Tin Shed Garden Cafe

06/29/2008 Posted by shirleysobrano

I loved the atmosphere and the food. Service was nice and loved being in the garden. They handled the Saturday AM brunch wait excellently. The wait was shorter than I anticipated, and I had a great time.

06/18/2008 Posted by bellaeats

Went to the tin shed today for breakfast and had a great time. We had been here a couple of times before with adequate results but this time was the best. Don't get me wrong though, the food is always good. You know you can order something one time and come back two months later and it will taste just as delicious. I say adequate because the servers are usually...well...not bad by any means but they're just there. You know, they just go through the motions, take your order and don't come back until it's time to pay. Today, however, our server (the one with the cupcake tattoo!!!) made us feel like we were having fun. She wasn't overbearing but the few moments she spent with us left us laughing and feeling right at home. She recommended the Lay Down, which is the Tin Shed's version of Huevos Rancheros. Man alive was it delicious! Just right if you're looking for that not too heavy brekfast. My friend had the vegan How Latin which was also just as good. If you want to have all things good that make up classic breakfasts go to the Tin Shed!

Pros: self-serve coffee, bacon, lots of vegan options

Cons: sometimes a long wait

06/05/2008 Posted by chellylopez

I've been to the tin shed a few times- mostly with friends at their suggestion. Everytime I go, I have poor experiences. Every server I've met there has been rude, unattentative and seemed irritated to be working there. This last time I went I not only had to ask for my check after 20min of waiting, I had to eventually, after another 10min of no check, follow her to the cash register to hand her my card as she never brought my check to my table. After all of this- she overcharged me! She charged my partner and I for meals we never ordered! And, the coffee was full of grounds! argh! I am disgusted by their fatty greasy food, annoyed with their coffee full of grounds, and completely irate about their bad service. I do not recommend tin shed for breakfast! I hope their lunches/dinners taste better and that they have better, more pleasant staff! Man, oh man...

Pros: outdoor seating

Cons: poor service, greasy bad food

06/02/2008 Posted by pixie29

Tin Shed has great food! Their Taco Salad is absolutely delicious w/the blackened chicken and their breakfast is great. The only downside to this place is you always have a long wait, and even if you call your order in for pick up, they tend to make you wait.

Pros: Great Food, Big Portions

Cons: Sometimes Not So Friendly Servers, Long Wait

03/30/2008 Posted by duwonseey

The Tin Shed's breakfast burrito has an ingredient in it that's not listed on the menu -- the sweet, sweet taste of dreams coming true. The food was delicious, there were options to suit both herbivore me and my carnivore boyfriend, the wait staff was friendly in a casual, non-patronizing way, and the wait was no worse than you'd find at any decent-plus restaurant in Portland. Which is to say, I did have to wait 25 minutes for a table. But damn, if that burrito wasn't worth it! I will be heading back soon.

02/23/2008 Posted by darksyren

My boyfriend and I frequent the Tin Shed, usually for Sunday breakfast. I love their biscuits and gravy and the fact that there are grits on the menu. My boyfriend is a vegetarian and there are tons of tasty option both for him and me, a dedicated bacon lover. Even I like their house made veggie sausage. I've also eaten there for dinner, which is good, but I feel like breakfast is where they shine. The only downside is the wait on Sundays. Get there early. I think the longest I've waited was 45 minutes.

Pros: Breakfast, serve yourself coffee, covered patio with a fireplace

Cons: Long waits for breakfast sometimes

01/06/2008 Posted by msing33

I used to like the Tin Shed. The menu has potential but I got tired of the cooks always screwing something up, and the servers are no help in fixing the situation. The potato pancakes or french toast are usually blackened on at least one side (served burned side down as if I'm not smart enough to figure it out), or my over medium eggs come out over easy. Then when I asked the server to fix my eggs, she said "oh so you want them over hard?" First of all, a server at a breakfast restaurant should know the difference, and secondly, don't argue with the customer! I had to sit there and convince her that there was a way to cook eggs to make the whites cooked but the yolks runny. Also, I ordered a large orange juice and someone else at our table ordered a small and we found that although the glasses are different shapes, they hold the same amount of liquid. What a scam! One time we went and ordered a burger and it came on 2 pieces of white sandwich bread. The server set it down and started to walk away. We stopped him to ask what happened to the bun and he said "oh yeah, we ran out." Okaaayy...thanks for letting us know and giving us the opportunity to change the order. If you go with a group of 4 or more, don't expect everyone's food to come out at the same time. Between the cooks and the servers, this place stinks. Too bad considering the nice atmosphere and the owners' positive involvement in the community.

Pros: Atmosphere, socially conscious owners

Cons: worthless employees

09/18/2007 Posted by ssommers5

I recently was lucky enough to be seated immediately at the Tin Shed for Sunday breakfast (in the past, I've typically waited at least 20 minutes). I've learned if you get there before 8:30, you are golden. And what a treat it was! My 2-year-old and I got to choose our table, the waitress immediately brought us a booster seat, and when we ordered, I mentioned that my daughter was hungry and she offered to put a rush on her french toast, which she ordered off of the kids' menu, and which came very quickly. I ordered the"Goat Boy" scramble and was glad I did. I HIGHLY recommend it. Its perfect balance of sweetness (sundried tomatoes), tartness (portabello mushrooms marinated in rasperry vinagrette), and sharpness (the goat cheese on top), and the savory base of eggs was scumptious! Not to mention the color and texture. And where else can you get grits on the side instead of the tired standard potatoes? My daughter LOVED the french toast even though, since she is a plain food fan, I was worried about the sweet potato component. Overall, I highly recommend this place for a quality breakfast with great service to boot.

08/26/2007 Posted by momgoddess

This is my favorite breakfast restaurant in Portland. The service is great, the food is incredible and the coffee is divine! There is always a long wait, but the staff is very nice and you are allowed to sit in the garden area while waiting for a table and they give you coffee while you wait. They are family friendly and very accommodating. They even made french toast for my son when his heart was set on it, long after they were no longer serving breakfast.

Pros: Great coffee, fabulous food, impeccable service

Cons: long wait, but it's worth it!

08/09/2007 Posted by broadfoot2

I used to go here a lot with friends and really enjoyed both the breakfast and lunch menus! Sadly, the last time I went, I went to pour some ketchup on my plate and low and behold 5 or so ants came crawling out onto my plate! Talk about loosing your appetite! I told the waitress their were ants in the ketchup and she said "oh" and then went on to bus my half eaten plate. No discount, no apology, no nothing. Now when we want to go to breakfast in Alberta's corrugated tin district, we go to Helsers!