We booked this venue/caterer in December 2017 for our May wedding after our original venue shut down abruptly without notice. We worked with Kirsten Sheahan from Jake's Catering and had the perfect intimate wedding in the Sentinel Hotel's historic Library. Kirsten was kind, thoughtful, responsive, obliging, and made the whole process so easy to plan on short notice. She eased my mind from the troubles we had with the prior venue, and I can't imagine getting married anywhere else. It was exceptionally beautiful, intimate, warm, and romantic. We did not have to worry about a single thing! The banquet staff were completely professional, warm and attentive to our every need, very good at their work, and we had a seamless top notch service the entire event. The food too was delicious and our 27 guests raved about the food selections we made. My only complaint is that the day went by too quickly. I highly recommend Jake's Catering at the Sentinel Hotel for your next event! read more

Jake's Catering - The library at the Sentinel Hotel was the perfect space for our intimate wedding. Photographer: Kyle Carnes, www.kylecarnesphotography.com - Caterers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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We spent our 2019 Thanksgiving here last night. It was $50/pp + 22% gratuity. Drinks not included. It was a very sad and not so tasty setup. We were extremely disappointed. Jakes famous Mac and cheese was a dry, bland dish sprinkled with petrified cheeses/toppings. The corn pudding was an odd southwestern quiche-like side but without a buttery crust, it was mushy and unimpressive. The rolls were cold and hard. There just wasn't anything to choose from. There was a stuffing and a pathetic "salad bar" with wilting lettuce, radicchio, and frisee and a few toppings thrown in some tubs. The NY strip was bloody with no remoulade or reduction and the turkey carver made an absolute fantastic mess of his station. I was embarrassed for Jake's. We love Jake's restaurants so we're confused as to why they went super cheap and effortless on this very important event for Portland families spending hard earned money. We've traveled overseas and the hotels we stay in have buffets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a fraction of the price. These are stunning buffets with every kind of culinary delight you can think of, and they manage this THREE times a day. We could've went to Besaws or Urban Farmer or a number of wonderful restaurants in Portland that called us back to join them on Thanksgiving. We put our faith in Jake's and got burned, it will be awhile before we return, sadly. The two stars are for the hardworking people who served us on Thanksgiving. read more

Where do I start? The Sentinel Hotel and Jakes Catering are the best in class! I give them 5 stars in all aspects. I recently got married in Portland, OR and hosted the reception at the Sentinel Hotel's Governor Ballroom and used their in-house catering: Jake's Catering. Let me start from the beginning. During my exploration visit, I immediately loved the location of the hotel. It's in the most "happening" part of town: the pearl district, where beautiful shops, cafes/restaurants, and "brewery central" resides. Tree lined streets and nearby parks border the hotel making it a great place for out-of-towners to putts around during a wedding weekend. The Venue: I love that the hotel has history to it. The designers who recently updated the hotel did a fantastic job my adding in funky Portland touches while still preserving the historical theme of the hotel. To sum it up: The outside of the hotel: stunning, the lobby (made from old book shelves): fun, the hotel bar: very popular filled with beautiful people, hotel rooms: top notch, the hotel's little details (hallways doors ceilings): all well thought through and unique!!!! Everything about the "look" of this hotel is amazing and creates a great theme for a wedding. The Governor ballroom looks like a classic lavish jazz ballroom with 40 ft. ceilings and a ridiculous amount of crown moldings and grand columns. It certainly gives a Wow Factor when you step foot into it. Hotel Service: several of my guest stated that was the best hotel they had ever stayed in. The service was out of this world. All the staff made us feel so special and welcomed. Jakes Catering Food and Planning: Julie Weiss, Todd and their banquet teams are catering geniuses. Their level of knowledge in the catering industry is far more superior than the average caterer. They are competitively price, a dream to work with, and executed their food and services better than I could have dreamed of. All of the catering staff were dressed in sharp uniforms, they set up 2 beautiful bars with twinkling candles all over them. They didn't miss a mark on the food service schedule. The dinner was a pre-plated dinner with bread/butter and a caprese salad to start, then we went into a chicken and jumbo shrimp dish, and finished off with their signature crème brulee. The whole service flowed beautifully which timed out our event perfectly, not to mention the food was delicious. I had guest comment that that the banquet staff were so attentive it felt like there was one banquet staff per guest. "Every time I was getting close to finishing my drink the banquet personnel topped off my drink immediately". Many brides state that planning a wedding can be stressful, but Jake's catering will help you alleviate your stress. They take care of majority of your setup: chairs, tables, glassware/silverware, candle votives, bar setup, cake cutting, and linen napkins/ table linen (this all comes free when you use their catering). The planning process with Julie was a blast. My mom and fiancé developed great banter with her, which brought in humor to the whole process, which then turned the planning process, believe it or not, into a FUN process. Julie was professional and personable, she was easy to get ahold of and easy to get decisions made and out of the way. I had some outrageous request and they pulled through (set up times, table count specifics). Their menu tasting and "week of walk throughs" made us feeling like royalty (private rooms, teams of catering staff serving us, meeting the chefs, etc. the whole 9 yards)! Thank you to the whole team that made our wedding a dream come true! read more

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I was wowed when they gave me a free crab dip with bread while waiting for my little brother and his girlfriend arrived. Came here for the Thanksgiving buffet and it didn't disappoint! Turkey and prime rib were moist and cooked well. Also there was a huge selection of food to choose from including chilled snow crab, shrimp and crawfish. My group loved the turkey and the salmon. I was impressed that they had dragon fruit in their fruit platter. Service was impeccable as well!! Definitely will be back. read more

We have been celebrating Mothers Day Brunch here for over 6 years. The buffet is huge and at times seems to be too much. Seafood is spectacular. Crab, shrimp, salmon, and mussels. The usual suspects for breakfast; sausage, quiche. bacon, french toast. And omelette stations. Prime rib and sliced turkey breast also. Then desserts; mini lemon meringue pies; tarts; cookies; and chocolate cakes. So much to eat, we usually spend an hour and half dining. My son craves this place. My daughters both love it as well. My wife loves the seafood as to watch calories. The cost? $176 for two adults and three children, including gratuity. . It's expensive but well worth it. It's our tradition. read more

Jake's Catering - Mothers Day Brunch - Caterers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I've been to four events catered at the Sentinel by jake's so far, and I can say that on all, but one occasion the food and service has always been exceptional. The one occasion must of been a fluke, because the food is even better then it was at my last event in January. Each banquet room has its own charm. I being a book lover am a fan of the library room, but the Sistine chapel worthy pictures painted on the ceiling in the main room will always be my favorite, whether it's a wedding or a fun Casino night jake's always puts out the welcome mat, helping your guests feel comfortable and at ease. I would recommend then for any event. read more

These folks know how to do food for a crowd. I attended a Yelp event that included appetizers, dessert, and booze - pretty much a perfect meal! Passed appetizers were variations on smoked fish mousse, all light, delicate, and wonderfully balanced, particularly one served in an endive lead instead of on a bread item. There was a spectacular oyster station, where they were being shucked while we waited. The variety wasn't identified, but they were large and plump, served ice cold and tasting of the ocean. There was a beef-carving station, and the pink ribbons that came off that slab were SO tender and buttery. They were layered across thoughtfully pre-sliced small rolls that were fluffy and floury. We were served a lovely strawberry gin drink that was perfect for a warm day. The dessert bar was beautiful, but the one miss of the evening was that they were labeled just as assorted mini-desserts. One of them was a peanut chocolate confection. My table mate took one bite and spewed it into her napkin. You gotta label peanuts, people! The event space was elegant and well-maintained, looking like the library of a historic home. I would use these guys to cater in a second! read more

I had the opportunity of being part of an event team that held a corporate event at The Governor Hotel just a few weeks ago for around 300 people. The event space, managed by Jake's Catering, is probably the most attractive space to hold meetings and other events in Portland. Historic, wonderfully preserved, and with one incredibly unique and impressive space after another, it was a slam dunk, it doesn't get much better! I was worried I'd be priced out of the space, yet Jake's Catering offered both incredibly fair pricing and high quality options. From the original RFP to the final LCD projector being turned off, the staff, lead by Melissa Maki, was incredible...actually, beyond phenomenal! Their close relationship with their on-site and price conscience A/V company, ability to accommodate last minute changes, and delivery of a precise and flawless event, 5-Stars! I'd add another if I could! read more

We just had our wedding ceremony and reception at the Sentinel Hotel and everything turned out perfectly. The hotel itself is beautiful with lots of unique and ornate rooms. This was nice because we felt that we didn't have to bring in a lot of decorations since the building stood so well on its own. But what really made the whole wedding such a success was the fantastic staff at Jake's Catering- We worked with Diane from our first visit to the Sentinel all the way through our wedding day. She was extremely helpful and answered all of my (many) questions quickly about venue costs, catering options, day of logistics and everything else that went into our Wedding planning. She made everything easy and is so friendly and professional! We really appreciate all of the work you put in for our event, thank you! The banquet staff was amazing! I was blown away by their professionalism and kindness. Russ and Vesna were our Banquet Captains for the wedding and they both magically appeared anytime something was needed. They brought us snacks and drinks while we were signing our marriage license. They made our plates and refreshed our drinks during dinner. We heard afterward that they even went out of there way to get a special dessert for one of our young guest who was allergic to nuts. But the whole banquet staff was awesome as well. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. The bar staff was awesome and kept the drinks flowing. The wait staff was quick, friendly, and helpful the entire night. It was top notch service all around. OH! And they were so helpful with all of the day of delivery and day after pick up logistics! Thank you to the whole team who helped pull everything off without a hitch! And I haven't even got to the food yet... the reception dinner turned out perfectly! Everything was delicious from our appetizers to our mains to our late night snacks. I wish we could order more of the braised beef short ribs, tortellini, and late night nachos for dinner tonight! read more

This review is specifically for Jake's Thanksgiving Day buffet held in the Grand Ballroom of the Sentinel Hotel (executed by Jake's catering, not Jake's restaurant). This particular dinner was a supremely overpriced disappointment. Upon arrival, patrons waited in the hotel lobby before ascending to the third floor, to wait in line to pre-pay ($40 pp + 20% mandatory gratuity), to then ascend to the fourth floor, to wait again before being shown to a table. This entire process, which was not at all efficient, took 20-30 minutes. The cost of the buffet covered food, tap water, and coffee/tea - all other beverages, including soft drinks and alcohol, were additional. As it was a buffet, the servers were only there to take drink orders, refill water glasses, and clear empty plates. Once seated, our server came by exactly once for these purposes, not quite worthy of the 20% gratuity generally expected for full table service. Dinner, which included rolls, salad, pasta, stuffing, seafood, and a carving station, was mediocre at best. Some of the desserts, including the pumpkin pie and cookies, ran out early and were not replenished. read more

Jakes catered our wedding at the Governor. The Governor people were amazing, super friendly, warm, accommodating and professional. Jake's people were ok bordering on difficult. We got there and the whole room was full of Christmas Trees (this was a Jewish wedding). When asked to have them moved, the guy from Jakes actually said, "We have a lot of different cultural weddings here and they've been ok with the Christmas trees." I almost burst out laughing. It was like a scene from the Office. Seems like those cultural sensitivity workshops aren't really paying off with the staff there. After some hemming and hawing, the Jakes people did wind up moving them but again in comparison, the Governor staff was encouraging, grown up, easy to get along with. I would definitely suggest having your wedding at the Governor. The rooms at Jakes are very attractive but my advice would be to just deal with the Governor people. The Jakes wait staff was excellent, actually it was just the managerial staff who seemed to put off by people actually renting out their space. read more

We hosted a birthday party catered by Jake's Catering in The Governor Hotel. The whole process from start to finish was fantastic! We had spent months researching venues and visiting with caterers at different locations throughout Portland. Initially we were looking to book in the restaurant, but we wanted less of a masculine feel to the room. Michael introduced us to Stephanie who showed us multiple rooms upstairs in the hotel that had a more neutral decor and she shared the history of the hotel and the banquet facilities. Stephanie assisted us in creating a perfect cocktail party menu from the selections available and she made great recommendations on the amount and type of food selections that would be in our budget. Between our initial meeting and finalizing the event order we wanted to make a few changes. Both Stephanie and Cecily in the Catering office were extremely accommodating and timely in their response with the updates. When we arrived for the event, the room was set up perfectly and the staff were very helpful. Stephanie was there to greet us and introduce us to the banquet captain. There were so many small details that the staff attended to that made the event set up and the event successful- votives around the room, beautiful buffet tables, extra chairs for the event, taping down cords and assistance setting up our cupcakes (from Bliss Bakery). We had requested signs to be made listing allergens for the food and a 'menu' of specialty cocktails, both of which were provided, making our guests feel comfortable. The Banquet captain, Jamie, was available throughout the event in a perfectly professional way, keeping us updated on the food and beverage situation (We had a hosted bar with a limit and we had the food come out at two different times due to the guest flow). The food was presented beautifully and tasted just as good as it looked- we didn't receive a single complaint, only compliments, especially for the Mac and Cheese bar, the poached salmon and the bleu cheese-stuffed bacon-wrapped dates. Our banquet server was also wonderfully professional, keeping the room free of the clutter (and clanking) of dishes. Our bartender was wonderful too, creating delicious drinks and mixing drinks created by guests. As the event was wrapping up, the staff was still helpful- not once did we get that "closing time" feel. They provided assistance to those folks taking taxis to other hotels and transporting items to hotel rooms. After the event, a copy of the invoice was emailed to us reflecting the charges with no surprises. All in all, a perfectly executed event by Jake's Catering team. read more

My company had a dinner function at the Governor Hotel last Friday to reward some of us employees for a job well done. We were all excited because, well, we had all been to Jake's and we all knew the food would be outstanding, right? The food was grade c. Felt like I was at a cheap wedding reception. They didn't even provide the proper utensils. No steak knife? Mccormick and Schmick's should be ashamed. Very misleading using the Jake's name. Either stop using the name or step up with food and service worthy of it. read more