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    C2 - Congress Squared

    3.5 (97 reviews)
    Open 6:30 am - 10:00 pm

    C2 - Congress Squared Photos

    C2 - CONGRESS SQUARED ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Classy
    Casual
    Good for groups

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    C2 burger
    Bill D.

    We chose C2 because one of our party was on crutches and the Portland sidewalks were too icy for them to get around. C2 is in the lobby of the Westin hotel, so I thought it might be a bit fancier, but it was more casual, including a number of big TVs playing sports broadcasts. Our server was really great, very engaging and helpful. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals; a few burgers came out, plus the salmon and the fish and chips. My burger was okay, but the fries left a lot to be desired. I have pretty high expectations for restaurants in Portland and this is one I probably wouldn't go back to with so many other amazing choices.

    Fried pickles
    Angie K.

    This is a restaurant in the Westin. Aside from the breakfast here every day, we did try it for dinner. We ended up here because it was pouring and windy out and decided we weren't going to venture out in the weather. The breakfast was good, and had good service, coffee refills were prompt and the food came out quickly. It was definitely quite good. The dinner menu looked amazing, and well, lobster mac and gluten free options?? So why not? I ordered the fried pickles and the smoked mozzarella mac and cheese with lobster. The pickles were fried spears, so lots of pickle to the chunk of fried and just amazing! The mac and cheese was delicious and had a lot of good sized chunks of lobster. The prices were completely reasonably and nothing like one would expect from a hotel restaurant. They had a lot of good dessert options as well. Unfortunately when we went in there was one server in the whole place, and really not many people but he was distracted with the bar and a variety of other things so the service could have been better. I know help is hard to find and the hotel probably doesn't normally get a lot of people for dinner, but it really did seem to be a lot for the poor server. I think I would consider having the food as takeout next time, because it was definitely awesome.

    Jill R.

    We had breakfast here two mornings. The first morning was 5* stars. Hillary was our server the first morning, making our whole experience fabulous. She took our order quickly and efficiently. She knew the menu inside and out and was attentive, efficient, and pleasant. She made our experience wonderful and was warm, smiley, and friendly. We wanted from Nothing--coffee and water constantly filled--took our order efficiently, food came out very hot, and she checked in on us often. Hilary was a superstar, and we appreciated it. She is terrific at her job. THANK YOU!!! We enjoyed the coffee, cappuccino, eggs, potatoes, fruits, toast, juices, bacon etc. The following day, we were not as lucky to have Hillary. We had a different server who was very flustered and didn't know the menu as well. Things took much longer; the food was not as hot, and the coffee was not flowing. We will return for breakfast on our next visit to Portland, but we wanted to point out that you have a superstar with Hillary. ( I looked at her name tag) She truly made our dining experience exceptional.

    Breakfast
    Jamie W.

    I was seated quickly, and offered coffee. It took nearly 10 minutes for anyone to come back to the table to take my order. Then it took about 20 minutes for my food to come out. I never saw the server who took my order again nor did I get a coffee or water refill. There were only 4 tables seated in the restaurant... it was about 10am. I finally waved someone down... she didn't ask how the meal was or if I wanted refills... just saw my credit asked if she could run it and dropped it back off. The person bussing the tables was throwing dishes in the bin so loudly people at the bar were turning around watching and people were making comments about it. Not sure if it was an off day... but not great. Service seemed to be a bit better at the bar.

    Inside
    Rajakumar S.

    Best beer selections. Happy hour chicken dip and chicken wings. Awesome service and always love to come back.

    Berry toast
    Joan H.

    Wonderful meals while I was in town. I was impressed with the chef and the manager. One of the servers was very friendly. Definitely try them out for breakfast and dinner. I heard good things about happy hour too. Add lobster to your breakfast--you won't regret it. Try the yogurt with berries. The mac and cheese with lobster for dinner was to die for--definitely get the half size--I could only eat half of the half. I'm going to miss this place!

    Paul P.

    We stayed at the Westin so we stopped down for the happy hour and it was great. $3 well drinks, selection of beer and wine as well as some apps. The apps were a bit disappointing in size but then again, you get what you paid for. We ordered every app on the menu just to try them out. Overall they were pretty good for the price. If you are staying at the hotel or in the area, I would say definitely stop by for the happy hour. There are a lot of other happy hour options in Portland but if you are staying at the hotel and am tired after a long day. This will be a great option. Afterwards we went to the rooftop bar just to check out the view and a few more drinks.

    Apps!
    Steff D.

    I'm not entirely sure why I'm so into this place... but I am. I was recently in the area with time on my hand between meetings and thought I'd check out their happy hour which happens from 4 to 7 pm: there are $5 select glasses of wine, $4 select bottled beer, and half price apps. So for $12 I got: - a verrrrrrrrrrrrrrry large pour of some red wine ($5) - a cheese plate that had three good sized pieces of different kinds of fromage (a harder cheddar, a softer blue, and one other I can't remember), rosemary roasted nuts (which were crunchy, meaty, and divine), toasted baguette, and a drizzle of honey ($14, but only $7 because of half price apps... for the price, I was VERY pleased; too many places in town are charging $7 to $10 for what's really just a suggestion of cheese; I would come back here again for this without a question). - some of the funnest bartenders I've ever met in my life The two fellas working that night - one as host, I believe, and the other behind the bar stole the show. The host was intrigued that I was there - apparently they don't get a lot of Portlanders, and would love to have more of us come in. Both he and the bartender talked to me about the cocktail list - many of them are chosen by corporate, but each Westin gets to add a couple of their own options to bring a little local flare. I had a bit of a falling out with the girl bartender who took over for a spell - I wanted a bloody Mary, but it had anchovy-based Worcestershire sauce in it. When I asked if she could make me one from scratch sans the Worcestshire, she flat out refused saying she had to use the premade house mix. When the male bartender came back (I think his name was Dana or Jamie... something like that) he told me that she had mis-spoken; they'd be more than happy to make me a fresh one. I never followed through with this request, so I'd like to go back and see if they really will! If you're looking for a new cocktail or happy hour place in town, don't pass this one by (my reason for the four star instead of five is because I can't vouch for the cocktails/bloody mary quite yet... just the happy hour and the cheese plate; but, I will ABSOLUTELY be back for drinks and real food, and will bring along friends with me because locals really are missing out on this one)! There's a lot more than meets the eye at Congress Squared (and if you're feeling brave enough [and the bartenders like you enough] ask what their REAL passions are... they might just divulge).

    This burger is way bigger than it looks
    Brett F.

    Happy hour review only...but happy hour runs from 4-7 every day of the week, so I don't know who wouldn't take advantage of this. It's one of the best (if not the best) deal in the city. The restaurant is in the Westin, which in any big city would be a big plus, but Portland hasn't embraced hotel restaurants yet. It's a minimalist but upscale atmosphere with a horseshoe bar and many traditional tables. The happy hour deals are simply incredible. 3/4 of the bottle beer selection (not the best ever, but think Allagash White/Black, Frye's Leap, etc) are all $4, there's a $5 wine selection, and a $6 cocktail of the day. Today it was 1800 tequila with maple sage syrup and soda. Unbelievable drink and very strong. Of course you can order off the extensive and great cocktail list, but the prices are high at $12-$15. On Wednesdays all of the wine bottles are half off. Combined with the food deals this would be an amazing date night. And the happy hour food! The whole bar menu is half off and the portions are enormous. The fancy mac and cheese sounded sublime, tasted even better and surprisingly came with a full salad that was just as good. The burger was also delicious with a heaping portion of bacon and jam. The fries were homemade but a little disappointing. Still, for the happy hour price of $7 it's a steal. Flatbread pizza, lobster sliders, pork sliders, mussels, scallops, etc are a great reason to come back. And basically everything is $5-$8 with the happy hour deal. For an upscale happy hour with huge portions, great food and classy atmosphere, I can't think of anywhere better. Plus it seems to be unknown to locals, so you don't have to fight the crowds. At least for now...

    Rustic hash
    Chris C.

    This is the restaurant in the Portland Westin Harborview, and we had breakfast there during a stay. It's a clean minimal space, maybe a little "hotel restaurant"-ish, but still quite nice. I had the excellent "Rustic Hash". Being a corned beef hash aficionado, i have to say this is among the better versions I've had as far as ingredients - the corned beef was big chunks of corned beef, along with potato and some onion, with a couple over easy eggs, and i asked for English muffin on the side. Everything was cooked well, though the hash could have been crispier and more charred (but that's a personal taste thing) and overall it needed seasoning, but better under- than over-seasoned. My partner had blueberry Yogurt pancakes and said they were delicious We loved the awesome china and flatware. and for a hotel restaurant, the prices were reasonable. The service was friendly and prompt.

    Oops... I ate it all...
    Vikkie N.

    This was a birthday dinner and being a hotel restaurant we realized it would be expensive, but being new in town we need to try most things at least once - twice if we like it :-) The birthday boy had the awesome looking Pork Chop and I had the Wild Boar Fettuccine. The wild boar was a tasty bolognese but this was the first time in a restaurant (EVER) that I've been served more meat than pasta. The $8 chocolate torte was definitely hotel restaurant sized (tiny) and I didn't find it very nice - which was a shame because the rest was great. The service was attentive - until the very end when we felt a little invisible once we needed the bill.

    Wine -Big Fire

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    Service is the slowest in the country, bad management, long time of waiting , the food is fine

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    Duckfat

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    We had great service. The outdoor seating is nice for the summer. The french fries are the best I…read morehave ever had. But be prepared to wait for a table because it is popular.

    Yum! This spot was…read morehighly recommended by friends and also on every "must try" list we found for the city. So, we decided to sneak over here after a busy morning at the lighthouse with our toddler for a nice, filling lunch before a later flight home. We must've gotten lucky on a Sunday bc our wait for three people was about 15-20 minutes quoted and we spent 10 minutes walking the block to entertain our toddler, came back to check-in and our table was ready! yay! We had a great table in the corner by the window which was excellent with our toddler. Our server, Brian, was wonderful and super friendly. Menu isn't huge but, has enough stuff that should be able to please most. We chose a small fry with the daily dip which was almost like a mayo-based honey mustard dijon and was delicious, with ketchup and vinegar for dipping. Fries were crispy and delicious. We got the green salad and the Cuban to split and loved both. The sandwich was delicious and the green salad was light and refreshing with some really yummy herbs on top to include fennel which isn't usually on a salad but I loved the taste for this one, worked perfectly with the dressing. My husband ordered their house-made cherry soda and let me tell you, best cherry soda of my life! We ordered two bc I drank about half of it. They have a charming outdoor patio area with about 3-4 other tables. Charming spot - def. recommend! Wait can get super long - by the time we left they were quoting over an hour for a table since it's smaller inside and large parties can take up almost all the spaces.

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    North43Bistro - Steak and cheese egg roll of the day

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    The Highroller Lobster - The HighRoller (captured by @a.bite.of.life)

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    This place was such a gem! There was a little bit of a wait, but after eating here, I can…read moredefinitely see why. We waited outside for our table and ended up sitting at one of the small sidewalk tables, which actually made for a really cute and relaxed experience. I didn't get a chance to see the inside since we waited outside and were seated outside, so I can't speak to the interior. The menu is small and tapas-style, which I loved because we were able to order a little bit of everything and share. We had the deviled eggs, grilled corn muffin, petite pastrami biscuits, smoked B&F bacon, and crispy spiced potatoes--and honestly, EVERYTHING was amazing. Every dish had so much flavor, and we couldn't pick a favorite! This was definitely one of those places where the wait was worth it. Great food, fun atmosphere, and a menu that makes you want to come back and try more. We'll absolutely be returning!

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    4.3(1.3k reviews)
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    $$$

    I'm not going to lie to you: Scales is one of my favorites. Even on an "off night," they're still…read moregood. I've never left regretting the money I spent on a meal that fueled my body and soul. This past week, I was reborn into my love affair with Scales. I booked a Tuesday night with my partner to celebrate an accomplishment with him. As we sat down, we were met with the warmest welcome back I've ever had at Scales. The perfect start to a perfect night. I'm usually a girl who's obsessed with their clover rolls, but we decided to skip the bread course this time. Instead, we ordered our favorite: the crab fritters with tartar sauce instead of remoulade, as they had been served in the past. They were light, crispy, and filled with crab. Perfection. The raw dishes were next. The tuna tartare is my favorite and just melted in my mouth. The black garlic sauce is everything (always ask for extra!). My guy loved the tuna crudo, as well as the ceviche. My main was perfection. The potato-crusted cod was light and bright, crunchy, and practically melted in my mouth. It was the perfect balance needed for a truly encompassing meal. The steak dish my partner ordered was equally outstanding. The potatoes were exceptional, and the steak was cooked perfectly! There's a reason we visit here at least once every few months. This meal solidified that we always make the right choice. Thank you, Scales! Can't wait to see you again soon!

    Came in with high expectations because of all the hype, but unfortunately, this was a very mid…read moreexperience from food to service. Reservations are notoriously hard to get, so if you're determined to try it, book well in advance. Clover Leaf Roll: Essentially a garlic-sweet bun, like an elevated bread service, but made to order for $6.50. Decent, but not worth the hype. Clam Chowder: Easily the weakest dish. Tasted like supermarket clam chowder, which is not what I expected at an upscale restaurant. Maine Mussels: Fresh mussels, average sauce. Fine, but forgettable. Grilled Octopus: Best dish of the night. Tender octopus with a fantastic nutty sauce. This one actually delivered. Whole Grilled Branzino: Beautifully fresh fish, but painfully bland. Basically butter on fish with little else going on. The tableside deboning was a nice touch, though. Bavette Steak: Worst dish of the night. Ordered medium, received medium-rare, and the astringent sauce made the steak taste off. Service was even more disappointing. We had to flag someone down for almost everything, including silverware. For a restaurant positioned as upscale, that level of attentiveness simply wasn't there. Overall, the ingredients were fresh, but the flavors lacked impact and the service fell short. With this much hype and these reservation difficulties, I expected a lot more.

    Photos
    Scales - Beautiful !

    Beautiful !

    Scales - Endive & Stilton Salad

    Endive & Stilton Salad

    Scales - Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

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    Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

    C2 - Congress Squared - newamerican - Updated September 2026

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