Buffalo Gap Saloon & Eatery

6835 SW Macadam Avenue Portland, OR 97219

Buffalo Gap is a traditional American sports bar type establishment in SW Portland at Macadam and California, and, despite the name, is not a second-hand clothing store that solely sells Gap apparel.  Their menu has a lot of variety and a dedicated section for burgers.  You can take a look at their burger options by moving closer to your monitor and squinting at this tiny heavily pixelated graphic, courtesy of their website:

Or you can just read this clearly visible text translation:  The burgers at Buffalo Gap are 1/2 pounders and are served on a Kaiser Roll with lettuce, tomato, and onions, and come with your choice of side.  The side options: homemade soup, mixed green salad, cole slaw, cottage cheese or choice of fries: house made potato chips, house fries, waffle fries, sweet potato fries, or tater tots.  I ordered the following:

All American – A charbroiled roadhouse classic slathered with our special goop. $8.50. Add cheese for $0.75

I added Cheddar cheese and requested the burger be cooked Medium (I wasn’t asked) and that the “goop” be placed on the side with seasoned waffle fries. I put in my order a bit before lunch officially started at 1pm, and did not receive my order until 1:34.  The burger they brought out was way overcooked,  and although I was ravenously hungry, it had that terrible thick crunchy hard black burnt exterior that will forever remind me of my childhood and how every adult was into burning the fuck out of burgers at every cookout ever.  My parents did this, my grandparents did this, and so did every single other adult that was in charge of grilling burgers at any point. I’m still not sure if these people did this out of fear of food-borne illness, as a means of punishment, or maybe they just hated flavor..?  Anyway, I sent it back.  My initial plate:

I requested the “goop” on the side both times, and this was even printed on my receipt as such.  Unfortunately for my visit,  “goop – ON SIDE” actually means “goop – FULLY LOADED” – ’cause  that’s how that shit arrived for me BOTH TIMES.

Here’s a bun-on shot of the second burger:

The second burger really wasn’t bad. All in all, I would return to the Buffalo Gap again – if I had to.

Burger Ratings:

Burger: 7

The bun was perfectly sized and somewhat spongy,  the beef was seasoned and juicy, and the tomato and lettuce was fresh and tasty.  I’ve gotta say, naming your mayonnaise-based sauce “GOOP” is fucking foul. Even as a person that enjoys mayonnaise, I don’t want your fucking “goop” on my burger.  It should be very understandable to honor such a request, but for whatever reason, this “goop” was slathered all over the bottom bun on both burgers, just as the menu description stated. If you want goop, that’s fine by me, but keep that behind closed doors aka plastic side cups  #dontask #dontell

Side: 9

I have to give Buffalo Gap a lot of credit for their side selection. I love that you can choose from so many different types of sides, and even MULTIPLE VARIETIES of french fries! The waffle fries I ordered were great, they were breaded and crunchy and delicious. Love em!

Environment: 7

I still don’t really understand the interior of this place.  There were several rooms with an absurd amount of televisions in each,  half of them playing the same football game and the other half showing lameass NASCAR, and there is also an upstairs and outdoor patio.  It felt really cozy inside, and it seems like a great place to sit around for hours to drink beer, eat fried food, and watch sports.

Value: 5

A hamburger and side is $8.50, and a cheeseburger starts out at $9.50. This is a bit pricey for what you get, but it’s a very filling 1/2 lb burger.

Buffalo Gap Saloon & Eatery
6835 SW Macadam Avenue Portland, OR 97219
(503) 244.7111

Tags: "goop", buffalo gap, mayonnaise lovers, SW

Listed Under: 7 - Real Good