Jay O.
Yelp
My partner and I have been coming to Santiam pretty much every Wednesday for the past nine months (our mid-week date as she lives in Eugene and I'm in Clark County). In that time, we've managed to eat just about everything on the menu (most many times) and have had most of the tap selections.
First, the bad (not much!). The general area this place is in does not initially instill great confidence. It's in an out of the way industrial flex park. But parking is always easy even if the area gives off odd pub vibes. Also, sometimes they can get very really backed up because of staffing. While the staff there are GREAT (super friendly and generally quick), one larger party can make things really slow down at the bar (where all business must be transacted - they don't come out and take orders).
And that's really it for the bad. Now for the good.
The owner obviously has a thing for English-style pubs. Most of the food menu could come out of a typical London pub. The savory pies, rarebit, fish & chips, scotch eggs, sticky toffee pudding. It's all excellent. But there is also a lot of American style food, with burgers and sandwiches. Our go-to has been the cascade harvest salad (with roasted chicken). It's great with the candied filberts. We've matched it up with some much less healthy, such as the reuben fries, poutine, fish & chips, or a savory pie. They typically have a few desserts that are also very nice.
For the beers, I have typically gone with non-IPA beers (although they obviously have some IPAs because who doesn't). They have a rum coconut stout that is pretty heavy, as well as a nice porter. They also have a few ciders, which appeal to my partner (especially a relatively dry cider). However, the highlight of the tap selection is the cask beers. They generally have 3-4 cask beers on tap, which is absolutely amazing! Pretty much nowhere in Portland can you find a pub with that many cask options. If you don't mind the slightly warmer temperature, I strongly suggest you try a cask option if available. The taste is different from your normal kegged beers, , often a bit more mellow than the regular versions (they will often have the same beers available as cask or non-cask), but much fuller and well rounded. But wow, this is one of the big selling features of Santiam in my eyes.
One other thing. They have a big "speakeasy" style room. While it is often reserved for group events, it is open to anyone if not reserved and is a super cool place to chill. You won't know you're sipping pints in a flex space park to be sure! Just be sure to ask the bartender if a group is scheduled so you don't get booted out at some point.