07/12/09

Overrated.

by rchum

I saw Byways on Food Network about a year before I finally made my first visit. I had high hopes for this place, only to be slightly disappointed.

I went on a Thursday morning and was seated promptly. My boyfriend ordered the Mt. Rushmore Hash and I ordered a Sunrise Special that included an egg, bacon, and 2 slices of amaretto french toast. Both the hash and french toast were featured on the show.

The food was okay, but nothing special. The french toast was good at first, but after a few bites, I find that the almond flavor was a bit overpowering and was too sweet to finish the entire portion (and I only had to slices as opposed to the 4 slices in the normal order). I also find that it was a little soggy/custard-like, but that is a personal preference as I like my french toast more on the dry side.

The corned beef hash was great... except for the corned beef. I found the meat a little tough and could have used a little more seasoning.

Service was great though. Our waiter was attentive and friendly. I couldn't have asked for a better waiter.

Overall, Byways isn't necessarily bad, but for something that was featured on television, I would have expected more. I probably won't be coming back.

• Pros: Service, large portions
• Cons: Food is medicore

07/06/09

Not worth the 2hr wait!

by CSMobileUser

I will never come back. There are plenty other cafe's that wouldn't make you wait that long

04/05/09

bring your vacuum cleaner

by kanino

admittedly we went sometime last year, but the grime on the air vents was over-the-top. i prayed we did not get seated anywhere underneath the thing.

look, i do not recall what i had to eat. i do recall, it was sort of ok. the two main things i do recall are 1) the long wait, the 2) sheer dirty-ousity of the place. i'm all for 'authentic', unless its just plain nasty.

• Pros: breakfast food ok
• Cons: filthy

09/16/08

You're a diner, get over yourselves.

by fusspdx

I've been attempting a good experience at Byways for years. Each time I say "never again", only to go back months later hoping for improvement. The menu specials are always great on the chalk board and often times translate that to your plate. But the service? Why the bad service in such a small diner? Each time the same woman who seems to hate her job, or at least the customers, has this issue with where people sit. One time, in the middle of eating we were asked to move so they could accommodate more customers. Isn't that written on the holy grail of being a restaurant of what not to do?

It's diner food people, lighten up and stop running the place like it's an episode of Seinfeld with the Soup-Nazi.

09/03/08

Oh, the food was sooooo good

by accessbob

My wife and I visited on a Wednesday morning at about 8:30 a.m. and it wasn't too busy. It isn't a very large restaurant so be prepared to wait during busy times. Don't wait to be seated, find your own table.

I had the Mount Rushmore Hash and it was totally awesome. The corned beef has a sweet flavor (due to the brown sugar used in the prep at the restaurant) and a slight taste of mustard. The potatoes, peppers and onions mix to form a great tasting dish.

My wife had the Amaretto French Toast and, normally when you get french toast from a restaurant, you get about 4 half slices. But this was 4 FULL slices and it was definitely custard-like and you could taste the almond flavor. In fact it was so good, that the tastes that my wife gave me, I didn't even have syrup with it.

So, I know we will definitely be going back and I can hardly wait. After reading several of the reviews to see what others thought it was interesting to see that there might be a bit of inconsistency. So, we'll see after we visit for a second time. We happened upon it at just the right time, but it is possible that on certain days/times that the staff is not having a good day.

• Pros: Great tasting food, good portions compared to comparable restaurants
• Cons: Parking can be a challenge, the dining area is very small, the front door tends to stay open when someone comes in

05/26/08

Say a little prayer

by PDXpotato

After a glowing review of Byways on the Food Network, my good buddy was ecstatic to try it out when she came to visit me. I love trying new places, so we had high hopes for this piece of Americana.

We went on a Saturday, and our rumbly tummies were not excited about the 20 minute wait, but we were patient. Once seated, my buddy was a bit grossed out by the amount of dust/grime, but I tried to view it as "authentic." The kitschy decorations were cute (in a dead-grandmother sort of way) and our waitress was great. We waited another thirty minutes for our food to arrive (so a total of nearly an hour).

My buddy was not impressed with the hash, even though the Food Network had made it look delish (disclaimer: she hates onions, and it was loaded with them). I ordered the special, Lily's Scramble, which was tasty, but not anything to write home about. However, what really hooked us was the blue cornmeal pancake we had ordered on the side. It was fantastic! In fact, it was so good that we decided to come back again before my friend left for home.

On Monday we went again, and were prepared for another long wait. Good thing, because we sat outside in the sprinkling rain for nearly half an hour (note to Byways--an awning would be great!) This time, we ordered nothing but pancakes. (I also ordered a raspberry scone, which the waitress forgot to bring, so I don't know if they're any good.) When our pancakes arrived (sans meat or eggs or other side dish--these are a la cart here), we dug in with gusto, only to discover that they were awful! My friend summed it up when she said they tasted like what she imagined kitty litter pancakes would taste like. There was also barely enough butter for half a pancake, let alone three.

In conclusion, make sure to double-check their hours (call ahead) and pray to god that it's not a bad day, otherwise the uber-long wait and overpriced meal will leave you feeling cranky.

• Pros: ambience (if you like kitsch)
• Cons: long wait, inconsistent quality, inconsisten service

05/17/08

No thanks but the waitress was nice

by aljk

After the reviews from FoodNetwork we were very disappointed. We have no reason to ever go back. The food was cold, the hash very DRY and cold, but the bacon was not bad, it was even warm. If the food had been hot, we could have made it better at home. We were there at 8:30 am, no wait, so they can't say it was because they were too busy. I almost forgot, the blue corn pancakes were great but not worth $43.00 which was the total of our bill.

05/10/08

Crappy at best

by Kelleyknd

I took my mom here because she saw it on the food network. Talk about a disappointment. We had to wait about thirty minuites, this did not bother us as we thought the food would be great. When we got in and received our food it was a complete letdown. Not only did it not even come close to what was shown on TV it actually sucked. Please think twice or three times before going there. Nothing like paying thirty bucks for a crappy breakfast. This is the kind of thing that makes you wish you could get a refund because your actually embaressed that you paid that much for the the crummy food.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Carls Jr. serves a better breakfast!!!!!

05/04/08

WONDERFUL AWESOME AND GREAT

by dirtyfroggy

My friends and I tried Byways after seeing it on Diners Drivins and Dives, and absolutely fell in love and are going back again and again. The service was great and even though we had to wait 35 minutes to get in it was worth it. Food was wonderful and our waitress was great too. She was very attentive and sweet, very grandmotherly.

• Pros: Cozy, friendly and fun
• Cons: NONE

04/30/08

Amazing deserts

by stoney1977

The key lime pie is the most ridiculously delicious I have ever tasted! It is absolutely to die for if you like lime. My husband got the German chocolate cake and to start off the piece was massive enough for 4-5 people to share with no one feeling slighted; he ended up taking most of it home. I don't know what was in the frosting but it is a wonderful chocolate flavor without the over-sweet sick feeling you can get with other frostings. The cake itself was moist and flavorful without being too heavy. Our server Jeff (?) was great and made us feel at home, very warm and friendly. The savory food we had was delicious too but nothing compares to those deserts. Yummy!

• Pros: Amazing deserts, yummy food
• Cons: Not enough room