The Malarkey

A ASH 131 reviews · Local Guide 6 September 2026

First time at Malarkey and we absolutely loved it! We walked in without a reservation and were able to grab seats at the bar. From the moment we walked in, the hostesses were incredibly kind and welcoming, and the bartenders were great. The space is beautiful. I used to come here when it was Oba, and it’s impressive to see how completely they’ve transformed the restaurant. You can tell a lot went into the design and renovation. I love the open layout, the decor, and the overall vibe. The menu had a great variety, especially plenty of protein options. The oysters were excellent, and the tomato salad was phenomenal and definitely something I’d order again. Cocktails were really good too, with a great selection of tequila. And you have to check out the bathroom! The disco ball and decor give it such a fun vibe. There’s also a cool private space in the back that would be great for private events. We finished with the ice cream scoops, which I highly recommend. Such a simple dessert, but really good. Overall, great food, great drinks, beautiful atmosphere, and excellent service. I’ve heard they also have DJs and music on certain nights, which gives me another reason to come back. Definitely looking forward to trying their brunch next. Highly recommend Malarkey. We’ll absolutely be back! I can also make it a little shorter and more natural for a Google review if you want.

D Dianne Namgung 265 reviews · Local Guide 26 August 2026

Highly recommend doing family style here so you can try many things. We got a few plates in each of the menu section and loved every dish we ordered!! Pics of food with labels included in this review. I will definitely be back again to try more of the menu. Service is amazing and very helpful with recommendations. They were very attentive and checked in a perfect amt of times and always made sure we had water. Since it is relatively new, id recommend making reservations. I think we made ours 2wks in advance and there were limited openings for Tuesday night dinner. This is a very lively spot and fully packed (keep that in mind if youre looking for a more quiet romantic atmosphere).

D Dan Daoust 3 reviews 22 August 2026

My wife and I went out for our anniversary and this place was genuinely the best place in Portland. I have ate at in sometime. The crab cake was the best crab cake I’ve ever had and my wife agreed. I had the pork tomahawk and it was perfect. The whole atmosphere and decor was amazing especially when you pay attention to the small details. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys fun dining over fine dining. Not to say it isn’t fine dining but absolutely enjoyable!

N Neal Franzer 32 reviews · Local Guide 14 August 2026

An overall great experience that I can’t wait to revisit. Loved the decor with little hidden gems and the representation of Portland. The service was friendly and attentive. Loved it!

S stacy kaber 11 reviews · Local Guide 10 August 2026

Everything we ate was ‘fine,’ but all just a bit off. Rather expensive meal for none of it to really hit. Service was not good. From the timing of delivering items to the waitress just being too in my face, they have a lot of work to do. They didn’t clear our starter plates and just pushed an $80 steak onto the side of the table, then left us staring at it and the dirty plates, waiting on steak knives. We had to share one oyster fork and spoon between two of us. Multiple times, the waitress was way too eager to ask about liking the food. Once, as I took my first bite, so then stares at me to chew and give her a response. She asked up front about allergies, which we told her of my nut allergy. We knowingly ordered the peanut containing pork burnt ends, with intentions of only one of us eating it, but it wasn’t pointed out or even asked if we wanted the nuts on the side. Obviously, not such a big deal since we noticed it, but seems like something they should be on top of for $100+/person meal. The space is huge and fairly impressive for a Portland restaurant, but comes across as trying a little too hard, especially all the fake graffiti. The bathroom is ridiculous (not in a good way) with super loud club music and disco lights.