The Daily Cafe
503.242.1916
902 NW 13th ave
Portland 97209

Busy little concrete cube

Our first option was going to be Morningstar Cafe but it was gutted and in the middle of an apparent remodel so after circling downtown a few times we drew from the magic hat of Siri and ended up at The Daily Cafe off 13th & Kearney. Parking once again was remarkably easy and there were only about 4 entries on the list ahead of us. After about 25 minutes we were seated at the end of a long communal table and greeted warmly by Shelly who you’d swear was a retired kindergarten teacher based upon her cheery demeanor and Captain Crunch earrings. The menu contained the typical breakfast fare of eggs & bacon but being adventurous I opted for Foursquare recommended & Sam Adams approved Garden Hash with poached eggs and coffee, Carly chose a safer option of Oatmeal & Orange juice. The interior of “The Daily” is a combination of industrial with warm touches of nature and bright floral accents with a few large colorful art pieces. Shelly had offered to use the prix fixe offering for our breakfast so that we would also get a sampling of breakfast pastries before our meal.
Our breakfast selections arrived shortly after we polished off the 2 scones & mini muffin that preceded it. The meals looked delicious and tasted quite good as well. My winter vegetable hash contained carrots, potatoes, chard, rutabaga (which I just realized was misspelled on their menu & Brussels sprouts topped with two poached eggs. I don’t know if I’ve ever had so many vegetables I avoided as a youth together for one meal but I was less underwhelmed by the collection of flavors, I also wish it had been accompanied by a piece of bacon or a slice of toast but this isn’t Denny’s. I was proud of myself for trying something new but should have chosen the frittata which occupied many tables as I looked around. Carly’s steel cut oatmeal was decent and cane with raisins, brown sugar, milk and some nuts to sprinkle in which were a special request Carly made to Shelly. All told a good location with a nice atmosphere and warm welcoming service.

GALLERY