This used to be one of my favorite restaurants a few years back, and it had been a while since my last visit. The inside still looks really cute, but my mom and I didn't get to sit in the woven chairs even though it was pretty empty when we went. I probably should have asked to move tables, but I didn't want to make it a hassle for the staff. We ordered the cheesy crab wontons, shrimp pad thai, and crispy chicken. The crab wontons were really good , crunchy and filling are well seasoned it wasn't just stright up cream cheese, I enjoyed them a lot with the sweet chili sauce. The crispy chicken was also really yummy, can't say the same for the the pad thai tho it was so, so salty. I'll continue to come back in the future! read more

Buranko Cafe & Bar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Portland, Oregon

While in town for a conference, I went to Buranko Cafe & Bar for my first dinner in town due to Yelp reviews. It was so delicious that I brought my spouse back for dinner when he arrived later in the weekend. When I went the first night I got the shrimp pad Thai and it was the best pad Thai I've had in a long time. So full of flavor and fresh ingredients. I also got the hazy IPA from the local brewery, Backwoods. When we came back later in the weekend, my spouse got the shrimp pad Thai since I sang its praises. I got the million dollar shrimp tom kha ramen and it was DIVINE! I literally cherished every slurp and bite, it was so incredible and flavorful! My spouse got a different local IPA and I got a unique twist on a Negroni. The staff were extremely friendly helpful, ensuring that we had an impeccable experience from start to finish. Prices were also reasonable for the high quality ingredients, quantity, and presentation. The ambiance was wonderful, offering a clean, welcoming, and modern-green chic aesthetic. Not only did we have an amazing dinning experience, but also an amazing service and ambiance experience! If we are ever in town again, Buranko Cafe & Bar will be our top spot to stop! read more

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Dined here this evening and I'd definitely return. This place was on my friend's radar bc she has a little one and there's a play area. It wasn't loud at all for being very family friendly. Cute decor. We all really liked the dishes we ordered. Server was friendly. read more

Buranko Cafe & Bar - Chashu Bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - Portland, Oregon

This place has a beautiful interior, lots of natural light and fantastic decor. Good menu with lots of options, and looks like they have lots of high quality drinks. I ordered the tamarind margarita with the spicy chicken wings. The wings were fantastic, the sauce was delicious with the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. The margarita was good, I couldn't really taste the tamarind but it had a good level of spice. I would come back here if I'm in the area! read more

Buranko Cafe & Bar - tamarind margarita - Asian Fusion Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Great for families. My toddler loves the play area. Had a good variety of toys. The food was really good too. Best mango sticky rice I've had in Portland. Definitely worth the trip! read more

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We're visiting from the Bay Area and needed a kid friendly place to have dinner and drinks with my friend. Burbank def delivered! We sat around 630 on Easter and got sat right away. The place is roomy and spacious with pretty market lights on the ceiling. There's a play area off to the side where we saw a lot of kiddos enjoying. The tamarind margarita was delicious, it had a nice kick to it! I'm not sure if I tasted tamarind but it had a nice spicy/sweet vibe going on. The stars of the show meals were the mango sticky rice, roti, and shrimp wonton noodle soup. The soup was really, really good! Tasty but not salty and the noodles were perfectly chewy. The karaage and wings were basic but still good. We found street parking pretty quickly but I can see how it could be a challenge sometimes. Service was pleasant and attentive. They gave our little one an Easter egg and some crayons which is so nice. read more

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I came here for dinner as it was just down the street from where I was staying. At first I wasn't too keen on this place as the setup was more geared towards females or couples. The decor was definitely unique and somewhat awkward for someone dining solo. Still there were some items on their menu that looked good enough for me to overlook those qualities. The restaurant was quite spacious, even big enough for a play area for little kids. Once I got seated and looked over their menu, I ordered their Million Dollar Shrimp Tom Kha Ramen and edamame. Their food was a bit of a fusion between different Asian groups. I've never had a bowl of ramen quite like this one! Their food was good and service was good. I was glad that I stopped in to give them a try! read more

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I've been wanting to come here because I've heard that it's super kid-friendly and that was very true! We actually took the MAX here so we can hit up the Portland Saturday Market down the street by the waterfront. Side note: Oak Street/1st Ave stop if you take the MAX and a short minute walk. There is also plenty of street parking and paid parking lots. There is definitely a nice aesthetic to this restaurant with the white and wooden wicker chairs, mossy plants, and fun fish tank. The whole space is actually pretty big, and of course my toddler went to the kids play area immediately. I appreciated the fact that they were intentional about our seating arrangement. Service was quick and friendly even though I only saw two people working in the front of the house. It was nice to see other families with small kids seated close by this area as well so we can keep an eye on the kiddos. The menu isn't huge but they had a nice selection of rice bowls, noodles, soups and shareable appetizers. The drinks are pretty too! Lots of seasonal specials and also gluten-free options as well. We ordered the Kao Mun Gai Tod (crispy chicken with sweet chili sauce and daikon soup), Charshui Rice Bowl, and the Mango and Coconut Sticky Rice. The chicken had a nice light tempura coating making it crunchy but not greasy. The Chashui was not too fatty and very flavorful and came with pickled ginger and cucumber to cut through the richness and a gooey marinated ramen egg. The mango was fresh and the coconut milk added a nice sweetness to the sticky rice. Each entree was between $16-22 and the portions feel somewhat small for that price range but then again I'm sure this location is not cheap to rent. I would recommend checking out this place if you have little ones and take advantage of the location to visit the waterfront park! read more

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I co-run a networking group for administrative professionals and we decided to throw a happy hour event at Buranko Cafe. Unfortunately, other than the co-organizers, only one other person attended. That did not take away from the restaurant experience though. First off, the ambiance is awesome. Lots of windows and cute modern decor. It's a large space and great for a group. I decided to start with the Pot of Gold cocktail, which was delicious. Since I was there for happy hour, I wound up deciding on doing small plates. I ordered the Okonomiyaki Fries. To be fair, I haven't met a fry I didn't like, so this hit the spot. I wanted a little protein as well, so I got a side of the Karaage (which was an ample amount and I had to take some home). It had a crunchy coating and wasn't greasy. I'm ready to head back and order another tasty dish and one of their perfect cocktails to go with it! read more

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Very large, spacious Thai restaurant. Extensive hot food menu. Most items are priced under $20. They have mango sticky rice. Large bar. Cute decor. Street parking as this is in downtown. read more

Buranko Cafe & Bar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I came here with one of my friends who works for PDX parent who recommended this restaurant because it is child friendly, and even has an area that they can play. Usually when it comes to restaurants that allow children I don't have high expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised when we came here. It's not really clear what the cuisine is for this restaurant, but it had a lot of Thai dishes, but maybe just overall Asian fusion is the closest label. The inside is super cute and really spacious with tons of seating and in the back corner is a little play area for kids. The play area includes books and toys and the kids have to remove their shoes to play there. It's also really visible so you could easily be eating or drinking at your table and still see the kids. I ordered this coconut chicken curry soup with noodles, which was very delicious, a little spicy, and had all of the flavors of tom kha. I also ordered takoyaki balls as an app out of curiosity, but they were lacking in flavor and texture. What I did notice on the menu is that there's a ton of different types of fried chicken dishes. Maybe this is what they are known for (or trying to be?). Didn't order any because sometimes, or most of the time, restaurants don't change their fry oil very often and it's not only distorts the taste, it messes up my stomach. I also ordered a specialty cocktail which was alcohol forward (yay!) and different. On top of all that they even have a separate kids menu which doubles as a coloring sheet and crayons are put on the table. Overall, I really like this place for the ambience, the food, and the kid friendliness. Will be coming again. read more

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I stopped by for a solo dinner at the bar while in town for business. The space is cute, airy and spacious. I ordered a Siam mojito which the menu indicated included Mehkong, a Thai liquor as well as lemongrass and mint. The drink was delicious so i asked the bartender about Mehkong and what the bottle looked like out of curiousity. I was taken aback when she nonchalantly admitted she made it with Bacardi rum instead. She never indicated while making the drink there be a substitution and I would have reconsidered the $15 drink had I known it was cheap rum. I didn't say anything but it doesn't feel right to switch out the main alcohol component like that without telling me. After that incident, I finished my meal and watched the same bartender Marrying liquor bottles (!!) , which is federally illegal and a huge bartending no-no. She refilled at least 3 different bottles behind the bar. The food was awesome. I ordered the larb dish which was surprisingly made of fried chicken but delicious. I'm weirded out by the whole cocktail thing so probably won't be back. I'd pay attention to the alcohol that goes into the drinks if you plan on trying this place out. read more

Buranko Cafe & Bar - Cocktail menu which clearly states Mehkong not Bacardi. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Portland, Oregon

WHEN: Sat @11am Came here cuz my cousin with 2 little girls love it here and recommended we meet here for lunch. I can see why they love it here. It's lovely and well decorated with plenty of seating and cocktail options for adults to appreciate, and a play area for kids to play in. So being the first party to dine in, we were seated right next the play area! Since we wanted to do family style, we wanted to make sure we ordered dishes that the girls can eat too. Here's what we ordered: BEEF BULGOLGI BOWL - $18 Korean style stir-fried marinated thin sliced rib-eye with garlic and onion and sesame over rice with sides of jalapeno and kimchi. Meat was tender but my partner thought the rice was dry. I thought it was fine overall, even though I'd dint eat much of it. CHASU BOWL - $18 Japanese marinated pork belly, sesame, sweet soy glaze, chashu egg, pickled cucumber, fukujinzuke, scallion, rice. I thought this was good! The pork belly was thinly sliced and had a crispy texture to it that seemed to be because of the sweet soy glaze. It wasn't dry and jerky-like and hte flavors were good. Egg was well enjoyed and there was plenty of rice! LARB POKE TUNA - $18 Ahi tuna, roasted sesame, gluten-free soy, shallot, scallion, roasted brown rice powder, peppermint, avocado, arugula, rice, spicy Thai lime vinaigrette. I thought this was just okay. The tuna didn't taste very fresh but my cousin who ordered this seemed to enjoyed it. EDAMAME - $6 Something for the girls to eat with their rice. It was a large plate of them so $6 was pretty decent! SIDE OF AVOCADO - $3 The 4-year old really enjoyed the avocado from the Poke Tuna so we ordered a side of avocado to get her to eat more with her rice and edamame. It worked. After the girls ate they went straight to the play area, where my partner kept them company while I had 1:1 time with my cousin. It was such a wonderful time. Food was overall okay, but I appreciate the space Buranko provided for people to connect comfortably, even with kids. I'm honestly surprised how empty this place was on a Sunday. I think maybe it's because they don't serve brunch items like waffles and pancakes like I thought they would. Just lunch items, but hey, they have a variety of drinks and like 2 options of dessert. read more

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Solid 4.5 stars for overall experience. Ambiance - beautiful decor, plants throughout the place, they have a play ground corner for kiddos so it could be a little loud with the kids, but we were seated away from that area, so it wasn't disruptive at all. This is not a cozy place although there are cozy-ish corners. Food- 2 of my friends have dietary restrictions due to allergies. Mike was kind and gracious accommodating that. I had the Larb Poke Tuna, super yum, and it IS spicy. If you're sensitive to spicy food, even remotely, it's a no-go for you. One of us got the Beef Bulgogi Bowl, and I tried a bite, it was super yummy! Definitely getting that one next time. Garlicky and yummy! Service - Mike was accommodating and kind! Thank you, Mike! read more

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We arrived between 3 & 4pm and the restaurant was empty so we were sat immediately. We chose to sit on sort of a lounge chair which was definitely comfy & ordered our drinks & appetizer. The wontons & drinks came out shortly & we devoured the wontons. The sweet & spicy sauce was a great dip. Shortly after we finished our wontons our main meal came out & for me I ordered the salad which was filling and refreshing. I do feel that since it's called an Avocado Salad and the chicken was an additional I would have appreciated more avocado. Nonetheless, when we finished all we still had some room for Mango Sticky Rice which was both our first time trying it & it wasn't disappointing at all. Such a great combo I'm glad this place was my first time trying it at. Overall, this is a great restaurant for lunch or dinner. It's not only spacious but also has a kids corners for families. read more

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Best I've had in a while. Service is 10/10. The employees are so thoughtful and kind, something I don't really experience in LA. Food was also great. Clean dining area + restrooms. Kid + family friendly!! Okonomiyaki fries were so good too!! Roti is a must!! read more

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Lovely vibe and exceptional cocktails. The Kyoto Fog is 10/10. Loved watching the cichlid tank in a comfy couch. read more

Buranko Cafe & Bar - Lovely vibe and exceptional cocktails. The Kyoto Fog is 10/10. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Nice atmosphere- good for kids. Food was a little underwhelming for Portland standards. The kimchee fried rice was ok but not memorable. The fried chicken was nice but in a city filled with Asian fried chicken - it to did not standout. The kids did not like the orange chicken - a bit too gingery. If you dropped this restaurant in another city, it would feel more special - but for Portland, I cannot recommend. read more

Cannot say enough good things about this establishment. Got sat right away and there were many spots to choose from! I personally loved the options on the menu. My friend ordered one of their house made fizz and we got a few appetizers to share. We only spent $35 to have some snacks that really filled us. The overall lighting was so cute and there are so many nice photo ops! Huge thank you to the staff who carefully prepared our food and checked in on us regularly. read more

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This place is honestly pretty underrated - we went here on a Saturday dinner around 6:30pm aka supposedly prime dinner time and there were only 2 tables occupied. We got to sit in one of the nice hammock-like chairs and ordered 2 cocktails and 2 entrees to share for the 2 of us. We tried: Kyoto Fog - nice matcha flavor and the alcohol did not taste too strong. It was a nice touch to see Pinkitini - very floral and fruity, light and refreshing drink with lychee but the lychee was not sweet at all (perhaps a bit watered down) for some reason. Million Dollar Shrimp Tom Kha Ramen - sooooo delicious! Coconut lemongrass soup with noodles that were just al dente and fresh shrimp. It is to no surprise this is one of the most popular dishes on the menu Moo Kra Tiem - garlic pepper pork. I do like the grilling of the meat and the spicy sauce, but the rice was way too mushy so that was a miss. This is one of their seasonal specials. Service is good as water refills were apparent and the servers were fairly attentive to take dishes away as needed. I would recommend this place if you want a place that serves good Thai/Korean inspired food and want a casual, not overly crowded dining experience. read more

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Amazing vibe and incredible service and the food and drinks were delicious! I definitely didn't need to eat as much as I should, but I couldn't help myself. They have vegan and gluten free options too. My partner's sister is gluten free, so we'll definitely be back and bring the family. read more

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Buranko is one of those *outstanding* Thai (& Korean) restaurants that one just keeps returning to. The food here was so good: the downside is that you're going to have to really search to find some of these dishes elsewhere. The service was fast and friendly in the mid-afternoon. The atmosphere is clean and wide-open. I noticed a lot of family groups with their kids in tow. [ a great way to have open minded eaters :) ] This is a spot I will return to next time I'm town. Definitely give this spot a try. read more

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Welp my girl won this one. Let's just excuse for a moment how awesome the decor is in this place and how amazing the service was. I mean really just look at the pictures. It's got a lot of greenery in the background which always sings to my wifeys heart. We also got to sit in these interesting chairs. I almost don't wanna say anymore about because if you are an ambience fan, I think this place will be right up your alley. But food. Ok I lied...Lets talk drinks real quick. Cocktails were amazing. I wish I could remember which were which but I promise the were good because we had a couple to the left us who were there before we got there and the dude kept getting louder and louder about how amazing the drinks were. Me and my girl both of course ordered are own and we definitely were in the same camp. For food I highly recommend the Kare and the Million Dollar Tom Kha Ramen. My girl was the one who ordered the soup and I definitely was super jealous when I took that first bite. It's basically a Tom Kha soup but on crack. You get the usual Coconut flavor but I also really enjoyed the Lemon Grass and other veggies in it. Using Shrimp instead of some heavier meat really went with the lighter vibe of the soup. It definitely had a fresh taste to it all. The Kare is also a good go to as well. The Chicken was pretty crispy and the curry itself was deep in flavor and will hug your tastebuds just as much as Barney would. The next time I come back to Portland, this is definitely one of my top picks for revisiting! read more

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People wanted to try this place so I tagged along. Arriving here there isn't much street parking. So pay for parking to save yourself driving around forever looking for a spot. Walking inside there's plenty of seating. Nice ambience with low lights and people talking. They have a bar inside if you need some wine. I ended up ordering the Orange Chicken & Soy Garlic Wings. Both The Orange Chicken & Soy Garlic Wings came to the table warm. I wish they were hot ready to go but they weren't. Soy Garlic Wings were ok as well as the Orange Chicken. If you're in the area check this place out. read more

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My latest visit to Portland is definitely highlighted by Buranko Cafe and Bar. My trip isn't over yet and I know this place is the best food I've had by far. I stopped in on a Wednesday afternoon and the ambiance was absolutely beautiful. Beautiful lighting, lots of open space, and a kids play area! The service was also prompt with excellent customer service. I order the edamame and soy garlic wings for appetizers. The edamame was well seasoned but not overbearing. The wings had the softest, most airy breading I've ever had and the sauce on the the wings was so good that I kept dipping my wings into the sauce left on the plate lol my main dish was the Galbi, which was short ribs, kimchi, rice and sautéed cucumbers. The rice and cucumber combo was elite, and the short ribs might have made my trip. Balanced seasoning and not a bite left on the bones. My partner order the Million Dollar Tom Kha Ramen and I was almost envious that I didn't order it. The lemon coconut was so freakin good and mixing in the flavor of the shrimp elevated it. The shrimp was also amazing. If you live in Portland or are visiting this is a must. Please go. read more

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The food was decent, but the service was slow and the food slow to come out. We had minimal contact with our server. We did not see when ordering that there was a 20% service fee up front plus a place for a tip on top of that. Sorry. Thats a deal breaker for really mid service. Can't recommend for anyone based on that. The ambiance was mixed. The interior design is great, but the large number of small children increased the noise level to an uncomfortable pitch. read more

This is a great family-friendly restaurant for those with little kiddos. They have a play area inside the restaurant for smaller kids which makes it easy for parents to dine and keep the little ones busy. Menu is Asian fusion and pretty good! Their tom yum ramen was delicious and an interesting blend of the two dishes. Giving 4 stars though because of a more recent visit - we came for dinner on a week night and they seemed extremely understaffed. Our server was very kind but only interacted with us to take our orders, otherwise was very busy with all the other tables which was fine I guess cause we're pretty low maintenance anyway. Our food came out, however, and it was cold. At that point we didn't bother letting them know because we couldn't get ahold of our server. Ordered the Chashu bowl and it was ok - good flavor and plated nicely but, again, it did not come out hot. My husband ordered the spicy Seoul chicken bowl and it also came out pretty cold, not even lukewarm. Would still come back regardless because we have a little one and we love a family-friendly establishment! read more

Buranko Cafe & Bar - Entrance - Asian Fusion Near Me - Portland, Oregon

My absolute new favorite place. Not long was the food so good and there was a perfect variety on the menu. The service was excellent and staff was so nice and they are super kid friendly!! There is even a play area and a fish tank for hours (or minutes for our kids) of mesmerizing staring. The kids area has blocks, trains, play kitchen, vehicles, and more. It was ideal for keeping the kiddos entertained the whole time we were there! Then on top of that the food was so good!! The soft shell crab pad Thai was so unexpected and perfectly chewy noodles with crispy soft shell crab. The chicken bowls were crispy and saucy and comforting. Takoyaki was fresh and good chewy / creamy and octopus ratio. I love that they have a kids menu for little appetites too. Theango sticky rice was also sooo good. Salty sweet balance. I can't wait to go back! It's so hard to find kid friendly places with kind service and delicious food. read more

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Very cute cafe with a spacious area for kids to play in! I think it is a very unique idea to have a designated place for kids to play in. Very family friendly! My friends and I did family style when we dined here. Food was decent. It had an Americanized approach to Asian dishes. I thought the okonomiyaki fries were very unique but probably needed just a tad bit more sauce on the fries since it didn't really scream okonomiyaki to me. I think my favorite dish out of everything I tried was the linguine kee mao. They had some very unique and interesting alcoholic drinks on the menu! I went with their nonalcoholic fizz drink though and did enjoy it. We got the mango sticky rice for dessert and the mango was so so sour.... Not a good season to be eating mangos I think. Overall not a bad place. Personally I would come again for the ambiance and letting my child play in the kids area! read more

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had lunch here on my birthday with my family, everyone was very pleased with their meal! each dish was packed with delicious flavors and good quality ingredients. the service was attentive and friendly, and the atmosphere overall was very pleasant. lovely decor, even a designated kids area! a great choice for lunch or dinner, a solo date or gathering with friends/family. if i lived closer i would absolutely frequent this place! read more

Food was ok, but a bit too fusiony for my taste. I was interested by the Thai/Korean menu items so we tried the Nagasaki Jjampong & house chicken wings. The Jjampong was w/ a pork tonkotsu broth (so white not red) and was very lacking in seafood - just a few scallops, shrimp, and a few scraps of what we discerned to be mussels but they were out of their shells & puny I mistook them for fish eyeballs at first. Also the noodles were a bit stuck together. The wings were also pretty small and just basic fried wings w/ Mae ploy chili sauce, very disappointing. The only other thing that caught my eye on the menu was the shrimp linguine kee mao (sounds like a drunken shrimp linguini & I dare say it's a better name too). But idk if it's worth coming back for. read more

Buranko Cafe & Bar - Nagasaki Jjampong special $22 - Asian Fusion Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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My partner and I randomly found this place one night wandering the city. When we went, it was close to the restaurant reopening, so we were the only two there. The staff was super friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere was cozy and cute, and the food was delicious! The wings and Bulgogi bowl were beyond delicious! Highly recommend read more

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I love this place. Delicious Korean food & friendly service. It's a nice secret. With nice ambience. read more

Buranko Cafe & Bar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I was initially attracted to this restaurant because of its cute interior design, from the weaved chairs to the lots of greenery that I could see from outside. We came for early dinner on a weekday and the service was quick. My friend and I shared the soft shell crab pad thai, curry, and sticky mango rice. Let me just say that they know how to plate aesthetically. But, unfortunately for us, we thought that was the best part. Everything felt a little over-seasoned. A little too sweet, a little too salty, a little too "much" of everything. I felt the salt a tiny bit when eating, but I was reaching for water all evening. I wonder if it was a one time thing, or if their food tends to be over-seasoned in general. Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed :( read more

Buranko Cafe & Bar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Portland, Oregon

We stopped in for a quick drink while we waited for our reservation nearby. Staff was friendly and fast. Drinks were tasty. Recommend the ginger lychee soda! The egg chairs were cute! read more

Buranko Cafe & Bar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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A big beautiful space with welcoming friendly staff. The menu had a ton of vegetarian options-- I went with the vegan bowl + soft boiled egg-- I asked them to switch to brown rice. I was beautifully plated and tasted like bibimbap-- full of flavor and texture! I would return to try other dishes! read more

Buranko Cafe & Bar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Great restaurant! The beef bulgogi was great, and had good-sized portions. The inside of the restaurant was really fun and unique and the service was so quick. Would come back for sure! read more

I loved this place, parking is tricky (duh it's downtown) but the menu, atmosphere and kids area is unbeatable. Loved being able to enjoy our lunch while the kids played. read more

Love this place! Food is a bit pricey but it is delicious. The atmosphere is spacious and cute. The play area for children is clutch if you have tiny tots. Service is always pretty quick. I recommend trying it least once. read more

Buranko Cafe & Bar - Million Dollar Tom Kha Raman, glass of Prosecco, and kids teriyaki chicken and rice with avocado. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Rating just the food, Im genuinely impressed. The Nagasaki jjamppong and specialty ramen is rich, umami, complex, and the noodles have a great chew. I would definitely come back. read more