Byways Cafe

We wanted to take my mother there who was visiting from out of town and also wanted to try it ourselves. We arrived at about 1pm on Saturday and was offered a table right away but was also informed then that they were only serving breakfast that day. He (the busboy/waiter/?) was gone before I could ask why. We were there for lunch and I had specifically checked their website that day to make sure they would be open since it was Memorial Day weekend, nowhere on the site did it say that they would only be serving breakfast. We left disappointed, they need to advertise changes like that. I can't say that I'm excited about trying it now. Pros: Was offered a table right away Cons: Menu more

I saw Byways on Food Network about a year before I finally made my first visit. I had high hopes for this place, only to be slightly disappointed. I went on a Thursday morning and was seated promptly. My boyfriend ordered the Mt. Rushmore Hash and I ordered a Sunrise Special that included an egg, bacon, and 2 slices of amaretto french toast. Both the hash and french toast were featured on the show. The food was okay, but nothing special. The french toast was good at first, but after a few bites, I find that the almond flavor was a bit overpowering and was too sweet to finish the entire portion (and I only had to slices as opposed to the 4 slices in the normal order). I also find that it was a little soggy/custard-like, but that is a personal preference as I like my french toast more on the dry side. The corned beef hash was great... except for the corned beef. I found the meat a little tough and could have used a little more seasoning. Service was great though. Our waiter was attentive and friendly. I couldn't have asked for a better waiter. Overall, Byways isn't necessarily bad, but for something that was featured on television, I would have expected more. I probably won't be coming back. Pros: Service, large portions Cons: Food is medicore more

I will never come back. There are plenty other cafe's that wouldn't make you wait that long more

admittedly we went sometime last year, but the grime on the air vents was over-the-top. i prayed we did not get seated anywhere underneath the thing. look, i do not recall what i had to eat. i do recall, it was sort of ok. the two main things i do recall are 1) the long wait, the 2) sheer dirty-ousity of the place. i'm all for 'authentic', unless its just plain nasty. Pros: breakfast food ok Cons: filthy more

I've been attempting a good experience at Byways for years. Each time I say "never again", only to go back months later hoping for improvement. The menu specials are always great on the chalk board and often times translate that to your plate. But the service? Why the bad service in such a small diner? Each time the same woman who seems to hate her job, or at least the customers, has this issue with where people sit. One time, in the middle of eating we were asked to move so they could accommodate more customers. Isn't that written on the holy grail of being a restaurant of what not to do? It's diner food people, lighten up and stop running the place like it's an episode of Seinfeld with the Soup-Nazi. more

My wife and I visited on a Wednesday morning at about 8:30 a.m. and it wasn't too busy. It isn't a very large restaurant so be prepared to wait during busy times. Don't wait to be seated, find your own table. I had the Mount Rushmore Hash and it was totally awesome. The corned beef has a sweet flavor (due to the brown sugar used in the prep at the restaurant) and a slight taste of mustard. The potatoes, peppers and onions mix to form a great tasting dish. My wife had the Amaretto French Toast and, normally when you get french toast from a restaurant, you get about 4 half slices. But this was 4 FULL slices and it was definitely custard-like and you could taste the almond flavor. In fact it was so good, that the tastes that my wife gave me, I didn't even have syrup with it. So, I know we will definitely be going back and I can hardly wait. After reading several of the reviews to see what others thought it was interesting to see that there might be a bit of inconsistency. So, we'll see after we visit for a second time. We happened upon it at just the right time, but it is possible that on certain days/times that the staff is not having a good day. Pros: Great tasting food, good portions compared to comparable restaurants Cons: Parking can be a challenge, the dining area is very small, the front door tends to stay open when someone comes in more

After a glowing review of Byways on the Food Network, my good buddy was ecstatic to try it out when she came to visit me. I love trying new places, so we had high hopes for this piece of Americana. We went on a Saturday, and our rumbly tummies were not excited about the 20 minute wait, but we were patient. Once seated, my buddy was a bit grossed out by the amount of dust/grime, but I tried to view it as "authentic." The kitschy decorations were cute (in a dead-grandmother sort of way) and our waitress was great. We waited another thirty minutes for our food to arrive (so a total of nearly an hour). My buddy was not impressed with the hash, even though the Food Network had made it look delish (disclaimer: she hates onions, and it was loaded with them). I ordered the special, Lily's Scramble, which was tasty, but not anything to write home about. However, what really hooked us was the blue cornmeal pancake we had ordered on the side. It was fantastic! In fact, it was so good that we decided to come back again before my friend left for home. On Monday we went again, and were prepared for another long wait. Good thing, because we sat outside in the sprinkling rain for nearly half an hour (note to Byways--an awning would be great!) This time, we ordered nothing but pancakes. (I also ordered a raspberry scone, which the waitress forgot to bring, so I don't know if they're any good.) When our pancakes arrived (sans meat or eggs or other side dish--these are a la cart here), we dug in with gusto, only to discover that they were awful! My friend summed it up when she said they tasted like what she imagined kitty litter pancakes would taste like. There was also barely enough butter for half a pancake, let alone three. In conclusion, make sure to double-check their hours (call ahead) and pray to god that it's not a bad day, otherwise the uber-long wait and overpriced meal will leave you feeling cranky. Pros: ambience (if you like kitsch) Cons: long wait, inconsistent quality, inconsisten service more

After the reviews from FoodNetwork we were very disappointed. We have no reason to ever go back. The food was cold, the hash very DRY and cold, but the bacon was not bad, it was even warm. If the food had been hot, we could have made it better at home. We were there at 8:30 am, no wait, so they can't say it was because they were too busy. I almost forgot, the blue corn pancakes were great but not worth $43.00 which was the total of our bill. more

I took my mom here because she saw it on the food network. Talk about a disappointment. We had to wait about thirty minuites, this did not bother us as we thought the food would be great. When we got in and received our food it was a complete letdown. Not only did it not even come close to what was shown on TV it actually sucked. Please think twice or three times before going there. Nothing like paying thirty bucks for a crappy breakfast. This is the kind of thing that makes you wish you could get a refund because your actually embaressed that you paid that much for the the crummy food. Pros: None Cons: Carls Jr. serves a better breakfast!!!!! more

My friends and I tried Byways after seeing it on Diners Drivins and Dives, and absolutely fell in love and are going back again and again. The service was great and even though we had to wait 35 minutes to get in it was worth it. Food was wonderful and our waitress was great too. She was very attentive and sweet, very grandmotherly. Pros: Cozy, friendly and fun Cons: NONE more

The key lime pie is the most ridiculously delicious I have ever tasted! It is absolutely to die for if you like lime. My husband got the German chocolate cake and to start off the piece was massive enough for 4-5 people to share with no one feeling slighted; he ended up taking most of it home. I don't know what was in the frosting but it is a wonderful chocolate flavor without the over-sweet sick feeling you can get with other frostings. The cake itself was moist and flavorful without being too heavy. Our server Jeff (?) was great and made us feel at home, very warm and friendly. The savory food we had was delicious too but nothing compares to those deserts. Yummy! Pros: Amazing deserts, yummy food Cons: Not enough room more

Best breakfast in town with a real home style flair, I just wish the place had more seating but Megan is beautiful too. Pros: baked goods Cons: small place more

My husband and I went there last Saturday for breakfast. There was a small wait of 30 minutes but we knew that there would be and came prepared. It was well worth the wait. The service was great and fast. The food was better than I've had at top dollar places. My husband had the pancakes and loved them. The bacon was thick and chewy, not the over cooked crumble to pieces we've had at other places. I had the corned beef hash and it was to die for. We loved the atmosphere and the wonderful food and all for little money. Pros: Everything Cons: parking more

If you want a perfect tuna melt and fries, you will get it here every single time. I have had lunch here about once a month since years before the restaurant changed hands/names (It was formerly Shakers cafe) and it has always been consistent. The service is good. Expect long waits on the weekends, but relatively prompt seating on weekdays. The fries set the standard: never greasy, no off taste of old oil, just enough salt, fresh potato taste. This is old-fashioned food, not trendy (and inconsistent quality) stuff like the other Pearl restaurants serve. It will probably appeal most to people who grew up in homes where at least one of the parents cooked -- and cooked well. Also highly recommended: grilled cheese and Meg's Veggie Mountain. Pros: Consistently good food. Cons: None really more

The dudes that wrote the previous message are the reason why cool people go to Byways. For those of you that are more concerned about being caught in a place that has "grandma-ish" decor thankfully you have a plethora of homogenized options such as Manzana and TGIFridays! I'm glad you won't be back because to tell you the truth it's people like you that ruin the experience for people like me. My girlfriend and I have been going there every Saturday for the last year since we moved into the neighborhood and we love the Fried Egg Sandwich...Also, they brew Stumptown coffee and refill it quite attentively. What makes small cafe's like Byways, Fuller's, and the Stepping Stone so great is that they are keepin' it real; real food for real people without the monotony of the burbs. Byways has awesome food hands down...They were recently on the Food Network so it's been kinda tough to get in on the weekends, thankfully they serve breakfast all day on Sundays.... So, if you want yummy, homemade food go there..If you want to go to a place that caters to frat boys don't go to Byways. Pros: Great Food Cons: Wait on the weekend, Occassional Frat Boy more

My roomates and I decided to go here because of all the 5 star ratings. We are in our mid 20's, a little hungover, and looking for some good food. The wait was over an hour with 4 names ahead of us, and our food took about 45 minutes to come out. We were also seated at the diner counter and not at a table, but we were so hungry we didn't care. The atmosphere is definitely different from anything in the Pearl, which is something that area needs, but it kinda made us nauseous with all the grandma appeal. Or maybe it was just us being hungover who knows. The food was good, can't deny that. Our server was nice, but not attentive even though she was right in front of us we had to swing our arms around to get more water. It's decent if you want to wait a long time... it's just really really small so it takes awhile. Don't bring your family there, or new friends, it's not that impressive. Just nice to have if you live in the area. We're probably never going back though. Pros: different atmosphere than anything in the Pearl Cons: LONG WAIT - REALLY SMALL - claustrophobia more

When I lived in Vancouver, WA I went to Byways all the time to eat (still go there everytime I'm in Oregon). In my opinion it is an awesome place to eat (French Toast is the best around). Fun and friendly staff, awesome food, and great atmosphere. I now live in Northwestern Washington and wish that Byways would branch out and head this way with their awesome food... Pros: Ambience, Food, customer service Cons: Wating Lines and Parking more

I'm not understanding all the 5 star rating for this place. Took my family of four today for breakfast about 11:00 a.m., expected a wait (actual time was 1 hour, 4 parties ahead of us) - no problem because we expected it. But then after being seated it took about a half hour actually to be waited on. The table next to us was seated after us, but got service before us. We had to ask for water twice, and waited about 20 minutes to get it. We had to ask for enough utensils for us all. Coffee was refilled only once, again only after asking. The food was tasty enough (the blue corn pancakes were very good) but the portions are small for the money. The ambiance & theme was fun, but overall the value & service were not up to par. What is all the rave about? Pros: Ambiance, tasty food Cons: Poor service, pay for parking Mon-Sat, small portions for the $ more

The staff at By Ways are great multi-task-ers. They always seem to be simultaneously filling two waters and a coffee, taking an order and setting a table. Food then arrives promptly, correctly, and piping hot. I recommend the Space Needle Scramble, it hits the spot every time. Yum-o. Pros: the seattle scramble and paying attention to coffee refills Cons: the lines on sunday mornings more

a GREAT place! After a good half-hour wait (it's good, but people know it...so expect a wait on the weekends), my fiance and I were seated at the counter. We were waited on very promptly and, despite being INCREDIBLY busy and already multi-tasking, the waitress (who I believe was one of the owners) was still able to find the time to give us great service, make small talk and say goodbye as we were walking out the door. The food is phenomenal. I got the ameretto french toast and it was just amazing. My fiance got some granola and a piece of coffee cake, both of which were incredibly delicious. Their pastries look amazing and I'm looking forward to going back to try them. If you have a free morning, check it out, you won't be sorry! But unless you don't mind waiting, avoid the weekends. Pros: GREAT food, good price, excellent service Cons: long wait on the weekends more