Portage Bay Cafe & Catering

What's the hype?. I’ve been to this place twice, once 6 years ago and 2 weeks ago. The only 2 things I remembered from my first visit were unmemorable food and overprices. But since my friend wanted to have lunch there I figured why not give it shot.

I asked the server about several sandwiches and she recommended the burger for $13. I must say, I looooove a good burger. BUT, I would have been much more pleased with a Dick’s burger (of which is not even that great in my opinion).

I felt cheated. I paid $13 for a mediocre burger where the server claimed that it was the best item under the sandwich list. At least I’ve confirmed why…

Citysearch Editorial Review. With three spacious locations, Portage Bay Café is a Seattle institution for breakfast, with long lines snaking out their doors on any given day. The big draw? A trip to their famous “toppings bar” which features wonderfully fresh chunks of fruit, berries, organic maple syrup, and nuts—all yours for the heaping, with any order of pancakes, or French toast. (Celiacs rejoice—there are also two gluten-free pancake options on the menu!) Portage Bay Café bills itself as a sustainable breakfast/lunch option, with organic eggs, bread, and potatoes being used on the hot sides. Also on the menu: a veritable smorgasboard of various omelettes, Eggs Benny, scrambles, and hashes, all dished up in gut-busting portions. The South Lake Union location is the largest, with seats for up to 125 hungry patrons, high ceilings and wrap-around windows. With a menu this diverse, you can bet their loyal patrons run the gamut for young families to hungover hipsters still sporting last night’s guyliner, and everyone in between.…

Be sure to make a reservation!. I’m a huge fan of a great brunch, especially something that is a pick me up after a fun night out on Friday or Saturday. My friend has been to Portage Bay a ton of times and was surprised I hadn’t gone yet – well, I hadn’t really heard about it. I love that she had known about it because she knew to call and make a reservation for us about a half hour before we arrived.

You must try the eggs benedict or the SW Scramble – both big plates and great for the price. Don’t forget to begin your meal with a mimosa! Unlike other breakfast/brunch joints, theirs were light and I really think I could’ve just stayed there all day drinking them. I’m already planning on going back this weekend with a few more friends to see if I can convert them from our usual brunch joint to Portage Bay.

Things to remember: Call ahead and make a reservation (we only had to wait about 5 min before we were seated) * try not to have more than 4 people * don’t forget the mimosa!…

The Owner Needs to be More Professional. I went to this place with 3 friends for brunch, and we were told that the wait was "about" 30 minutes. There were around 25 people waiting to be seated, and the restaurant was packed, so we were happy to wait.

We were not so happy an hour later, as we were still waiting to be seated, and had witnessed several groups of people that had arrived after us get seated before us. The man that was seating people didn't seem to know what he was doing. At one point, he went up to a family of 3 that had arrived 40 minutes after my group had, and told them that they would get the next table. He was apparently friends with the man, and talked to him for several minutes...right in front of everyone that was waiting. I was not pleased.

When we were seated, I asked our waitress if the man was the manager, and she informed me that he was actually the owner. I laughed. He needs to be more professional...or at the very least, make sure that no one can hear/see him being unprofessional.

I liked our waitress. She was attentive and nice. The food was pretty good, but it's nothing to get overly excited about.…