For several years now, Portland, Oregon has been a favorite city to move to and live in. There are plenty of reasons for this, including the charming neighborhoods, lots of green space and outdoor adventure, and the fantastic foodie scene.
That means finding a terrific café or restaurant for breakfast or brunch isn’t exactly a difficult task in Portland. If you’ve already tried the Aria breakfast buffet in Las Vegas, then you won’t have to miss it all that much once you’ve tried the breakfast nooks here.
Here are some more suggestions for places that serve terrific breakfasts in Portland to start your day right:
Mehri’s Café and Bakery, 6923 SE 52nd Ave
This café in Brentwood-Darlington has long been famous for its weekday brunch, offering classic fare for visitors. They serve house-made biscuits covered in sausage gravy, along with eggs, egg benedict, and chicken-fried steak.
They make their bread in-house as well, and bake their cinnamon rolls while giving them the French toast treatment. They even stuff their pancakes with fruit compote, so you can get a unique start to your day.
Broder Café, 2508 SE Clinton St
This is a Scandinavian breakfast café that’s been so successful it now has multiple locations throughout the area. But for your first visit, you ought to start with the original location. Here, patrons enjoy cups of cardamom coffee as they wait for a table.
Start your brunch with some jaunty ebelskivers, which are fluffy pancake balls topped with some powdered sugar (you can make your own). Add some lefse and lost eggs, and you’re good to go. If you believe in the hair of the dog, you can even get a Danish Mary (a Bloody Mary with dill aquavit) with your breakfast.
La Osita PDX, 1515 -A, SE 122nd Ave
Many of their fans insist that this breakfast cart serves the best breakfast burritos in the whole city, and their tacos are just as good. You can always start with their classic brunch taco, which features thick pieces of bacon along with some tangy pickled onions. Another great choice is the breakfast burrito stuffed with chorizo and lots of pico de gallo.
Fried Egg I’m In Love, 3549 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Fried Egg I’m In Love, used to be a food cart, but their sandwiches have been so successful that it’s now a restaurant with multiple locations. For newbies, the first sandwich to try is perhaps the “Sriracha Mix-A-Lot”. This is a sandwich featuring fried egg with seared ham, tomato, Havarti, avocado, and sriracha.
You can also try the crowd-pleasing “Yoko Ono” sandwich, which comes with fried egg and pesto, along with a sausage patty and some parmesan. This also contains their special spice mixture which they dub their “Magic Egg Dust”.
Behind The Museum Café, 1229 SW 10th Ave
Some people still find this place difficult to find, despite the clue contained in its very name. But once you’ll find it, its location will be seared into memory, along with the deliciousness of their breakfast offerings.
Here, they specialize in Japanese breakfast treats, with otsumami and onigiri featured along with the baguette sandwiches. Whatever rice ball or pastry you try here, get a cup of sencha, matcha, or genmaicha.