Detour Cafe

09/06/09

mediocre at best

by mxh

if i wanted to wait on myself i would have stayed at home. coffee is self serve. actually, this might be a plus considering our waitress stopped by the table all of once and that was to take our order. the french toast is water flavored. cherry topping was good though. egg sandwich is ok but nothing to write home about. won't be going back here anytime soon.

• Pros: easy parking
• Cons: nats

06/19/09

Deliculous Detour

by MoNate

I eat at the Detour at least twice a month for late weekend breakfasts, and have never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a table. Never had any trouble getting a cup of coffee, never had bad vibe or poor service (actually always been great.) My girlfriend and I nominate the lovely lady with the collarbone-ringing and wrist tattoos as the most attractive waitress in the city. Always have the skillets with sunny side eggs on top, but everything I have had has been good. Great fresh made food and the snobs can go somewhere else while we languish in cozydom.

• Pros: GREAT FOOD GREAT PEOPLE GREAT SERVERS
• Cons: catching the bathroom open is the only tough thing

01/31/09

Delicious French Toast

by mdishner

I love having breakfast out and had read about Detour Cafe, so I stopped in yesterday morning right after they opened. Very clean, a little cold inside, but nice feel. I ordered the French Toast made from cardamom bread, had some cherry compote and shaved almonds on top, syrup on the side. Wow, great flavor, hot and the plate was warm, too, so you don't feel like you have to inhale it. I also ordered a side of bacon, crispy. It didn't come that way, but the waitress was great about running it back to the kitchen and getting it back to me quick. Hope I'm in the area again; it's worth the trip!

• Pros: Good coffee, good service, great food.
• Cons: A little cold inside

09/28/08

terrible service

by iliketoeat12

Saturday morning, and it was not busy. Every table taken but no one waiting. First time going and waited ten minutes for a waitress to tell us that coffee is self serve but GOOD LUCK FINDING A CUP! I was appalled! Food came 45 minutes later after three other tables around us that sat down after got their food. French toast with so called cherry compote...it was dried cherries (gross!) thrown on top. Don't let the words of good food be ruined by this joint. This place needs to get it together. Not recommended if you are looking for quality or good service. :(

08/06/08

Great food and fun location!

by skinup

I have been eating here since 2005 and really love the food and vibe here... Unfortunately the service can be below average at times, which can be a struggle like many have said. I guess you could say it's hitt or miss with service and epic food everytime!! Hopefully they read this and make some necessary changes.

• Pros: Local Organic Food!!
• Cons: service lacking...

11/23/07

One good omelet

by jcoe

I had a three-egg frittata with smoked salmon, spinach and roasted onions (onions are free!), which came with potatoes and cardamom toast. I also had a house salad. It was all immensely enjoyable. And the service was fine.

11/19/07

i cant believe it didnt make the top 10 list...

by yemango

but then, thats ok. more for us! there are definitely die-hard detour fans out there. it is the best place, ive been going there for 4 years and it never gets old. their food is local, organic, breads are made from scratch everyday, and its simple whole food. i tried the potato leek soup another reviewer spoke of - i can see how one may not like it, but i thought it was unique and delectable.

• Pros: organic, local food, fresh baked goods

11/11/07

Bad Food and Service

by ponderous90

I ordered the Soup and Salad, and upon receiving the food I didn't find the soup to my liking. I didn't know a bad Potato Leek Soup could be made, but this was awful and consisted mostly of oil. I waited and waited for the server to come back to see how things were, but she never did. When someone else finally came, they just dropped off the check, with all the plates and food still on the table. I had to go up to the server and tell her I was unhappy with the meal and she refuse to take off more than a dollar for the entire meal. This was an extremely negative experience and I left hungry.

• Pros: Outside seating nice
• Cons: Loud traffic and bad service

11/02/07

Great food, disgruntled servers

by histand

My family enjoyed everything here except for the service. The server interrupted my wife with a "hold on a minute!" retort while examining the check for a discrepancy. She tried to clean up her mess by being honey sweet afterwards. Still, I've never heard of such poor customer relations. I suggest requesting a new server if you happen to sense the one who served my familly will be taking care of your family.

• Pros: Good food
• Cons: Inconsistent server professionalism

10/20/07

always consistently great !

by daggerboy

my wife and i have been here many times and the food and service are always consistently great. the servers never give you that i'm-too-cool-for-school attitude that you can get at other restaurants. i have tried a few different things on the menu but i always go back to the boys upstairs (sausage sandwich) while my wife always get the original (minus the bacon). seriously, we have yet to have a bad meal here. while i was there earlier today i asked the cook (who i see there every time) if this was his joint and he replied yes, that he and his wife own it. i told him how much i loved it and he was genuinely appreciative and thanked me. the detour is near the top of our favorite restaurants in portland !

• Pros: great food and service
• Cons: too small, they need to expand !