James John Cafe

We have made three attempts to eat here, and after today we will never try again. This makes me sad as I love supporting SJs businesses, but this place is one I’ll choose not to.
The first two times we attempted to go (within the last six months), they were closed during their normal open hours. No sign posted as to why they were closed, other then a sign that said «we’re drunk». Boo.
Today we came in an hour after they opened. There were about 5 people in line in front of us — you order at the counter and then sit down. The woman working at the counter would take a persons order, casually walk to the kitchen to give them the order (it’s not a small place), casually walk to get a bottle of water and glasses, casually walk to wherever the people who had just ordered were sitting to give them the water, and then casually walk back to take the next order. And repeat. Casually. The process was mind boggling. So we waited. There were about 7 tables with people seated already seated. As we waited in line, pondering the high prices on the menu (the food sounded good), we noticed that no one in the restaurant had been served any food yet. We had no idea how long we’d be waiting, in line or for our food, so we decided to leave.
I’m not in the restaurant business, but I assume customer service would be the easy part.
Move quickly, greet people, act like you care.

So delighted to have found this gem in my neighborhood. It is hands down the BEST brunch spot in North Portland. It is the rare unpretentious brunch spot with amazing food, friendly service and rarely a wait. I can’t stop dreaming about the poached eggs, the french toast, biscuits and gravy, and the eggs benedict, (and I’m picky about my Hollandaise sauce!). Dinner is also out of this world. You really can’t go wrong here. Only wish they didn’t have such odd hours.

I want to like this place. I really do. Unfortunately there’s way more cons than pros.
Pros:
–The food is good.
–The coffee is good.
–Most of the time they play really good music, including, but not limited to, hardcore gangster rap.
Cons:
–It’s always unusually warm in there, even when it’s lovely outside (just open the front door).
–It regularly takes about 45 minutes to get food, simple food, even when the restaurant is half empty. Eggs, sausage and French toast shouldn’t take that long under any circumstances.
–The prices are high for what you get.
The other thing that’s a big turn off for me, and rightly so, is hygiene. I get it that some people want to ride their bike to work and you might be a little ripe. There’s a world of difference between that and being able to smell you when I’m 3 people back in line at the counter. There’s a «I haven’t showered in 2 days» smell that I’m quite familiar with from punk concerts and it doesn’t make me want to have brunch. That alone would send me elsewhere.

Tried the French toast bacon and biscuits and gravy. The French toast taste like marshmallows. The bacon was amazing cooked perfectly. The biscuits and gravy were also super yummy. They seem a bit understaffed but the food was worth the rate and the price was perfect. Loved the atmosphere and décor.

Grits Grits Grits! Grits for freakin’ days! They don’t always have them, but when they do, you should probably get an order… or 4. Best grits I’ve EVER had.

James john café rocks! It is the absolute best place to eat in St. John’s and the owners and staff could not be more rad!

The food is always amazing. Love the atmosphere– cute space, good music, friendly staff. My favorite local dinner joint, hands-​down.

This is best fit for a Pros and Cons list!
Pros:
— Great staff! Really friendly people and a great vibe in the restaurant.
— Food is phenomenal! The chefs are pretty popular and you can read some newspaper articles they have posted about them.
— Menu names are fun and creative. Eggs Lil Wayne was for the eggs Benedict!
— Location is right in St. John’s and a lovely neighborhood.
Cons:
— Long wait to get food, and this is common. I do however think it kana scratch kitchen so I don’t knock them down too much for this. Just know if you’re in a rush this isn’t your place.
— Drinks are okay, we had bloody Mary’s and a Spanglish Coffee. Solid but nothing to write home about.
— I’m a hungry guy! The portions were rather small and while I was satisfied I could have used a hardier meal for the price. I laid $ 14 for eggs Benedict and the side was a salad.

Great food. Horrible service. Like the worst. I would come back for the food but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Like the service… it is that bad. If you go get ready to be there for the remainder of you day trying to get your food or a bill.

This is one of those hipster places where they act like they are doing you a favor by waiting on you or taking your orde

Well prepared meal of biscuits and gravy and French toast. Plates are small — price was a little high on the French toast. Only serve eggs poached but they were tasty. Will have to try the hash next time!
Atmosphere was so/​so. Younger crowd and loud music for a Sunday.

This is one of the last places in St. Johns that we haven’t tried, and I am so glad we did!
It can get pretty packed in here, and they are only open from 5pm to 9pm Weds– Saturday, and then 9am to 2pm for brunch on Sunday. The menu is all on the board, and they have a nice selection of cocktails to boot.
My guy and I ordered the pork hash and I had a cup of the mushroom soup.
The mushroom soup is more of a thin mushroom yogurt soup, no big chunks, in case that is what you are looking for. It was amazing however, something I will order again.
We both loved the hash with two poached eggs and bread. My guy asked for ketchup, and we both laughed as the waitress came back with a single packet of ketchup. But really, the hash didn’t need it, it was perfectly seasoned.
We saw some bloody Marys come out to the table next to us, and decided to order two. At $ 8 a piece, I would give them a pass. While they have in house made horseradish and are pretty good, they lack an sort of celery/​onion/​peppercini/​etc accompaniment, and for $ 8 aren’t quite worth it.
On a side note, the portions are very small, so order more or don’t come starving. There are a few great looking menu options I want to try, so I will come back soon.

This is the best restaurant in St Johns. Best food, best atmosphere and great staff. I just wish they were open more often.

I was very bummed when this place decided to stop serving breakfast and became more of a dinner place. But I decided to check it out (finally) for dinner. I had the gnocchi & parmesan cream with a side salad and my man had the braised beef and mash. The gnocci dish was a smaller portion than I was expecting but it was actually the perfect amount. Make sure to mix in the parm and cream sauce so all the flavors come together in all their deliciousness. I had a few bites of the braised beef and mash and it made me feel good inside. The BEST part of the entire meal was the gremolata sauce on the beef. Dear GAWD it was delicious. Apparently, this place still serves a breakfast menu for Sunday brunch, which I’m very happy to hear about. One thing I’d change here… their menus were all on chalkboards that they would deliver to your table. I’d prefer something printed out that was easier to read. I get the charm of the chalkboard menu… but let’s make it easier for the customer please? Thanks James John. You have not failed to deliver in the tastiness department.

The quality of the food at the James John Café is absolutely outstanding. I miss more breaky days, but otherwise this is my favorite place in town! Such a gem.

Wanted to give a shout out to the James John Café (downtown intersection). Not only do they have amazing food, but their staff is so friendly EVERY time. I arrived during the pouring rain last night after the Marvel 29 event with a stack of platters, unable to get into my car. I asked them where to stash them during our dinner, and half way through the first drink they announced they would have them all washed and cleaned by the time I left. TOTALLY UNEXPECTED but so lovely. Thank you. #aboveandbeyond.

Food is excellent, portions are small.
Service is horrendously slow.
I went here for a business meeting last weekend so it was ok but I would never bring my family here.

I’ve had a few bad experiences here so I won’t likely be back. The food is good, but half the time they are out of breakfast items for brunch when I’ve driven all the way from NW Portland. Plus the service is VERY VERY slow. They must cook one order at a time because it takes forever and last time I was there the portions were really small for the price. $ 14 for eggs Benedict sub sausage and your looking at $ 17 for breakfast?! Too much money for the wait. The food is good, there just needs to be more for what they are charging.

The boyfriend loves their Chai here, so we went in for brunch. Their menu is limited and rather restrictive. Eggs or bacon or sausage. What is this, the apocalypse? Why can’t we have all of it?
B/​f did enjoy their sausage (har har), but wasn’t impressed by the French toast. For my B&G, the sausage gravy was tasty but the biscuits were pretty underwhelming. At least the poached egg was executed well. All of this cost about as much as any other brunch stop, but with half the portion size. You’re not paying for superior quality of food here either, so it’s kind of a loss overall. At least the service was nice?
Oh well, at least he loves their Chai.

THIS is why I love N. Portland! The customer service here is far superior to that of anywhere downtown. The waitstaff is not pretentious and does not act like I owe them something, which is what I have grown accustomed to when eating out in Portland. It’s ridiculous.
The guy who helped us out at James John was welcoming and patient with our many questions. Very polite and attentive to our needs.
The food was perfect. I had the bacon and egg salad. It was a bed of lettuce dressed in vinaigrette with their own bacon cured in-​house, a perfectly poached egg on top and two pieces of french baguette on the side. Delightful.