This place is truly special. Super nice folks sharing culture and a great time. Happy hour is amazing. 5 dollar cocktails, 8 dollar (almost full-sized) food and it lasts until 7! M-T, I believe. I'm note sure there is a better happy hour around. Their pork noodle soup is simple and so flavorful, noodles are hot, fresh and packed with goodies! Chicken wings, some of the best, with a savory and sweet fish sauce flavor. Really reminds of being in Cambodia. read more

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Ron and Sena have a good thing going. The Mekong Bistro serves excellent Laotian and SE Asian cuisine, and has a full bar. There's also a large space for private and public events featuring live music (with a large stage and good sound system), and dance centric events. The Mekong Bistro is a fine place to come and go - or to linger. read more

We stopped in at Mekong Bistro. It's decorated interestingly. The night we went the were closed for dine in so we grabbed take out. Most of the food was good. I especially liked the chicken wings. I'd like to visit again to dine in. Service was fantastic. read more

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Great vibe and great food. The chicken wings were spot on crispy on the outside juicy and tender on the inside with just the right amount of seasoning. First time trying Ah-mok and the fish was amazing with just a hint of coconut and greens that added flavor. You can tell the chief cares about his art. read more

Mekong Bistro - Ah mok - Cambodian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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This was a nice find....from the outside, I wasn't expecting too much and when I walked it, my expectations actually decreased even more. It's a bit of an unassuming place at first glance. BUT, as our server (really nice lady) was really patient with us we asked for recommendations and if you're looking for authentic Cambodian food, go no further. So, based on the the food, it's a solid 4 to 4.5 stars plus great service gives it a 5 despite appearances. We were able to get in a couple things from the happy hour menu and try different smaller dishes at a lesser price. So if there's only 2 or 3 of you, this is a good way to try things out. As for the food: Ah Mok, which is a swai fish dish. I'm not a big fish fan, but the coconut cream sauce was so good and the fish was tender. Definitely need some rice to eat this dish. Crazy Wings, this is not deep fried in batter but the skin was nice and crispy and the sauce was amazing! Steak bites were pretty tender (comes with 8 bites) and the Load Cha (this is not your typical long noodle dish, the noodles are about 2 to 3 inches long and was pretty good. If I'm in the area again, would definitely stop by to try other things. read more

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I have been there several times now for events and to see music. Walking in from the street you can see that the curtains are very faded and dirty looking. Some windows have newspaper in them. Twice during the summer, 90+ the AC was not working. The menu is very interesting. I had the Pad Thai, and I can say it was the first time in my life that I didn't really care for it. The only positive is that it is an option when there are no others.....I guess. Do yourself a favor and skip it all together. read more

This restaurant is great. I've been here before and would definitely be back to try the authentic food that is made here. Love everything about this place. Food was bomb, service is always great, & the atmosphere is welcoming & fun. read more

So I'm visiting Oregon and I love supporting small local businesses. And I was looking for authentic south East Asian food. So I came across this Mekong. I went in on a Wednesday evening. They had Jazz and blue night with a live band. The staff were a little slow, but I think it's because they had a lot of customers coming in. We ordered a few dishes... and some were really good. I ordered the crispy chicken wings, papaya salad (I would not recommend) banh xeo, ah mok (fish) (this was my favorite), som-lar ga-go ( soup dish it was yummy just a little on the sweet side) and cha kreung (stir fry style which was good). I would recommend this place. read more

Every time I come and ask for sticky rice, waitress always tell us NO STICKY RICE! I've been here 4xs and every time they tell us the same thing. Take it off the menu if you're not going to serve it! Not coming back again! Supporting small business but we gave them chances to see if they will serve what they have on the menu but failed every time. Bartender drinks sucks too. No flavor it's all syrup! For a place to only open during dinner and still fail to make food, says a lot about the owner. read more

I finally came here to try their famous fish dish (ah-mok) and it was truly amazing. If you have to get one item, get that. Otherwise the other dishes (vegetarian were also pretty good). Curry soup was delicious and cha kreung (tofu) had a nice mild flavor. I'd say the ah-mok was my favorite, followed by curry soup, then by cha kreung read more

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If you want an authentic, no frills experience, this place is for you. Don't be discouraged by the looks of the place from the outside. Exceptional service from a family owned gem. Let them order for you from the traditional Cambodian dishes and you won't be disappointed including the steamed fish in banana leaves prepared by 80 year old "Mama" back in the kitchen. Out of this world! We will certainly be back on our next trip to Portland! A real foodie find. read more

This place has been opened for more than a decade, serving the best homemade, cozy Cambodian, Laos and Thai dishes. On top of that, they have superb drinks with their full bar and awesome servers who will make whatever drinks you like. They have an actual stage on the other half of the restaurant for weekly live music events and karaoke nights. I love love love coming here for comfort food and drinks, reasonable price with good portions. Definitely try their noodle soups and signature Cambodian dishes. read more

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Brought my parents and family for dinner and they absolutely loved it. We ordered chicken wings, lot cha, kapoon, Phnom Penh noodles, papaya salad, amok, and Thai Boat noodles. It's reasonable price and the portion is good. My parents were impressed with the food. Recommend it to anyone who wants to try authentic Khmer food. read more

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We came here for a concert on a Friday night. We ordered a variety of food, it was okay. Drinks were also okay. It's an unusual concert venue as it seems like a strip mall but incredible space and acoustics. The menu is robust but I wouldn't say it's fully Cambodian. It's odd...I had a soup much like Pho and it was very tasty. However anything fried tastes like fish so that was a bit off for eggrolls and wings. The bar service is exceptional but the drinks were meh. All in all it was alright I'd definitely go back for a concert but not necessarily the cuisine. read more

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Food was amazing. Service was amazing. I tried frog legs for the first time and it was pretty good!! The dishes were so different from anything I'd ever had and they were all amazing. Will be coming back. read more

Mekong Bistro - Cambodian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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What a fun spot! Live jazz and Bluesy Christmas music in the back area. Bar and long tables for big group seating right when you walk in. Service was great. She was quick, friendly, and detail oriented. The food was great. The cuisine is listed as Cambodian, but there are Laotian and Thai dishes also. I had the Ah Mok which is their signature Cambodian dish. It is a steamed fish green curry with rice. Very similar to Thai green curry. We also had the Crazy Wings which were crispy and covered in a sweet and spicy garlic sauce. Would definitely come back for the wings and to try other Cambodian delights. For those that are less adventurous, they have the never go wrong pad thai available. Four of my table mates got it and said it was good, especially medium spicy or with added chili oil. read more

Mekong Bistro - 8 Crazy Wings - Cambodian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Ok this place is definitely different and a bit quirky but had a fun care free atmosphere. Food was good but the service needs improvement. Would I come back or recommend. YES!!! So let it be said... So let it be Eaten. read more

Mekong Bistro - Appetizers for days!!! - Cambodian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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The chicken wings were amazing, sauce was a kind of soy sauce barbecue that went perfectly with the onions and garlic. Fried rice was amazing as well. Tried the lava chicken, tasted fire but it's not a very repetitive food. Would come back read more

It has the potential to be a disappointing evening. I ended up at providence for a family emergency. After long hours there it was time to eat. So my cousin and I got two other places on Sandy to find them closed. Fortunately this place was open till midnight. I actually like the location. It's a little scary in this part of town late so I like the off set strip mall. Odd setup inside but who doesn't like karaoke with some dancing space. We got the pad kee mao and must have stir fry with chicken. Best pkm ever. Lots of garlic and that very distinct flavor only pkm has. No obnoxious vegetables either like bell peppers. Empty vitamins. We got it mild, but it was not mild and that's ok in this case. Nice sharp heat right at the start but gives way to flavor. I actually have a theory that the better the restaurant the more haphazard the spice levels are. I really liked the stir fry too. Great flavors in the sauce. Very ginger forward which I don't normally like but I'm this case it works. My only complaint was the green beans weren't cooked properly so they were really tough. I'd definitely come back. Noon or night read more

Cambodian food in Portland! Not the easiest cuisine to find. Happened to come by for happy hour -- 4-7p Sun- thurs. Specific dishes were about half off, but they're also half sized. Pad Thai - 3.5/5. More of a ?tomato based sauce. The noodles were all cut really short for some reason. Is this the Cambodian style? Standard pad Thai flavors. Crazy wings - 4/5. Salty but great flavor in the garlic sauce. Medium spicy had no spicy. Som lar maju kreung -- Cambodian sour soup 1/5 I feel bad rating this like this since maybe I'm just not appreciating the Cambodian palate. But just purely based on my palate...I actually disliked this dish. The kind of sour is not like anything I've tasted before...and I eat a lot of funky, funky foods. Ah-Mok -- fish filet with herbs and spices. 5/5. This is a winning dish. They may not have it every day but if they do have it, definitely get it! So much flavor in the sauce and the fish itself is pretty good as well. Cha Kreung (Cambodian signature stir fry -- 2/5. Really standard. Sad. Just chicken breast, green beans and a sauce that was just...not memorable. Just tasted like a standard stir fry. The service was just ok. Could use improvement. No one came to check on us, not even once. Not even for the check. It was a very high and low food experience and I wanted to like it so much! But there needs to be some improvement. Overall: Food 3.5/5 with the exception of the fish dish Ambience 3.5/5 Service 3.5/5 Rounding up to a 4 overall (doesn't feel right to give a 3), especially as a rare Cambodian eatery in Portland. I hope things can get better...maybe par down the menu to create more focus and then really strive for excellence in the fewer dishes. read more

Mekong Bistro - Happy hour menu as of 1/29/2023 - Cambodian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

It's okay. Could be way better, but it's not bad. Service was good and food came out after each was finished being cooked. Ordered a lot of dishes, but wasn't able to take pictures of most. Ordered the fried pompano, frog legs, seafood wide noodles, seafood fried rice and squid fried rice. The food tasted good, but it wasn't 100% authentic Cambodian food. It's a mixture between Chinese and catered to the American public. It is open late so that's a good thing. If you're in town, give it a try just don't expect it to be 100% authentic Cambodian food. read more

Mekong Bistro - Cambodian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Mekong bistro is a diamond in the rough. Very low key on the outside, tinted windows, looks like you took a step into Southeast Asia in the heart of Phnom Penh. Crab special "crabby crab" aka Singapore crab Cambodia style is a great value for $19. Seen it over $100 at gado gado. Each dish is flavorful, unique, fresh, and under $18. Server was very friendly, outgoing, and helpful. It's a cultural experience which is worth the trip to NE Portland! read more

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Come with a large group and order all the things! I haven't had much experience with Cambodian or Laos food. A few restaurants over my lifetime. I walked in and basically ordered whatever the staff told me to get. I wish I could have ordered more. I already forgot the dish name that I ordered, but it was a stir fry with green beans and pork with tons of herbs and spices. It was a nice mild flavor. Not heavy and fresh tasting. Then I ordered the crazy wings. Now that's a lunch of flavor! Very bold and packed full of flavor. I highly recommend. Come here for an experience of new flavors. The live music and dance floor is just an added bonus. read more

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The Cambodian dishes we tried were delicious. We hadn't had load cha or mi-cha before and were very happy we did this time. We also ordered Lao style papaya salad which was just what my fiancé had been craving as well as the egg rolls: both were excellent. It was a quiet evening at the restaurant so we mostly had it to ourselves, the server was very friendly and helped us in choosing what to eat. read more

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Absolutely love this place! The people are the best, the food is plentiful and tasty, and there is always a good vibe.

Weird place. Confusing to try and access, as there's only one driveway into the complex behind the actual building, so that was an adventure. They say they were the first Cambodian place in Portland after they left Cambodia under sad circumstances, but I'm glad they found a place here! The building is very long, with several entrances through which you cannot enter because they lead into their event room. When we finally used the right door, it was crazy awkward trying to know where to go, because there's just a big giant room under construction to your immediate right and what appears to be a regular dining room to your left, but if you keep walking, you get in their event center. I'm trying not to make this too long. The place weirded me out. The girl that seated us said she'd bring another menu, then forgot, so I had to go get it. The girl that helped us was all-business, borderline unpleasant. We ordered appetizers and entrees and two of the entrees came out almost immediately and I had to wait for mine, which I got shortly after. Then we go all our appetizers just after our entrees. Then they completely forgot my friend's "shrimp in a blanket", which when she finally received it, turned out to be absolutely terrible in flavor and texture. They tried to charge us for it and when I asked her to remove it, she said no and asked why I didn't tell them to go cook it better...? She did come back and remove it after either hearing us complain or thinking better of her original response. Sorry this is so long. My Angkorian fish in banana leaves with curry and coconut was crazy delicious, which is the only reason I'm giving three stars. The avocado cheese puffs were not good at all. She gave us shrimp/pork salad rolls without asking me what I wanted in them, so I had to fish all that stuff out. The bathrooms are a gross mess of unfinished construction work and the cheapest stalls I've ever encountered. I'm glad I had this experience, but I don't think I want to come back. read more

Great food in a laid back and kind atmosphere. I love that they serve the local community as well.

What a fantastic find!!! I came here to see a band perform, and was VERY impressed! The food is absolutely spectacular! Much unlike other places, if you order your food spicy, you'll get it spicy! Their "medium" is the hottest medium I've ever had, so you may want to scale your spice level down. I've never seen beef jerky as a menu item, but they do it in-house here, and serve it with a light dipping sauce. It is the best I've ever had. Be sure to get the fried quail appetizer. This was the most amazingly delicious bird I've ever had. It takes a bit of work to get the meat off of the bones, but it is worth it. Don't be apprehensive about it being gamey, it isn't. The crazy wings are SUPER crispy and delicious, even after they're sauced. You can't go wrong here, either. I can't recommend the beef skewers. A lot of it was fatty, gristly, and tough. This is the only less than amazing item we had, and we've been there three times. All of the entrees we had were also amazingly flavorful, large in portion size, and very low on the price scale. I've never liked Thai iced tea before, but Mekong's is absolutely delicious. The owners and all of the employees are very friendly, professional, and helpful. I love that they make you feel like family every time you visit. The establishment has its own parking lot, is VERY big, has live bands several times a week, and is just great. I highly recommend Mekong Bistro! read more

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I was super excited to try this place. We had some excellent chicken amok in Siem Riep and couldn't wait to try it again. Portland doesn't exactly have a lot of Cambodian restaurants...I'm pretty sure this is the only one. We got there early and were seated immediately. We ordered two dishes and an appetizer with waters. My husband ordered the crispy fried fish. I got the fish amok, and we also ordered the crazy wings. My husband didn't enjoy the crispy fried fish at all. He found it incredibly hard to eat, and there was barely any fish in it. I know these are harder to eat anyway, but he found it harder than normal. He thought the crazy wings were pretty spicy. I thought they were spicy but not unbearable. We ordered them as spicy as they can get. They were okay, but they were tiny! I mean like super small. And you only get like six or so, so it definitely wasn't worth our money. The fish amok was excellent! It had good flavor and a ton of fish. It tasted pretty similar to what you'd actually get in Cambodia. The service was also not great. It wasn't terribly busy, but once we got our food, they never came back. We could have used a water refill, but no one was around. We had to find someone to pay our bill after we finished. There were also dirty dishes left on all the tables that they weren't picking up after people left their tables. The only reason this isn't getting lower reviews is because the fish amok was really good. If it wasn't a half hour away, I'd probably go back just for the fish amok. read more

Never had Cambodian food before, and it was a cool experience! This place is family owned, which I can feel the vibe as the service was very friendly and attentive. It has a bar as well, which I thought was cool. The food was pretty good! Definitely try their fish (something mok I can't really remember) but it was amazing! Overall a great experience! read more

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The food is amazing, the community rocks. The owner supports the local high school and books lots of great music.

Came here purely for the amok made fresh by the owner's mother. It is a dish that is quite rare to find and is often a comfort or street food in SE Asia, mostly in Cambodia and sometimes Thailand. It is a delicious curried fish that is either wrapped in banana leaves (Thai restaurants sometimes serve it in a coconut). Trust me on this and absolutely order it if it's available. I can't wait to come back and try their khao soi noodles next time! read more

Late night snack There are a COUPLE unique characteristics of this place. 1) one of the few good and tasty Cambodian restaurants in this part of the city 2) one of the few restaurants with long hours of operation (they close at 2 am) They have a full menu which another visit is required for me to taste the entree dishes but I had the bowl of soup named. BOAT NOODLE with not their regular skinny noodles but with the fat wide noodles (like a look fun) I have to admit the broth stole the show ! Pork base with a hint of star anise which brought sweet to the taste. Swimming in this delicious broth were the fat wide noodles, beef balls and vegetables.... Great snack to end the evening and comfort food after a Long day. I thank my yelp friend who introduced me to this place and also served as my Yu Go chauffeur . Next time, I will try their fried chicken wings... Tip for this order? Get it early in the day or place an order for pick up in the eves or you may be well out of luck. They prepare only so many in a day and this is one of their best sellers. Full bar, bar closes at midnight, restaurant closes at 2 am. read more

Normally when I update a review I move a place up a notch, from three stars to four, or four stars to five. To my disappointment I'm moving Mekong Bistro down from my earlier impression of four stars to two. Once again Dan and I had lunch at Mekong and were the only customers there. The soups we ordered were OK but only that, only merely OK. Dan ate a soup with a curry coconut-milk sauce and vermicelli noodles, while I had rice noodles in a pork broth, a few pieces of beef, and some meatball and bits of tripe. Three stars, at best. What loses the restaurant another star is its confused ambiance, more that of a noisy bar empty at mid-day than a welcoming spot conducive to a pleasant lunch. Two TV sets, one of them a good 70 or 80 inches wide, were blasting out the latest news from CNN and a replay of one of last night's basketball games. Dan and I had to sit at a back table by a large plant with browning leaves to avoid seeing the TVs. The other half of the restaurant was unlit and appeared under construction, possibly to make room for the live blues and jazz nights Mekong apparently now offers. So is Mekong a restaurant focused on Cambodian cuisine, a bar with customer-less early afternoon hours, or a night-time blue and jazz music venue that also serves food? Ultimately it seems like a place without a clear identity, and one that I'll likely not return to. read more

My boyfriend and I went here and it was an amazing experience. He is Cambodian and has been missing his moms food since he moved to Portland recently. This was the one place we found and it was absolutely wonderful. It was pretty quiet when we went besides the baby shower going on but the staff were super duper sweet. The service wasn't *amazing* and neither was the ambiance. But it felt super authentic. That combined with the amazing food, and the sweet staff made it worth it. Don't expect Red Robin kind of service here but expect amazing food. The food was the most delicious food I've had from a restaurant in a very very long time. We ended up getting the Load Cha and Mi Katang. Flavorful, decadent, and rich. The location is a little bit strange - but you forget about it as soon as you walk in. It's a far drive from us but 110% worth it. Will be coming back for more!! (sorry for the weird pictures - we were half way done with eating by the point I remembered) read more

Mekong Bistro - Mi Katang - Cambodian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I had high hours as I've been craving Cambodian soup. Mekong Bistro doesn't quite cut it. I will start by saying the "crazy good wings" are literally THE best wings we'd ever had. And in Portland, there's stiff competition. Unfortunately, the wings set the bar at a ridiculous height; nothing else came close afterwards. Ah mok: I loved this dish. Steamed in banana leaf with coconut milk, kaffir lime, and lemongrass. Steak & thuc pra hok: I liked it, but the husband couldn't do the stank sauce. Also the steak was pretty tough. Som law machu kreung: maybe if I hadn't had really, really great machu kreung before, but this just didn't come close. It was pretty good, but not great. Noodles: we ordered cha mi sou and lot cha. Both were cloyingly sweet and thick with sauce. I'm not sure if the rest of their noodles use the same sauce, but this was disappointing. read more

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If I had posted a review the last time I came, it would've been 5 stars. Unfortunately the quality is inconsistent. The salad lacked the myriad of various basil and mint leaves it had last time. It had too much glass noodles for my taste. The pra hok with the steak was my least favorite. The pra hok was too fishy to be served to guests in my opinion. read more

My Cambodian sis took us to this place to try out and it turned out to be a good experience. Five of us ordered most of the authentic dishes to share, Ah-Mok, Cha kreung, Beef Lok Lac, Cambodian fried rice and load cha with the Mango flavor cocktail. Pretty family style joint with a stage and karaoke setup in the back. read more

We ordered Cambodian tofu stir fry and pork noodle soup. It tasted ok. Nothing special. The place wasn't well kept. The floor was dirty and there were flies circling around our food. The rice was either not cook right or it was from yesterday. The only pleasant thing about our visit was the server. She was friendly and helpful. Not sure if I'm coming back. read more

Mekong Bistro - Tofu stir fry - Cambodian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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After seeing good reviews for this place, I went here with a co-worker for lunch, and it was absolutely dead. We were the only customers there, and no one came in at all from 1:00-2:30pm. Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Mekong Bistro. Mekong Bistro serves unique noodle soups which are Cambodian based, but then they also serve some Thai food dishes and pho as well. I also saw some hot pot options on their menu. This was my first experience at a Cambodian based restaurant, and it was totally new to me. There aren't many other options to get what you can get here. I went with the #34 which is a spicy Khao Soy noodle soup with ground pork. I'm used to spicy food and love it, and this soup got me going. I coughed and choked on the spices a few times. The broth was delicious and the ground pork was soft and chewy. Very excellent meat. I also really enjoyed the texture of the noodles which were slightly thick and flat as opposed to round. The broth of this dish reminded me of a Chinese style Ramen I've had in Japan called "Tantanmen." What was great about this dish was that there was a ton of noodles. Whenever I go to a pho place, I usually leave still hungry or just almost satisfied. This bowl left me full, while I still had noodles left. My co-worker and I also split their "Crazy wings" which were flavored in a slightly spicy and sweet tang flavored glaze. Marinated in a sauce with green onions and peppers, these wings were pretty delicious. The only iffy thing about them was the waitress first told us they're out, suggested the other wings we didn't want, then told us later that she found them...they were "in a bag". I would still go try these out. A friendly price for six delicious and uniquely flavored wings with zest. read more

Mekong Bistro - #34 spicy noodles that were actually pretty spicy - Cambodian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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