Bauman's on Oak
Cider bar · Buckman ·
Award-winning ciders, refined food pairings, and a beautiful, spacious taproom
Award-winning ciders, refined food pairings, and a beautiful, spacious taproom
"Eater Portland’s 2024 Best New Restaurant, Bauman’s is first and foremost a taproom where Christine Walter shows off her cider-making prowess made from apples from her family’s century-old farm. But the food menu, from Cafe Olli alum Daniel Green, is just as special as the ciders on tap. There are bar snacks that are just a little bit better than they need to be — Ruffles with blue cheese dip, anyone? — but also sensational full meals, like a crab roll slathered with miso mayo or pork ribs done with a loganberry barbecue sauce. Special events, like burgers every Wednesday, summertime pizza pop-ups, and collab dinners with local chefs make this a spot to add into the regular rotation." - Katherine Chew Hamilton
"Although cider houses have struggled to maintain their footing in the Portland taproom scene, the demand for the alcoholic beverage lives on, as dozens of local companies still manufacture cans and taps of it for breweries as a gluten-free option; Bauman’s Cider has decided to challenge this history by serving a compelling food menu alongside its award-winning ciders. Backed by accomplished Portland culinary pros (Daniel Green, formerly of Cafe Olli, and Chris Leimena from Le Pigeon/Canard), the offerings showcase simple ideas with thoughtful execution. A creamy Bleu d’Auvergne dip accompanies a plate of Ruffles potato chips, and a sourdough offering toggles between flatbreads, focaccias, and loaves. Hype usually revolves around the monthly pizza offering, a singular day in which Bauman’s on Oak transcends into “pizza on oak,” serving wood-fired Neapolitan-inspired pizzas decorated with ingredients like Dungeness crab and seasonal produce." - Katrina Yentch
"Named Eater Portland’s 2024 Best New Restaurant, this spot offers a focused happy-hour snack program and cider-forward pairings. Brenna Houck, Cities Manager, notes the $5 snack section includes "Ruffles with bleu cheese dip, crusty slices of sourdough with butter, and smoked salmon rolls." She goes on: "I could have probably been sated stopping there but I’m glad we stuck it out for another round of tart loganberry cider with plump chicken cappalletti swimming in broth and the robust, heaping chicory salad. It was difficult to pick a favorite, I’m a sucker for seafood so I suppose it had to be the crab roll. Similar to the smoked salmon during happy hour, they stuff a beautifully lacquered potato roll with lump Dungeness crab meat tossed with just the right amount of miso mayo for an added umami hit and dimpled with chives. If the cider wasn’t so good, it would steal the show." - Brenna Houck
"Since 2016, cidermaker Christine Walter has pressed her family’s orchard-picked apples into liquid gold, producing everything from dry, traditional-style ciders to modern concoctions that feature other Pacific Northwest fruit such as marionberries or peaches. Many of her ciders are award-winning and are poured at the Portland taproom, where patrons can enjoy glass pours, quaff cider slushies, or discover new favorites in flights arranged by categories like Co-fermented or Hopped. From the kitchen, Cafe Olli alumnus Daniel Green produces snacky yet refined dishes: crusty, spongy-on-the-inside sourdough accompanied with a thick swipe of cultured butter; a buttered and toasted roll stuffed with miso mayo–dressed Dungeness crab; and chicories tossed in peppered buttermilk." - Janey Wong
"A newly opened spot in 2024 that, along with other recent openings, injected life into the city’s cocktail, wine, beer, and cider offerings even as many established venues struggled." - Rebecca Roland