Hawthorne Street Cafe

If I had to describe HTC in one sentence I would say something to the effect of: Cute brunch place in a character home with decent food. That’s probably about it. I felt that the dishes here were average at best. Nothing extremely creative. I have no complaints about the service because they were on time an cordial. I left satisfied because I was hungry and it hit the spot. Nevertheless it didn’t get me excited, hence ³⁄₅ stars.

Three tables occupied in the entire place on a Friday morning. We were seated promptly and ordered quickly.
We waited an hour for eggs benedict. There was not a rush of any sort. When they did come, the egg whites had not been at all cooked. We could not finish our meal and left shortly thereafter. Expensive, nasty and unaccountably slow. If you really must eat breakfast on Hawthorne and can’t stand to wait to be seated, I guess go for it, just make sure your expectations are exceptionally low.

This place was far from good… I walked in because it looked very cute and inviting from the outside, I figured I could grab a coffee or ice tea and spend a few minutes on my computer. When I entered the lady at the cash register had her head down in the counter and was basically sleeping. Since her had was down I didn’t notice her at first but then I just walked by to find the restroom. She then noticed me after a few minutes of me looking around. Then when I went to order a drink I inquired about their special «Thai ice tea» and the lady was incredibly rude to me saying «I don’t know… It’s like ice tea» lol I laughed at her bad attitude and proceeded to ask «well is it sweetened?» Her response was short and rude. I obviously was bothering her during nap time. I then tried to find out the Internet code which was also a struggle. I have never been treated so rudely for no reason. I stayed for a short time anyway and ordered a simple ice tea, leaving feeling very frustrated about my experience and the bad attitude of the girl working. Never will I return… Sad because it had so much potential!

This used to be one of my favorite dive brunches. I wandered in today to see the dusty old house largely remodeled and under new management. I can no longer call this a dive brunch — the atmosphere has been transformed to a cozy, relaxing cottage interior. Sitting on the covered porch listening to classic oldies really started my Saturday out right.
The food is way better then before. My breakfast companion had an omelette — big, tasty and great presentation with artisan toast and perfect potatoes. I went out on a limb with the kao kai palo — Thai stew served over rice with an herb bouquet similar to phở, but somehow heartier and more flavorful. My companion loved the omelette and I only got through half of my huge stew. Not for lack of trying, it’s one of my favorite meals I’ve ever had. The coffee was strong and the tea a good quality loose-​leaf.
Overall, a surprising treat. This place is destined to succeed!

New American breakfast restaurant
Served omelet with potatoes and wheat toast. Good coffee .Good service.

Was one of my favorite places to eat but it has gone down hill. Disappointed and service not so great

They didn’t get anything right.
It was about ten minutes before our server came up to us, which is weird because it was also the guy who sat us.
The coffee is absolutely terrible. I think it was folgers.
I ordered the Mo’s special, and was expecting a potato hash, but instead got 2 fried eggs on top of a pile of microwaved broccoli and spinach covered in cheddar cheese. Wtf?
It was really gross. We heard the beeping of the microwave coming from the kitchen, and joked that they were microwaving our breakfast. There actually didn’t seem to be any kitchen staff, so I think that might actually be true.
Oh, and our table was on a huge slant. Our drinks were literally sliding down the table.
I was pretty annoyed at the time, because I was hungover and super hungry, but looking back its all pretty hilarious. How is this place in business?

I really really really wanted to like this place. Really.
But I couldn’t.
The interior was great, just my type of café. Wonderful old house, warm atmosphere and a lovely host. I can imagine the patio will be great during the summer. This much was all good.
The downside was the food. I had Moe’s special, orange juice and regular coffee with milk. My coffee milk came in a tiny pitcher and as I poured it into the coffee, the milk curdled. And the coffee tasted quite old. My husband returned his coffee as he didn’t like it either and he ordered a latte instead. After awhile Moe came back with freshly brewed coffee which indeed was better.
My breakfast wasn’t exactly bad, but it wasn’t anything special. It tasted bland and I suspect the vegetables used weren’t too fresh. My husband had a spinach omelette and he didn’t finish it. He kept saying «something isn’t right». Again, I suspect the ingredients used weren’t fresh.
All in all, a café with a lovely interior but disappointing food. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t go back for breakfast. I can imagine sitting outside in the summer for a latte but nothing more.

By far the best thing about HSC is Mo, the owner. He greets you with «How are you? I love you,» and he means it. Just a kind, lovely, wonderful man.
Helpfully, he also makes delicious food. His crepes are incredible — my cousin commented that she’s only ever liked my mother’s crepes, but that his are just as good (an unprecedented compliment). (I don’t eat gluten, so I only tasted the filling, but. Damn. Apple pie filling and cream cheese with whipped cream on top? Yes please!) He serves hot, strong, tasty tea as his standard, but he also has a good selection of herbals and others. If you don’t see something you want on the menu, he’ll make you whatever you want if he has the ingredients. He makes an omelette with onions, mushrooms, and herbed cream cheese it it — light, fluffy, superb flavor!
His gluten-​free options can be limited, which is the only reason I’m not there more often, but he’s such a love that I just have to go see him when I can. If you need a truly great crêpe and/​or an interaction with a super sweet guy, go see Mo.

Terrible service. Took an hour to get our food on an empty day.
Food was barely average and we sat with empty coffee cups for 40 of those minutes.
Would never go again.

Love the eggs benedict/​crêpe special with house potatoes, espresso and a mimosa. This is my favorite breakfast place in Portland! Owner is friendly and remembers his clients.

Hawthorne Street Café is a quaint, low key little spot that’s great for breakfast/​brunch. My husband and I, along with our two year old son enjoyed the crêpe special, which includes one crêpe, half an eggs benedict, and home fries. The food was delicious, and the owner/​server is such a kind man, and an absolute delight. We will be back!

This is one of those places where I’m torn between three and four stars, because there was nothing at all bad about the place, but as I’m finishing up my review a month after the fact, there wasn’t anything especially memorable about it. Everything was perfectly pleasant but nothing was mind-​blowing.
We wandered in here for brunch when our first choice down the road had an hour+ wait. Got seated right away, although it was slightly awkward right in the traffic of the front room. No problems accomodating everyone’s dietary limitations, and everyone came out plenty full. I had a tasty ham and avocado omelette with their house breakfast potatoes. The potatoes are great– curried and salted and roasted. Service and pricing were both just fine too.
So a solid 3.49 star experience, but I don’t know if it can round up to a 4. Maybe next time I’m in town.

For a cute place & location the food was barely okay. I had the vegetarian sandwich & the pita bread they used was cold & the whole thing was very bland and poorly put together. My mom tried the spinach omelette & said it tasted greasy & not fresh. Nothing about our meal seemed fresh unlike many other places we have eaten at in Portland.
It was a huge disappoint & left us feeling unsatisfied.
The staff was kind but other than that, I would not recommend this place.

It looks cute from the outside but it’s a whole different story when you walk in. The restaurant is in need of a good cleaning. The cook took our order, served our food and ran our credit card all with food all over his hands. That said, he was incredibly nice. He even told us he loved us.
I feel bad giving this place a negative review because they were so nice and were trying really hard. The food just wasn’t that good and the restaurant wasn’t very clean. It’s too bad because it’s such a great location.

We were looking for a breakfast place on Hawthorne and this one looked nice and had no line. I had the ham and avocado omelet which was very good and everyone else was very happy with their orders including the breakfast wrap. The service was a little slow but not too slow.

This place is where you can have the perfect breakfast. Window view seating for people watching. Customer service at a personal level and amazing omelets.
Homemade fresh salsa too! I loved it and will be going back this morning.

I have been here for years. The owner is super friendly, they always have good food and there is almost never a line for Sundays! Try their special salmon benedict or ask if they have any middle eastern specials (last time they had an eggplant breakfast special which was delicious!). Also try their homemade black tea!

I drive and walk by this place all the time, so I figured on a whim it would be nice to go for lunch with my parents.
The outside patio itself is kind of run-​down and could use a face lift. Our waitress was nice, but I witnessed another waitress who was either timid or just plain grumpy with her customers.
My dad ordered a burger and he said it was great. (He doesn’t like new things) my mom ordered some cream cheese spread that she really liked, and I ordered a Denver Omelet. The potatoes that came with it are simply a love or hate. Don’t believe the reviews that say they’re «gross,» it’s just a matter of taste. Our waitress warned us that they are spiced with lots of things, including turmeric which gets weird sometimes. My Denver Omelet… well. it sucked. The ham tasted sour (not rotten, just over-​brined or something) It was just falling apart and it was a big mess. It did the job though, and I’ve had worse omelets. I’ve also had much better omelets. Toast was overdone.
The owner was really friendly, but it got to be too much at one point, like it was fake. That’s just how I read him, nothing against his character. I’m sure he’s a very nice man. I’m not the type of customer who needs to be complimented every ½ second.
Would I go back? eeeeeeh… no.

Cute