Violet's Cafe

This place is really quite nice, except the coffee! This is Portland, and we like strong coffee. If you make it strong you can add water to it if it's to much for you, but weak coffee is not what we are looking for. It's too bad as everything else is pretty fantastic, and it's so close to home! I shouldn't have to buy espresso to get a good cup of coffee, like one rude server suggested, I'll just go where they make the coffee like I like it. Pros: Close to home, nice friendly place Cons: Not a lot of parking, coffee is undrinkable more

Everyone who is complaining about the wait, service, parking,,,blah, blah, blah - get over yourselves!!! If you want the best breakfast east of the Willamette, go to Violet's. Of course there's a wait - apparently those of us lined up outside who look forward to a great Saturday morning breakfast don't mind waiting - it's well worth it. The parking? Yea, we park a block away - we should hike the whole 3 miles there and back home after pigging out on their fabulous food! And the service - they're doing the best they can. There's 2 other places right across the street that serve breakfast and you'll probably get seated promptly and have more leisurely service, but I'd rather have the great food. The fresh fruit served with the dutch pancake is RIPE, and juicy. The hashbrowns come out perfectly crispy on the outside, steamy and tender on the inside. They never miss poaching the eggs absolutely perfectly. Even their steel cut oatmeal is heavenly. And we're outta their absolutely satisfied and out only about $14 for 2 breakfasts and coffee (the coffee is great, too.) Pros: The best breakfast around Cons: no complaints more

This place is amazing!! My boyfriend (and owners brother) brings me here every once in a while and I beg for more!! It is utterly wonderful. The service is slow only because of the huge crowds they have and the fact that they make everything from scratch, so I dont mind the wait because its well worth it!! We'll be seeing you soon, Lisa!!!! Pros: Great breakfasts....my favorite is the Baja burrito Cons: Wait is a bit only because it is continually crowded but worth the wait! more

This great little place is one of the undiscovered gems of the city, although the waiting crowds on the sidewalk tell you the neighborhood knows al... more

I'm so surprised to see the negative reviews since my wife and I have never had a bad experience at Violets and we have been there many many times. Yes, the wait can be frustrating and parking is not always easy, but go to any great cafe in Pdx and you're in for similar issues. My favorite is the farmers omelette, the fruit cup is phenominal and they now with a new coffee company (Caravan) which has been a great change. For all of you who have had bad experiences, I'm sorry to hear it, but go ahead and keep looking for better, it means less of a wait for us when we return to Violets. :D Pros: Fun atmosphere, great food, amazing fruit cup Cons: Parking and wait times (at peak brunch hours) more

Violet's is good breakfast; it could even be considered really, really good breakfast, and I REALLY like breakfast. I like eggs benedict in many different styles with creamy hollandaise. I like big bowls of fresh fruit instead of potatoes. I like lots of great options if the salmon, veggy or regular eggs benedict don't sound good that day. And I love Violet's overall. BUT, what I don't do is come during the rush time. Everyone likes Violet's (what is there not to like?) and they come to eat there during the peak brunch hours. So, skip the peak times (get up early, eat brunch late) and enjoy Violet's. Pros: wide selection, fantastic eggs benedict Cons: Often very busy during peak brunch hours more

I believe in second chances, maybe a third and fourth, but there's a point when one concludes: no mas. For starters, finding parking is horrendous. The servers are pleasant, but always seem to be in a fire drill, i.e., rushed, stressed, talking about no breaks, commenting, I don't know what's up with the cook today", etc. So process wise, this place seems in disarray. The food: well, standard blah fare like across the street at Biscuits, nothing innovative. Coffee: horrible! Prices: far from a good deal, borderline undervalue. Cons: parking, server speed more

Violets has one of the best breakfasts in town. The help is friendly and the service is decent. Yes, sometimes you have to wait, and you don't get your food in two seconds. But what restaurant with really good, made-to-order food is that fast. They use fresh ingredients and the food is super tasty. The Eggs Benedict are superb. From reading other reviews of Violets, it seems like other people may have had a rare bad experience, but I've been there many times and have always left happy. I wanted to include positive review to counter the other reviews posted. Try it, you won't be disapointed. more

I'm not sure where to begin because everything about this place is good. When you walk in, there's a little case that displays all their amazing scones bursting with a variety of berries and fruit. They also make homemade cinnamon rolls. On Friday, we did not eat scones or cinnamon rolls but ordered from their main menu. While not exclusively vegetarian, there are many choices for those that do not eat meat. With so many choices, I was finally able to settle on the roasted veggie scramble, which comes with crispy home fries, and your choice of made from scratch buttermilk pancakes or toast. My travel buddy seemed keen on a vegetarian version of egg's Benedict but was conflicted about those blueberry pancakes. So I ordered pancakes so he could have the best of both worlds, and the waitress offered to throw in blueberries. And so that we wouldn't have so many home fries, my travel buddy ordered fresh fruit. While we waited for our food, we got hot chocolate which had the sweetest little touch. On top of the foam, they wrote Violet in chocolate syrup. Oddly enough, and I'm not sure this is an Oregonian thing, the hot chocolate wasn't very sweet at all. It was a nice change from the overly sweet drink you get elsewhere. And then our food came and the portions were huge! Both of our meals were amazing. I really liked that nothing was greasy, not even the home fries, yet everything was completely flavorful. The egg's Benedict were just delightful! A nice crispy muffin, topped with roasted veggies, an nice sized egg, and hollandaise sauce. It was a to die for. For a moment there, I mistakenly thought (and much to my delight) part of the muffin was a piece of bacon/ham. Sadly, it wasn't! I just adored my scramble -- it was full of fresh roasted vegetables and oh so filling. And the fresh fruit was not your typical fresh fruit bowl -- it had apples, pears, plums, pineapple, more

Violet's is really one of the best breakfast places in Portland. It's not trendy, it doesn't have stupid names for its menu items, but it has excellent and consistent food. Their fruit cup is really the best in the city, and always has fresh fruit that you actually want to eat, not just honeydew melon and grapes like everywhere else. Lately the service has been lagging a bit, and every time I've been there recently there have been way too many families with screaming and smashing toddlers for my comfort level. But skip the Tin Shed and places like Helser's and give Violet's a try. more

Violet's is my favorite brunch place in Portland, and I've tried them all. Some of the highlights: roasted veggie and florentine eggs benedicts are both outstanding; their fruit cup is a work of art, always overflowing with a thrilling variety of fresh fruits and berries; and you can get a delicious plate-sized pancake instead of toast for no extra charge! They have really good local/seasonal specials as well. Cute, kid-friendly (and adult-friendly), comfortable atmosphere and good service. Pros: delicous food, friendly comfortable atmosphere Cons: Long (but pleasant) wait to be seated for weekend brunch. (You can get coffee to drink while you wait.) more

If I could sum up my experience in one word, it would be "disapointing." Recently, I went to Violets to experience the rave, but what I found was completely the opposite. I'm a server, so I can tolerate a lot and I am pretty forgiving, but honestly, I left upset. The food was above average, but the people running the show had no clue. My party waited and waited for a table, but we were never sat, even though there were empty tables. It seems to be a simple concept: A table opens, it gets cleaned, and then people sit and enjoy a timely breakfast. I left puzzled and wondered why I did not go to Heslers or Tin Shed. I have told at least ten people not to go here and I hope they each tell another ten people. Cons: Hire some new restaurant staff more

We must have had breakfast at Violets on the same day as Inobles! We went early on a Sunday morning and the restaurant was already crowded - to be expected on a Sunday - and we were ready to wait. We waited about 15 minutes before two outside tables were vacated, but we then waited at least 10 minutes while they remained uncleared and then another 5 to 10 for them to seat us - really we watched the vacant tables for more than 20 minutes. However Violets was recommended by a member of their family and we were ready to support them. Once seated, it took another 20 minutes for us to see our server. We did see lots of other staff running around, but none of them seemed to be doing anything. We were stunned when she arrived to take our order. There was no mention of the daily specials, no offer to top off our coffee (which I had refilled myself by taking our cups inside to the counter). We mentioned the wait to which she replied. "I've been busy, it isn't like I was ignoring you." A few minutes later yummy scones were dropped (I do mean dropped) on our table. The jam had to be stolen from another table, but was well worth the theft. Our food arrived and was pretty good. My Gorganzola omlette was supposed to have carmelized onions, but only had sauteed onions - big difference. I must say their fruit looked amazing. The food wasn't so great that any of us will return to Violets. Pros: Great location, nice front patio Cons: Service, crowded inside, staff more

I've been trying to talk my husband into going to Violet's Cafe since we moved into the neighborhood 4 years ago. He finally agreed... I owe him a big one, because it was quite possibly the worst dining experience we've ever had. The hostess told us to sit anywhere, then we waited and waited and waited for someone to come with menus, place settings, take a drink order, and wipe down the wet, sticky table. The waiter finally appeared with an excuse of being short handed (although the people who came in after us were seated with menus, place setting, and a drink order AND there were 5 other employees wandering around the restaurant doing NOTHING while our waiter ran around trying to do everything), but still no table wipe down (we had to ask a few times for the table wipe down and the first time the waitress questioned us as to whether it really needed it) and meanwhile our two year old son is happily rubbing his hands all over the dirty table. We finally got coffee - horrible dirty dish water coffer - and got our order in. The food was mediocre to bad - potatoes extremely oily, no cheese on the scramble (!?). My pancakes never showed up, so I finally got up and asked for them. When they came, the plate was so small I couldn't pour syrup on them without spilling all over the table (which I thought about doing on purpose) and there was no butter (who can eat dry pancakes without butter?). By that time, I was so sick of standing up and asking servers for help, that I just suffered through the dry cakes. We left Violet's Cafe fuming and swearing never to go back! If you're looking for a good breakfast with good service and good for the kids, go to Laurelwood right down the road in Hollywood! Cons: service, food, coffee more

Like all breakfast spots, expect to wait if you go to Violet's on the weekend. It is small and extremely busy, but the service has been good every time I've gone. The portions are huge and the prices are average. They always have daily specials that are pretty neat. Violet's is relatively veggie friendly (you can substitute tofu for eggs, I'm not sure about fake meat options). My only major complaint is the coffee. It is absolutely the worst coffee of any restaurant I've been to. Also, they allow people to wait inside of the restaurant where it gets ridiculously crowded and uncomfortable to nearby diners. But overall, I'd say Violet's is one of my favorite breakfast spots in Portland. Pros: Big portions, Veggie friendly Cons: Bad coffee, Busy more

I have lived in this neighborhood for 2 years, and have gone back to Violet's on three separate occasions, after I have sworn to never return after each visit ... yes, they serve good food in a cute, neighborhood spot. BUT, the service is so consistently horrible, I really, truly, will never return. I keep hoping if you are having an off day, as I'm in the industry too and know this happens. Because of this, we probably are more forgiving than most. We have been passed over, ignored, never greeted, observed rude behavior and then ignored some more. Either they don't realize their service is so horrible, or they simply don't care. Really, truly, we won't be going back!!! Cons: service, service, service more

My husband and I just moved to the neighborhood and began the search for a new weekend breakfast place. Violets, just four blocks away, seemed perfect. Their food is fantastic, but the service is so disappointing, that our search for a breakfast place continues. We've tried three times, but find the staff is unwilling to engage in even a good morning, and they show obvious preferential treatment to some customers. This review won't hurt Violets because they are popular, with long waits on the weekends....I'm just unwilling to settle for rude treatment, no refill on my $2 coffee, and customers arriving after me being seated before me. I can find another place for a waffle. more

Violet's is a wonderful place to enjoy a great breakfast or lunch. It can get busy on the weekends so get there early! But whatever you do make sure to try the Cake. Lisa (the owner) makes all the pastries herself and the chocolate cake and the cinnamon rolls are to die for! Everything on the menu is wonderful, and if you arent that hungry and want to split a sandwhich with someone the staff is more than willing to split it up for you. Check out this wonderful neighborhood spot. Pros: Great Food, Atomosphere, Price more

My wife and I eat at Violets all the time and keep going back. My wife is Veggie and I am a piscatarian (fish OK), and Violets can accommodate us both. The amount of food you get is crazy, particularly if you get the omelets or scramble with potatoes and two pancakes! Espresso drinks are sub par, but the food is great and there are always fresh specials. They are stingy with the cheese in omelets and scrambles, but the food is always good. Hash browns and potatoes are sometimes undercooked, but mostly they are excellent. Fruit can be substituted as well if you lean that way. Elaborate waffles and pancakes will satisfy your sweet tooth. I enjoy the smoked Salmon eggs benedict a lot. Service can be a little slow, but nothing you arent used to if you eat out in Portland. Prices arent dirt cheap but are fair. Pros: Great Food, Specials, Good Veggie Menu Cons: , waits on weekends more

So, has this neighborhood on NE Sandy needed a decent breakfast joint or what? Well, now it's got one, but don't blink or you might miss it. It's actually tucked just off Sandy on NE 52nd @ Sacramento but it's worth a stop. Plenty of variety to suit all tastes. The Dutch baby pancake - like a german pancake - is loaded with fresh fruit. Scrambles are very solid with eggs done just right. Pancakes an option instead of toast for you carbo-loaders. Coffee could be a little stronger but maybe that's me.... Beware! Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays!!!! Pros: Perfect Eggs, Open Monday more