City State Diner

The Hollandaise is to die for! Best in PDX!
The staff is super friendly, the food is consistently good and the many egg benny options makes City State Diner a must on your brunch list

Used to be my go to brunch spot. Went every Sunday to have a meditative meal by myself. Until one of the workers there, when handing me my check, asked for my number. Now I can’t go back. Unprofessional and awkward.

Eating breakfast at home is the best, but on the rare occasions I do fight the weekend crowds it is usually at City State. Drinks are well made, and the food is top notch. The only thing that keeps me from giving a 5 star is the hit or miss service. They are usually super busy and you have to put your name on the list. Sometimes they have coffee for your wait, and sometimes not. Sometimes they actually see you put ‘no’ under ‘counter seat?’ and sometimes they try to seat you at the counter anyway.
Overall, I like City State, but the wait and the spotty service has trained me to ensure I don’t run out of eggs or bread at home.

Down to earth, unpretentious breakfast spot. This is the brunch spot for those who get brunch every week. It might not be «the best brunch you’ve ever had» but it is dang good, and you will go home happy, full, and satisfied, and having had a pleasant experience.
I like the old timey, diner style look and feel, complete with bottomless coffee, girl/​boy-​next-​door, friendly servers, and counter top seating. And there’s rarely a lengthy wait.
Food-​wise, there’s something for everyone. Vegetarian, breakfast, lunch, and both basic & fancy options for all scrambles, breakfast sandwiches, and benedicts. The best part of the meal though, is the PICKLE on their bloody mary! They are phenomenal and really should be offered as a side order.

Super yummy! So glad I made it in!
PRO TIP: Make sure to front a buck and get the biscuit for your «toast», because it was so moist and delicious! Is it now my favorite biscuit in Portland? LIKELY! I want to steal their recipe.
They have so many options for Scrambles & Eggs Benedict, there’s something for everybody here — and alongside these offerings, they have breakfast plates that include a breakfast of BOTH eggs Benedict and biscuits n’ gravy for those that can’t choose between classic options :)
The coffee was really great quality. Refills came quickly, but holy crap the food came even great! Service was nice and fast.
I really enjoyed my breakfast here!

Food was great, coffee was ok. Great service, strong mimosas, good relaxed vibe inside and some outdoor seating on a nice day.

My recollection of City State Diner is vague but good. We had a rough entry to Portland the night before so City Diner really hit the spot when we rolled out the following morning (licking our traveler’s wounds). We sat at the counter and the service was swift and friendly. I recall eating until I hated myself, and there was most of my dish still left over. But the food was so delish that I think it was worth it. Word to the uninitiated, consider sharing the plates unless you have a voracious appetite and stomach room to spare.

It started with good coffee and it just got better from there.
Bit of a wait for brunch on Sunday (this is Portland after all) but prompt service once seated. This hipster diner is exactly like it sounds — a familiar diner setting with the good food you come to expect for the neighborhood.
The crab hash was delicious, got even better using the Soul hot sauce (locally produced of course). Large portions kept me full for most of the day.
On a scale from zero to «omg, I’d actually cross the Willamette river for this place», you’ll definitely see me braving the crossing.

We decided to come here based on reviews and pictures… Everything looked so tasty and was raves about. Unfortunately It did not meet our expectations. When we arrived the wait was long, which is not uncommon for PDX eateries. We finally got a table outside and I decided to try one of their «specialty» items, Louisiana crab hash. I was extremely disappointed with the lack of flavor in every component. The potatoes were bland, no taste of crab whatsoever, more like breadcrumbs tossed with potatoes. The hollandaise sauce that was on the dish as well as my friends pork belly eggs Benedict did not have a rich lemony tasty flavor. It was just a runny non rich lemony flavor sauce. The pork belly on her dish needed to be crispy because of how thick the fat was. However the highlight of the dish was the biscuit with jam. My boyfriend got the pork loin with eggs. They gravy was good but the pork was a bit tough. He enjoyed it.
There are so many other delicious places to eat in PDX.

City state NEVER lets us down! My boyfriend & I come here almost once a month, if not more! We LOVE all the different styles of eggs Benedict you can get, from meats to a muffin or biscuit! Amazing drinks, & the best pancakes I’ve ever had with granola, or butterscotch, or COCONUT!
Service is a big deal for us, and the people at City State go above and beyond. Some of them seem to remember us, and our orders. They are always on top of it, food comes out fast, and they’re incredibly nice! I LOVE City State & highly recommend it to anyone that LOVES breakfast as much as we do!
P. S.- To dude that ordered salmon & said it was too fishy… you know you ordered FISH right?!
This place is amazing, just try it for yourself :)

Good. hmmm but it wasn’t mind blowing. Really hot guy works… so that was a plus. My got the pork belly eggs Benedict. The pork belly had too much fat to actually enjoy. My friend got the crab hash and just was ight. She had to load up the hot sauce and add seasoning… but I don’t regret going here.

This is a really good place to have breakfast. Just not the best. However in the best category, they have excellent service. And this is a bit anal of me but they have matched the size of the pepper and salt grains to the holes in the shakers so the stuff comes out appropriately. The other big plus for me is that they serve their dishes on heated plates… Yay!
I almost never see these things at a restaurant. So why only 3 stars. Well, we had the plain eggs, bacon, and potatoes, and the salmon scramble. The bacon was good but had sweet taste. Maybe maple cured? The potatoes were just potatoes. No veggies. To me that is what adds some character to breakfast potatoes. The salmon scramble was good but the fishyness of the salmon dominated the other ingredients. Fresher fish would have fixed that. Another comment is that it is a very noisy place. So if you like that, great, but we prefer quieter places.
This was our 3^rd visit in the past 4 years. Its been consistently ok to good. But not worth going back on a regular basis.

City State Diner is legit. I’ve had many a meals here, and I’ve always left fat and happy. The menu has quite a bit of variety, the staff is friendly, and the space is clean and inviting. They may not be pushing any culinary boundaries, but City State Diner knows what they want to do, and they do it right. That’s to be commended.
I feel that calling this place a diner might underplay the quality. Sure, they have a counter to order from and both breakfast and lunch are served all day, but outside of those diner trappings, this place is really a level or two above traditional diner food. They use seasonal ingredients, have fancy cheeses for their omelettes, and serve something called Loukaniko. I have no idea what that it, but hey it sounds fancy and is hardly something you’d find at Denny’s, right?
So here’s what I like:
* The staff. They’re great.
* The breakfast meatloaf. I mean, sure it’s basically just meatloaf served with breakfast items, but that’s RIGHT UP MY ALLEY
* The «Best of Both Worlds», which is a ½ order of biscuits and gravy, plus a ½ order of Eggs Benedict. I sub the pork-​belly benny which includes arugula and apricot jam. It’s effing fantastic.
* The prosciutto scramble. It’s pretty basic, served with tomato and smoked gouda. A nice, simple meal that I think is delicious.
So yes, I am a big fan of City State. I’d encourage you to check them out.

My fav meal of the day! I’ve been wanting to go here for a while, so when a couple of my friends wanted to try someplace new for breakfast we chose City State, and I’m so happy we did!
I got the ham and cheese scramble with a biscuit instead of toast, and also split a coconut pancake with one of my friends (because I really wanted to try that). Everything was really good, but the standout was the biscuit. Big and fluffy and delicious. I’m a sucker for a great biscuit, and I would definitely order that again. My scramble also came with fried polenta, and again, really good. It was a lot of food, but everything was cooked perfectly.
It’s a nice space, very much a diner feel, and the service was excellent. Our waitress came by on a regular basis to refill our coffee and water, and she was very patient, since it took us a while to decide what to order.
They have a good selection of Eggs Benedict and they also have Chicken Fried Steak, so I’ll bring my BF next time, since he loves that for breakfast. Can’t wait to go back!

It was Memorial Day and we called over five different restaurants to see if they were open/​check the wait time for brunch. Luckily, City State Diner had the shortest estimated wait time so we headed on over!
When I think of a diner I think of a dingy, hole in the wall type of restaurant but this place made me re-​evaluate my life. Why have I been discriminating against diners in the past? I’m such a terrible person. Idk, but this place is doing it riiiight~ *sunglasses emoji*
There are a few tables for outdoor seating in front of the restaurant on the sidewalk, but most of their tables are inside. There’s also a counter where you can buy pastries and drinks to go.
We waited for about 40 minutes before we were seated. But having gotten a chance to look over the menu while we were waiting, we immediately ordered. I already had high expectations here because it was so hard to decide what to order, everything sounded good! I ended up ordering the Louisiana Crab Hash and also tried some of the pork belly eggs benny! I also had the cucumber bloody mary.
AMAZING. The cucumber bloody mary was super refreshing and tasty. The thai chili bloody mary was also good, but a little too spicy for my taste. There’s also an option for a bloody mary that could substitute as a meal. Mine came with a couple olives and a pickle, but this one comes with cheese, bacon, & other goodies!
THAT CRAB HASH THO. Literally one of my favorite breakfasts ever. It was so much food and everything was cooked to perfection! There was a good amount of crab and it was nicely tossed together with some breading. Hollandaise was good and the eggs were perfectly poached! I only ate half before I had to box it up to look forward to eating it later. The bite of the pork belly eggs benny was also delicious! The apricot jam makes it super flavorful and sweet.
I don’t come to Portland often but I’m already planning my trip back so I can come back here!!!

Stopped by here to work as well as grab breakfast yesterday. Working didn’t quite happen, as their wifi is incredibly slow… But the food was awesome!
I had the Louisiana crab hash. Basically crushed up crab cakes with potatoes, peppers, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. It was HUGE! Hollandaise was delicious, really creamy and not greasy, and the eggs were poached perfectly. The service was phenomenal! My waitress was a sweetheart and very attentive. I’ll definitely come back here

Great little diner off Burnside. Just has the feel, sound, smell, of a great little joint.
Always friendly with the coffee; service is spot on. Staff is constantly on the move, so the lines aren’t too terrible. Kudo’s to Hayley — running sprints both my visits. Hard workers. Great flavors.
Got to try the lunch menu someday… Looks astonishing!

We were trying to get in at Screen Door before dropping off a friend at the airport but the wait was way too long, so we ended up here for brunch. I really dug the vibe here and there were a lot of items I debated on before settling on the Croque Madame.
We sat at the counter and service was fast and efficient. I was pleased with the Croque Madame — the ham steak was huge and the egg was cooked over easy (I’m pretty sure I requested over medium but it was fine). My main gripe was the «grits» which were not grits, they were basically a polenta cake type thing.
My dining companions were pleased with their orders (egg combos and what not) and the prices were reasonable so a-​ok all around.
Definitely a good breakfast option when in the area.

My wife and I came here on a Sunday around 3pm and there wasn’t a line. We were able to sit down right away which was nice. We were greeted by the friendly staff, and we’re told we could sit where ever we
Would like. They took our drink orders, I ordered the mimosa which was great.
The waiter took our orders quickly, and explained the menu very well. I ordered the eggs Benedict my wife ordered The hazelnut banana French toast with coconut and honey syrup. We did not care much for the syrup but the hazelnut French toast was great. We split each of our meals in half and were pleasantly satisfied. The portions were large enough for us to take home two to go boxes.
Like most breakfast restaurants the place was fairly noisy so definitely not a place for a romantic date. Great for families, except if perhaps you had small children. I would say the parking situation wasn’t great, but then again what parking is in Portland.
As we left there was a lady by the door wrapping silverware and was very kind to Bid us farewell. Prices were about average, I don’t know if I would go out of my way to go back there, but if I was in the neighborhood I would definitely eat there again. The overall experience was great.

Chill, low-​key, come as you are, come in your sweats kinduv locals joint.
I discovered and gravitated toward the fab Soul hot sauce, sold locally throughout the city.
Though I ordered a Denny’s type order, my seared grits ground into my runny egg —soul hot sauce doused over– chewy quality sourdough bread —- gave me the energy to walk from there and over the bridge across the Willamette!!!
What a seriously unusually warm, warm winter!!& sunny to boot!