almost spent $100 on meals for 3 and still left hungry. That being said, there were some pleasant experiences. Some of the food we ordered was wonderful; the ribs and brussel sprouts to be more specific. Delicious, I could eat a few buckets of those no problem. The constantly-full decanters of water were excellent, and the wait staff, though overwhelmed, were friendly and attentive. All in all, I'd say our experience wasn't worth the large bill the three of us split. I suggest going during happy hour for more worth-while dining. I think that with some extra lighting, bigger portions or lower price, this could be a great place for dinner and drinks.

    (3)

  • Jessica S.

    We tried the happy hour. There was a lot of variety to choose from and they were all very good. And prices are excellent for the selection and amount you receive. We were a table of four and ordered a large amount of happy hour food to share. It was perfect to do it that way. The happy hour drinks weren't anything close to phenomenal. The next time we would order off of the regular drink menu because it wasn't worth the happy hour price. Over all, a great atmosphere and a fun place, great service, and a very good happy hour selection of food.

    (4)

  • Elyse L.

    This is a hip and cool place to come for drinks and appetizers. The ambiance is super chic and unique, it's worth the visit to check it out. I wasn't too impressed with the food. We ordered the brussel sprouts, crab shell dim sum, tapioca chicken dim sum and the peanut sauce ribs. The chicken dim sum was the only dish I found tasty, the others were bland or over salted.

    (3)

  • Lindsay D.

    Decent price, delicious sushi. Pretty good drink menu too.

    (4)

  • High S.

    Can't ever go wrong for a satisfying bite, stellar drink, sweet service and gorgeous surroundings. They have DJ nights and host private parties upstairs that, actually, feel private. Being that close to a popular strip bar, usually, tarnishes the ambience but this very, pretty place manages to compartmentalize the classiness. It's busy and the staff kick ass at keeping the rotations tight. I'm never disappointed with a Saucebox burger. Even if they, inexplicably, throw in chopsticks on the side.

    (4)

  • Amber K.

    It's all in the sauce! My favorite might have been the veggie potstickers, but the curry veggie noodles were amazing, too.

    (5)

  • Erica S.

    Good cheap place for happy hour! M-F 4:30-6:30PM and Sat-Sun 5-6:30PM. A drink and two appetizers was only $12 (before tip)! Can't beat that! During the day, this place is not the best atmosphere as the place looks like a club with just black walls and a bar. Not very pleasant to look at, but you can't complain for the tasty drinks and appetizers. Most of the items are between $1-5 and are Asian inspired. If I lived here, I would come here for dinner during happy hour and have a burger or pad thai for $4-5. They bring out taro chips on the house so no need to order it off the menu. Those were addicting! I had a cocktail of the day along with the fresh Vietnamese salad rolls and the pork sarong (meatballs). It was just enough for two of us to snack on before dinner time. If we didn't have dinner plans, we would have stuck around and ordered more food. Great service. Food time was decent. Great easy to find location.

    (4)

  • Herman B.

    It was my first time there and I was pleasantly surprised. They place was nice. The drinks were great, the food was good other than the small serving sizes. The menu was filled with good choices. My wife enjoyed it.

    (3)

  • Kendra N.

    Holy martini menu batman! We went here for my sister's bachelorette party, and we all ordered a couple drinks. Everyone was raving about their martinis and trading sips, each just as delicious as the next. My drink was my favorite, had pomegranate in it... Was so amazing! Can't wait to come back and try more! Don't really remember the food, it was good, but I do recall it being expensive for the portion size.

    (5)

  • Zach S.

    We got the Pu Pu Platter and expected it to be amazing. However, the taste didn't live up to the presentation (and other reviews on here). It seemed as if the food wasn't seasoned properly, or at all. For example, the chicken wings had a beautiful golden crust on them, a nice crunch, and cooked well on the inside. But it had absolutely no flavor. We were dousing them in the sauce it came with to try and impart flavor, then ended up dipping other portions of the platter in the same sauce to do the same. Well cooked, well prepared meal with a taste left to be desired. Service was excellent.

    (3)

  • Marj M.

    Last night my cousins and I had a fabulous meal & drinks. Our server was outstanding and a joy. We totally enjoyed our overall experience. Thank you Joe Rogers we will be back for sure

    (5)

  • Ryan N.

    Stumbled onto this place later in the evening and couldn't have asked for more. If you're looking for more bang for your buck, this isn't the place. That said, the taste & quality alone are worth the prices you'll find here. My wife & I ordered the Tapioca Dumplings and the Soft Shell Crab Steam Buns. Both were fantastic. Service was friendly & great as well. We'll be stopping by more often for sure.

    (5)

  • Carrie R.

    My husband and I enjoyed a great meal at Saucebox recently. We went on a Saturday night around 9 ish and sat outside on the busy street enjoying the warm breeze. It was fun watching the crowd outside of Mary's or looking into Bailey's bar across the street. The interior is elegant with a chic vibe that comes from the fact that you also feel like you are in a club. Our waitress and then the couple sitting next to us (highly) recommended the following: the tapioca dumplings, steamed buns with soft shell crab, and rounded out by the brussel sprout salad. Even though the portions looked small, it was really filling for 2 people. Everything was perfectly prepared and well-seasoned. We had such a wonderful experience and really enjoyed our meal. This place is great for a date night!

    (4)

  • Ranjan L.

    It's pretty good, good place for a nice date. The music was just about loud enough so that you don't hear people around you, but low enough that you can converse well with your date. Entree's are kinda expensive though, that's why I cut one star off.

    (4)

  • Lisa P.

    My boyfriend, who recently decided he is a fan of Asian food, and I decided to stop by for an app and drinks tonight after having a drink at Tugboat Brewery. Other Yelpers were right on, the cocktail list was extensive and I didn't see any cocktails over $9. Our drinks were strong and delicious as well! We ordered a few small plates to share. The bar only had the main menu, but the bartender also brought us the snack menu when we asked if they had edamame (they did). My boyfriend raved about the sushi roll he got (one with dungeoness crab). Overall, cheap cocktails, good food, and great service.

    (4)

  • Karen R.

    Arrived into Portland and we were hungry &...thirsty if you know what I mean. We were wandering around getting a feel of what was around and I saw Saucebox, the reviews were good, lets try it. So glad we did, it was excellent. Dark, dramatic decor. Lots of fun drink options, and the food was great, just what we were looking for. We all had some cocktails and shared some small plates everything we ordered was good. Really enjoyed our 1st meal in Portland.

    (5)

  • Priscilla N.

    Loooooove Saucebox. Extensive specialty drink & happy hour menu. Need I say more? No, but I will anyways. 'The Best Drink' is definitely the best drink, they're not bluffing. Super refreshing. The 'Lilikoi Sour' also left a lasting impression. Anything with passion fruit and grapefruit juice -- I'm there. Don't forget to try the brussel sprouts!! Topped with a runny egg. So so good.

    (5)

  • She C.

    Took our girl here for her 40th to start our night! Can't complain. Had most things on their HH menu now and everything is TASTY! We've been frequenting the box for years, and it's always a blissful imbibe. The servers are patient and um, quite beautiful. The vibe is inviting and chill. The food, bomb! Definitely partake of the spicy tuna roll, any of the Pad Thai dishes, spring rolls, oysters... Any of it! A P-town must do for visitors!

    (5)

  • Claire G.

    We were so very excited to try this place. For over a year we fawned over the menu. To be a hundred percent honest, I did enjoy the happy hour Pad Thai I ordered, but even for a happy hour, I wondered "Why only three itty bitty cubes of tofu in this tofu pad thai?" Claire ordered the pork noodle with the soft boiled egg, the saucebox wings, and we shared edamame and fresh salad rolls. Claire didn't care for her pork noodle. I already told you how I felt about the pad thai. The edamame, great, but it's edamame. It pretty much just needs salt and it's good. The wings were cooked perfectly, but they were insipid and lacking in flavor. The service was good, but I have to say, Claire and I, and a handful of other people, were waiting in front of the restaurant for a good fifteen minutes after they were supposed to be open. Don't keep a fat girl waiting. And more importantly, don't keep her skinny judgy wife waiting. You've illustrated something before the food is even served.

    (2)

  • Joe H.

    What an amazing happy hour. A couple great $5 cocktails, and an extensive (and ludicrously cheap) 'snack' menu that really makes dinner an after thought. I got the roasted brussels sprouts with dashi broth, soft egg, and togarashi (japanese pepper mix). It's an extraordinary dish that commands $9 on the dinner appetizer menu and $3 on the happy hour menu. I don't need to eat a lot. This dish more than sated my appetite, was delicious, and was cheap! I took a glance at the full cocktail menu, and it looks delicious, thorough, and reasonably priced ($8-10).

    (4)

  • Teresa B.

    Horrible Service! The drinks and food were not good either. it felt like everything was done because they had to get made. No flavor and the drinks were disgusting (nothing like the drinks I had before - I know how the drink was supposed to taste). Our waitress, apparently, had places to be because she was never at our table and when she finally decided to appear, she would roll her eyes to everything we order and when we asked for split checks, she hits my chair, throws the 2 separate bills OVER my hear and leaves. Very disappointing!

    (1)

  • chris D.

    I love this place. I've enjoyed every meal and appetizers that I've try. My favorite dish is the Korean ribs, the ribs is falling of the bone and so flavorful. My fav drink is the piña colada FYI it comes in a pineapple. Yummmmm

    (5)

  • Vi B.

    I've been to Saucebox quite a few times in the last few years; however, after an extended time away I found myself back on a recent Saturday night. Sooo... apparently this is a dance party now? No complaints here; I like the loud, funky music and I'm more than happy to eat, dance, eat, drink, dance, drink, and eat. I will say the scenery was unexpected (and a little weird because of it). Saucebox doesn't have the best food, but it is good. They have great drinks and nice servers, so I consider this a fun spot to hit at least once in a while. It's dark, sultry, and the "high-end, fusion, Asian" theme is well delivered.

    (4)

  • Ehow C.

    What a chic restaurant. I'm pretty sure all of the servers and bussers were hired for being easy on the eyes. The interior is very modern, to the point where I felt underdressed. Good thing all the other patrons were undressed. Per Portland Dining Month, b/f and I went with the pre-fixe menu. Before that, I ordered a plate of salmon nigiri to test out their sushi chops. It was sadly only average in terms of cut and rice, and expensive to boot. The curried cauliflower had a really mild curry broth, which became more flavorful over time; the nuts and apple slices were a nice counterbalance to the dish. The seared halibut was cooked well, but very small for the price. The ramp side were very tasty and reminded me of my dad's cooking, but it didn't work well with the dish as the fish was overwhelmed. The vanilla ice cream with bao dessert was a nice end to the meal, as the bao was super fresh and miso-caramel tied it all together. I didn't get any of the drinks, which may have hampered my experience here. It's still decent Asian Fusion cuisine regardless, though I think you're really just paying a premium for the eye candy.

    (3)

  • Maggie Z.

    Crispy Brussels sprouts in broth were pretty delicious, but the broth was a little too sweet. Miso soup was good. Octopus was a little disappointing- not cooked quite right & not enough kick. Lots of other options on the menu that looked good so will reserve judgment & update review on my next trip...

    (3)

  • Alyssa C.

    This happy hour is LEGIT! I can't speak to the full dinner as I've only been to happy hour, but I can speak to the daily cocktail which is always deliciously crafted, even if it may take you forever to get it, because guys - Happy Hour here can get PACKED. So, perhaps you want to order a second cocktail right when you get your first one...or just order two to start...hey, it's not a bad idea. Also, hey, listen up - one of my favorite burgers in Portland? Yes. I'd say somewhere in the top 5-7 for sure (man, I eat a lot of burgers). The meat is seasoned just right. It's really damn good. I've had a good sampling of their menu at this point and while everything is always good, I just want the burger.

    (4)

  • Nick C.

    Amazing cocktails that pair well with interesting food. They have an amazing cocktail menu that highlight some interesting fusions of alcohols. The food is also pretty tasty. They have a good selection of small and big plates. Their Pupu Platter is a good mix of their smaller plates and represents some of their more interesting dishes. It's a great dish to split among 3-4 people over cocktails. Their entrees are also well done. I enjoyed both their korean ribs and adobo pork shank. The ambiance is pretty nice. The tables closer to the bar can be a bit rowdy while the tables in the back section are a more refined dining experience. It's a solid downtown restaurant that caters to just about everyone.

    (4)

  • Dian C.

    Saucebox is a chic Asian fusion restaurant, I came here for dinner on a Saturday evening and really enjoyed my experience & the food. The decor is contemporary, downstairs has a black/dark section and a white/open section connected by a cool hallway, at the end of the hallway there's a huge Buddha which adds a peaceful touch to the restaurant. I ordered the korean baby back ribs ( goo.gl/u1wMu ), it has peanut chunks, cilantro and a cucumber salad. The ribs were tender and flavorful, they were braised in soy sauce (as "hong shao" in Chinese) with a sweet taste. I really enjoyed my entree and finished all 5 ribs! My friend ordered a pork dish ( goo.gl/0YAQJ ) (not on the dinner menu) and she enjoyed her food too. I browsed through saucebox's happy hour menu and it seems really good. I will come back in the future for their happy hour.

    (4)

  • Lacey H.

    A couple friends and I visited Saucebox a few months back and loved every aspect of it! The service, food and drinks were all AMAZING! One of those friends and I decided to revisit Saucebox on Wednesday for Happy Hour, when we arrived we got seated right away, the server was great suggesting drinks. We ordered our food which we had chosen things we had ordered the last time in hopes that it would be just as good as it was on our last visit. This is when things changed. The server did last call at 6:15 (which I happen to think this is a tad premature considering Happy Hour ends at 630. We had not received our food prior to last call. Once the food arrived we were highly displeased, the chicken pad thai was nothing like we remembered it being, it was oily and just not great. When we told the server we were not loving the dish we had chosen and asked if we could just get the burger on the happy hour menu he got an attitude about it and said it was up to the kitchen but he would check to see if they would do that for us, mind you it is around 620 when we have discovered not loving the food, and we cannot order anything else off the happy hour menu? The server comes back and lets us know we cannot have it off of the happy hour menu but they will take the dishes off the check. After receiving the burger our server just walked past our table with drinks empty, the least he could have done was asked if we wanted another beverage. His demeanor had totally changed after saying we were displeased with the food. The drinks were great and the service was really good until the issue came about. The friend and I have decided this is most likely our last trip to Saucebox sadly.

    (2)

  • Jacob M.

    We went here for happy hours/dinner and can't say enough good things. Our service was outstanding - I waited for nothing and very good customer service. All our food that came out had amazing flavor - we also immensely enjoyed the cocktails. Definitely will be back and recommend.

    (5)

  • Beth H.

    Some of the best Brussel sprouts ever. They are crispy and swim in a sweet dashi broth.... Yummmmm. Had some dim sum and Javanese salmon as well. All great. Server had a bit of an attitude but I hate to have that red elect badly on the restaurant as it wouldn't keep me from going there. The other servers were lovely. Great ambiance and worth it just for the sprouts!

    (4)

  • Bethany K.

    TIME&PLACE: Thursday dinner I had noticed Saucebox on Yelp on our last trip up to Portland and was pleasantly surprised when our clients chose it for our dinner. I was a little wary that all the good reviews were Happy Hour-centric and was curious to see if everyone loved it because it was decently good + cheap or if it really was all that good. FOOD *We tried a LOT of things... but here's specifically what I ate: *Crispy brussel sprouts - not as novel as I thought, but was able to avoid the runny egg *White miso soup - not really anything special, but I love me a good miso soup *Vietnamese salad rolls - tasty! *Spiced yucca bites - I would recommend this - not too spicy, but has a kick. *Sweet potato rolls - I would also recommend these - not what you might expect and I had never had sweet potatoes in this eggroll form *Pan fried potstickers - these were okay, but for the price and quantity (5, on the smaller side), I'd probably pass next time *I had a Mai Tai which was tasty, and others at the table said that "The Best Drink" was pretty good (not the best), and the Hijito and Kickboxer got rave reviews *Sundae with plantain - crispy plantain = yummy! LOGISTICS *Attentive service, but not too hovering *Not too loud and it was pretty empty on the dinner side of the restaurant (very unlike the dark loud happy hour bar area) *Server helped us out by taking back a couple "IPA"s that weren't really IPAs... *Close to a lot of hotels and public transpo, so I imagine it's central for everyone Would probably come back for Happy Hour with B so he can try some of the items (especially given the really good prices) but probably not for dinner. Everything was good, but nothing necessarily stood out. Definitely can be vegan-friendly, though, which is a nice touch.

    (4)

  • Eileen P.

    Great happy hour prices, especially for the quality of food and drinks you get. We ordered the Boxcar Cocktail, some Sake and the Sweet Potato Spring Rolls. For dinner we got the Thai Red Curry and the Roast Salmon. We also split a sushi roll that I can't remember the name of, but everything was great. Can't go wrong with anything on the menu.

    (4)

  • Olivia O.

    Happy Hour here is amazing. Okay, so definitely not the cheapest happy hour - this place will run up the bill quick - but definitely one of the tastiest. Goddamn - the Umami-cheese Burger? Watch out, it'll fall apart in your hands and get all over the place, but you will be dreaming about it tomorrow at work. The mussels? Slightly spicy and very holy-shit-someone-feed-me-this-forever. And the music? Finally a bar in Portland that realizes music has been made post 2005! There are so many places that play the same old boring shit over and over, like the owner forgot he was in this to make food and didn't realize he can't be a DJ as well. This place, you're listening to the bass beat, and you think, Shit, Kanye dropped a new song this week? Who the fuck knew? That's right. Saucebox knew. Saucebox knew Missy Elliott made a song with Spice last summer. Saucebox knew you wanted a flower in your drink. Saucebox knew you wanted more taro chips before you fell off your chair. Also the waiters here are hella hip. Some dude with white-rimmed glasses and a crazy fade asked me if I wanted a refill. No dude. I want you to tell me where you got that star shaved into the back of your head. And where you got this Justice remix.

    (5)

  • Stephanie L.

    Saucebox is my favorite memory from a recent trip to Portland. My friend and I went on a night that there wasn't a DJ playing. There was plenty of ambiance without it. The cozy tables and creative decor invited us in and I was immediately excited for what we'd find on the menu. The first menu I perused was the drink menu, and there was no lack of inspiration here. The hardest part was narrowing it down to which drink (or two...) to order. As tempting as it was to be "poolside with David Hasselhoff", in the end I went with the alaskan cocktail, ahhhh. We deicded the only way to approach making a decision on the food menu was going to be to split everything we ordered, so we'd have to eliminate half as many dishes from our wish list. The sweet potato spring rolls were delicious. The steamed buns were incredible. The yucca bites, amazing. We also ordered a side dish of Brussels sprouts that were a perfectly sized accompianiment and full of flavor. The hamachi & avocado was the only dish that I thought was "just ok". As fantastic as the meal was, dessert was the true star of this meal. Even if you eat dinner somewhere else, come here for dessert! The chocolate torte is such a miraculous combination of flavors. The rich chocolate, the most unusually flavored spicy thai ice cream, the peanut ganache. I was so stuffed after dinner, but I seriously think I could have still downed three of these. Order it!

    (5)

  • P B.

    We went there to meet friends the other night. I have rarely been in a place that seems so intent on being rude and working so hard on driving away customers. First one of the servers got all snotty with us, pointing out that we were in their "lane" and needed to move right away. Ok, I understand, we were in the way, but the way they approached it? Not cool. Then trying to get someone to actually take a drink order was about impossible. First we asked a question about a drink and were rudely told to go look at the menu at the bar....um ok. We did that, couldn't get the bartender to wait on us for anything. Tried to get another waiter/waitress to take an order, no go. We never could get waited on, and finally said F it, and went elsewhere. I have rarely encountered such a pompous and rude attitude at a restaurant. This is the second time we've been there, and it will be the last. The first was marginally better, but not by much. We will disown friends before we ever step foot in this establishment again.

    (1)

  • Justin F.

    Delicious. The food and cocktails are fantastic and everything is served quickly. I particularly enjoyed the chicken wings and the spring rolls. 'The best drink is fantastic too', not too sweet (many of the drinks seem on the sweeter side) and refreshing

    (5)

  • Laura B.

    My first visit to Saucebox was quiet, quieter than I like to see any establishment with this much charm. Drinks erred on the pricey side, but I knew what was getting into from the atmosphere alone. Cocktails have never been my forte and I was absolutely delighted with their selection of original recipes. I can't say that the staff was especially friendly, but I haven't come to expect much more from any bar. What really warmed my heart was seeing on a few of my favorite local DJs scheduled to spin later that week. Someday this may be my venue of choice, but until then Saucebox will remain an occasional treat.

    (4)

  • Liz S.

    Fun place to grab a bite to eat and enjoy a drink from their extensive cocktail menu. I have to start off by saying that the potstickers are really really good. I normally don't get to eat potstickers because they usually have meat in the filling but these were veggie and definitely did not lack in the flavor department. They were filled with cabbage, smoked seasonal mushrooms, brussels and included lime soy. The sushi was pretty good too, but not quite as amazing as the potstickers. My boyfriend loved the smoked prawns with lemongrass, bun bo hue sauce and cauliflower puree. I ordered a sake mixed drink with vodka and pomegranate juice (if I'm remembering correctly) and it was alright. Tasted kind of like those hard candies with the liquid in the center... strawberry or cherry, can't remember. I probably would order a different drink next time, just based on personal preference. It would be fun to order their drink served in a whole pineapple (the party at a nearby table seemed to be enjoying those). The only thing I really didn't like about this place is probably the bathrooms, the design is just awkward. But, I would come back to order more potstickers and try the pineapple monster drink.

    (4)

  • Melina H.

    Under normal circumstances, this bar would be a little too "high brow" for me, but darn it if I don't dream about their HH brussel sprouts on a weekly basis. Yes...I said brussel sprouts. I have eaten a majority of the HH menu (which you can read about in other reviews), but this item is dream worthy. Their coctails are perfectly crafted. The hubs and I have tried a number of different ones and can't really pick a favorite as they all seem to be exactly as they are described and they are all slurptastic. If you are a dive bar diva like me, never fear. The hubs and I know we can always walk into Swanksville and get phenom service, regardless of our fashion forgetable jeans and tees. HH is great - come as you are. Dinner seems to be a more formal affair,..although I can't confirm this, it just "feels" like you should do a bit more than the "3 S's" (shower, sh**, and shave) before you come. The important point here is: just do it. Get yer keister over here and nosh.

    (5)

  • Cassie N.

    I really like the drinks here. They play great music and the decor and atmosphere is pretty awesome. They drinks are amazing! Big, bold, tasty and gets you pretty toasty. They're is a huge selection of specialty drinks to choose from but my absolute favorite is the Coco Colada. I would just come for the drinks only since I think the food is horrible, maybe I came on an off day or it was really late and they ran out of things but it was just not good. I want to come back and give the food another chance...but will definitely be back for drinks

    (3)

  • Keith B.

    My brother and decided to check out this place and have a drink. We tried to sit at the bar but were told by the bartender that someone was sitting there even though there were no glasses there. Strange. We sat opposite the bar at a table. No one ever sat at those seats at the bar. I asked out server for recommendations from their extensive drink menu. She declined to help. I ordered a dirty martini. When it finally came after about 20 minutes, it was not dirty. The hostess and our server were both cool, unfriendly and indifferent. They both looked liked they would rather be anywhere else. I'll never go back.

    (1)

  • Stephan S.

    Remember the time you came to town and after the dinner we started calling it Saltbox? Well they must still have extra large holes in the shaker. But the space is cool. Hold up on the salt. Jesus.

    (1)

  • Vanna M.

    This place is great inside and out. Spent an hour outside, soaking up sun and drinking. Then enjoyed the "heavy sugar" inside, the music and scene.

    (5)

  • Huong T.

    I only came here because a friend told me that it was "so good." I hate fusion Asian food to begin with and this place showed me again why I hate it. The pork buns were dry, the calamari was greasy, and the sushi...well I've had better. Our waiter was nice, but hostess looked stuck up and didn't seem like she wanted to work that day. The cocktails were good. The waiter was knowledgable about the cocktails and gave a good recommendation for a ginger cosmopolitan. The pricing was decent for the food they served.

    (3)

  • Smitha R.

    Been to saucy saucebox twice and the place lived up to its reputation both times- in a good way! Went there on Thursday (both times) after a grueling day/week and loved loved loved the food. I had the cocktail of the day each time, the first time was some chilli vodka based drink and the last time was a cucumber vodka based drink, both very potent, very apt and perfect! Food was amazing, many vegetarian options for moi and many non veg options for my parnivore cartner :) You get to choose from 1,2,3,4 and 5 dollar snacks and the menu is quite huge. Had the fresh vietnamese salad rolls (YUM), the curry plus rice (funny happy hour item but SO good!) the fries and the partner had the pork sarong (he said it was ok, but i think that's cos he was eyeing my MANY veggie options) and the spiced yucca bites (Um, I think i was not hungry anymore after drinks and other food, so didn't like it too much). But the bartender was nice, even though he was super busy and even recommended another place -Teardrop- for cocktails. Sit at the bar, watch the bartender and other people in the giant mirrors behind the bar! Great ambience, great happy hour, go get sauceboxed.

    (5)

  • Cassandra D.

    I've been here a few times in the last few months for Happy Hour with my ladies. Loved... Happy Hour. I can eat A LOT and have a tasty Asian herb infused non-alcoholic lemonade and get out of there for $10 every time. There's lots of seating and great people watching. The waitstaff is attentive, but doesn't rush you or hover. You can have relatively private seating or sit up front in the middle of everything. They have a really fun sink in the bathroom that is reminiscent of my grade school sink minus the floor level pump and pink powder soap. Love the space - so hip, is it like, un-hip to say that? Disliked... Sometimes I think I am surrounded by a mix of suburbanites set free on their night out in the city and sceney city people dressed to impress and make you feel bad about my normal, human body and non-designer clothes from Ross. I am not that hip. But usually, people keep to themselves here, so really it's just my own insecurities and neurosis that make me feel this way - nothing that anyone did or said.

    (4)

  • Todd H.

    I was extremely disappointed. The food was generally good and well presented. The service, however, was terrible and a reason to not return. I was dining with several friends and had decided to go here last minute. They did not seem crowded and said they could accommodate us. It took an hour and a half to get our appetizers and another 45 minutes for the entrees.

    (1)

  • Reba M.

    Went for a friends bday. We had the upstairs area reserved. We had a 20 person group. Super crazy. Waiters did a great job keeping up. Food was yummy. I was starving so I wish I had ordered more appetizers. When we finished up we took the group downstairs. They agreed to let our friend DJ for an hour. We had a nice area reserved for the cake part. Down to the end though they were great but when they walked threw the group with the trash of the day we got wifs of stinky garbage. But whatevs. I will be back for HH

    (4)

  • Lamont M.

    This place has great food, drinks, ambiance, and service. I love to take dates here. All the tables are lit with candles with nice music in the background thats not loud or annoying at all.

    (4)

  • Amanda S.

    Ha ha, every time I hear the word "saucebox", I think about my friend Abbie and her interpretation of this word as a euphemism for......well, you get the picture. Any whoo, me and Sara decided to stop in here after I just could not take any more beer and needed desperately to have food and mojitos!! Their $6 bowl of Pad Thai was super tasty and really good. Add $1 more and get chicken or tofu, yum! Their drinks were great as well. Their was a great choice of mojitos, with added ginger on top. I took away the star, since the place had a little too much ambiance by not having too many lights and just burnt out candles. That is nice if I want to make out with my partner (naughty), but not when I am trying to read the menus :)

    (4)

  • Ngoc-Diep P.

    Noodle galore! Oh my the choices of Asian food! Great place for Happy Hour and for a date. This turned out to be an average of a 4 because the food was good and the price was excellent, but for service I would give it a 3 because they have a $15 charge for cake, and the service was not the highlight of the evening. We came to happy hour and the place was packed on a Wednesday evening. The atmosphere was good and it looked classy with all the lounge chairs, cafe, and bar. We had a large party so we had to wait a good 20 minutes before we got our table. Happy hour prices range from $1-5. The drinks were cheap as well!!! OH so good! The $1 price gave good portion. We ordered edamame and fried taro chips. The taro chip bowl was a good size. The rest of us ordered at least 3 different items from the menu ranging from burgers and noddles. The Miyako burger was heavenly with all the fresh avocado and the beef cooked just right! Not too well done. My friends and I ordered squid and salad, peanut noodles, udon noodle, and a Miyako burger. The peanut noodle was delicious! Our entire party pretty much ordered everything on the menu. They were nice enough that even after happy hour was over, they were willing to take a last order of shrimp pad thai. I would highly recommend getting the pork or beef pad thai because the shrimp was not as flavorful. The quid salad was done just right! The squid did not tasted like rubber like other places. You will leave happy and feeling health with all the food you eat here. It's happy hour food that's not too greasy. The down score: $15 dollar charge for cake and they didn't even serve it for us! We had to serve it ourselves. And make sure you communicate with the staff if you're going to surprise someone because our waitress blew my surprise for a good friend by saying "should I bring out the cake now?" Epic fail! Would I go back for happy hour! Of course! With food this good and cheap, definitely! Would I ever hold birthday surprises here, most likely not. They're so busy that they can't keep orders and surprises straight.

    (4)

  • Jacob G.

    This is just about happy hour, one of my favorite pastimes. $4 bacon cheeseburger + $1 bowl of edamame make me a happy camper. If it wasn't for the fact that I was planning on going to Whiffies later, I would have ordered more food since it was that cheap and tasty. We sat at the bar and the bartender was very attentive. Short and sweet review, much like the $ amount that was paid.

    (4)

  • Vanessa H.

    Great service, awesome food. Enjoyed the inside-out rainbow roll and the brussel sprouts (with a super fresh egg poured over them, delish). Ah, and on the pupu platter, the tapioca dumplings were totally delish.

    (5)

  • Hailey R.

    I know, I know, it's been said before, but this place has a freakin' sweet happy hour! I mean, I was impressed. I got there at 5:30 on a weekday and was seated right away. And that's when no one was seated outside (except for two crazies) because it was so hot. There were plenty of people there, but it wasn't super packed. As I waited for my friend to arrive, I watched the hustle of the servers and the cooks, as I had a pretty good view of the kitchen from my seat. I got the drink I ordered within 3 minutes... a SBX Daiquiri. It was perfect and just what I needed. The service was spot on... my server was definitely keeping an eye on our table but wasn't hovering. As I perused the menu, there were at least six items on the HAPPY HOUR menu that I wanted. The Happy Hour menu, people. They aren't joking around... there were some amazing deals. Selections ranged from $1 to $5. I chose the Thai Beef Salad and we also ordered some edemame to share. The salad was very flavorful and decently sized, but I kind of wish now that I ordered the Pad Thai. Next time... cause there very well will be a next time.

    (4)

  • Douglas B.

    WHAT? WHAT? NO, I SAID Why a restaurant and bar plays music so loud you have to scream to talk to the person next to you evades me. Is it for people so painfully boring that they can't stand hear each-others vacuous thoughts? Service was decent, cocktails were good though a bit on the pricey side. Can't speak for the food, but maybe that's because I lost my voice.

    (3)

  • Katie R.

    I'm a huge fan of Saucebox!!!! The happy hour here is amazing. The only problem I will say is that I've always had HORRIBLE service as far as the wait staff goes. I've gone to happy hour there multiple times with parties of 5-12 people and every time the server was rude. Thank GOD for their amazing food, great bar tenders, and one of the most amazing happy hours in Portland.

    (4)

  • Alicia P.

    After hours of Yelp-research chose this place as the pre-play dining/drinking spot. Reading on line about Happy Hour myself and two friends walk into the restaurant and after being ignored, sit ourselves and after another 5 minutes are finally greeted by a waiter. he hands us menus and returns back when I ask about happy hour. Turns out the bar/HH is in the back/side and we are in the pricey restaurant part ((gulp.)) He checks in the back so he can just "move us" back there, but returns telling us there is no table and it's packed, they don't normally do this, but he is willing to serve us the HH menu and prices in the fancy restaurant part. The food and drinks were really great (5 stars) and allowing us broke students to sit in the fancy part of the restaurant and charging us the HH prices was super nice. The service was really great in the end and we left him a fat tip for being so accommodating to our situation.

    (4)

  • Sharilynn T.

    An awesome Happy Hour Menu with price ranges from $1-$5 per plate. Tastey Asian Fusion style foods which is exactly what I was craving. I did the Squid Satay, The Vietnamese Spring Roll, and Pan Fried Noodles. Fun and so taste-bud friendly dipping sauces. Don't rule out a good hamburger with fries...got to sample that too! Our wait help was a perfect gent with awesome timing, as he tended to a table of 5 chatty gals.

    (4)

  • Roxanne W.

    Stumbled on this place while on a business trip. Great HH specials and tasty food. Loved the cauliflower and pot stickers. Was there relatively early so can't comment on the nightlife/club aspect of this place. Neighborhood is what I'd call "transitioning" I guess.

    (4)

  • Ryan S.

    The drink list seems endless and I've eaten dinner here once although I don't remember how good it was because of all the drinks (hence the name Saucebox) and the service is great from what I've experienced!

    (4)

  • Kristine P.

    Since my first review I was contacted by one of the owner's, Joe. He was a delight to talk to and invited me back to try it again. I went last night and have to say my opinion has definitely changed for the better. Our server was very much on top of things and was very welcoming and the food... well, it was F A N T A S T I C! We shared the pu-pu platter which was actually very filling and we also had the beet salad and grilled prawns. Again, F A N T A S T I C. I will be returning to Saucebox again. Thank you Joe for caring about your customers. I think it's important for others to know you care.

    (4)

  • Rob W.

    Note, this review is only for takeout. Stopped by for takeout because of its proximity to the Benson. I ordered the roasted chicken, and waited a half hour for it. There was no seating for people waiting (for a table, or for takeout) and I was never offered any seating despite waiting for a long time. The chicken was amazing, it was seasoned uniquely, and cooked perfectly. My complaint is that the chicken's only companion were very finely diced vegetables, so small that they were basically a part of the sauce. In effect, the dish was a well seasoned, chopped chicken breast for $20. It definitely needed something substantive to compliment it. Based on that experience, I can't say I'd go back.

    (2)

  • Kody L.

    Why five stars? Because this is a Happy Hour review and I think Saucebox may have the best deal in town, price and option-wise. I don't know if I've been to very many restaurants that offer happy hour prices on drinks and food -- not just a couple food items, but a huge list of options sorted by price. Here's what I had: Edamame ($1), peanut noodles ($2), grilled beef salad (I think $4), and salad rolls ($2). I can't remember what else... Their mojito is very good, makes me wish for summer. I have never experienced their dinners, so I can't attest to that, but I really do think it's the best HH deal in town.

    (5)

  • Michael E.

    Good food, good cocktails, cool decor, good dj. I got the onion burger and it was great.

    (5)

  • Maggie Y.

    They have a gluten free menu which is always a plus and shows a place really cares about their customer's needs. The tapioca dumplings are yummy, sake flight was very good, spring rolls are good can't mess those up, service in general is excellent. Although their house vodka they do their housemade infused vodka is wheat based, which is a no no for gluten free folks. It would've been nice if the bartender or staff knew that instead of me getting glutinized.

    (4)

  • Kristen V.

    I came across this place while researching mixology bars inPortland. Their happy hour specials were great but their drinks were even better. The Bardender's special drink of the day was my favorite. Our service and quality of drinks were so great, I wish we could have stayed here longer.

    (5)

  • Laurie S.

    I was in Portland for a conference, and a friend suggested this place for after-dinner drinks. (She, being a local, recommended we not eat there though) For cocktails, this place is awesome. We were there a bit late, since it was after dinner, and just took some seats at the bar... where we flirted with the bartender and had a great time. I had 'The Best Drink' which is sort of like a gin mojito topped with ginger beer. It was really really good. I also had 'The uptown girl' (which was a brilliantly maroon concoction) that was also good, but didn't knock my socks off the way the best drink did. It wasn't happy hour, but even still I'd say the drinks were reasonably priced considering how good they were. If I'm ever in portland again, I'd definitely swing by this place for a drink.

    (4)

  • Mage B.

    Make sure you go during happy hour. One can get delicious and non-greasy foods like taro chips, and various types of spring rolls for $2-3.00. The happy hour mixed drinks are also delicious, made with quality ingredients, and decently priced. Staff is attentive, but not pushy or annoying. My friend and I sat outside, which was great until people started coming up to us off the street begging for change. One guy wanted to trade me a cigarette for a banana condom. That certainly isn't the fault of Saucebox, and I guess that's pretty standard for a bar that's located across the street from Marys. Maybe next time I go I will eat inside.

    (5)

  • Gina H.

    The sushi was good. We also ordered drinks... we really liked 2 out of the 4 that we got. The service was good (nice guy). It was not the fastest so go when you are not in a rush. The prices were a bit steep. If you are on a budget I would not go here. UPDATE: after this review the owner emailed me. He was really awesome and wanted feedback about my experience. He sent me a gift certificate for $25 (very generous) and invited me back. I went to happy hour yesterday with 2 other folks. We ate until we were totally full and enjoyed a nice pint of beer (for under $30). The experience was great (no wait, incredibly clean, and quick/friendly service). The food on the happy hour menu is tasty (some of it was a tad spicy for me... but, i am incredibly weak). In closing... good food and a cool atmosphere. I also think it is fantastic that the owner cares so much about customer feedback. Thanks, Joe!

    (5)

  • L R.

    what an amazing place! i wish they had this place in San Diego. The atmosphere is awesome with its music and live dj and low lighting. Their drinks are especially unique as it captures the mood of the restaurant, I highly recommend the kick boxer :)

    (5)

  • K M.

    Great food. Great service. Huge cocktail menu. Awesome DJ. Cool atmosphere. I was totally surprised by this place. I found it on Yelp, and gave it a shot while I was in Portland. Highly recommend!!

    (5)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Tue

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Street
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : No
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Trendy
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Outdoor Seating : Yes
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Saucebox

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