Italian eatery serving cocktails & upscale fare, including family-style options, in a chic space. Based on 687 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.6 stars. Price $$$
✔️ No dine-in ✔️ No takeout ✔️ No delivery
Address:
3377 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97202
Phone: (971) 229-0571
Social Profile: 
Hours
| Wednesday | 5–9 PM |
| Thursday | 5–9 PM |
| Friday | 5–10 PM |
| Saturday | 5–10 PM |
| Sunday | 5–9 PM |
| Monday | 5–9 PM |
| Tuesday | 5–9 PM |
Menu
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Menu Photos
Photo Gallery
Order and Reservations
Reservations: avagenes.com
Reviews
ikc
If you are driving parking is difficult because there are many restaurants in the area and it’s in a populated residential area. Reservations are highly recommend. The restaurant is tastefully decorated. Employees are very attentive and helpful. This is the best tasting food I’ve had in the Portland area. We definitely will be back.
Byron Broussard
The best restaurant in Portland. If you are fortunate enough to get a reservation, don’t waste it. Starve for 24 hrs, wear “buffet pants,” and order almost everything on the menu. You will NOT be disappointed. They have exquisite offerings with fresh local ingredients, from the appetizers to the desserts. Also, a VERY extensive wine list that will fit your budget and complement every bite! Bon Appetite!
Ashley Lachney
SO GOOD! Food was 10/10, staff was 12/10. Everyone was so friendly, SO knowledgeable about the menu. We felt like family. I can’t wait to go back!
Jennifer Saltal Egan
We absolutely LOVED Ava Gene’s. From the super cute layout/atmosphere, to the great staff – and then, the FOOD. So, good!! We will be back and def recommend!
Taylor Rushing
Sat at the bar and ordered an amazing bottle of cidre from Normandy. Our server was impressed and treated us like royalty the rest of the time. Squid ink linguini was the true high point as were the salads. Great vibe for a posh dinner out in Portland.
Christina Bergen
The cacio e pepe was on point! If a chef can pull that off then imagine how great the burrata appetizer or Sugar Snap Pea salad and desserts were. Waitress was wonderful, drinks delicious, and I love that there is no guessing on the tip! Loved our meal!
Sean Teeter
Ava Gene’s was one of those places that had always heard great things about, but had never got around to trying. Years ago, my wife and I received a gift card, but then the restaurant shut down for a remodel; then the pandemic hit. This year, we decided to finally pull the trigger for our wedding anniversary and give Ava Gene’s s try. The result was mixed at best.
Kelly Purkey
Recommend going with lots of people, because the menu is large and you’ll want to try everything. Food was great but really want to shout out the service. Hostess was friendly & helpful. Our server was personable, had great dish descriptions, and took good care of us even with a very crowded dining room. Can’t wait to go back!
Josh Stilwell
Our family and some friends from Korea we see very rarely were going out to dinner one night some weeks ago. Money wasn’t a problem, so we chose a mildly more upscale-seeming place. In Korean culture, it’s custom to always bring gifts to gatherings. Because they are foreigners, they aren’t accustomed to our cultures and traditions here, and brought a Cheesecake Factory cheesecake as dessert to this restaurant. It’s rather against-culture, but our server took it anyway and kept it refrigerated for us. She sat us at an incredibly small table for a reservation of six. Then our Korean friends asked for a name-brand beer, also not accustomed to that atmosphere. From that moment on, our server treated our whole table as if we were under her, especially our Korean friends. When we ordered our food, she repeatedly stated in a snobby tone that we might not be able to finish all the food we were ordering. So we downsized. We finished our order and our appetizers came out shortly. One of us spilled a glass of water, and none of the servicepeople cared to notice and clean it up-a basic service a $200 per head restaurant should be able to offer. The food was over-salted by miles, you couldn’t taste the flavors of the ingredients, we felt rushed by our waitress, and in the end it wasn’t even enough food for us. We paid, left, and went to a Korean restaurant after. Home food.
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Kevin Robbins
Superlative quality of the inventive dishes offered plus a choice, reasonably priced wine list plus adroit, highly attentive, professional wait staff all compel a ranking of Ava Gene’s as the best Italian (distinctively Roman) restaurant in Portland. Fabulous, admirably very seasonal menus, brilliant handling of all fish dishes, a polenta among the best I’ve ever had (even in South Italy), outstanding pastas, and killer, oft varied cocktails (hit the current Imperfecto hard!) combine to make Ava Gene’s exceptionally convivial and a memorable locale for great Italian dining. (Their simple, unadorned, briny anchovies (currently amidst the pane appetizers) are the size of small trout and should immediately become your best sea friends ever!) Salute them with a perfect Soave from the wine list book and Go Already!
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