Portland Locals Line Up For These 5 Friendly Neighborhood Brunch Spots, According To Reviews

One could easily wax poetic about Portland's food scene. This Oregon city's culinary offerings are arguably on another level. The streets are lined with cafes, brewing what is perhaps some of the best coffee in the country, charming restaurants, and food cart pods, all of which welcome diners to embark on a culinary odyssey. With eateries like Langbaan, a bold Thai restaurant with creative dishes, and Pine State Biscuits, a hole-in-the-wall haven featured by Guy Fieri, there's no shortage of cuisines to try either. But Portland is also a hotspot for brunch enthusiasts, so much so that it's not uncommon to see crowds forming outside of the city's popular brunch spots. 

Those craving a late breakfast or who prefer breakfast grub for lunch don't have to look far to find a place to eat in this foodie-centric city. Don't know any locals who can show you the way? We've pored over local blogs, Portland-focused publications, and Yelp reviews to uncover five friendly neighborhood brunch spots that Portland locals line up for. 

HunnyMilk presents brunchers with a unique take on the traditional breakfast menu. As Pacific Northwest-focused blogger The Clever West Wind explained in their post on the best brunch spots in Portland, "Their menu is divided in half according to sweet, like Tres Leches French Toast or Graham Cracker Waffles, and savory, like Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy or Baked Eggs." That is, diners can get the best of both worlds at HunnyMilk. As of this writing, the restaurant charges less than $30 for a combo, including a dish from each flavor profile and a drink (such as coffee or tea). Diners can also pair their meal with a stronger beverage, like an Irish coffee, and additional sides like jalapeno hushpuppies. 

HunnyMilk has excellent reviews from Portlanders on Yelp with 4.2 stars. One Yelp reviewer wrote that, "The chicken was ... cooked to a crispy perfection on the outside but tender and juicy on the inside." Despite their unique approach to brunch, the menu is a bit limited, which means that you might want to check out their website before popping in. Previously named one of the best brunch spots in the city by Secret Portland, HunnyMilk is located in the city's Kerns neighborhood near Laurelhurst, one of America's oldest planned communities. It's open on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 

Located in Portland's Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood, Cafe Rowan was voted as the best brunch spot in the city by The Oregonian's Readers Choice Awards in 2025. This establishment features a bright contemporary space and offers dishes prepared with local ingredients. Diners can expect a small, seafood-heavy menu at Cafe Rowan, with dishes including Dungeness crab Benedict and lobster rolls. 

On Yelp, a Portland local stated that, "It was fresh, tender, briny, buttery lobster served in a warm, soft, yet crispy bun. I loved it! I only wish it were larger — it's small — but still delivers!" However, there are also items like bananas foster French toast, made with brioche and miso caramel. Sandwiches like The Dame feature maple breakfast sausage and gochujang aioli, with Eater Portland calling it one of the best breakfast sandwiches in the city. 

Despite the elevated menu items, Yelpers say that customers order their food at a counter and seat themselves. Another warned, "A quick heads-up, though — this place tends to get busy, especially on weekends for brunch, and they don't take reservations." Cafe Rowan is open from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday. 

Founded in 2002, Jam on Hawthorne is a long-standing local business with a welcoming aesthetic and diner vibes. "Expect to find the usual suspects: from breakfast wraps and scrambled eggs to egg Benedicts and huevos rancheros, there's something for everyone," wrote Antonina Pattiz, a local blogger. If you're vegetarian or vegan, this eatery, located (unsurprisingly) in Portland's Hawthorne District, has plenty of items on the menu for you too, like smoked tempeh and vegetable hash.

Prefer something sweet for brunch? Try their signature Maddie cakes, made with lemon ricotta. Jam on Hawthorne is family-friendly and also has a kids' menu for little ones. Additionally, their drinks are also coveted, more specifically their Bloody Mary, which was voted the best in Portland by Willamette Week's 2025 Best of Portland Readers' Poll. It's also worth mentioning that the restaurant was a finalist for their best brunch, as well.

Jam on Hawthorne is open from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Monday to Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Reviewers on Yelp, where the restaurant has a 4.1 rating, suggest arriving early to beat the crowds. 

Savor a taste of the American South in Portland at Screen Door. Called one of the best brunch restaurants in the city by Eater Portland, this spot dishes up Cajun fare, fried chicken, and other down-home cooking staples. "Screen Door is the place your Uber driver will tell you to go for brunch in Portland. Everybody knows about it, and chances are most have braved the legendary lines to eat there," reads a blog post from Female Foodie. Screen Door has two locations: one in Kerns and the other in the Pearl District, Portland's shopping mecca near downtown.

While the former was established first in 2006, both sites have similar vintage-inspired dining rooms with New Orleans-style vibes. Nevertheless, the main attraction is the food. Eater Portland commends their fried chicken sandwich. On the other hand, Portland-based food blogger, Marlynn Jayme Schotland, recommends the lowcountry shrimp and grits on her website, Urban Bliss Life. "You get four Gulf shrimp in a tomato-garlic sauce served over cheddar grits. It's SO good!" she said. Of course, you can't go wrong with their famed buttermilk-battered chicken served on a sweet potato waffle.

Unlike other brunch restaurants in Portland, Screen Door does accept reservations. Both locations are typically open for brunch daily from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. For bookings and updates, make sure to check out their website. Although better known for their morning and midday offerings, Screen Door is also open for dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Portland's Buckman neighborhood is packed with top-notch eateries. This includes Kann, an award-winning gem serving the state's top Caribbean food, as well as Flattop & Salamander, a brunch restaurant frequently mentioned and recommended by Redditors on the r/askportland subreddit. "The food is classic breakfast and brunch food, but made with a ton of love and attention to detail," described one Reddit reviewer. That said, the menu at this unassuming cafe might not be extensive, but it is diverse.

It features everything from baked French toast to Honduran Baleadas (a bean-filled dish that is similar to tacos) and corned beef hash. Moreover, Flattop & Salamander offers weekly specials, which they post on their Instagram. Voted as one of the best brunch spots in Portland in 2025 by The Oregonian's Readers Choice Awards, Flattop & Salamander has a 4.5 rating on Yelp. "I enjoyed how they elevate traditional diner dishes with high-quality ingredients...," wrote one Portland local on the platform.

Aside from the food, brunchers come to Flattop & Salamander for their libations, with Portland Monthly calling their Spanish coffee (a concoction made with rum, triple sec, and Kahlua) one of the best boozy brunch drinks in the city. If you dine in on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, you can get a mimosa for just $5. Flattop & Salamander is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

Portland has incredible brunch restaurants scattered throughout the city. However, for this article, we prioritized spots revered by locals, determined from sources that include posts written by Portland and Pacific Northwest bloggers like Female Foodie, Oregon Essential, The Clever West Wind, and others. We cross-referenced these with various articles from local publications like Eater Portland, Secret Portland, Portland Monthly, and The Oregonian's Readers Choice Awards.

To expand our research, we turned to the r/askportland subreddit and Yelp. Yelp typically discloses users' locations, so we searched for reviews written by individuals in Portland to gain better insight into our selections. These top-rated restaurants were consistently highlighted and acclaimed by the aforementioned sources. Additionally, we found that each establishment, all located in various Portland neighborhoods, put their own twist on brunch, earning them extra points.