Tulip Shop Tavern

One of my favorite burgers in Portland! A classic smash burger that has perfected all the fundamentals of a burger - no frills or new takes. Plus the drinks are very yummy. The Gimlet 13 is exquisite - the addition of passionfruit to an already classic cocktail is genius. Servers are helpful and attentive. Ambiance is nice - lots of plants and floral art. They have a back patio, but we sat inside.

Tulip has the best example of a smash burger in Portland. Eater.com listed this eatery in their best burger in Portland list. We visited on Saturday night and street parking is a bit challenging. It's a no reservation, seat yourself place but we fortunately found a couple of seats at a long narrow table that spans the front window. Tulip has an excellent bar stocked with superb base spirits, mixers and liqueurs. The mixologists take pride in their work. We enjoyed the drinks and especially the burgers. I ordered a "Double Double" (no relation) with bacon, grilled onions and fried jalapenos. The edges were thin, crispy and delicious. Some smash burgers have a bit of that but Tulip is the poster boy for smash burgers. We ordered fries but my wife and I didn't care for them. Yet my daughter thought they were fine. The prices all around are very reasonable. The only negatives were 1) When we ordered we were told the kitchen is an hour wait. 2) The Music is very fast, lots of attitude and a bit loud (it's that kind of bar). 3)The king cube in my drink was smaller and not crystal clear like those served at the better craft cocktail bars. To be fair, I'm a cocktail snob. This is a solid joint. PRO TIP: Patty melt Monday-only special. We'll be back. Check out my profile for more great eateries and craft cocktail bars. ✌

Have visited twice and can say for certain this isn't Portland's best burger. There's nothing wrong with it. But a chain like McMenamins does a better burger. Service isn't great either. They should probably switch to QR codes for ordering.

Bartender was pleasant and quick to take my order. However when i dared to walk to the end to the bar to review what seemed to be a nice variety of tequila i was rudely asked by more than one person if “they could help me?” I was like ya I’m just checking the tequila, I asked if they had a list and was told no. It was very odd. Tavern burger and fries. Meh. A lot of bun going on. Beef was tasty but seemed lost in bun and sauce. Standard house made fries that will never have the preferred crunch a fry should have. Some of the staff had that old better than you why are you here vibe. They did have a tequila I had been wanting to try and it was good. Anyway 3 over all.

What is the hype about this place? It’s bar food. I have had amazing bar food- this ain’t it. The chicken sandwich was the worst I can recall ever having. Flavorless, and over deep fried with 80% breading and 20% actual meat. It was bad enough to get sent back. The Traditional smash burger was more of the same- flavorless and basic over charred with standard ingredients. It’s actually impressive how bland both of these sandwiches were. The vibe is cool for cocktails with friends - which is the only reason I’d suggest this place. Hey, maybe if you get buzzed enough, you can trick your tastebuds into this food being good.

Came for the famous fried chicken sandwich and was satisfied. Crispy breading and juicy chicken in between a fluffy bun. Double smash burger was also very tasty and well seasoned, but if we’re splitting hairs could have been a bit more crispy around the edges. Not cheap at $14 for each and another $5 for an order of fries considering it’s a bar menu but oh well. A great spot with solid food.

Food was amazing burger was good. We also had hot wings they were awesome. Have not been to a place that gives you the entire wing and they were nicely sauced and still crispy. Could the service be a little better? Sure but it wasn't horrible and the place was packed.

Food was amazing! Definitely recommend the burger, onion rings and a slushy. The only thing I’d chance is the beer taps working on a hot day and the AC working.