Lorn and Dottie’s Luncheonette

I was surprised how long it was to order/​receive the meal, it took longer than it took to eat the meal. I felt they filled me up with coffee. It was a slow Sunday morning half of the tables filled. So as to why I was there longer than I should was irritating.
On a positive note I had ordered blueberry pancakes and they were good. But when it comes to breakfasts cafes I feel there are some with better prices, service, and quality and quantity.

Decent priced breakfast diner.

On my lunch break today I walked by Lorn and Dottie’s, and on a whim I thought I’d check it out. Plus anyplace that has Luncheonette in it’s name deserves a shot. It was 1 PM on a weekday… and the place was dead. Not such a good sign in downtown that is crawling with people on lunch breaks looking for a good bite to eat. The service was incredible, I’ll just get that out of the way. Totally friendly and on it with refilling drinks and food recommendations.
I ordered the recommended eggs benedict — I figured a classic for any breakfast joint. Unfortunately, the hashbrowns were what tasted like a 1.5″ microwaved slab of frozen shredded potatoes straight out of the Cisco box. Yikes. I took two bites and knew there was no saving these poor little potatoes. The benedict wasn’t bad, but nothing to write home about.
It seems like this place is a good go-​to place for office workers upstairs who order to-​go and don’t want to leave the building. What this means for the rest of us, only time will tell.

Eggs were overcooked, potato pancake was a mushy congealed gutbuster. Cornbread was OK, but they cooked it on the flattop in the back, so it was soaked in cooking oil.

Like at least one other reviewer, we ended up at Lorn and Dottie’s because Mother’s was closed. At the time, that seemed like a tragedy, but it wasn’t.
First of all: no wait. How great is that? We were the only people there at 10:30 on a Monday. By the time we left, though, several other tables were happily munching away.
Second of all, the service was outstanding. I drank WAY too much coffee because my cup kept being magically refilled. I’m talking serious caffeine jitters. An awesome problem to have when the aforementioned coffee is delicious.
Next up: the menu. The prices and portions were surprisingly reasonable.
One of us had a traditional plate of egg with some sides. Don’t do it. It was fine but not spectacular. However, everything else we had was great.
One of us had a Greek scramble. Yum. It was light and surprisingly piquant due to the capers and olives. One of us had a dish that I am troubled by, because it was great and I can’t remember its name. Shocking, I know. But it was eggs baked in a dish over spinach and mushrooms with a creamy sauce. Whatever it was, order it, and make sure to get the side of jalapeño cornbread, so you can sop up all that delicious creamy sauce. Actually, whatever dish you get, order the jalapeño cornbread. Even the non-​cornbread-​lovers amongst us loved it. Your other bread option, by the way, is a nice banana bread. No wimpy white toast here.
The booths are comfortable, and the décor pleasantly retro.
So, all in all, a pleasant experience, and one that I will be delighted to repeat.

I expected more from Lorn and Dottie’s. My breakfast wasn’t bad but really nothing that I’ll be craving to come back for. My yeast waffle was only slighty above average, my thick cut bacon over cooked.
The coffee and service was outstanding.
Lorn and Dottie’s Luncheonette is a solid 3 stars for breakfast.

2.5 stars. Warm potatoes are not HASHBROWNS. Don’t rush hashbrowns, they are to be crispy and golden brown! Portland Roasting coffee, very good and Kim from Rhode Island very charming ;) I came here because Mothers and Fullers were closed. I’d come again, it was okay enough.

Having lived here 18 months, we’ve finally found our new best breakfast/​brunch place. Friendly staff, cozy booths, delightful food. Don’t miss the banana-​and-​pecan hotcakes; even the pedestrian ham-​and-​cheese omelette is one of the best I’ve had anywhere. Toasted cornbread is a real treat. We’re so happy to have a home for breakfast!

We are very picky and had an outstanding culinary experience today sharing a beautiful bowl of pink grapefruit, homemade apple sauce that you could eat with a fork, and my husband loved the yeast waffle – spread that apple sauce all over. Meanwhile I totally enjoyed a veggie scramble and potato pancake, which in my opinion is tough to do right, and corn bread that had jalapeño included and then was pan fried. Not greasy but browned. I don’t enjoy super spicy food and really liked this corn bread. I believe there is something for everybody as my husband tried some of the pig and said it was well-​done and also non-​greasy.
Forget waiting down the block at Mothers, come over to Lorn and Dottie’s!

Quick note to the «Lorn and Dottie”/owners: Please keep in mind that I REALLY wanted to enjoy eating here. I really did. And it pains me to leave such a dismal review. Even now, I want to give you the benefit of a doubt and believe that this past Sunday was just one of those «bad» days for business, be it you were understaffed or just not on top of your game. I’d probably even be willing to give you a second chance if I should visit Portland again, but whats fact is fact and the fact is I was very underwhelmed with my experience eating here. Hopefully after reading this review, you’ll better understand. Unilocal exists to look out for prospective patrons like myself, but think of this review as me looking out for you guys.
So, the boyfriend and I walked in on a whim because the wait at Mother’s Bistro down the street was 45 minutes to an hour. We didn’t see a waiting line at Lorn and Dottie’s, and the reviews seemed to be a-​okay, so we thought, be it a spontaneous alternative, we’d at least be saving time and still get a decent meal out of it. WRONG.
First off, after seating ourselves, we waited almost 15 minutes to order. True, it was relatively crowded (far from packed though) and roughly 25 minutes til closing time (they’re open 9 am to 1 pm), but still didn’t seem reasonable enough to take so long to even acknowledge our presence. Sadly, that wasn’t even the worst of it. After putting in our order, we waited OVER AN HOUR before our food even started to be prepared. The girl serving coffee seemed nice enough and was very good at making sure our cups stayed topped off throughout our annoyingly long wait, but our server who took our order didn’t once stop by our table to check on us or offer an explanation as to why our food was taking forever and a day, despite the fact that the restaurant was officially closed by that point. I don’t think she even glanced at us once in the 5,000 times she zoomed past us. Way to feel like the Hollow Man. Now, I am an incredibly patient person, but damn, this was starting to really grind my gears. After 40+ minutes of waiting (and approximately six cups of coffee later), the bf and I seriously considered getting our bill for the pot of coffee we drank and just leaving the restaurant all-​together. Growing more irate and hungry by the minute, it seemed as though our waitress finally picked up on our agitation and said to us, «Your food will be out in a minute, guys.» Then we saw her ask one of the two cooks if they started on our order. He shot her a dumbfounded look… not a good sign. Just a few minutes later, our food FINALLY was laid out in front of us. After waiting so bloody long, you’d hope the food would taste phenomenal and justify the excruciating wait… but tragically, no. In fact, I believe its safe to say it was just not good. It was pretty dang obvious that the cooks rushed thru our meals like crazy. The cheese on my omelet was half melted. The mushrooms were firm and bland. The pork tasted a little on the raw side. The banana bread, which I was looking forward to, was just okay. Kinda dry and not as flavorful as I had fantasized.
Perhaps the lackluster taste of the food was due to us hurriedly plowing thru our meals to catch up on the sacred sight-​seeing time we just lost, or perhaps it was due to our irritation canceling out our appetite in the process, but we left feeling regretful and like we should have just waited for a table at Mother’s after all. Certainly, we would have had a more memorable dining experience there. And all for good reasons.

I walked by here last week. I walked inside here yesterday. If I see a sign that says luncheonette on it, I want to know what they are cooking up inside.
Why didn’t I order breakfast? I absolutely need to do that on my next visit. Lunch was fine, but nothing spectacular. Now that I’m looking at pictures people posted for various breakfast items, I know what meal I will be ordering when I come back. I will come back.
First off, the service was very friendly. I ordered a tuna melt sandwich ($ 7.95) which came with a choice of soup (chicken gumbo or clam chowder on this day) or salad. I decided to go with the salad. Mixed greens with a balsamic vinaigrette. The cook forgot to put cucumbers on it and came out with a few slices on a plate and apologized. Unnecessary, but appreciated. When I got my sandwich the woman behind the counter grabbed it from the window and placed it in front of me, but there was no pickle slice. The cook called her Speedy Gonzalez and a pickle came to me on a separate plate.
The tuna melt was quite good. It came on wheat bread (or white if you want) and had an interesting relish on it. Added another dimension to a pretty standard sandwich.
I think breakfast is the way to go here and I will get back to you with a review on that meal the next time I get in here. When people talk about potato pancakes and the best banana bread ever, I’m not quite sure what I was thinking when I placed my order here.

Breakfast is wonderful. Yuki will amnd the ingredients and serves up right every time. Very good food for the price.

I love the breakfasts here. The food is more than reasonably priced and tastes amazing. The servers do a great job. I highly recommend the Banana Pecan pancakes.

Where’s the gum-​smacking, cat’s-eye-glasses-wearing, beehive-​hair-​netting, support-​hose-​drooping waitress I was expecting at a place with this kind of kitschy name? A luncheonette, no less. Gee and no one called me «Hon».
Lorn & Dottie’s Luncheonette is like a slower-​paced version of Fuller’s Coffee Shop… much…slower. Maybe that’s because I was here at 7 in the fricking AM in order for Jamie W. and I to leave for the airport later that morning. The waitress — the only one in the whole place — had a great smile and came quickly with the coffee.
It’s an art deco treasure in there. Beautiful drop lamps. Dark wood booths that are truly private. In fact, the vintage décor was the best part of the experience. The food, on the other hand, was rather mediocre. I had the $ 8.95 Two Eggs/​Canadian Bacon/​Potato Pancakes combo plate, which came with their jalapeño cornbread. The scrambled eggs were a bit rubbery and needed a major dousing of Tabasco to bring them to life. The potato pancakes were especially dry, though I ladled up the applesauce on top of each bite. I did like the cornbread, and how can you go wrong with Canadian bacon?
Jamie had the $ 8.95 Greek Scrambler, which looked more appetizing with its mix of feta, olives and spinach in the eggs. I cam upon this place the same way I found Fuller’s — through that eight-​year-​old book, «Portland Cheap Eats». I have to admit this one is a slight miss. Better to wait in line at Fuller’s if you want a truly hearty breakfast.
FOOD — 3 stars… OK breakfast, wanted more flavor and pizazz
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… the period décor is very cool
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… the waitress smiled when she came by, which wasn’t very often
TOTAL — 3 stars… there are better places in Portland to get a similarly priced breakfast like Mother’s or Fuller’s

Extremely nice waitress greeted us here around 7am the other day. I loved the looks of the place, very classic.
I ordered a greek scramble that included feta, olives, and other this and thats in egg. On the side, I got the Jalapeño corn bread. It tasted fine … lotsa flavor in that egg scramble.
They have potato pancakes, but no hash browns or homestyle potatoes as a side. Hmm…
The price seemed a bit high though … $ 8.50 (or was it $ 8.95?) for eggs and a couple of pieces of jalapeño corn bread. At $ 6.50, I’d give them 4 stars.

Remember how in my ‘One See’s Chocolate Lollypop’ review how few things could bring a grown woman to. what was it? Oh yes, ‘one bended knee’. Alright, well. add Lorn & Dotties (yes, them specifically) Banana Pecan Pancakes to that list.
Order yerself a full stack o’ these cakes. DO NOT short yourself and get the half order. The bananas and pecans are BAKED INTO the pancakes– not on top, folks. I’m generally NEVER impressed with breakfast and this place changed my outlook on the first meal of the day FO– EVA!
The greek eggs are good too, as well as the sweet breads selection. Good coffee, nice eggs, the usual.
The waitresses are sweet. a bit too sweet, but that’s ok. The place gets busy, but it’s spacious and cute (old diner style), and it works.
So. this list. we’ve got chocolate, cheese, shoes, Johnny Depp, one See’s Chocolate Lollypop and a full stack of banana pecan pancakes. Sounds about right.