Have you been to Saraveza before? The name comes from the owner, Sarah Pederson (yes! This is a woman owned bar!) and the spanish word for beer (cerveza). This beer bar in North Portland with ten rotating taps and literally a couple hundred beers by the bottle has been a mecca of Oregon beer and Midwest hospitality and community since 2008. For their 8th anniversary, Saraveza gave itself and us as its patrons a birthday present of an updated menu that now takes advantage of a new deep fryer! Here’s a closer look at Saraveza and the food at Saraveza.
Second photo above of beer glass courtesy of Saraveza, all other photos on this blog post are mine
When you walk through that door, you immediately feel a bit like you’re in a beer museum with all the retro beer paraphernalia all along the walls. That, and you’ll notice the large cooler areas of all the beer bottles which are grouped by type. I always check first in their “New and Seasonal” section and the “Cellar and Vintage” but if you are feeling like an IPA, stout, or sour they have sections for you too.
If you want to drink beer from a bottle, select one and bring it right to where the Schlitz hand is pointing where they’ll open it up and give you glassware. Or, approach the bar to read the chalkboard beer menu of the ten rotating taps. One of the beers is always their light sessionable house beer of Breakside Wisco Tavern Beer.
The walls are covered with the vintage beer goodies on the walls all around the booths, on the way to the bathroom and even inside the restrooms. You’ll notice here and there a nod to Sara’s Wisconsin roots and how Saraveza is a Packers Bar. The beer capped patterned tables double as a game to see if you can recognize where all the beer caps come from. Believe it or not, this is actually less stuff on display then used to be there: it looks like they curated it slightly more than before to help the pieces stand out more.
Ok, let’s get to the food. Don’t miss one of the biggest reasons the fryer made it into the Saraveza kitchen: fried cheese curds. These are lightly battered so that the dough is not too thick and the cheese a perfect melted gooeyness. Cheese is always a perfect pairing with beer, as is fried food, so this is the best of both worlds!
Another new appetizer to go with your beer making use of that new deep fryer are their fried oysters with remoulade. You can get this in sandwich form via from their main section a Fried Oyster Po’ Boy that adds to the remoulade also iceberg, tomato, and crystal hot sauce.
I really liked their starter (ok, second place after the curds) of the lamb meatballs with tomato sauce, yogurt, and sunny egg because of the rich flavors in the meatballs balanced by that yogurt.
For a healthier option but still with flavor punch to go well with beer, check out the Radicchio salad with sherry dressing, Parmesan, olive, and breadcrumb (I think their best salad). Or for a smaller portion for one person, the Butter lettuce salad with green goddess dressing, soft boiled egg, bacon, and red onion pickle. There’s also a Mixed Greens salad with candied hazelnuts, chevre, and champagne vinaigrette.
A main dish option if you’re looking for dinner is they now offer a buttermilk fried chicken with mashed potatoes and braised chard and tarragon gravy. It’s at the expense of the mac and cheese which is no longer on their menu, but I think it’s a fair trade in terms of swapping that comfort dish for this one since there’s so many mac and cheeses on brewpub menus but not everyone can offer fried chicken with mashed, and this is a more filling comfort dish.
Also new are Manila Clams with house bacon, herbs, beer, cream and baguette (another always perfect beer and food pairing besides cheese). Or fancy it up with Bavette Steak with celery root puree, broccoli rabe, cipollino onion and demi glaze. Or keep it casual with your beef and beer with this Smoked Brisket Sandwich with pimento cheese, red onion pickle, and arugula. Look at that big piece of brisket sticking out of the sandwich! Usually it comes with your choice of a salad or potato salad but I passed on both to enjoy the side snack of Potato Melt with cheddar, scallion and ranch dressing which are a little reminiscent of thick cut wedge potatoes.
Don’t worry, they still have their classic trademark pasties that they have been serving since they opened. The meat pie of the Pasty of the Day has fillings which vary based on the day, this one happens to be ham and cheese.
Although not listed on the menu, they still have their goblet of Chex Mix if you ask nicely. Other classics from their original menu still here are their boards of cheese, charcuterie or smoked trout and their appetizers of pickled eggs, deviled eggs, soft pretzels, pickle plate, and soup of the day (a great pairing with the pasty of the day for a meal). On the mains section of the menu the Bratwurst survives served with potato salad and sauerkraut.
Thankfully they have more for vegetarians and vegans now with additions to the menu of a vegetable section that includes for instance broccoli rabe or roasted cauliflower, now the ho hum hummus has been replaced by a more hearty Vegan Bowl with delicata squash, cauliflower, chard, and quinoa.
If you sit at a booth, here’s how to read the Saraveza printed beer menu (which represents what is on the chalkboard above the bar only – you have to visit the coolers to see the bottles. You can order whatever is listed on the left side in the column for On Tap, unless it’s crossed out and there’s an arrow showing what in the On Deck column has replaced it on tap.
Besides going to visit soon to try the new menu and latest beers, you might also consider going specifically on this upcoming Saturday November 12. That’s because Saraveza is hosting one if its many special beer events, and this one is Fire and Brimstone 2016. All day on November 12, Fire and Brimstone festival means Saraveza will be offering ten specially curated beers that contain smoke, chili, or are both smoky and spicy! You will be able to order full pours or 5 ounce pours of the beers. I’ve attended this festival for multiple years and it’s among my top five favorite all year in Portland.
For the festival they will bring back their special edition “Smokin’ Bamberg Onion Plate”, a traditional Rauch beer meal served with Schlenkerla smoked beers. The dish is composed of Bamburg Onion filled with pork braised in Aecht Schlenkerla Urbock beer and served with mashed potatoes w/ Rauchbier gravy. Ok, it may not be the most beautiful plate, but it is a wonderful mouthful of smokey savoryness with a bit of creaminess from the gravy and crunch from the onion that pairs so well with the beers of this festival.
Photos of what I had at a previous Fire and Brimstone year
You might also consider checking out their event calendar not only for other beer events, but also for when you might walk in and the whole bar is full of patrons in green and gold. Other events are when they host live music (first Sunday every month) and every Tuesday is Geeks Who Drink Quiz night in their event space the Bad Habit Room next door.
Saraveza is located at 1004 N Killingsworth St (an easy 5 block walk from the yellow line N Killingsworth Max station) and open everyday 11am to midnight.
Have you heard of Saraveza before, did anything I mention pique your interest?
Disclosure: I attended a free media event where I was able to try some of the dishes, but also returned on my own to try other new dishes on my own dime, and I’ve been visiting Saraveza before this and after this post so already am a fan. I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.
Hopefully on your visit you will find a happy medium between the two art pieces on the upper left – the guy in the corner who has possibly had too much and the super cheerful guy with all the food and making sure you don’t forget beer…
