Terlingua

Oh Man, as is often the case I stumbled across this joint when I was looking for a different place. I was looking for this restaurant called Riso Biso something or other, cuz someone told me that they have authentic African goat, and nothing warms my cockles like African-​style goat stews, especially on a cold and rainy day in February!!!
But hey, I gave this spot a look-​out, and there was just one little table left for me to park my sodden apparel at. Terlingua, WTF is that, sounds like spanish to me. Like «Earth-​Speech», sounds pretty New Age to me. Maybe they got Yanni on the soundtrack?
I ordered a brisket sandwich, just because that was the only way I could order it. Normally I like my brisket on a plate, and with sides and sauces, but I just went ahead and did the lunch thing.
Oh, that brisket sandwich, that was the best brisket I have had, like, maybe ever in my life. Not being from the South, of course, I can never compare it to something I never have actually eaten, real Southern-​style BBQ. I can only say, if the «real» Southern brisket deal is EVEN BETTER than the brisket at Terlingua, then I am just going to drop dead and die content when I finally eat it, in that imaginary day I cross the Mason-​Dixon line and proceed down to real Brisketville.
Man, this place has only got like 8 tables and only one waiter at lunchtime! That is usually a recipe for disaster, running 8 tables single handedly and with not bar help either, but the dude did a really good job. I got my food before he even asked me if I wanted something to drink, so they lost out on that beer opportunity, but it looks like they have all the usual requisite local brews in order. And DAIKAIJU from Banded Horn, you HAVE to try that brew, yo!
One thing I really did not like is that they used microscopic plates and bowls for everything. That brisket sandwich was super sloppy and dropping meat chunks and onions all over the place, and the plate was simply not there to catch them, so they wound up on the table and I hated to have to throw them away. I think next time I go there I might bring my own plate, because you don’t want to miss ONE BITE of this bad-​boy brisket, believe you me.
I will be back, I will be back.

Had a great meal at Terlingua on a recent Monday night. The smoked chicken wings were flavorful & a generous portion for $ 9 and our ribs were tender and satisfying as well. Our server was very informative and attentive with out being overbearing. I have been for lunch a couple of times and enjoyed both wraps as well as the chile. Over all a great neighborhood spot.

Three of us ate here tonight for dinner. Food was very flavorful and innovative. Great selection of beers, wines and drinks. A definite place to return to and I will recommend to friends and the like.

Very good food, service was a solid C to C plus. Had to ask for the discount on our beverages that we’re happy hour but presented as full price on the check. Additionally, the check was dropped without asking even though the place was half full, which made us feel a tad less than welcome.

Great Latin/​BBQ addition to the local scene, and it hits it out of the park more times than not. When we’re there, we tend to order the same things, unless there is something offered as a special that calls to us. But, usually, it’s:
PORK BELLY CHICHARRON
SMOKED BEEF TONGUE AND CHEEK TACOS
SMOKED BBQ RIBS
The crispy skin on the chicharron, combined with the hibiscus honey, might be the absolute best way to start a meal here. Don’t miss it, but think long and hard before you agree to share a portion. The deviled eggs are also a great, and slightly more traditional way, to get the meal rolling – but, I would pass on the corn salad, which comes off as pretty one note.
We’ve had the empanada (meh), which came recommended by a few friends and keep finding ourselves going back to the smoked meat offerings. On one or two occasions the beef tongue was generally under-​seasoned, but the charred scallions add in a hefty dose of flavor. The ribs are always pretty spot on – tender, seasoned well and richly smoked. One day we’ll break off from them and try something else on the board (like the brisket).
And the flatbread with honey butter? Damn good. Oh, and the bartender, Joe – worth the price of a knock you on your arse cocktail.

I can’t get enough of Terlingua. I’ve been 4 times now, have never ordered the same meal twice, and always been super impressed with the entire experience. You can’t say that for too many restaurants, even in this foodie town. In addition, the menu has something for everyone — all the vegetarians, «can’t do spicy», and otherwise often-​difficult-​to-​eat-​out-​with friends and family members seem to find something they enjoy as well. Go, order anything, and you’ll leave happy.

Inspired take on barbecue and southwestern cuisine, the best brunch in Portland, best drinks in the East End, and the place you’ll want to visit frequently. The interior is an homage to Austin, Texas. The best!

Both green and red chills were great. We also had grilled octopus special and the RIBS. Awesome vibe, great bar, but could turn the heat up slightly as window was a touch drafty.

I work in the area and have gone a few times for lunch. The restaurant is warm and welcoming on the inside. The lunch menu is small but has plenty of delicious options. The lunch prices (I assume they change for dinner) are reasonable at $ 7-​$ 15 for a dish.
The only thing I think could be changed is the price of the appetizers. The appetizers are all fairly simple bar food but seem to have an average price of $ 6.
Overall it’s a great place and my new go to when I go out for lunch during work!

Another lovely meal at Terlingua. Great drinks, great food, great service. Visit three and just as delicious as the last time,. Go there and get the pork belly app, green or red chili, cauliflower and something sweet. Yum.

Really good food. Healthy, savory, well cooked and presented. Good beer selection. Nice cocktails. So often leave a restaurant feeling meal was nutritionally lacking or oversalty or just plain tasteless and drowned in butter. Not here. Had chicken with posole, tuna crudo appetizer. Tuna was a bit pricy but delicious. Chicken just right. Dining companions had great fish tacos. Friends at next table had bbq plates — very very good.
Service terrific. ONly complaint is noise level. Was problematic for server, too.

A newish joint that talks about organic, local and smoked meats.
Service is polite.
The day we went, a chalk board outside the restaurant listed the pricing for the smoked meats of the day:
Brisket: $ 18/​$ 23.
Ribs: $ ¹⁴⁄₂₃
Lamb: $ 23/​$ 28
Chicken: $ 17
Trout: $ 17
This may seem normal until the portion size is verified. The first number is for a quarter pound or quarter rack and the second for a half pound or half rack. In this case, a pound of brisket ends up at $ 46, a rack of ribs $ 46 and a pound of lamb for $ 56.
You do the math, pricey and pricey again. Outrageously expensive, even.
Using inflated NY prices, by the pound offerings at far superior BBQ joints (Hometown, Brisket Town, Sweet Cheeks Boston) come no where close to Terlingua’s price per pound. Nothing can justify this kind of expenditure for good but not awesome smoked meat.
The meats sampled: ribs, brisket were certainly smoked, albeit with not much additional rub or flavorings. The ribs were juicy, smoked well and had a nice crust of seasoning that was fairly flavorless. The meat pulled nicely from the bone without coming away in one giant piece. The Brisket was surprisingly juicy and tender, not dry. Also a barely noticeable rub on the exterior.
Two sauces are provided: a vinegary brown and a smoky brown. Both are too similar to discern one from the other except that one reeks of ketchup and the other of apple vinegar while both have the same consistency.
That being said, nothing can possibly create a modicum of sanity when the price per pound is calculated. The smoked meat is just not that good. I don’t care how good it is, nothing is worth $ 56/​lb.
Two varieties of chili are rich, packed with meat and very different from each other. The red chili is borderline fiery and full of brisket. The green chili is cooling and the perfect offset to the chunk of pulled pork that adorns the bowl
The beer and drink menu is sane. Other entrees listed seem interesting but not out of the ordinary.
I recommend going to many other BBQ joints in Portland until Terlingua gets it’s pricing worked out.

I have been waiting to write a review for terlingua because I never sat down in the restaurant for a full meal. I’m so happy we decided to sit down this past Saturday.
We started with the daily cerviche. It had shrimp which was so refreshing. Definitely get this as an appetizer the smaller size was perfect for two. I have had this twice and it’s so delicious.
I ordered a sangria which to my surprise was a lot dryer than I usually have but in a good way. It didn’t taste too sweet at all. It was a house special with blueberries. Delicious.
Next my boyfriend and I ordered the green chili with pork and the red chili with brisket. Both were amazing and very filling. Next time I’ll get the smaller size. Big bang for your buck here! The Nan like bread that comes with it was great for dipping. The red chili is on the spicier side so if your sensitive get the green. We both had the cauliflower with pobleno and cheese. It so tasty and a must for a side.
I’ve had the or shrimp appetizer which is delicious as well and so is their mushroom empanada.
For dessert I ordered the tres leches cake. And man oh man was it delicious. Definitely save room for dessert because that is amazing.
I love this restaurant so much. The inside is beautiful and sitting outside is super relaxing as well. Excited to go back!

I love me some good latin food and this place hit it out of the park.
Located in the up and coming East Bayside hood, just on the fringes of Munjoy Hill this little gem is a must visit! It’s a small dining room, but very well designed with simple, earthy, industrial décor, outside patio and a fabulous bar.
The staff is extremely knowledgeable & friendly, which is always a plus… and seem genuinely happy to be there.
It’s great for groups because many of the plates are more tapas style, or for couples who just love to eat. Both instances we fit, so I have a feeling we will be visiting this place often.
On our first trip in we enjoyed:
Summer Corn Salad — my personal favorite, simple, fresh and delish
Mushroom Empanada — amazeballs
Smoked Beef Tongue & Cheek Tacos — I can’t lie, I didn’t enjoy this the husband did, but he said it was good. It scared me personally but that’s just me!
Smoked Skirt Steak — a little too smoked for me, but still good, just not my personal favorite.
Grilled Corn with Cojita Cheese — can’t go wrong with this!
Roasted Cauliflower — oh so delish
We also had dessert… but after all the champs I honestly can’t remember what it was called. What I can tell you though is that it was chocolate something and it was incredibly tasty. So whatever is chocolate on the dessert menu just order it.
Can’t wait to come back!

I so wanted to really like this place more than I did. But the devil is in the details.
Arrived promptly at the 5pm opening time (wife and I were hungry and had plans later this the early meal). Plus it’s a small place and we wanted to be sure we were seated promptly.
The hostess/​waitress seemed very confused when we walked in. Went to check the time (it was 5:05pm) then came back and announced they were running behind but to have a seat anyway. OK…
She then brought us water in an old Moxie which was a great touch. But the water was the temperature of bath water with no ice.
Ordered after a bit from the waiter who was very nice. Started with the summer corn salad. Delicious! Fresh, flavorful, and well chilled.
Sadly the grilled corn ordered as a side was a disappointment. We expected it on the cob. It was in a dish and was not very warm and without flavor. Clear miss on this one.
Wife and I both ordered the brisket. The presentation was excellent and the brisket was fork tender. Unfortunately not much flavor to it. ³⁄₅
Wife had a margarita she said was «fine».
I need to mention this place is LOUD. Banging heard from the kitchen and one episode of profanity that was easily heard over the very loud music. Turn it down! It was difficult to have a conversation.
Given the positive reviews I expected more, especially for the prices charged. We may try it again but for take-​out only. Hopefully we caught them on an off night.

This place delivered! We went in on Friday between rain storms and grabbed a table outside. Having two glasses of red wine already under my belt, I was in the mood for food. Needless to say, I ordered two of the beef cheek tacos and a side of corn, stat. I’d heard good things about the beef cheek tacos so I was ready. The atmosphere inside seemed cozy and bustling but we weren’t going to be too long so outside was just the right spot.
They’ve got a good drink selection, and great beers if that’s your thing. The flavor combinations in the other items sounded great so I will definitely be back to try more. There were some vegetarian friendly items on the menu which I’ll go back for. It’s definitely a meat heavy spot but I think a vegetarian could get by here — a vegan I’m not so sure but I’d be very surprised if they couldn’t accommodate specific dietary requests given their pricing and great service.
The beef cheek tacos came and rocked my world. The meat was soft and tender, each on a soft corn tortilla. On the side I had some fresh green chili sauce which made them even more flavorful and just brought out the rich flavors in the meat. My side of corn is something I’ll probably pass on next time but I was in «must eat» mode and assumed it was elote. It was definitely more of a deconstructed elote if close to elote at all at this point. It’s more like a spicy version of creamed corn — I only say creamed (it has no cream mind you) because it’s cooked with pork pieces and the meat really added an aspect of richness to it — it’s also topped with queso fresco (I believe that’s what this was) and mixed with some fresh veggie components (cilantro, onions), plus spices. Not terrible for a side but I’ll probably pass it up next time.
There will definitely be a next time though — this place rocks!

Loved this place. Awesome atmosphere, staff was great and food was perfect. Really had a nice night.
Great that you can downsize portions. With barbecue selections that’s good because you don’t have to over indulge on proteins. Sides and apps were really good.
Lots of fun here.

For the life of me, I can’t pronounce the name of this place despite them writing it out phonetically on every piece of online and offline collateral they have. It’s «Ter-​ling-​wah», however that doesn’t want to come out of my mouth. «Turr-​lyn-​gooo-​wah», however, does.
When this place first opened, I swear I saw panko avocado tacos on their menu. I SWEAR I DID. It’s why this vegetarian wanted to come to the restaurant in the first place despite the fact that they’re billed as a BBQ joint. I mean, Portland is one of the world’s epicenters for amazing food, but we’re missing some quintessential things. Like really amazing panko avocado tacos. So I suggested we come here and much to my chagrin… there are no panko avocado tacos on the menu. What the what!!!
The space is unsurprisingly small, but seems very spacious given the way they have it currently laid out. Smart on them not to clutter the room with too many tables, oddly shaped tables, or tables in the center of the space. The windows are large and let in a ton of natural light, and the tones of the interior décor are very warm. The house music was there, but barely audible — kind of exactly what you want when you’re out!
Our waiter was patient, had a sense of humor (after a friend ordered George Clooney’s tequila, we got to hear about the servers personal experience with The Situation’s protein filled vodka), and was just personal enough to make us feel welcome and make our experience feel completely authentic. He made suggestions based on what he personally liked, he made suggestions on what he’s seen as popular with other customers, and after being told that half of our party were vegetarians he — unprompted — let us know everything on the menu that was vegetarian and what could/couldn’t be made vegan. How thoughtful is that?
So, we drank/​ate:
+ Sangria ($ 6): I. Love. Sangria. In my opinion, bad sangria is better than good most everything else. That’s a bad segue, because I’m not saying Turrlyngoowah’s was bad; it was very, very tasty and hit the spot! And at just a $ 6 price point? Girl’s gonna drink at least two or three errehtime, because it rocks to have a place offering drinks at under $ 10 a piece when Portland’s cocktail prices seem to be irrationally inflated.
+/​-​Sliced avocado and tomato with salted cucumber ($ 6): If you’re a lover of the marriage between avocados and tomatoes, then of course you’re going to appreciate this light, refreshing option. However… it’s not anything I couldn’t make at home, so I’m not sure I would go out of my way to order it again.
+ Roasted cauliflower with poblano and cheese ($ 6): YES. All day long. As others have mentioned, it tastes like one of the most creamy, sinful mac & cheese’s in the world. Also — you get a pretty good-​sized crock-​full for just $ 6. THAT’S AWESOME. Please don’t change a thing about this! I could easily come back for this and a glass of a sangria and be perfectly happy.
— Stuffed Poblanos ($ 16), poblanos stuffed with smoked walnuts, currants, rice, and topped with red chile sauce: Do NOT get this if you don’t love spice. I like spice, but this was far to hot for me to handle. Even the stuffing — which seemed to be mostly rice (I didn’t see or taste any walnuts, and only a smattering of currants), was infused with heat. Yowza!
+ Mushroom Empanada ($ 18), mushrooms and winter hill farm cheese with a fried egg and a salad of mixed greens: I really liked this a lot. Like A LOT, A LOT. I thought it was going to be more mushroomy and cheesy, but it seemed more spinachy on the inside. Not that that’s a bad thing. Also, while the dough was baked to flaky, golden perfection I was originally concerned about how dry it was. That’s when I realized… that’s what the egg is for. To dip your empanada crust in the runny yolk. SO CREATIVE. SO GOOD. Do I think it’s worth $ 18? Absolutely not, especially given the Stuffed Poblanos had far more food for a lower price point.
+/​-​Tres Leches Cake ($?): It was good — just the right amount of sweet. Definitely for sharing, though. Unfortunately mine seemed particularly soupy. It just sort of dribbled everywhere every time I took a bite.
Even if you can’t pronounce the name, this is a place worth coming out of your way for!
(Even if they don’t have panko avocado tacos.)

Reviewing a restaurant their second night open may not be fair, but my personal experience was very good on a quiet Friday night, so why not? Terlingua is located in an unassuming façade (only the symbol is on the sign) adjacent to Silly’s on Washington Ave. Inside is attractive with reclaimed brass tables from Nosh and a central bar. The restaurant is Latin American BBQ and some of the theme is translated to the décor. It won’t wow you, but it’s a comfy space.
Our excellent server quickly brought the drink and food menu. I LOVE how the restaurant has half and full portions for most of the entrees. Sometimes I’m not starving and don’t want an expensive dinner. Half portions are still plenty filling and the $ 8-​$ 10 price can’t be beat. Even the $ 13 – 18 for full portions is very reasonable.
I ordered the half portion of green chili with brisket (it comes with pulled pork on the menu but they gladly substituted). This was one of the better chilies that I’ve ever had. A sizable bowl of chili was filled with potato, corn and cheese and topped with slices of tender brisket. It already had decent spice, but adding house made habanero sauce brought me happily to tears. Three generous slices of grilled pita bread helped relieve the heat.
The girlfriend is a (semi) vegetarian and her options consisted of two salads, a mushroom-​based entrée and a poblano-​based entrée. She chose the large ($ 11) leaf lettuce salad, beautifully presented with avocado, grapefruit, radish and a sesame seed dressing. She raved about it.
Desserts are presented in small mason jars and topped with ice cream. The apple pie was rich and tasty but would have been better warm.
The margarita ($ 7) was unmemorable, but the Texas Mojito (with Tito’s Vodka instead of rum, $ 10) was perfectly refreshing on a summer night. The beer list is a decent mix of local and afar.
There are also BBQ boards of brisket, pulled pork and ribs that directly compete with Salvage and Elsmere but overall this is a different type of restaurant, and I’m buying the concept. Great food at affordable prices in a chill atmosphere will win me over every time.

Who knew Washington Ave would become the new, hip place to be? It warms my heart that this neighborhood has come alive with so many new places. Now, we can add Terlingua to that list.
First off I’ll say that I really liked it here. The space is fairly small but they’ve made use of it wisely. There are seats at the bar and plenty of tables plus some great outdoor picnic tables for the hot summer nights. The tables are covered in copper and reminded me strongly of the tables at Nosh. The silverware is wrapped up in a tea towel and placed in the water glass. Just a unique little touch to make them stand out from other restaurants.
We started off the meal with the small version of the pork belly chicharron. It came with some dressed greens. It was super tasty with a crispy outside and that wonderful creamy pork belly inside. I wish the portion had been a little larger for the price.
My main course was the large order of chicken pozole with a side of roasted cauliflower. The pozole was wonderful and very flavorful. It had shredded chicken and hominy in a warm broth with sliced avocado on top. It came with a generous portion of grilled bread that we found out was from the Tandoor bakery in town. I’m not sure if it was intentional but my pozole was slightly lukewarm. I’m kinda glad for that because I didn’t need scalding hot soup on a warm day in June.
My roasted cauliflower was other worldly. It was crunchy and cheesy all at the same time. It looked like baked mac and cheese when it came out and in dim lighting could be mistaken for just that. I couldn’t resist eating almost all of it. It was a good portion for a side dish.
I’m still trying to figure out the mood they are going for. The décor is very homey and has a bit of Latin flair but the music was all EDM with a heavy emphasis on deadmau5. Those two things didn’t really jibe for me.
Overall, I really liked it and I’ll definitely be back because I want to try the bar snacks served from 9pm to close and some of the desserts!