The Subterranean

Stumbled upon this place after a long hike near Hood River. We were looking for a place with happy hour. It turned out they had a nice one. It was super-​bowl Sunday and the place was pretty quiet at the time. Only a few other patrons. The game was playing on the large screen TV. Our waiter, possibly the owner, was very friendly and personable.
The menu offerings are definitely top quality. We ended up with a Parmesan Alfredo and the «Chicken Sub-​T», grilled sandwich, and a bread bites snack (with kalamata olives and balsamic vinagar goodness) that we ordered from the happy hour menu. All were delicious. We decided to order a dessert as well, the crème brûlée. Again, delicious.
Note. It is rare for me to give a 5 star rating for any place but this was pretty nice. Really 4.5 stars.
The only advice I’d give the owner would be to put some work into the bathrooms. They’re a bit run-​down and detract from the otherwise class and quality of the rest of the place.

We had dinner last week. We had really enjoyed this place when Mike Caldwell had it when it was North Oak Brasserie, so we decided to try the it again. Service was nothing like it was before. We started with water and menus. We were ready to order our entrees when Chris, one of the owner, came to wait on us. We asked if the waitress had called off sick; he explained his family worked at the restaurant and they didn’t expect that many people that early in the evening. (That included 2 tables and 2 people at the bar besides us.) We ordered our dinners and waited for drinks. When it was North Oak Brasserie, you were given bread, butter and olive oil & vinegar with your drinks. We got our soup and salad before our drinks. We had to ask for our drinks. The soup was runny and greasy and the salad could have used more dressing. When the entrees came, we were asked if we wanted bread then. Chris did not ask us if we needed another drink or came back to check on us. We had to flag him down to get another drink. We were disappointed that the food quality was not like in the past even though we were told they had a chef from the previous restaurant. The prices were okay and we left a nice tip, but he probably won’t be back. It is a shame that Mr. Caldwell had to give up the restaurant.

Excellent find here in Hood River and very much worth visiting again! Visited this establishment on a whim… loved it!
The food was perfect, the ambiance was dark and inviting… enjoyed the stair-​down entry.
Best part was the staff. Met the owner, met his lovely daughter and really enjoyed the story of how he ended up owning this restaurant. Taco’s on the bar menu were superb!!!
Good selection of local craft brews too.
Will definitely visit again!

Legit food, and great service! The owner was super friendly, down to earth and very accommodating even when we came in 30 minutes prior to closing. Cute, quaint atmosphere

Not the best food, my filet mignon had a weird leathery smell to it and bland tasting. Ordered a Manhattan and the bartender didn’t know how to make one.

My boyfriend and I have been here twice, bringing his parents along one of those times. Both times our food was great! … (my boyfriends mom steak was a little overcooked but the owner himself comped her entire meal, and brought her something else) the atmosphere is very laid back yet elegant at the same. And it is family owned and ran. With the cutest little buss girl ever (tge owners 8 year old daughter) this place is a good stop for dinner.

The most tender and melt-​in-​your-​mouth Filet I have ever eaten in my life! Doesn’t get any better that this!

We celebrated our 23^rd anniversary here last night. It was great as always and the staff are always willing to accommodate any changes that you want to make. They are always on the top of our list for dining out.

Outstanding once again. The new menu is beautiful and easy to read. it is the choices you have to make that are so difficult because everything I’ve eaten here has been so good. Tonight the ravioli was a creamy bacon carbonara in a white wine cream sauce. Garlic masher tacos are still the bomb for a starter as well as the sub t scampi, it just makes everyone want for more and more. The highlight of the night had to be the rib eye.. simply perfection. If you aren’t eating here you are missing out on one of the best restaurants hood river has to offer. Venture down the stairs, it will be worth it. Seriously one of the best restaurants within a 100 miles of hood river… Kudos to the staff for again making this a most memorable dining experience.

Amazing food and amazing service. Great family restaurant, great portion sizes and a wide variety of food.

My friends and I decided to try something new for dinner. Walking around downtown HR we spotted this place, enticed by the sign reading «Happy Hour» we all agreed that we should give it a shot!
Unfortunately all 5 of us were smushed together in the «only clean table available» (which was actually a 4 person booth) according to who I presume to be the owner. After sitting for what was probably 15 minutes we finally were served water. It seemed like the only person willing to help us was the young waitress who was incredibly sweet! The man who I guessed was the owner buzzed around to all the other tables filling waters and chatting with them about the specials, but failed to ever reach ours. Then another group came in, a group of adults probably in their 40’s, they were seated after us but the waitress took their order way before our table.
We ordered and started drawing on the butcher paper that was laid out on the table. We had filled our ENTIRE table with drawings and still no food in sight. We must have waited for at least an hour and a half before the owner came to the table asking my friend if they could butterfly his steak to make it cook faster because if they didn’t we’d be waiting another hour! My friend of course said yes slightly annoyed (we were all a bit hangry at this point and just wanted to eat and leave). I noticed the owner walk over to our waitress and mimic the conversation he had with our table and roll his eyes. Very unprofessional.
When they brought our food they only brought the three salads out and said the other food would take longer. 30 more minutes passed and three of us were done but they finally brought out the steak and chicken plates so we sat there while the others ate.
We were so disappointed in this place, nobody even apologized to us for the wait. It seemed very unprofessional and unpolished. The owner, although nice to older adults, treated us like we were children (we are all younger adults in our early 20’s). Service was poor (although our waitress did her best!), there was NO happy hour anywhere to be found, food was alright but not as good as expected, and the owner is rude. Would not recommend. Save your $ and go somewhere else!

Been there once and the food was good, somewhat overpriced but good.
Second time there and the owners children were working the door and when they directed us to a table the owner blew past us and processed yell at his children as to «why are people just walking in here?».
Thanks for the happy fathers day dinning experience.

We have been thinking about going here for a year. Finally walked down the stairs during happy hour on a Satuday. It was worth it. Their Alfredo is the best I have ever had in a restaurant. The red velvet cake was awesome. I hear they also offer late night food for those looking for an 11pm fish I’m a town with kitchens that shut down at 9pm.
We will be back

Absolutely the best eggplant parm and the sausage ravioli was amazing! Staff and dining experience was excellent! Don’t miss out on this gem when in Hood River.

We came to Hood after a day hiking and looking at waterfalls., this place looked interesting and after looking at the menu went in.
Two of us had the eggplant Parmesan and thought it was by far the best they ever had. The Tomatillo Chicken was also excellent.
Melissa was an excellent server and Lisa was also fun to chat with. We invited the owner to sit with us and he shared his story with us.
All in all, we recommend this restaurant to everyone!

Great place for a reasonably priced, delicious dinner. We enjoyed the Ravoili special and the spag/​meatballs. Very nice servers, quick service, good beer and quiet atmosphere.
If you want a good affordable dinner in a basement, (nicely decorated with old pictures of local scenes)…eat here!

We had the garlic tacos, lasagne, and homemade brownie sundae. Wow was that good food. Their tomato sauce is delicious. Great place, would definitely come back.

No frills, good service, good food.
Steak was done perfectly.
Gnocchi was incredibly rich, delicious, but beware the richness!

If you’re looking for the best, look no further. The steak was cooked to perfection with a delicious side of spaghetti accompanying it. Everyone at the table was extremely satisfied. The owner was personable and extremely friendly. Not sure the service or the food could be any better, we will definitely be back, again and again!

Wonderful service fabulous dinner. Worth the trip down the stairs. The dinner specials were both cooked perfectly. Desserts and coffee to finish out a perfect evening.