Cup & Saucer Cafe

01/05/08

consistently good.

by reasonablefoodie at Citysearch

every time i brunch at the c&s, the food is always exactly as ordered, and the wait staff is always conscientious and thorough. even when it's packed, the staff remains cool under fire and the wait itself hasn't ever been as atrocious as many other popular brunch spots in town. also, they're really accommodating for vegetarian and even vegan preferences, and without attitude about it.

• Pros: yummy scones!

07/23/07

I have dreams about the Garden Sausage!

by katies1952 at Citysearch

Such a great place for post party hangover breakfast! The blueberry pancakes and garden sausage are so delicious and since most of my friends are vegan, it's a great place for all of us to go grab a bite. Food's cheap, service is usually good, and the no cell phone policy really makes my experience that much better. The rice krispie treats are fabulous, lots of marshmellow!

• Pros: Garden Sausage, blueberry pancakes
• Cons: it is often REALLY REALLY busy

07/13/07

Good Breakfast Hangout

by oneangryraisin at Citysearch

The wait on Sundays can really mess up your morning plans, but that can be said about waiting for any popular eatery. I love this place for breakfast. There are decent options for vegetarians, such as their tofu scramble. Staff is friendly. Prices are reasonable.

06/21/07

Not for Big Groups

by mrloco at Citysearch

The staff are an intelligent, fun, eclectic group who seem to make a genuine effort at excellent service. However, the Hawthorne location can get REALLY busy, loud, crowded, and chaotic. Keep that in mind when planning your visit. This is especially true of weekends between about 9:30 and 2:00. Expect a wait on the sidewalk outside during peak times. Groups of two are seated most frequently and will get moved up in the line because they have many tables that can only accomodate parties of 2. For bigger groups, the wait can stretch. In fact, I wouldn't even take a group bigger than 6 here during these hours. The dining room is just too small and crowded. They have to move tables, block aisles, etc.

The place is known for it's breakfast menu and a few items are particularly popular. First, the scones. If you don't like the first one, try another. They are almost continuously baking something and it's often fresh scones, cookies, or WONDERFUL coffee cake, all from scratch. Other popular breakfast choices are the Lucky Scramble (bacon, eggs, pots, cheese, mush, onions) and the Garden Scramble (fresh garden veg, cheese, vegetarian sausage, eggs). For a change of pace, I like the heavy but delicious MaryAnne Sandwich or, for the adventurous, the corn meal pancakes made with bacon inside. Not on the menu, but they'll make it for you. A server recommended it. Rightly so!

The lunch and dinner menus are often overlooked, unfairly. Try the soup of the day, their excellent Club Sandwich, the Reuben, or the Tuna Melt. Pasta of the day is so so but big. Same goes for quesadilla of the day. There are usually 2 or 3 homemade quiche on the menu which seem to have a devout following. Worth a try.

For a light dinner, try the Soup, Salad and Bread combo with the cobb salad (homemade Bleu dressing). Though the standard garden salad is no slouch, either.

Greasy classic: All Burger. Home fries: depends on the day. Surprise: cheap beer!

• Pros: funky atmosphere, diverse menu, tons of homemade and veggie options
• Cons: loud, crowded, stressful at times, long wait, parking

01/06/07

They Do Eggs Right

by pdxjon at Citysearch

I'm rating this restaurant on the basis that I've had breakfast at this place once-a-week (almost without fail) since moving back to Portland in August of '06, so I'd say that I can give it a pretty honest, balanced assessment. Overall, it's the food that keeps me coming back. From omelettes to scrambles to sandwiches--one will find something to satisfy one's breakfast cravings. And everything seems to always be better when paired with one of their signature scones--lightly sweetened, just the right constistency, the perfect starch to organic, free-range grub. Vegetarians and PETA-conscious diners, in particular, will find a happy home within the confines of this relaxed, laidback 'diner' amid the bustling Hawthorne area. Yet, relaxed and laidback also seem to describe the service that one sometimes receives--a bit of a hit-or-miss. When they're "on", they're "on". But when they're "off", the lousy, diner coffee is the least of your complaints. It would seem, at times, that the waitstaff have the mental capacity to adequately service only two tables at a time. If you're unlucky enough to be that third, it's a sad day for you indeed. And, dare I repeat, there IS that lousy diner coffee. But, this neighborhood eatery remains a popular treat to both the locals and visitors alike, that, if you arrive later than 9:00 a.m. on any Saturday or Sunday, good luck finding a table. In terms of price, the Cup & Saucer is comparable to other popular breakfast places in the city. Breakfast for two would run you between $16 to $24, depending on what you get and what you ultimately decide to tip your server, even if s/he doesn't deserve to receive any. If you haven't tried the Cup & Saucer before, I'd say give it a try. But, leave your expectations at the door. Just enjoy it for what it is: a simple, unassuming neighborhood restaurant that happens to do its eggs (and scones) very right.

11/29/06

Yummy yummy breakfast

by littlebunnygirl at Citysearch

We both had the cage free eggs (an extra 25 cents per egg). I got an omlete with cheddar and scallions and homefries and a scone. All was wonderful. The scones were so good that I bought some extras to bring home with me. The homefries were great- not at all greasy, and the omlete was cooked perfectly. We were seated right away and found parking right out front, but it is Wednesday morning and parking on Hawthorne is always a problem later in the day. The staff was attentive. They kept the water and coffee coming which was greatly appreciated. We will definately be going back.

• Pros: good food, good service

11/04/06

Great Breakfast, Quite Busy

by carniverous_pretzel at Citysearch

cup and saucer is one of my favorite breakfast spots, although the negatives noted by others make it a pain in the neck: crowded, busy, noisy, only street parking. even given all that, i still take most of my out of town guests here.

my last time there, we went there on a saturday, around noon. it was packed, as always on the weekends, and noisy.

coffee service was okay but slow. one plate was delayed, due to chef inattention.

i had the lucky scramble. next time i would order it with no potatoes - i find their potatoes are often undercooked to my taste, plus i'm not too down with such carb-heavy fare. but for the carniverous, cup and saucer has some protein laden choices, including some of quiche specials.

excellent vegan options, including vegan pancakes. when the waiter found out we had a vegan among us, she made additional vegan suggestions. note that their garden patty is NOT vegan.

• Pros: good food, good neighborhood, eclectic choices
• Cons: crowded, noisy, parking

04/11/06

Think before you eat

by kas26 at Citysearch

This place is crowded during peak breakfast hours. Don't complain about the wait-- just work around it. Weekday breakfast isn't nearly as bad. Later lunch, dinner hours I have never had to wait.

Art installations rotate, so the ambience changes a bit with it.

Staff is generally sweet but way stressed because of people packed in, making demands, leaving them with little space to work around during peak hours.

Food is good, very much a college kid's kind of menu. Veggie friendly. I can take my parents, too. TIP WELL! P.S. The NE location is my favorite!

• Pros: healthy fare, easily <$10, fast food
• Cons: parking, smaller groups only, busy on weekends

01/15/06

The disturbing toast trend

by the_pie_not_the_guy at Citysearch

Prepare for a crowd on a weekend morning. I thought my breakfast was very good, and like another reviewer, I like being able to sub tofu for eggs in any order. Also, we didn't like the first table where they put us (next to bathrooms), asked for another, and they weren't snotty about it like you would expect from some of the reviews here. Now, my big gripe. C&S is following what I see as a disturbing trend at popular Portland b'fast places: the toast that comes with your omelette/scramble is ONE slice of bread, cut in half. Is two slices really too much to ask for?

• Pros: tofu sub for eggs, moderate prices
• Cons: one slice of toast, crowded, noisy

06/06/03

Good food & prices, but...

by ladyrisa7 at Citysearch

The food at Cup & Saucer is amazing. My breakfast burrito was hot & flavorful, while the potatoes had a wonderfully unique flavor. The pancakes were huge and delicious. The prices cannot be beat....nothing over $6. The ambience is cute, with kids pictures all over the walls, and take advantage of the back patio! However, the service leaves much to be desired. I had to continually ask for coffee, and it took a while for us to get our food. Nevertheless, I'd still go back for a long breakfast or lunch.

• Pros: Food, Prices, Ambience
• Cons: Parking, Service