Delta Cafe

01/10/08

Beloved neighborhood hangout

by mle422

Caution, this place will cause cravings.

Among the delectable, reasonably priced menu, the amazing specials and the friendly service, one could easily find a new favorite at the delta cafe. True comfort can be found in the gooey mac and cheese, or the mouth-watering plethora of flavors that unite in the garlic cheese grits.

If you are in the mood for a whole meal, or just some sweet potato fries and a cocktail created from their in-house infused vodkas, gins, and tequilas, Delta always serves it up right.

• Pros: food, bar
• Cons: cash or check only

10/15/09

I had better food at Home Town bufet

by BoyRomanian

I went there last night with my friend, ordered th 5 dollar 40oz pabst. NO problem with that.

I ordered the 3 sampler and i got the buisquits and gravy, 2 sides!!! the busquits were awful, they were hard like so hard i could not break them with the fork. when i complained and said that i was leaving and not paying for the food and i did not want a replacement. the waitress got rude and said "what now we have to trow away 30 $$ worth of food? I replied saying if your food would be worth the 30 bucks she wouldn't have to trow it away!!! she then insisted that we pay for my friends food s"since there wasn't anything wrong". I refused and will never return to that dump!!!

• Pros: none
• Cons: the food the service and the rude attitude of the staff

07/31/09

What's happened to Delta?

by chapeaukiki

Delta was once a bastion for good southern cuisine in Portland. Yeah, it was a seedy place but the food was so good you could overlook the grit and grime of the place. Unfortunately, after having returned to Delta after a year or so sabbatical, I am duly under-impressed. The gumbo, once a regular favorite, now tastes more like something that should be rolled into a tamale than the bowl of Creole love it should be and once was. The greens were always delectable and spicy, now they are bland and boring. And what ever happened to all the great side dishes like stewed tomatoes with okra, BBQ beans, and the ethereal cauliflower casserole? They've pared the sides down to crowd pleasers for toddlers. With bland bad food, Latino music blaring (where's the Cajun beats?), and a plethora of flies landing on everything, Delta is now a major disappointment - bad food and seedy, not a good combo! But, hey, you won't have to wait for a table, even on the weekend! I put my money on My Brother's Crawfish - those guys know how to rock-n-roll Creole cuisine.

• Pros: No wait for table
• Cons: Quality has dropped off

04/30/09

You either love it or hate it

by Raven777

I can't help but notice from the reviews that people either love this place or hate it. It's the attitude. Be prepared for it - be prepared to wait for your order and just enjoy being with your friends/date. The collard greens kick butt, the ribs are delish and the chicken fried steak... well, if it wasn't so fattening, I could live on it. The drinks are the best in town. I live WAY out on the west side and try to make it to the Delta at least 4 times a year. It isn't the cleanest place - but it has it's own charm.

• Pros: Man, those drinks! Yum. Never disappointed in the food
• Cons: slow, slow service.

03/06/09

Love it...Love it...Love it ~Authentic Portland at its BEST

by digitybomb

Oh the Delta Cafe let me count the ways I love you. Maybe its the gigantic portions of goodness. Or the house infused drinks that are bigger and cheaper than any other place in Portland.. Perhaps its the well loved atmostphere, totally creative, some what like a voo doo lounge done Portland style. Yes it has off days but what restaurant doesn't....i Go here if your looking for a dining experience like no other, big plates of food - try the fried chicken with the tater tot casserole- OMG... and wash it down with a Bloody that comes with a salad on top..

Tuesday night eat and drink specials.. you can't beat the huge cocktails for $5...

• Pros: Authentic Portland Vibe

01/28/09

If your a drunk then you'll love this place.

by LMHPDX

This place is really not for you if you want good food and good service. If you like to drink then this is the place for you. You will notice that all of the positive reviews of this place mention the drinks and all of the other comments are negative and refer to the food and service. If your drunk then the food and service may seem as great as the fancy drinks. Of course they make the most money from the bar so to hell with the food. I am very disappointed as I remember the old Delta Cafe as a great place to eat. (never really very good service though). My main disappointment is with the owner who flat out does not care about mine or others experiences of poor service and bad food. It comes down to money. DON'T GO TO DELTA CAFE

• Pros: Far from my home.
• Cons: Bench seats in lounge very dangerous

01/22/09

**HANDS DOWN MOST AWFUL DINING EXPERIENCE IN PORTLAND, OR**

by kazzbar

**THIS RESTAURANT IS AWFUL** My friend and I went into the Delta Cafe with thoughts of flavorful, spicy creole' food. What we received was quite the opposite. My friend ordered the "special" which was chicken and dumplings. The server dropped the spoon into the soup and didn't even bother to remove it.. but told my friend to "fish" it out. We tried the soup.. The broth was awful. There was no flavor at all and the vegetables didn't even have a taste. It's as if all flavor was cooked out of the soup and dumplings. I got the "Better than your Mama's Chicken" and I have to say, my moms chicken would trump this dish. In fact, I don't fry chicken often and I know for a fact I could do it better than that. I chose red beans and rice and mac & cheese. The only good thing on my plate was the mac and cheese. It is the ONLY thing I ate. When the waitress came to take our plates, she noticed that we barely touched our food and asked if we needed to-go boxes.. we stated no and that we were not impressed with the food. Her response was.. "oh ok".. then she walked away only to return with our bill and no apology. Then, a male waiter comes to our table to ask why we were complaining and wanted us to write the complaint down rather than just correcting the problem. The food and the service are terrible at this restaurant and I wouldn't recommend it.. that is unless you want bland food and poor service.. then this is your place.

• Pros: The lighting is awful, so you won't get to see the food before you eat it.
• Cons: Other good businesses are closing down while this one stays open.

01/11/09

A keeper, definitely!!!

by 1floridagirl

What a great spot for New Year's Eve!!! This place has energy, funk and some great mixed drinks while chatting up pals and loved ones. They play great music but it is never too much to have a decent conversation over. I've been hankering for some crawfish e'touffe lately and this place has a good one. My friend's blackened catfish was perfectly cooked and the roumelade(sp?) was to die for. You gotta love the pbr in its own ice bucket as well. This spot is definitely one of our favorites in town as it is consistently great.

• Pros: unpretentious, great food, drinks, music, staff
• Cons: Listed as cheap eats and it's not THAT cheap

09/23/08

Great Cocktails, Good Soul Food and Portland-Style Service

by knievil

I've been going to the delta for years now. It's quintessential Portland: a little funky, eclectic and has attitude. I had a Bloody Mary with cucumber-infused vodka (at the waiter's suggestion), meatloaf with mac-n-cheese and tater-tot casserole last time I was there and it was incredible. The Delta is three times the size it was when it first opened (but the kitchen is about the same) and the food takes a little time. My GF is vegetarian and raves about the Tofu options.

This isn't Appleby's...the wait staff isn't going to bring you a side of rainbows with the Corn-Fritters (which are awesome). Our waiter was very busy, but he still had time to make a joke about the vine-ripened tater-tots being in season. I actually prefer service with personality (as long as it's not at the expense of service). It was super busy and the food took 20 minutes or so, the drinks were almost instant. Have a Mojito and don't be in a hurry. There's an Arby's up the street if you're in a rush.

I always take friends from out of town here. The servers and ambiance are Portland style, the food is Southern, and the drinks are Cosmopolitan.

Apparently, they are going to be serving brunch on the week-ends. If it's as good as dinner i'll be eating there more often than I should.

Tip: If there is a wait list tell them you'll be at the Lutz and they'll call down there when your table is ready.

09/22/08

Amazing tofu dishes and wacky Drinks

by sneeches

I love this place. They infuse many of their own liquors and make super tasty beverages out of them Like the Duke of Earl. It's Earl Grey infused vodka with vanilla soy milk. Totes souds weird, I know, but it's like drinking a light version of a delicious White Russian. Mmm. Refreshing.

The BBQ Tofu Po' boy is also quite yummy. The sides that these folks serve with their main dishes are seriously fantastic. I mean really, tater tot casserole is nothing short of a miracle to me. The home made mac n' cheese is scrumptious, and even the okra is tasty. That's right. Good okra.

The service there is consistently good. The servers are friendly, fast, and make great recommendations. The atmosphere is pretty rad and there is a weird little shrine in the back room. Go here for a tasty affordable meal, and you will not regret it.

• Pros: Stupendous food for not much moolah.
• Cons: Only open after 5.

09/11/08

Customer service??!?! What's that?

by Erin1984

I TRIED to have dinner at the Delta Cafe not too long ago. I had never been before and was looking forward to it, I had heard good things. So I get there and order an iced tea, my friend gets a beer....so far so good. Then about an hour and a half passes and we had not been offered new beverages, let alone our FOOD. We tried to get the waiter's attention several times, and were repeatedly ignored while we watched all the tables around us...who were sat AFTER us by at least 20 minutes...get their food. Then when we FINALLY flagged the airhead down, he acted like he couldn't care less. Then he shows up another 20 minutes later and literally throws our food in front of us (i'm saying he physically dropped the food from standing position, a good foot or so, and then walked away). Alas, OUR ORDER WAS WRONG!! After such a wait, and such horrible service, we were so upset that we couldn't even it what we DIDN'T order. It was an awful experience.

• Pros: It's NOT conveniently located near my house
• Cons: over-priced, horrible service