Itās a big moment for Portland brunch. From a new food cart slinging the best breakfast tacos in town to Portland stalwarts finally tackling that Sunday morning rush, here are five new brunch spots that should be on your AM itinerary.
Mattās BBQ Tacos
Matt Vicedomini is a straight hustler. For those keeping score, this is the second time this month his barbecue has graced this food page. This time Iām repping his new barbecue taco cart at Southeast 32nd and Hawthorne, and specifically, his breakfast tacos.
The flour tortillas that hug the eggs, potatoes, and barbecue are made in-cart, with lard. They are the very best tortillas in the city: pliant with just a few bubbles and a perfect pull-to-chew ratio. Breakfast tacos are served until 11 am (with regular barbecue tacos served ātil 7 pm) for $3.50 and up. Vicedominiās champion brisket is the best choice, but donāt miss the migas taco, available all day and packed with tortilla chips, eggs, beans, and guac.
Vegetarians and gluten-free folk arenāt missing out, either: Matt āimportsā corn tortillas from Little Conejo, which shares a cart pod with the original Mattās BBQ in North Portland, and the smoked mushroom topping is juicy and great.
3207 SE Hawthorne, Wed-Sun, breakfast tacos 8-11 am, regular menu 11 am-7 pm
Fried Egg Iām in Love
Any place that names a sandwich Yolko Ono has my heart forever. Now that this quintessential breakfast sandwich spot has moved to a brick-and-mortar space just up Hawthorne from its old cart (now home to Mattās BBQ Tacos), Fried Egg Iām in Love is showing what itās really about. Prices are still super reasonable: $4.50-$9.75 for mains, with vegan Just Egg available for a bit extra.
FEIIL, as they call it, also has a fryer now, providing $2 hash brown patties that blow McDās out of its greasy paper sack (you can also add them to any sandwich). The $9 Al Greens, a salad with two sunny-side-up eggs, parmesan, and a slice of toast, is satisfying without being a gut bomb. As spring rains hang on, itās nice to sip a mimosa inside their sunny yellow walls rather than scarfing a sando on the sidewalk.
3549 SE Hawthorne, 8 am-4 pm daily
Tasty n Daughters
This successor restaurant to Tasty n Sons is largely the sameāwith the addition of a few instant morning classics.
Old favorites like the shakshuka and potato donuts are still on the menu, but owner John Gorhamās globe-trotting tastes have brought in a few more geographical gems. Iām a big fan of ordering brunch items for the table, and the new Pide Turkish Breakfast Pizza ($14) is made for sharing. A boat of dough is twisted on both ends and topped with feta, eggplant, red peppers, and onion, while a just-runny baked egg oozes richness over the whole shebang.
The revamped former Woodsman Tavern space is bright and sleek, and the new location has far more space, including a bar next door for waiting out the inevitable brunch line. Tasty n Sons was already Portland canon; itās heartening to see the Gorhams keep tweaking perfection.
4537 SE Division, brunch 9 am-2:30 pm daily
Bullard
After getting comfy with lunch and dinner service, chef/owner Doug Adams hung his shingle on weekend mornings, and immediately improved the central cityās brunch outlook.
Bullardās taken a few hits for being spendy, but a table of two can walk out stuffed for under $20 each. The signature plate is smothered hash browns ($14): think breakfast totchos but barbecue. Topped with brisket-filled Texas red, dollops of sour cream, guacamole, pickled jalapeƱo, and a sunny-side-up egg, itās a whole lotta breakfast. Share a plate of perfect flapjacks ($10) with warm maple syrup and salted butter.
Bloody Mary pickle skewers ($5) and a pull-apart croissant with orange glaze and hazelnuts ($11) go oh-so-well with a cup of coffee from Good, located in the adjacent lobby. Get a reservation (bless) and tuck ināMotherās Day is May 12, yāall.
813 SW Alder, brunch 10 am-3 pm Sat & Sun, reservations accepted
St. Jack
St. Jackās chef/owner Aaron Barnett will readily admit heās not a fan of breakfast food, but this only makes his take on the formatālaunched last month on Sundays onlyāmore nuanced than tired scrambles.
Crepes Suzette ($14) arrive tableside with orange slices and whipped ricotta before being set ablaze with Grand Marnierāwho else is doing that at 10 am? The French pride themselves on omelettes ($13) and St. Jack does them honorably, serving a perfect cloud of fluffy egg garnished with gruyĆØre cheese and herbs, made better with fresh crab ($4).
While $11 may seem extravagant for a cinnamon roll, the towering spiral of brioche is a monumental bakery achievement. Avoiding the usual cinnamon roll problems of being too dry or too sweet, St. Jackās roll has maple syrup and calvados caramel with a fat dollop of cream cheese icing, served warm and gooey on the inside. Sacrebleu!
1610 NW 23rd, Sunday brunch 10 am-2 pm, reservations accepted
