Papa Haydn

I called the owner to tell him about a bad experience at his restaurant. I was extremely polite. His response was so unbelievably rude, and unprofessional, its hard to fathom that he's actually a business owner. During our very brief conversation, he inturrupted me twice, and ended the call by saying, ""We don't need your business."" Then he hung up. I felt like a practical joke victim. I've never seen a situation handled so poorly in my life. Cons: customer service more

This place use to be one of my favorites. However, it has drastically gone downhill. The selection of entrees was pitiful. My mother choose an $18 pasta dish that was terrible. It was dry with no flavor. We mentioned it to the server and she said ""oh, well I hope your desert is better."" That's not really the service I'd expect from Papa Haydn or any place that cost that much. I won't be going back anytime soon. Cons: noisey, crowded more

I've only ever eaten desert at Papa Haydens, but I've been doing it pretty steadily for several years now, and the only real complaint I have is that it is ALWAYS crowded. A sign of a good restaurant and the crowds have certainly never stopped me. I'm on a mission to try every desert I can, and have only ever been disappointed once when I ordered the Sorbet Bomb. It's not on the menu anymore, so maybe others were disappointed as well. I recommend the Autumn Meringue, and the Passion. I'm also a big fan of the cobbler and the panna cotta. Pros: Amazing Deserts Cons: Always Crowded more

Papa Haydn's has been one of my favorite restaurants in Portland for many years but I have to say I was there last week and things have changed ... Pros: Great food, not just for dessert anymore more

The food was divine. The atmosphere was romantic. Having our dessert and coffee over a candle lit table made for the perfect evening. Pros: food and romance Cons: expensive more

We always stop in the Northwest part of Portland for lunch as we head to Seattle from parts South, and we have always admired this place but were afraid to go in with our brood (two 8's and one 10). Pros: great lunch spot for people watching and enjoying dessert Cons: slightly pricey for a quick lunch with kids more

I visited Papa Haydn's westside location with 3 friends, 2 of whom were from out of town. We chose Papa Haydn as an upscale restaurant with superior desserts, and that exactly what we got. Three of us ordered Caesar salads (2 salmon, 1 chicken), and all were enjoyed. The only downside was the overcooked salmon, but the flavor was still delicious. The salads were served whole-leaf, which I don't prefer as it makes it harder to eat. The fourth friend ordered the halibut and seemed to enjoy it. 2 friends shared the dessert sampler, which came with ample portions of 5 desserts that looked perfect for 2-3 people. We also ordered a Boccone Dolce and Baked Alaska, each of which was perfect. We started with cocktails (Raspberry Lemondrops and Barbarita), and all were delicious and perfect for the sweltering evening. The service was excellent, with our server being friendly and engaging. My only complaint is the heat in the building. The outside temp during our visit was in the mid-90s, and the restaurant must have been in the 80s. Although not completely unbearable, the heat did put a damper on an otherwise excellent meal. Pros: Great drinks, very good food, fantastic desserts, very good service Cons: Temperature in building more

Okay, I love burgers! Just when I had thought I tried every burger joint in town, claiming to be the best, my partner suggested Papa Haydn's to me. I am not a huge fan of N.W. 23rd dining but I agreed to give it a shot. When arriving, I remembering passing this place before and just thinking "" Oh, another schmoozy place I most likely will avoid."" At the entrance is an elaborate dessert display that made my sweet tooth begin to ache! A hostess promptly greeted us and we were seated right away. We were provided with menus and told about the evening specials but I already knew what I came for! We were given fresh bread with some butter to hold us over, while the smells coming from the kitchen were wonderful. My stomach was growling with anticipation! Our food arrived and my burger came open faced with all the trimmings on the side. There was also the special house mayo! When I took my first bite I knew that this was it, the burger I had been searching for. It was perfectly cooked, with a very clean finish to the palate. I had added the house mayo and a little mustard but could have eaten this baby dry! It was hands down the best burger I have had in Portland! I also had fries that came with my meal and they were perfect as well. They were thin cut with a crispy outside and tender inside. Our service was friendly. We finished our delicious meal by ordering from the dessert case. We had the chocolate coconut cream pie. Let's just say that I left more than satisfied! My burger was under $11 dollars and I finished with an awesome slice of pie built for two! I would suggest splitting a dessert. Over all the atmosphere was comfy and not the snobby den I thought it would be. So if you are in N.W. give it a shot! No other $10 burger can compete! Pros: Right on the bus line Cons: Being on N.W. 23rd/ no parking more

The dessert is un-matched. Selection for dessert is un-canny. Service is great! Pros: Best Desserts in the Portland Metro area Cons: Entrees are so extravagent, they aren't that great. Don't recommend for a meal, just dessert. Always crowded and lines out the door more

My partner and I have been here many times to enjoy their delicious desserts and people watch at the outside tables. Always busy and always worth it! Great service and great dessert selections. Haven't tried their dinner menus, but the dessert is always worth a visit! Pros: wonderful cakes and custards Cons: long waits more

i had an excellent raspberry, chocolate dessert, and my friend had creme bruelle. we had a great time people watching in the large windows on 23rd. And, the dessert was fabulous. Our service was also very good. The server was friendly and attentive. She did not make us feel rushed. Pros: dessert Cons: parking more

This is the first review I've ever written but couldn't resist. We had the most wonderful outdoor wedding last summer and in part was due to Papa Haydn and our organizer from Papa's, Tewin! She was wonderful and did a first class job!! Josh was great too but we worked mainly with Tewin.. She was patient, professional and wonderful!! We had around 150 people and everyone raved about the food.. I shopped around for a long time before deciding to use them and glad that I did with all the compliments we got. They were not the most expensive nor the cheapest but right in the middle, I felt they were really reasonable. Now, being a bride I didn't get to eat much, but the few leftovers we nibbled on the next couple days before we took off for our honeymoon were amazing.. We did the grilled salmon with risotto and a prime rib.. Instead of doing the traditional wedding cake, we did a desesert buffet with an assortment of 12 different papa cakes and people LOVED it!!! I can't tell you how many people complimented us on the food.. I will most definatly use them in the future and recommend them to all I know!!! Dave and Patti Jones... wedding July 2007 more

I struggled for over a month to order a wedding cake from Joseph's Dessert Company in Portland but they had lousy customer service, and three weeks before my wedding I had no cake. I got the impression they didn't want to waste their time with a small 30 person wedding cake! That's when I called Papa Hayden! I'm so happy I did. They came to my rescue on such short notice! They have better looking cakes then Joseph's at much more reasonable prices, best yet, they have employees that actually care about you and not the size of your order! Pros: Ambience and value for money! Cons: Southeast Location doesn't have the best parking. more

As I read the reviews previously posted, I came to the conclusion that these people do not dine out often, as the focus of their experience was obviously askew. This is a very busy place. I have yet to visit when there is not a line or a wait. Which I believe to speak volumes. People in a hurry or wanting to enjoy their seat for hours, should look somewhere else so others can enjoy as welI. Pros: Service and Dessert more

I went with a friend for dinner and we had great service. we weren't rushed. the waitress did her job promptly and well. she had shorter blonde hair, but i don't remember her name. I had a raspeberry chocolate dessert and wine, and my friend had dinner and wine. I wanted to write this comment after reading a few others about poor service. what were the people expecting when their party was at the bar across the street and had 1 person holding their table. how long were they really over there. would you like the hostess to hold a table for 4-6 people with only one person sitting there for how really knows how long. this place is very busy. make a reservation or be prepared to wait. don't plan to sit there all night either talking. just spend a reasonalbe amount of time there and then move on to the next place or go on a walk down 23rd. more

I have never felt the need to write one of these before but the customer service I received was so outrageous that I felt compelled to after my experience. My party was treated with so much disrespect and rudeness from the hostess that I will never go back!! We put our name in for four at 6:45 on a busy Saturday night. We knew it would be a wait, so we went to a pub across the street to wait. After 20 minutes, I went back and added two more to our list and the hostess said it would be another 20 minutes, which was fine with us since we knew how busy they were. No problems yet. She even asked for my phone number so that she could call and let us know when our table was ready, which I thought was gracious and nice. We got a call from her at 7:30 telling us it would be ready in 5 minutes. So we sent one person from our party to get it while we closed our tab at the other place. Not more than 5 minutes later she called again to say that she had been saving it for 15 minutes and was ready to give it away. Someone from our party was sitting at the table! She called again a few minutes later as the rest of us walked over and said she had been saving it for 30 minutes (not true!!) and needed to give it to someone else. When I got into the restaurant she told me that she was about to give it away and I told her someone from our party had been sitting there the whole time and she told me that wasn't true. When she looked back she saw him sitting there but said he must have been in the bathroom (he had never gone anywhere!). As we waited for two more of our party to arrive, she came back twice within ten minutes to ask us where our other friends were. I have never had a hostess be so blatantly rude!! We told her they were on their way and ordered salads and drinks while we waited. She came back AGAIN and asked where they were!! A few minutes later, our friends arrived. I am very disappointed and saddened that a restaurant I once liked would treat their customers this way. Pros: dessert Cons: hostess more

We stopped in for a lunch on a very hot and sunny Sunday afternoon and after waiting ten minutes (not bad) for an outside table, a very rude and unenthusiastic hostess sat us at a table in direct sun. When we apologetically asked to get seated at a shady table (that happened to be dirty at the time- and one, which we would have been fine waiting for) she informed us that there were four other couples waiting in line and our names would go back to the bottom of the list before she'd reseat us. Seriously? We left on the spot. The food at Papa Haydn's doesn't warrant poor service. Pros: Desert, food Cons: Service, parking more

My partner and I stopped in for brunch with high hopes. 1st ~ we were ignored while waiting for a table 2nd ~ we had to send back dirty dishes 3rd ~ the food, while edible, was not tasty. Mine was tepid; hers was crusted over from sitting on the hot plate for too long 4th ~ the atmosphere was sterile and uninspired. 5th ~ the music was too loud for nice conversation 6th ~ the server cleared our plates as soon as she could and brought our bill without even asking if we'd like anything else, dessert etc. And we were very kind to the waitress. I felt like We were waiting on Her. Ugh! I really don't get the rave reviews. I will NOT be going back. Pros: umm ... the walls are painted a pretty shade of pale yellow Cons: Mediocre or less in most every respect more

I have only tried the lunch menu several times, and the food, while good, didn't leave a lasting impression. The desserts, however, are different and decadent. I almost feel guilty strolling into this place in the late hours just to devour a slice of buttermilk chocolate cake, but the guilt soon subsides. Skip the meal and come here for dessert and wine. A bit of clarification: 5 stars for dessert; overall is 4 stars. more

A friend and I wanted to have a nice dinner and also felt like sitting outside in the beautiful courtyard. I felt like money was no object that evening... and to my disappointment the experience was not what I was expecting for such a popular and well-loved restaurant. The service started out great... until we realized the only focus from our server was the LARGE 15-20 top table to our left. Everyone that sat down after us ordered first, food took FOREVER (but was delicious), had to ask for coffee refills and another glass of wine. Everyone around us was returning food, standing up and filling their waters from the server station, canceling orders and probably feeling just as unimportant as we felt. Maybe next time I come with 12 of my friends and hope for good service then! Pros: Great location, beautiful outdoor patio Cons: Poor service. more