Tributes

During their final week in business, Tribute’s had multiple daily specials. However, none of the customers knew it was their final week in business. Instead, it was masked as «temporarily closing for remodeling».
Why did they have to lie to their customer base? Many people who didn’t make it in during the company’s final week would have gladly shown up more than once had they actually known Tribute’s was going out of business. Instead, one of Portland’s best sandwich and pizza shops left on a bad note, leaving a bad taste in people’s mouths.

Your pie is hand-​thrown the old way. Thin crust … delicious!

CLOSED – Tributes has closed on West Burnside. It’s too bad. Very tasty pizza. But the location i think was tough for foot traffic. I will miss smelling the pizza & other goodies wafting into my apartment window.

I am from Back East. This place makes me so happy. The owner lady makes me so happy.
I find someone to split the cheesesteak and the Italian with, their special sauce and I am back home, bitches. The Sicilian pizzas are god’s gift, I shit you not. Even great re-​heated.
The spot on Burnside is great, with parking even. So happy.

pretty good place for hanging out watching sports.
had some chilli cheese fries and beers with some workmates.
the space is nice.
bathrooms clean. i used to go to their other location back in the day, off 21^st or so?,
new owner. Would be good for Timbers games, fans.
Oh. I liked the music they were playing. 80s tunes.

I’ve never had a better Philly cheesesteak. I’ve also never had better service while ordering a Philly cheesesteak. I can tell they care about this place and make it very inviting. They also have free wifi which is a huge plus. Will definitely be coming back here.

Best philly in Portland the hot sauce they put on their philly is a perfect mix of flavor and spice and they sell the sauce by the bottle as well. Thier pizza is unrated try the green and gold pizza (pineapples and jalapeño)

BEST sandwiches in Portland, maybe anywhere. I have been going here for years. The entire menu is delicious. I just recently tried the pasta and a few other specialty items they now offer. EVERYTHING here is soooooo good! The attention to detail and love put into every dish make this a must for anyone living in or traveling through the north west.
They even have this deep dish pizza thing they make specifically for you. — made to order. How cool is that?!
GREAT happy hour, ladies night, sports on the weekend and evenings. Pizza, pasta, sandwiches, beer, wine, love. The only problem is deciding on which awesome dish to choose from! Dine in or order to go. Make sure to order a little extra either to share or for later. It is soooooooooo good you are sure to want more.
Make sure to check out the special seasonal dishes and East coast sandwiches available.
Family owned and operated, this is what our country was built on. Tributes proudly serves the American dream and all sorts of awesome food with a smile.
Go and get it.

After spending a significant amount of time on the east coast now, I’m happy to get some of that food brought back to Portland. Walked in for a late lunch on a Monday to find the place mostly empty.
I had the cheesesteak with everything. The bread was great and soft, the meat well cooked and execution perfect. Making a good cheesesteak is harder than most people think and this place knows what they’re doing. The pizza looked alright, nothing like what you can get back east but definitely worth trying. Sandwiches aren’t cheap, but not expensive either. I’ll definitely be back. Service is very friendly as well. You’ll probably see some of the Portland Police in here too, I’ve heard they’re regulars here. Those guys know good food, so that further validates Tributes.

*edit July 2014*
…and they’ve closed down again. :-/​
*original*
They re-​opened and I forgot to update my review to say so… yay for Tributes!

A very strong four stars!
Tribute’s is super close to my downtown office. I hit this place up on my lunch hour a couple times a month. It’s super close. It’s also reliably good, fast, and friendly.
The fastest thing to order tends to be a slice of pizza. This thing is like the size of your head!!! They roll it through a toaster. So, it comes out hot and of course TOASTY! I tend to choose the meatiest one. There are at least 4 varieties to choose from in the case! The crust is thick and the pie is thin. The toppings and sauce are super tasty, maybe a little greasy. An added bonus is the price, at a WHOPPING $ 3.50!!! I can’t get a SOY LATTE in town ANYWHERE for that price. Here, I get a yummy slice of pizza the size of my head!!!
Probably the only let down here is the packaging. I like to take it to go!!! They place it on a too small plate and cover it with a too small piece of foil!!! Maybe they want you to stay!!! I like to kick in the employee lounge with my weekly trash magazine!!! So, yeah I get sauce on my fingers during the walk back!!! Whaddya gonna do!!!
So, try this place out if you want a quick, tasty slice, from a friendly face.
Side Bar — They have lots of other tasty food but I haven’t had the time to try it. :)

This is the best place to get a Philly cheesesteak in PDX! Get their fries and house sauce, and sit in the back alley… It really feels like you stepped out of PDX into NY. The owners/​staff are great as well. We love this place!

Tributes isn’t the typical place I would hang out however living next door and having a decent happy hour makes it appealing. Their happy hour, which I believe is 4−7pm, offers up a discount on beer (of which I believe they have 5 or so taps) and reduced prices on some food items like $ 2 cheese pizza slices. The pizza is good, crispy bottoms with a garlic herby crust, and the house salad is loaded with veggies. I do wish they would offer more veggie options, they have 2 veggie sandwiches I believe. All they’d need to do is get some seitan and cook up a veggie philly cheese steak or offer a veggie dog option. The owner and her staff are super friendly and if you want to watch any sports games they are likely to have one on.

I don’t usually go to sports bars as a rule, and I know they’re loud for a reason (TV sports, etc.), but Tribute’s has a serious sound system, so serious and loud that it feels like the building vibrates. In other words, this is not a place to come for quiet conversation. Even when the TV is not tuned to a game, the music is played so loud that it is unpleasant.
However, the décor is very nice and appropriate for a sports bar, and I appreciated how clean everything is. I liked how the menus are done on a chalkboard in colored chalks in an attractive manner (sometimes chalkboard menus don’t look so good). I was shocked at sandwich prices, upwards to $ 9, and that for nothing but the sandwich, no sides. The young ladies working at the cashier were friendly enough, but not engaged (perhaps tired after a long day?) and answered all my questions without hesitation. I ordered a slice of the combo pizza, which was actually quite delicious, but it would have been much better had it been heated piping hot all the way through, not just to lukewarm status. The crust was excellent, and the sauce and toppings were all fresh and nicely laid out, not too much, not too little.
I think in the future I will probably order pizza to take home and not dine in; sports bars just aren’t my thing (but the sports fan in my neighborhood are going to enjoy this venue) I did visit their website and read their story, and I admire how management worked hard to bring the restaurant back and managed to hire back many of the staff from before. Like I said, I’ll try another pizza and write an update on that in the future because I think that’s the way to go for me.
Best wishes to Tribute’s, it’s good to see a restaurant make it back after hard economic times, and I know they’ll make it into a good solid neighborhood hangout!

After a morning at the Japanese Gardens, my friends and I were looking for a place to satisfy our hunger. After seeing the great reviews on Unilocal (yep, I’m Unilocaling about a Unilocal review), we decided to stop here. Best decision made that day. The girl behind the counter was beyond friendly and gave us out-​of-​towners her recommendations for what to eat. I went with the Philly Cheese steak and their signature hot sauce. Second best decision made. The sandwich was the perfect size and the hot sauce was A-​M-​A-​Z-​I-​N-​G. Yep, it was so good, I needed to spell it out. Mind you, I’ve never had a Philly Cheese steak in Philly so I am no expert in the authenticness of the sandwich but I can tell you how delicious it was. The prices are reasonable too (about $ 6– $ 9 per sandwich). They also have pizza and pasta that looked equally delectable.
If you’re in Portland and you’re craving a good sandwich or just some good finger lickin food after a long day of sightseeing… I definitely recommend stopping here.

I am pretty surprised by all of the 5 star reviews for this place. I’ve only eaten there once and at the newer place on W Burnside. However, I am not going to be back anytime soon.
Sure, the sandwiches are good but at $ 9 a pop, lunch for 2 with fries and sodas came to almost $ 30. I’d much rather spend all my money at the grocery store a few blocks away and have sandwiches all week long. We also had to wait almost 30 minutes to even get our food and we just had sandwiches!
Its just not worth the wait or the price.

Tributes I can honestly say I really missed you while you were gone. I know It had only been about nine months, but It felt more like two years.
I guess I have some explaining to do for my actions while you were gone. While I could say I was faithful, regretfully I wasn’t. I searched HIgh and Low to replace the way you make me feel with something else from someone else. Many long hopeless nights spent trying to find a special something to fill the void, the yearning. Upon my journey I made many new and wondrous discoveries. But alas, time and time again I was let down, because It just couldn’t compare to you. Upon countless times walking away from some new found stranger desperately seeking the same satisfaction you gave me and coming up short. I came to realize just how special you are to me.
You can try but you can’t replace the original.
Having the question lingering over my head. «Damn, When are they gonna open?»
Today Something Special Happened.
The Question was Answered!!!
I ate… and actually enjoyed a East Coast Italian Sub in Portland, Oregon.
I know… I know. As Simple as it may sound… It’s actually quite a rare feat.
Many people try but very few can actually deliver the goods.
Deluxe ham, genoa, prosciutto, cappy, mortadella, sopressata, pepperoni, provolone, white American, pepperoncini, sweet red peppers, onions with seasoned olive oil and vinegar dressing. I also add lettuce to mine. Double meat is a $ 4 up charge.
The Bread was fresh. The veggies were crisp. You can never go wrong with Boars Head Deli Products. Where they add a splash… I drowned that Sandwich with the wonderful Oil and Red Wine Vinegar dressing. I was encouraged to take extra after I asked for some on the side. Good call!
My wife was excited to be reunited with one of her favorite Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches. Just make sure you always order an extra side of homemade marinara sauce. It’s amazing just on it’s own or to dip your pizza crust into.
I really missed the Pizza as well. I could only swing a slice today because the sandwich was my Priority. But my fears of any changes in taste due to the move were silenced.
The New Place is great. Comfortable with a nice selection and variety of seating and some flat screens. Bar area with 6 taps. A few noteworthy tap selections were Ninkasi Total Dom IPA, Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale, and Alameda Brewing’s Black Bear XX Stout. It was nice to sit in the window during rush hour and watch the city on the move. Friendly attentive Staff. I can’t wait to return and run through the list of Sandwiches I have been without for quite sometime. Look out Philly and Meatball!!!
There is no better place for a Sandwich and a Slice in Town.
Glad to know Everything is still spot on. And closer to Timbers Games! Bonus!
I thank you for your continuation in serving the American Dream.
Now if I could only find my Pizza Punch card with one punch left.

I ate here for the first time a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it. I ended up here because MELT sandwiches was closed. I remembered some people from work talking about how good the sandwiches were here and decided to check it out. Glad I did!
I ordered the turkey sandwich and it was everything I was looking for in a sandwich. The roll was also lightly toasted and it had a nice italian dressing type sauce along with all the typical sandwich fillings such as lettuce, tomato, cheese, onions, and mayo.
The only trouble is that it is hard to find parking in NW and also that the place is kind of small so it fills up quickly.
I got there around 11:30 am before the lunch rush though. The woman working at the cash register was also very nice which was unexpected.
I’ll be back next time I’m in the area!

If you look at my track record, you’ll see that I don’t normally give out 1 star reviews. In fact, out of the 192 reviews I’ve willfully contributed to Unilocal’s growing mass of user generated dribble and ass hat opinions, only 4 of them have been 1 star reviews. That’s 2% for the mathematically retarded.
Well, Tribute, welcome to an illustrious group of places I’ll NEVER step foot in again. You have now joined the likes of the Olive Garden, Chilis, and Safeway. Well, I might set foot in those others places, but it won’t be by choice. Yet Tribute, I can say without hesitation, I will NEVER be back.
And as I’ve told these other not so fine establishments, I’ll tell you the same thing: Go fuck yourself.
Seriously. Do it. Without lube, and with something large and uncomfortable, like a VW Bug.
Yes, I understand that there was an extremely large order placed before us, and I understand that mistakes happen, but what I don’t understand is how you feel it is perfectly ok to be first class douche bags to your paying customers. Friendliness and good customer service go a long way, and will normally right a lot of wrongs.
Obviously, this is something you don’t understand. So I’ve decided to provide you with a few tips on how to improve:
#1 — Don’t tell me it will be a few minutes, when it is going to be 45. Especially when I’ve got an 11 month old, who is tired and hungry and wants nothing more then to go home after a long day. Had we known, we would have gone somewhere else.
#2 — Don’t sell me something and then not have it. And if you do, offer me a refund, not a lame exchange.
#3 — Get my damn order right. A chili dog should come with a hot dog and chili. Yeah, I know, it must be rocket science trying to figure that one out. Hmmm, what could possibly go on a chili dog? A hot dog and… and…and…maybe some fucking chili? Yet because of your big f’ up, I had to deal with an extremely stoned and pissed off father in law for the rest of the evening, who’s only desire that night was to have a damn chili dog… not a hot dog. It’s hard enough dealing with one cranky baby, let alone two.
#4 — Don’t fucking roll your eyes, use that tone of voice and cop an attitude towards me. (Wow, I bet I’ll be telling the Lil’ Dictator that in about 13 years.) We were nothing but polite, yet you seem to think it is ok to be rude to the paying customers. We were not the only ones waiting, and were certainly the least vocal about expressing our frustration.
#5 — Learn to multi task. Maybe your small squirrel like brain has endured a few too many PBR’s and bad cocaine, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to accomplish. If you get a huge order in, you might want to try to also help those looking for a quick bite to eat, instead of focusing 100% on the big one. Sure, it was a bunch of rude cops who ordered it, and maybe you didn’t feel comfortable with them hanging around your place and wanted them out, but if that’s the case, go work at the Red & Black Café.
Oh, and while I’m on a rant, you donkey loving pigs who were waiting for your order. Really? You feel the need to be that big of pricks? The old guy who came in and politely asked you to move your cop car out of his reserved parking spot, you really needed to be an asshole to him and talk shit after you begrudgingly moved out of his spot, all the while making a big show of it. I thought the oath was to protect and serve, not to bitch and moan? Am I missing something?
I will say that my sandwich was decent, although by the time I finally got to eat it, a hairy asshole and taint manwich would have tasted just as good.
I won’t be back. There are too many other great restaurants and sandwich shops to choose from in Portland where I don’t have to deal with a bunch of douche nozzles.

I think that was the worst sandwich I’ve ever had.
It started off, well, the chalkboard menu is low on information so it didn’t start off great. But the helpful counter girl handed me a menu with descriptions. I thought about just getting a slice of pizza, but I decided to take a risk and the pizza didn’t look that good anyway.
Error. Ye gods what a mistake. It could have been microwave pizza left on the counter and it would have been better.
I ordered The Don (no relation), it’s like a cheesteak conversion, turkey, lettuce and tomato instead of beef, peppers and onions. It came out wrapped in paper and cut in half. It wasn’t what I expected but it looked appetizing. Now whip out every cliché about looks because this sando sucked big time.
It was drippy as hell, a big chunk of the first half just plopped into the plate as I tried to eat it without ingesting paper and sitting there it looked, well, unappetizing. I won’t elaborate. By the time I finished the first half the bread was pretty nasty with all the juice dripping out and collecting in the plate. The plate holding the other half, wrapped in paper, in a puddle of, ewww.
I couldn’t finish the second half. I just couldn’t. I threw it down at one point, then gave it another chance. Two more bites and I reached the same conclusion. Hell no. HELL no. It was on a hoagie type bun so it wasn’t soggy all the way through but the parts touching my mouth were saturated. Words fail to describe how disgusting this half of the sandwich was. I place no blame on the cook, from the way this was presented I’m sure she did it exactly how she was told to. Whoever came up with this idea should never be allowed to prepare food. Ever.
My stomach was rumbling with hunger on the way up there and it’s rumbling with discontent now. But I’m probably gonna be hungry again in a few hours because between the part I threw away and the part that fell out I only ate 60% of a sandwich that really wasn’t very big, especially for $ 7.95.
If this is what east coast food is like, no wonder they’re pissed off all the time.