Jam On Hawthorne

11/06/09

fantastic food, charming service

by ChickieMcStickie

Every time I go to breakfast here I'm thrilled with whatever I order. The breakfast cocktail menu is vast and tasty. I've always had stellar service, friendly and prompt. The people watching is always damn good too as a little added bonus.

• Pros: amazing drinks! Great food!
• Cons: none

09/13/09

yummy, every single time

by sarahberke

I've been going to Jam about 3 years, usually a couple of times per month. I've never, not a once, had a bad experience. Yes, there can be a bit of a wait, esp. on weekend mornings. But, it is a SE Portland, hole in the wall breakfast joint. That's what you get on a a weekend morning! But there is yummy Stumptown coffee available to sip upon while you wait. Or if you're starving you can run across the street and grab some bread at GC or a piece of fruit at UP's. Jam has some pretty unique dishes, things that you're not going to find anywhere else in Portland. My faves: Ty's Big Breakfast, The Other One (wrap), the crazy delicious berry Broiche French Toast, and the Hammer scramble. Service has always been really good, in comparision to service at other SE PDX breakfast establishments. Friendly, attentive and always givin us extras if we ask (toast, salsa, etc). I still haven't made it for dinner, but I can imagine tis just as yummy.

• Pros: Varied, organic, local food, stumptown while you wait.
• Cons: Long wait on weekends, not much waiting area.

07/16/09

Good food, grumpy service

by kate09

The food here is fantastic, and cheap, which is why I've gone back several times, but the wait staff have been, grumpy, surly, rude and downright mean every time I've gone so I've finally decided to break myself of the lovely lemon blueberry pancake habit.

The first time we were there, there was a wait, which is fine, but while we were waiting to put our names in the waitress came barging over literally throwing her arms at us shouting 'out! out! GO OUTSIDE! you can't be in here. You need to move it outside! There are people eating here, go outside!" etc. as she came at us menacingly. All she would have needed to do was ask us to move and we would have. There was a family with an infant among the people being tossed outside in the rain. I thought that was pretty awful, but was meeting someone and didn't want to change plans.

The last time I was there (again, fantastic pancakes) I was glared at, scooted around, ignored, made fun of (!) and not served by the only server on staff. The place was almost full, but not overrunning with people this time. Not only was the service really slow, Really Slow, but it was as if she was doing us a HUGE favor to take our orders. We didn't ask for anything special, didn't linger, didn't ask annoying questions, just ordered and ate. I don't know what the problem was. Maybe I wasn't dressed hipster enough? It was clear she did not want me in that restaurant. A little 'hi', 'how's the food?' would go a long way. But without common courtesy I can't eat there again. Maybe I need to learn to make lemon pancakes.

• Pros: Lemon pancakes
• Cons: Surly waitstaff, crowded

12/09/08

One thing after another...

by caddyshack22

Stopped into Jam on Hawthorne for a quick and light lunch during a work week lunch break, only to become disappointed over and over! Lovely, bright cafe with art covering the walls but when we sat and realized we had been passed many times for a little less that 10 min. without acknowledgement until we finally received our waters. No apology, the waitress took our order and well over 30 min (keeping in mind less that half the tables were seated) we received our incorrect order. Not sure if it had anything to do with our server sitting down with her boyfriend at the table next to us??

Actually got a grilled cheese that was not cooked (after a 30 min wait)

• Pros: atmosphere
• Cons: food, service and the grilled cheese

07/18/08

Breakfast (almost) All Day

by marilyndupont

This is the only place I know where you can eat a good breakfast at 1:30 pm on a weekday! There are times when you just want breakfast, and you don?t want to make it yourself. If you are in the Southeast, Jam is the place to go. This was the second time I have eaten there, the first was on a Sunday, and the wait time was considerable. Jam has a good selection of breakfast fare, including vegetarian options. I had two scrambled eggs, apple chicken sausage, hash browns, and an English muffin. This is a very basic breakfast, but they do have other more interesting options, however, I do not eat this kind of breakfast often, so it was a special treat. The hash browns were a bit too crisp for me, but still very good and not pasty or starchy like some I have had. The eggs were very fresh and not runny or dry. The sausage was great, I believe it is nitrate free and probably organic. At any rate, I didn?t get a headache after eating it (nitrates bother me). The waitress was attentive and not snooty or hovering. The entree I had was around eight dollars, and it was a full plate. In fact, my companion could not finish hers. If you go on a Sunday, get there before 9:30 or 10:00 if you are starving, it is a popular place and the wait can be long on Sundays.

• Pros: Breakfast until 2:30 on weekdays, Good service, Variety of menu choices
• Cons: Sundays are busy, long waits are to be expected

07/15/08

Unbeatable breakfast joint. Local produce! You don't like the wait? Come early, or go elsewhere at your loss!

by Mikael23

I've been a loyal Jam patron for over three years now, have had everything on the menu at least twice, and have never had a bad experience there. That's why I keep going back. And, judging by consistently long waits, I'm apparently not alone!

Most of the negative reviews below seem to criticize the quantity of clients (and the side effects) during peak times. HELLO! When a restaurant that seats 30 has a line of 60 out the door for 6 hours, it has some negative side effects! This place is popular for a good reason. My advice: head over before 9:30. The first rush starts around 9:45, so you usually have time to get your order in when the grill is relatively empty. The means better food and better service!

They always have fresh bread and produce thanks to the ultra-close proximity of the neighborhood bakery and open air market (right across the street). The weekly breakfast specials are consistently incredible and well thought out, and the out-of-the-ordinary breakfast cocktails are inventive and refreshing.

As mentioned, great veggie/vegan options. The cooks will accommodate just about any request if it's not too busy. They're artisans back there, and enjoy the challenge.

The bottom line: come early (or on a week day) to truly enjoy what this place has to offer.

06/17/08

Love IT!!

by Yewbert

Love it here. Ty's Big Breakfast is always a good choice and now that they are open for dinner time, they have a whole new menu of things to choose from, always something super yummy. Never a long wait in the mornings, great hangover food and excellent service!!!

06/09/08

Why is this place always so busy?

by sweetteapdx

I see no reason to ever return to this restaurant. The server did not remember requests for cream for coffee or a way to stabilize our tipsy table. She recommended that I order an item from the menu I was considering in a moment of temporary insanity (my mistake). I should have known that it was too weird to eat. "The Bizness" is a plate of disaster. Corned beef (mystery meat) on a moldy bagel (seriously which I discovered later after inspecting other half) covered in thousand island dressing with cheese and egg and onions on top. Again, my fault for even considering this but what cook made this up as a joke on diners? I spent the rest of the day both regretting and trying to forget about my breakfast.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Awful Food

06/06/08

Does is get any better than this??

by akashicsmiles

This place rocks...breakfast until 3pm then again from 5:30 to 9:30 while they serve dinner! How great is that?! Even better is the food tastes good, it's local, most of the wait staff actually seems to care about your experience. I used to eat here for breakfast 1-2 times a week or so now I find myself here 2-3 times a week because they added dinner. The dinner menu is slightly limited but changes weekly and they serve anything from their breakfast menu during dinner hours too! They tend to have a wait for breakfast on the weekends (like everyplace), but I feel like I avoid that well by going later and I hardly ever have to wait. I would recommend it to anyone!

• Pros: local and/or organic, late breakfast
• Cons: sometimes there can be a list

05/25/08

Finally a great breakfast in PDX!

by GoodnightGoldie

Thank the lord! After many years of searching for a decent, big and healthy breakfast in PDX, my boyfriend and I found JAM on Hawthorne! I stumbled upon it by accident because I wanted to find a place to buy the Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce, which they happen to sell. Citysearch told me to get there early, so this morning we arrived at 8:15 and were greeted with a friendly smile, two menus and full water glasses. We ordered right away (Ty's Big Breakfast and Egg/Chorizo sandwhich w/ hashbrowns) and they arrived almost INSTANTLY! The food was SO AMAZING! You get amazing portions for your money and you'd never know it was vegetarian! SOOO GOOD! Shortly after we got our food, the crowds began rolling in. We got our bill ($21 incl. drinks) and went to pay. The food and service were so good that my boyfriend left a $10 tip! Cup & Saucer and Bread and Ink should take tips from JAM!!! More food and better service! This place rules! Definitely returning many, many times!

• Pros: EVERYTHING!
• Cons: It's a small place so it fills up fast, but it's worth the wait!