Cup & Saucer Cafe

12/08/09

Great breakfast!

by abalama at Citysearch

This cafe has been a favorite of mine for over 15 years. I just love their scones & jam. The cup & saucer was one of the first places in Portland that would substitute tofu for eggs-and do a decent job of it, which they still do, of course, and it's still delicious. My husband enjoys eggs & also adores the oatmeal. The breakfast potatoes are possibly my favorite on earth, with salsa, cheese & sourcream, what's not to like, but seriously, the potatoes are terrific, even plain. They are red potatoes cooked in a home-fries style, not greasy & well browned, marvelous! Sometimes the service is difficult, several times we have had servers "misunderstand" a side order of meat for a side order of fake meat. Since when do vegans order sausage? But other than that, we've never had a bad meal, poor coffee or anything unfortunate. A sure win for out of town guests as well.

• Pros: terrific scones & potatoes
• Cons: vegan servers push their eating habits onto customers

03/29/09

Best Club Sandwiches on Earth

by CoffeeMaster at Citysearch

Cup and saucer has the best club sandwich on the face of the earth, period! It's huge, full of fresh ingredients, and comes with their amazing house potatoes. If I could eat there every day, I would. they also make amazing hot chocolate. The food is only made better by the brisk and professional staff. Many of the waiters have the tattoos, scars, and emaciation of former heroin addicts, but they are friendly, and they do a great job. It just adds color. Add some AC in the summer and a few fly strips, and I would never leave.

• Pros: Great food, good service
• Cons: flies in the summer, no air conditioning

01/21/09

My girlfriend and I have gone to a few of their locations a bunch of times, and it's always fantastic

by MechaXian at Citysearch

The only problem I have is deciding on which of my menu favorites to order. I loved the regular reuben before I became a vegetarian, but the vegetarian reuben does not disappoint or leave me wishing I still ate meat. The high quality of the ingredients makes a good reuben easy, but the delicious local jam and fantastic, baked to order, doughy and crispy scones are testament to an impressive culinary artistry that doesn't usually come at these lowish prices. The omelets and scrambles (my favorite is the spanish!) are good but not too heavy or oily and the portions are large enough to leave all but competitive eaters asking for a box. My girlfriend and I always either share or wish we did, and I'm certainly a "lover of food" (yes, a euphemism for "fatty"). Specials are often great, as are the soups, and though a better quiche is very easy to find, their specials often include a quiche with an interesting flavor combination. And their other sandwiches are only just a little better than what you expect for the price. Peak hours are just as crazy as they are at the other great breakfast places (genies, cricket, fat alberts), but a recent large expansion makes the list move a lot faster. The laid-back atmosphere off the peak hours, with comfy booths, a fun view of one of Portland's most interesting streets, good music, and sometimes great art, make for a good place to take a date, some friends, or even the family.

The company has a low turnover, which means you can count on becoming familiar with the staff over the years and enjoying a "regular status" but the flip side is you should be prepared for servers who won't go out of their way to hide the fact that their day has been especially bad (or good). Their kitchen appears to be quite streamlined, so you will usually get your food quickly, but otherwise your speed/quantity of service depends greatly on how busy the place is. i.e., if you judge a place by your number of refills, you may prefer some place else.

09/13/08

Best omelets! Great Value!

by mtkendell at Citysearch

First off let me just say I have eaten here numerous times and have always enjoyed the food. I have only eaten their omelets and have not had any of their "lunch" items. Hands down these are the best omelets I have ever eaten. Very creative and delicious. Another big bonus is that they have many very healthy options.I must say the the whole meal deal with omelet, potatoes, and a scone or toast is a real value. I push myself to eat everything on the plate when I go because it is just so darn good! They have great coffee too! I don't go out for breakfast very often but when I do I always go to Cup And Saucer. They are a very busy place and you may have to wait a bit, but it has always been worth the wait. Regardless of how busy they are my water glass and coffee cup always stay full. There customer service is excellent.

They also serve the best cornmeal pancakes I have ever eaten. ( ok, I have only ever had cornmeal pancakes at Cup and Saucer, but they are absolutely terrific!) I truly believe that everyone must try the cornmeal pancakes at least once. I would actually go there just for the cornmeal pancakes! MMM!

• Pros: Delicious!
• Cons: parking

09/05/07

YUM, YUM, YUM!!!

by sushiduck at Citysearch

This cafe has impressed me each time I have dined here while shopping/killing time in the Hawthorne district. This is the place for you if you enjoy unique specials, eating breakfast at 7:00 pm, enjoying EXCELLENT baked goods, savoring the diner/cafe experience, or just enjoying a very reasonably priced, vegetarian friendly menu! The service has always been pleasant and I haven't found any reason not to return!

• Pros: Meal prices, seating availability, convenient location
• Cons: Parking may be an issue (try the side streets if you have troubles, it worked for me!)

07/14/07

ALWAYS FANTASTIC!!

by tabitha6 at Citysearch

This place is always busy during peak meal time because it is just always high quality, fast service and just fantastic food. It is worth waiting in line but if you go before or after the rush you don't have to wait.

• Pros: Great fresh quality and fantastic tasting food!!
• Cons: NONE!!

12/11/06

i love the killingsworth location

by pawtown at Citysearch

i think most reviews here are about the hawthorne location of which i have never had the pleasure. we often take guests to CS for casual dining, they even let us play dice on the tables. for me i like the tuna melt which is loaded with quality fish and not too much sloppy mayo. also the all burger is great. fries and home fries are good but not great. all the breakfast food rocks. i's menu appears to have been engineered towards non meat eaters or even vegan, but as you have correctly deduced i am not one of those folks. so there is something for everyone. Sucka MC hipstahz line up around the block for this little joint during sat/sun brunch hours so go early or late. also, we tend to get the really tall female waitress alot and unlike many portland food staff she is she has substituted attitude with intelligence and a friendly nature.

• Pros: great breakfast and other items
• Cons: can be crowded, but this true of many small restaurants

10/31/06

My favorite place to be.

by smalls4967 at Citysearch

Cup and Saucer is my safe haven. From breakfast before class, to lunch with my sister, or more breakfast for dinner. The food is out in less than 10min on almost all occasions, even when they're completely full. The waitstaff is by far the nicest and most personable of any restaurant I've ever been too. Piper is quite possibly the nicest and friendliest manager I've ever come to know. The food is consistant and always delicious, coffee is always refilled in a timely manner and just in general, this is the best place in Portland.

• Pros: Great food, Great Service, Great Place
• Cons: Can be crowded on the weekends

08/25/06

Best Wait-staff

by lavenderfae at Citysearch

This place just keeps getting better! They expanded, which means shorter wait time, and the option of the "quiet side." They are still the most personable wait staff in Portland, and the food still satisfies that comfort food need.

• Pros: Friendliest wait staff in PDX
• Cons: Acoustics on the left side

08/13/05

One of my favorite places to eat in Portland

by letstalkaboutspaceships at Citysearch

I love this classy little diner. Go for breakfast or brunch and get their homestyle potatoes. Their bagel sandwich with a warm chai tea really hits the spot, too.

• Pros: cozy, great prices, delicious food
• Cons: loud & busy sometimes