10/22/09

Good meal in a nice little place.

by designj

I took my friend to Tin Shed for breakfast on a Friday morning. Surprisingly there were a lot of people there, and quite a few waiting. They told us to help ourselves to coffee while we waited, which was nice. Our wait wasn't super long since we opted to sit in the outside dining area (which had heaters above, so it wasn't so bad even though it was just under 60 degrees outside at the time). Food was good, and came out pretty quickly. The prices weren't cheap, but not ridiculous either. I'd come back.

• Pros: Friendly staff, good food, lots of vegetarian options.
• Cons: Parking could be an issue at times due to the neighborhood.

10/18/09

No skinny pants? No service

by mikeyboypdx

Food isn't all that, it's just standard American fare. I don't understand why the hipsters and gentrifiers line up for hours to get in. I was told by the tatted and pierced host (who was WAY too cool to be working in the service industry) "you can sit at the bar"...I told him I'd wait for a table and you'd think I'd slapped his grandma. He mumbled something about how busy it would get (hey, buddy, your problem, not mine). I just really hate the crowd and the attitude. You're in a run-down little ghetto part of Portland, which is the most run-down, ghetto little town on the West Coast. Don't try to pretend because the New York Times loves you that you're something. I would rather dumpster-dive than deal with the yuppie and hipster scum that staff and frequent this place.

• Pros: Standard fare
• Cons: Expect snotty service if you're not a hipster

09/14/09

Great coffee and local flavor

by supsonic3

I can't say enough good things about Tin Shed. This is my most favorite breakfast place (although their dinners are not as memorable or worthy of a trip to North Portland). Still, it is worthy enough to take all of my out-of-town guests here as an example of Portland breakfast at its best.

The waits are long (even on a weekday morning), but the pre-seating coffee (Portland Roasting's special Tin Shed Blend) helps, especially on a chilly day. Speaking of chilly, the outdoor seating area is heated so that a staff-provided blanket is all you'll need to enjoy an alfresco breakfast in January! I always leave with a happy and filled belly. My dogs can come, too!

I just love the special touches like local Aardvark sauce and grits with breakfast. The staff can be a bit punky and standoffish, but they're usually pretty nice and worth a 25% gratuity.

• Pros: BREAKFAST!!! outdoor seating (even in winter), dog-friendly
• Cons: long waits... zzzzz

09/07/09

Long wait doesn't equal quality of the food.

by caitlynpdx44

I've been hearing so many great things about the Tin Shed, sadly I learned non of them, at least in my experience, were true.

I didn't go in expecting the world, I've heard about the long wait but delicious food, but I did go in expecting a nice meal.

I now suspect people rave about the food due to the ridiculously long wait they have prior.

I was in a party of three, and it took us about 25 minutes to be sat, not big deal. Our server brought us water and menus and then disappeared for what seemed like a while. Fine.

After he finally took our order, we literally (they have a clock on the wall) waited for our food for over an hour.

I wasn't too concerned with how long it was taking until I started noticing everyone who had been waiting for their meals also, were finishing theirs. At that point it I realized we'd been waiting for about 50 minutes.

We didn't see our server again until we were almost done with our meal. (Someone else brought us the food.) I'm sure they were busy, but if they are busy like this all the time, you should be able to keep up.

In short, I was highly disappointed that a simple brunch on a monday ended up taking almost 2 1/2 hours to get in and out. And, what's more, the food was not good. It was incredibly greasy and their "homemade biscuits" tasted like they were made from some bisquick mix. If you want below average, fatty breakfast food I recommend a Denny's... and at least it's faster and cheaper.

• Pros: ...?
• Cons: Incredibly long wait, inattentive waitstaff, greasy food

08/27/09

Amazing

by bumblelust

I love this place. I've been time and time again for both breakfast and dinner and I'm always thrilled with both. My favorite thing to get during lunch/dinner hours would have to be the Fungus Among Us sandwich. It's amazing. Mushrooms, avocado, pepperjack cheese and an amzing chipotle aoli, I wish I could duplicate it at home but alas, nothing turns out as good as the Tin Shed's version. Breakfast is amazing too, though I'd recomend opting for the potato pancakes instead of the grits. They have a pesto scramble that's fantastic, as well as the "Everything Naughty" plate. Sooooo good! The servers are always friendly, maybe all the bad reviews are from people who are none too pleasant themselves. Rudeness tends to bring out rudeness. Writing this review is making me want to head over there for lunch today! Oh, also Sunday is great, they have a happy hour that goes from 3 till close with tasty drinks and happy hour food!

• Pros: Delicious innovative food!
• Cons: Longish wait for breakfast.

07/18/09

Friendly service, good food

by vladekpdx

So, my friend and I decided to go to the Tin Shed for breakfast on something of a whim, knowing beforehand the wait would be long. We signed in on the list, helped ourselves to coffee and set up to wait. The host was really friendly, ballparked our wait at about an hour. Luckily, he had something for us after about 45 minutes. We ordered pretty quickly, but still had to wait about a half hour for our food to come out, which isn't all that surprising if you've ever seen the size of their kitchen (small kitchen + large-ish dining area= wait). I had the "roll over" with rosemary gravy...awesome! Very savory and tasty. Self serve water and coffee=brilliant idea! Imagine how stressed those servers would be trying to do all their work WHILE refilling things themselves. Good place, people who complain about the wait should maybe consider that seeing a long line of people waiting to get in somewhere is what makes them want to go in the firstplace...

• Pros: Nice people, fun atmosphere, good food
• Cons: long waits (& often)

05/22/09

great food/ fun staff

by owl314

love this spot for brunch. i didn't realize they were only open for lunch/ brunch on the weekends, which made me sad. but well worth the wait. i get the "good dog" too, and it's the best!

• Pros: great food
• Cons: long wait

05/09/09

best brunch

by greeneyes21

despite the wait, this is our favorite spot for brunch. the self-serve coffee and good conversation makes it go by fast. then, the best breakfasts ever! i get the "good dog" , a combo of potatoes, an egg scramble, cheese, peppers, tomatoes, and some sauce that gives it the best flavor,and my boyfriend gets the "benny hill"... their version of eggs benedict. so good!!!

• Pros: best selection of tasty plates
• Cons: the wait.

05/05/09

Yum Yum Yum!

by PDXCHICK

We found this restaurant on City Search and were so impressed with the reviews we drove from Vancouver to try it. We did have to wait 45 minutes on a Sunday morning. However, there is coffee and water available for people to drink while they wait. There are a couple of great shops around there to look at, so it wasn't so bad. Breakfast was delicious. We had the "Everything Naughty." The bacon gravy was to die for. Staff were very nice too. Loved the outdoor seating, wasn't cold at all because of the heaters. Excellent experience overall.

• Pros: Best breakfast around!
• Cons: Long wait

02/26/09

Best Breakfast In Portland

by Nitengale22

I have been to Tin Shed several weekends in a row now because their breakfast is amazing! If going on a weekend, you should get there before 9am or else it gets really crowded and you will have to wait. Their eggs benedict has a little bit of paprika on top, mmmm. There food is fresh, the service is wonderful, the ambiance is cute and homey...they provide coffee and tea as you wait, and if you are hungry and decide to eat on their patio in the cold, they provide blankets. Delicious and amazing every time I go!

• Pros: Great food, great service
• Cons: the wait, if you are impatient