Powell's Seafood Restaurant

Really great food with big portion sizes. The fried rice has that authentic wok hei flavor iykyk and the honey garlic spareribs were delicious. I also got the fried whole crab which was $45 for those who want to know. I'll definitely be back

Definitely I was aware this is not a fancy restaurant. As a tourist from California, I was amazed by the food portion and price (no tax!). The typhoon sampan style dungeness crab and seafood yuzi tofu were good as other regular Canton restaurant in Cali. Food served pretty quickly.

One of the best Cantonese food here, very authentic. The chicken is fresh and tender, seafood is super fresh, all the dish have great Wok Hei, very good.

Chinese broccoli with garlic ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - pretty good but would probably get bok choy next time Crispy chow mein ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ - I love the variety of meats Walnut prawns ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a little sweet but I liked it Bean curd mushroom ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ - I loved the egg

We ordered sesame beef, fried rice, and salt/pepper squid. Each plate is enough for two people, so it was good. I would come back. They have a parking space behind the restaurant, and there should be ample space on the side of the road if the lot is packed.

The fried 🦀 crab has an interesting flavor, lots of work to open the shell, but it was fun. I think it was around $55, not too expensive for a big crab. I really liked the veggies, delicious! Haven’t had veggies tasted that good for a long time. Pepper squid was ok, a little dry and hard to chew.

This was my thanksgiving dinner tradition for the years that I lived in Portland. It's comfortable, nice enough to be a special treat, casual enough that you can go after a good bike ride. Salt and pepper egg tofu (really, salt and pepper anything) and their steamed eggplant with ground pork and salty fish are the two winners in my book. Great place for groups too!

Today we came to eat at this place because my children love it. We have been coming for several years and the waitresses were usually on their best behavior. Today we had a very bad experience. There was a man we had never seen before. I imagine he is the new owner. He served us. Very reluctantly, they did not give us water until we asked for it and the water had dirty things inside. They never asked how everything was and they were super rude when we asked for something else. This person was drinking beer, which is not very ethical. they over charge too.

I came in a Sunday evening with family. The food came out quickly after ordering. The tea and rice were free which is amazing. We had roasted half duck, salty fish and chicken stew, and sweet and sour pork. All were delicious and very large portions. We even had free desert. The service was wonderful.

Food portion was big! Environment is average among other similar restaurants I visited in other cities. Service was good.

Delicious food for a very fair price. Definitely recommend the calamari as a appetizer

I highly recommend Salt & Pepper Squid, String Bean, and Beef Brisket in a Clay pot. Friendly and great service.

I've been coming here since I was a little girl and my mom says she's been coming here since a little girl too This is my all time favorite Chinese food place ! It always has the best food that gets served up quick !

I was excited to come here for the first time since COVID. Things have changed. It has been remodeled and apparently changed ownership. The decor has been updated to a more simple, clean aesthetic (no more carpet, banquet decorations, or chandeliers). Many of the menu offerings are the same, but sadly, were not prepared the same way as before. Seafood fish maw soup: The fish maw was plentiful, but seemed undercooked. It was more chewy/gummy than crunchy. Salt and pepper squid: the squid and batter was very thin and not crispy. The onions had good flavor. Enoki mushroom and tofu hotpot: This was good, and arrived bubbling in its pot. It literally only had enoki and shiitake mushrooms, and tofu. Usually, there are more veggies too. Hot tea and white rice are included.

I had high hopes for this place. We went on a Saturday night and there was only one waitress. It got quite busy so we were patient but after asking for water about 8x we were on our last straw. The cups were also not clean. And the cherry on top was when we were paying.... we split the bill between two cards and the restaurant was very forceful by tell us that we should be paying 15% tip, when we were trying to explain to them that one of us is playing for the full tip and that it will be zero on the other one, they looked angry. Come next Monday... I check my bank account... they charged us the 15% tip even when we wrote in zero. The food was mediocre.

This place is incredible! The best General Tso's I've ever had. Also the best sweet and sour pork. But by far my favorite dish (and I never thought this would happen) was a VEGETABLE! What?! Their salt and pepper green beans are next level. I could not stop eating them and then ordered more to go. And no, they are not battered or fried the way most of my preferred vegetables are. (Tempura) The parking lot is small but there was plenty of on-street parking. I loved the lazy Susan style tables and large portions that encourages everyone to try a little of everything. If you don't like food sharing, go with like minded people. If you are the only one that hates the experience and mean mug the rest of your party every time a fork strays near your entree, maybe you married into the wrong family. All in all, this was a fantastic restaurant.

Like their fish and chips, also tasty tartar sauce. Quick friendly service at the window

Still the best canto restaurant in town, with a legacy of about 30+ years. You can order items individually, or in a big party order one of the banquet sets (range $150-$246). Review of my favorites: -Peking Pork. Tried and true classic sweet and sour dish, always good with rice -Salt and Pepper Squid. A favorite, with the combination of fried, crunchy, and chewy. -Crab Special. Great flavors. You can eat the head too! Ask for gloves. -Onion and Oil chicken. Great chicken pieces, well flavored and plenty for the party -Steamed fish. Eat with the garnishes and sauce. Don't flip the fish! Remove the bone. If it's busy (usually is) you will need TJ do street parking. Unfortunately like many restaurants in Portland, Powell's got their windows smashed recently and had to board it up. A sad sight, but it did not affect the employees at all.

I've been going here for 17 years. Took a hiatus the last three years due to the pandemic. Was greeted by familiar faces when I returned! The staff. Yee has been here for eons and she is SUPER nice. Remembers what regulars order. She still calls me "Brother" when I walk in. And if any of you remember the wonderful Lisa from Ocean City, she's here now! Ok, the food. No, I haven't tried everything! I get my go tos every time! The Salt and Pepper Squid special ordered with mostly tentacles ('cause they taste better than boring rings!). This is NOT that eggy overly wheat flour battered type that you get from Chinese American restaurants, thank Gawd! THIS is the real THING! LIGHT rice flour batter that has crunch! IF you want that other kind, GO somewhere else and eat FAKE Chinese Food! The Peking Pork: tender pieces of lightly battered boneless pork with just a slight batter (most likely rice flour coating to give you that crunch); the sauce is delectable! Yes, I know the sauce has that coloring, DEAL with IT! The Beef Chow Fun comes out with LOTS of wok hay that you MUST have RIGHT AWAY! You like Five Spice Beef Stew? Get theirs! Will be trying more dishes in the near future! You can't go wrong with Powell's!

I ordered the whole pan-fried Sole. It was very crispy and cooked perfectly. If you don't know how to filet a whole cooked fish, I'm not sure how you'll like it; but if you do, I highly recommend!

I was just turned onto this restaurant by a friend who lives on the East side. Some great surprises, Pinot Gris for $7.95 a glass and the best fried shrimp I've ever had. My entree, mixed seafood in a ceramic pot was a mixed bag. Terrific shrimp and clams but the rest of the seafood was unrecognizable and tough. Good service and the entire bill was only $37.

Just found out that Powell Seafood is under new ownership. I really miss the old owners as they had taken the time to get to know us and so not to see them anymore. My heart is broken. The old owners would love when I practiced my Chinese on them. Most tables for four people were taken out and replaced with tables of 10. Since the roof is so low, and building is sooo small this only adds to the place being extremely extremely noisy!!! Our table of 4 could not hear each other talk!!! the table of 12 to 15 people sitting next to us was extremely extremely loud and noisy. The server even asked them to be QUIET! (Didn't listen) They packed these tables of 10 in there so there's no room to sit back relax and enjoy your meal. My husband kept getting bumped into and run over by the waiters and people walking by because everything was so tight. The prices have definitely gone up. We ordered our four favorite dishes which we always order plus salt and pepper shrimp appetizer and the bill was $120. Every time that we have come here previously, our bill was never over $100. The food used to come out on these huge platters. Now all the food comes out in a pie plate sized dish, which is totally smaller than than a platter size plate! under Previous owners --We have been going to Powell Seafood for a very long time. My husband is Chinese, and he told me that this was the closest to authentic Chinese food that he could find. NOW We are very disappointed in the service, the prices, quality and quantity of food served. It breaks my heart to think that we may not be going back there because our recent experience was so dreadful. Sidenote: as we were ending our meal, I had gotten up to use the restroom. When I came back to our table, I noticed that there were many dirty dishes and plates of used food stacked up on our table we were originally sitting at. I found my party of four waiting outside. They said the serving staff started loading up our table up with dirty dishes and half eaten food plates -- while they were sitting there talking n waiting for me So RUDE so they decided to get up and leave and wait outside. They believed the waiters wanted us to leave so --they just got up and left!!! How RUDE! this has never happened to us before. To be rushed from our table! I didn't even get to finish my beer! I've never given a one star review before, but this whole experience really sucked!

How the mighty have fallen. The place is filthy, dirty. The owners are screaming at each other. Folding boxes in the dining room while people are eating. Taking the chopsticks and not bring us forks. Talking down to us in another language. I don't know how much worse this place could get, but it used to be one of the best there was.

We ordered our food and they gave us half our order while we waited 30 plus minutes for the rest of our food they didn't give our table enough waters never came to ask if we needed anything we just sat there waiting for someone to come 30 minutes later we just ask them to pack up the other half of the food because our toddlers has become impatient waiting for his food as he watches everyone else eat so if you go eat here be prepared to WAIT for everything including water.

Tasty food. Generous portions. Friendly service, buuuuuuuut... beware that their parking lot! Go to Google maps and look at their parking lot. You'll see that patrons routinely box you in by parking directly behind your car. Sometimes there's even more than just one row of cars that have boxed you in. The owner (?) chuckled about this and said it happens all the time, and I had to wait an extra 10 minutes with my dad just standing in the parking lot while the owner tried asking people who's white minivan was parked behind me... pretty sure I see that same van in the darned Google view. Powell Seafood, nobody else has this problem with their parking lot. This is very strange. (And it's not funny.)

I do not enjoy giving poor reviews but our takeout last night (11/16/22) was atrocious. Typical American order - General Tso Chicken x2 , large fried shrimp (12 pieces), egg rolls (3), sautéed green beans, small hot and sour soup and Singapore rice noodles. Total came to $100. Restaurant was pretty full around 6:30 pm and the food smelled amazing on the ride home. We were all very hungry and unfortunately very disappointed within minutes of diving in. -General Tso was bland and dry. -Fried shrimp was undercooked and doughy (our daughter also uncovered evidence of uncleaned shrimp). -Egg rolls also undercooked and doughy. -Green beans cooked properly but no taste -Noodles just tasted weird, almost sour. -Soup was awful with zero flavor. In their defense, we ate at the restaurant 4 months ago and it was a solid 4 stars so maybe just a bad night for the chef. I called to let the manager / owner know of our poor experience and she offered us empathy and a credit to come back. I will wait to see if I receive a response to this review. Hopefully she responds and lives up to her offer so I can post a follow-up positive review, assuming the next time is better.

We were traveling and looking for dinner later than usual and were looking for a non-chain family run restaurant , with Powell's Seafood restaurant we hit the jackpot, seated half an hour before closing we were greeted by our host offering a steaming hot pot of tea and two large menus, we were hungry and ordered chicken with seasonal vegetables, Chinese broccoli with garlic and also Singapore Style Mei Fun and it all was cooked fresh and on the table in less than 1 minutes after ordering. All the dishes were fragrant, flavored and delicious. The room was bright and spacious, like a banquet room with "family supper" being served across the room by the staff and hosts. We were welcomed warmly and never rushed even as we lingered making conversation and thanking them profusely for the great meal and hospitality. We left with leftovers and hope to get back to do this again a little earlier in the day.

SERVICE WAS HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!We are going there for my mom last day visiting. We wnt around 4pm. Bad service by this LADY today. Extremely rude!!! Ask for extra water 4 times, never arrived. Our water never got refill.Ask for crab cracking thing to open the crab, and never arrived. Good thing another server showed up later later.I understand is busy, but don't gave me an attitude! Very disappointing!! Very very annoying!! The deep fried crab was over cooked and salt pepper shrimp is extremely salty.Too bad, this used to be one of my favorite restaurant to go too. We will never going back, and we will tell many of our to avoid that restaurant!Change to 1 star, just found out they took extra tips without your consent!! We tips 20% regardless how horrible the service are and they took more money out. This is stealing!!I mean how desperate are they, either they are greedy or the owner didn't pay them enough!

The lunch menu offers several basic choices, each of which comes with a little of nearly everything. Hot tea, a small cup of hot and sour soup, the menu item -- I opted for the Mandarin chicken -- an egg roll, two breaded shrimp, and rice. The food is standard and filling. The Mandarin chicken was OK but had no real orange flavor. Breaded chicken pieces covered with a darkish sauce. Forgettable egg roll and breaded shrimp that were mostly breading. Reasonable price on the lunch menu. Attentive service. Nice enough decor.

As one of the longest standing restaurants in this part of Portland, Powell's has been the quintessential Chinese American establishment with sprinklings of authentic offerings. In terms of Portland Chinese, it's solid. Compared to the rest of the country, it's very average (#1). I appreciate that the Chinese name (寶華 - "bo wah" or "bao hua") is similar sounding to Powell. While every other place has a typical name, I give them kudos for staying true to the name. The place was undeniably old school for so long, but their recent renovation (#2) during the pandemic is a welcome update. They are a mini banquet hall, with plenty of group friendly tables with a rotating lazy susan on top. The Cantonese fare here is a good option for those who want it but I can't say I've had anything outstanding here. Beef chow fun and their walnut shrimp have been their money makers, but are generally lacking in flavor. Black bean clams, steamed fish, ginger lobster have been a bit blander than I'd like, with price to portion ratio somewhat subpar overall. Much of the non-fried dishes are a bit saucy and even then, the flavors aren't entirely there. One thing I have enjoyed is their soups. The complimentary herbal soups that are attached to the meal sets are quite nice. I appreciate the chunks of meat, carrots, and the semi-salty but pungent aroma of the broth. I do appreciate the good service over the years. It might be the best part of our visits over the years as a family. The staff and owners have been the nicest folks, which is why we continue to support them. I'm hoping that with the renovation will come some new and interesting dishes on their menu and hope their existing fare will get better in time. _____________ (#1) Probably 3.5 stars at best. (#2) Goodbye red carpet!

The restroom and the seat covers are very dirty. Looks like they don't clean them. Food is decent. OMG, there was a piece of plastic in my veggie dish. I talked to the owner and she said it is a plastic case that they stored the veggies . She didn't even say sorry.

I really love this place. The food and environment feel very authentic. The crispy chicken is something we order every time!

The two sisters that run this restaurant are sweet and the food is amazing. My fav dish is shrimp in spicy tomato sauce. Soooooo good! Yum!

A wonderful local restaurant with great food. Recommendation for the Singapore Noodles!

I've lived within blocks of this place for over 8 years and haven't looked twice at it due to the fact that I'm a vegetarian. However, I read they have a veggie menu so I've checked it out twice now and have been happy both times. The dishes are flavorful and delicious and the service is great. So glad we found a great Chinese option close-by.

The seafood dishes are great. Conch clams come with a very tasty sauce for you to dip in. I think it's garlic with salty shrimp paste. It's really good. The chicken was good and it tastes even better after a day. The bbq pork was just so so. Very fast service.

Ordered Togo. Very quick pick up service. Humble restaurant that can fit large parties from what it seemed like. I got the bbq fried rice, walnut shrimp and beef and broccoli. All of this was 50 bucks. Kind of expensive in my opinion. The fried rice was okay. Could have had more seasoning. The beef and broccoli was good. Comparable to other restaurants. The walnut shrimp was very very tasty. Loved it. I think this place has a good variety of food. Will come here again, I do think you have to know what dishes to order though.

Reminder to future self - check Yelp for previous reviews you may have written before ordering food from someplace you only ate at once. I was in the neighborhood caring for a friend's pets while she was away and I wanted to pick up some food from a place I could walk to. Did I mention, I was in the mood for seafood? I completely forgot that I don't like this kind of Chinese food, it's too bland for my palatte. The seafood in the two items I ordered was overcooked and tough. The prices are good and the portions are generous.

This place has been around for a long long time and I had driven past it a million times. But I never came in until last year when they hired a new chef and I made like 10 visits in 2 months. Personally, I prefer this place over HK, Wong's and other Chinese places. Parking can be difficult. I recommend parking on the street so you don't have to move your car or ask people to move theirs. The building is a bit old and easy to get overlooked if you drive too fast. There is a ramp on the way to restrooms and that area can be slippery. (Watch your steps) Ventilation is not the best and your clothes will smell if you stay inside for too long. That's it for the cons. I'd say the food is good and I could tell which ones were cooked by the new chef and which ones were not. Lots of experienced Chinese chefs here tend to cook things in a certain way such as using lots of oil. The way the new chef cooks is really refreshing and more authentic in terms of Chinese food. I hope he can keep his style and doesn't get "Portlandized" so quickly. I usually order 2-3 specials if I come with 1-2 people. However, they changed their menu recently and it has fewer specials now, and the new specials are not as affordable as the old ones. The old specials can still be found on other pages and are priced reasonably. Eggplant pot is my personal favorite. Good customer service. I recommend this place. In fact, I am going again in 1 hour.

BAD SERVICE AND FOOD. They compulsively asked me for a tip, I gave it to them and they said I didn't tip enough. That's insane! YOU HAVE BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE HERE WHY SHOULD I TIP YOU??? This is the worst Chinese restaurant I have ever meet!!!

BAD SERVICE AND FOOD. They compulsively asked me for a tip, I gave it to them and they said I didn't tip enough. That's insane! YOU HAVE BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE HERE WHY SHOULD I TIP YOU??? This is the worst Chinese restaurant I have ever meet!!!

I was new customer at Powell's Seafood Restaurant, at first couple of times just ok.But last week was very rude waitress, very pushy. The last visit rude and waitress complaining need pay more tips I was surprised they should not ask customer tips with bad service, they Needs improvement, not pleasing.

Crispy skin/surface beneath the sauce--I prefer General Tso's chicken this way. My neighbohood place does it soggy. I was quie full when done with lunch, which also included hot & sour soup (done a little differently than other's I've had, and tasty0 egg roll and two shrimplets. Last time I was here they either didn't have or just didn't provide the lunch special menu. Dinner items tend to be over $16, with the lunch specials a good deal at $9. Friendly service though the waitress was in constant quick motion.

Horrible customer service... The absolute worst service ever in Portland , consistently. I've come a handful of times ( with my husband & with family and friends ) , each time the service is poor. They are rude, snobby, argumentative, and lazy. Multiple times, I've ordered the exact same dish, sizzling beef ribs, and they'll bring out already made sizzling beef nuggets and when you tell them that's not what you ordered they dismiss you and refuse to correct the order. They will sit you by the front door and out of sight if you are not Asian. They also talk in Chinese to each other and make smirks and looks directed at you. When we've come with our Asian friends, their attitude is completely different and much nicer. They serve you leftover food if it was already made and not picked up by someone else instead of cooking it fresh & by order. The only pro is that the food is affordable , but it's not worth paying to be disrespected each time. We will no longer be coming to this establishment, hopefully they understand and improve how to treat ALL paying clients with respect and care as they would to their own culture.

Limited experience here but the food is pretty good. The restaurant isnt much for ambiance but the food is solid. Ordered BBQ pork, salt and pepper squid (I didnt find there were too many tentacles as others did) lobster in ginger/garlic. I have eaten this dish in many places and have never paid $85 so that was a surprise. But overall good meal and I would go again.

Good food good service happy other customers a good experience would return if I lived closer

I got the general tso lunch special. The price is great for what you get, I believe it was 6.95 for the general tso, rice, 2 fried shrimps and 1 eggroll. I'm used to eating general tso where the chicken is crispy. This was on the soggy side - no crisp to the chicken. I'm not sure if thats how they make their general tso but I wasn't the biggest fan. Do others get their general tso chicken here crispy? Maybe the orange chicken is different? The sauce on the general tso was a bit more on the salty side for me as well. I think I'll try the orange chicken next and see how that is.

I love this place some things are a hit or miss when you order to-gobut it reminds me of San Francisco Chinese food, nostalgia. I think for the best service you must eat inside. The ladies are lovely (wonderful service). Family style and a complimentary fruit at the end of the meal. Hot tea is always yummy.

If you've read some of my precious reviews, you'll know that I usually don't like Chinese food, because it's often too oily. However, while looking at the menu of Powell's Seafood Restaurant, I thought I'd try this place out for dinner. Honestly, the food here wasn't bad at all! And it was pretty damn cheap! (Only $44 for a party of 4.) We ordered a total of 4 dishes: steamed eggplant with salted fish, steamed tofu served underneath a scallop-based gravy sauce, steamed prawns, and honey garlic spareribs. The steamed eggplant and tofu dishes, in particular, were the standouts of our entire dinner. They paired great with white rice, since there was so much sauce that came with the dishes, not to mention that they both had this addicting umami flavor. The prawns were done well, though there's not much else to say about them, since they were plain steamed. The honey garlic spareribs, on the other hand, weren't as good as they sounded. It was mostly because the sauce just didn't taste right. Overall, though, this was a solid place for Chinese food. And since that's coming from someone like me who's picky around Chinese food... that's saying a lot. ;)

Interesting name for Chinese restaurant, with partial Taiwanese flare, which is great for us. The very friendly and polite waitress server was overworked by herself, but still able to get things done fast. She made a great recommendation of vermicelli with shrimp eggs. It's cooked in traditional ceramic pot, which distributed and retained heat + flavor very well. Excellent for cold rainy weather. Thank you. And somebody please give her a raise.

If I lived in the area, I could totally see how this place might be one of our favorite neighborhood Chinese places. However, since we were out of towners, I think I was expecting a little more. Now, don't get me wrong, the food was good. But, "good" for me equals a 3-star rating. We called before coming since it was Thanksgiving Day, and the lady who answered was very......short. "Yes, of course we're open today!" Sorry, just wanted to make sure. Sheesh! Anyway, with the limited options open on a holiday, we decided to go anyway. The lady who answered the phone ended up being decent when we came in. We got a table right away and our order was taken soon after. That order consisted of Yang Chow Fried Rice, Dry Sauteed String Beans, Honey Garlic Pork, Non-fried House Chow Mein, and Salt and Pepper Fish. Yang Chow Fried Rice is always a hit in my family and it didn't disappoint. The Salt And Pepper fish was good, too, but started getting tough towards the end of the meal. Speaking of tough, the string beans were indeed that. I usually love this dish, but I just couldn't get thru it. I REALLY tried. The Honey Garlic Pork was ok as was the House Chow Mein (get it fried, if you can. I usually get it fried, but I guess I had a brain fart and got it the normal way). Seems to be a good neighborhood spot as there seemed to be many regulars in the restaurant. Like I said, food was decent and I'm sure if I ordered from them often, I could find a few favorites.

Great chinese food, been going here since i was a kid with my family and the quality is always great. Great staff.

food delicious service quick ambiance very friendly and for family price fair highly recommend the saltpepper squid

The best meal I had in Portland! This place is very authentic and the price is very reasonable. We ordered the $149 family meal (mushroom soup, oyster, stir fried crab, deep fried fish, black bean sauce clam, walnut prawn, and white rice). Everything on the menu was excellent except the soup. The portion is great! We had left over for six people. Overall, the waitress is super friendly and packed our food very well. We enjoyed our meal and would love to go back to this place someday.

Honestly, probably the best Chinese restaurant around town. The reason for the 4 star is because I know they're not the cleanest. But let's be honest, what Chinese restaurant is super clean? So.. with that being said.. they're by far the fastest and most consistent place for Chinese food! On top of that, all the ladies are super friendly. We can always count on Powell seafood for a good meal.

Feasted at Powell's Seafood Restaurant So much delicious seafood! One of our fam's fav seafood places in SE PDX. We always order a few dishes & share. This time we were celebrating, so we ordered from the prix fixe family menu. I recommend when coming with a big group & there are a few choices, depending on the size of your group. Salt & Pepper Chili Fried Dungeness Crab Sizzling Oysters Sea Bass ~ ginger, mushroom sauce Clams ~ black bean sauce Boiled Conch Mushroom Broth~ king trumpet, enoki, white button mushrooms, glass noodles We had the choice of how we wanted our crab & sea bass prepared. My favorite crab & clams ever, we always have to get it every time! First time having the conch here, it was really good & the dipping sauce was delicious. Everything was great, like always!

Don't judge a book by its cover. This is one of the most efficient restaurant that I have ever been to. Once we place in our orders, our food literally flies out of the kitchen with amazing speed. The food are all seasoned fantastically that will entice your taste buds. Great Chinese restaurant -- if you're in the mood for seafood, this place has it all.