Portage Bay Cafe
Seattle, WA 98105
Phone: (206) 547-8230
- Price:
- $
- Cross Street:
- 42nd Street
- Hours:
- Mon-Fri 7:30am-3pm, Sat-Sun 8am-3pm
Editorial Review for Portage Bay Cafe – by Anna Roth
The Scene
Bleary-eyed UW students and neighborhood locals line up on the sidewalk during weekend brunch, sipping mugs of tea while waiting for their tables. Inside, the light, spacious room pays homage to Portage Bay's history: an old-fashioned crew boat hangs from the high ceiling, and old area photos grace the walls. The harried-but-talented waitstaff has service down to a science.
The Food
During brunch, a sweet order gets you a trip to the breakfast bar--a long line of bowls of all-you-can-eat fresh fruit, whipped cream and maple syrup for toppings. The sinfully delicious bananas Foster French toast is a favorite--three giant-size slabs of challah smothered in a rum/brown sugar sauce with sauteed bananas. Savory choices include a long list of mainly organic omelets, migas and scrambles accompanied by crisp baked red potatoes. Lunch consists of a seasonally-changing list of salads, sandwiches and burgers.
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Insider Tips
Know Before You GoThe portions are mammoth--share and pay the minimal split-plate charge or be prepared to take a doggy bag.
ParkingPark for free in the lot behind the University Inn, but make sure you register with the cafe to avoid the tow truck.
What to DrinkThere's no alcohol served, but they do offer fresh squeezed juices, Mighty Leaf tea and organic, free-trade coffee.
The ExtrasOn nice mornings, an outside patio offers alfresco brunch.
CateringAsk about healthy, organic catering options. The space is also available for rent in the evenings.
User Reviews for Portage Bay Cafe
06/22/2008 Posted by rookie_food_critic
After reading the reviews and seeing the ever present long line over the weekends, we decided to try this place. First of all, the wait is absolutely insane!! And after a long wait of 45 mins to an hour, you would expect the food to be really good or atleast good. I had the greek omlette, it had to have the saltiest bacon I have ever tasted. I waited almost 10 minutes for the waitress to notice me and bring sugar for my coffee by which the coffee was cold. Another 10 minutes for my water refill and 15 minutes before they noticed that we were done with our food. After which, the waitress comes in and plonks the check and walks away... we weren't even asked if we would like to eat anything else.. the staff is so snotty and presumptous. Needless to say, you are not going to see me there ever again.....
Pros: no pros
Cons: everything possible
06/01/2008 Posted by dustinpz
I find that I am re-itterating most of the poor reviews for many of the same reasons that others below have written. We also decided to go there at 10:30am on Sundy the 1st of June at the new SLU location. I will begin with what I liked about this and why I find myself being forgiving. The food was good, I throughly enjoyed the style and taste. The problems we saw were lack of organization on taking names and seating. Then, on a busy day, they had no clear way of indicating that orders were ready for pick-up. Many orders packed the window at times two plates high. In turn it took 40mins to be seatted another 30-40 mins to receive our food after beeing seated. While I understand that this is a very busy time of day, I don't agree with a new location falling into such poor habits after only a month of serving. These problems need to be fixed if they want to appeal to the changing area of South Lake Union and grow the name of Portage Bay Cafe. I will be expecting some changes before I return.
Pros: Good food, great concept (local, sustainable, organic)
Cons: Poor service
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