The Portage Bay Cafe

The Portage Bay Café is a busy breakfast place on the western edge of the U-district specializing in organic foods and fair trade items. Located at Roosevelt Ave NE and NE 42nd street.


She said: We have been here 3 or 4 times in the past. Because we always have two people eating, we are always seated in the main, front section of the restaurant. Apparently there is a secret back room for large parties (every time I'm waiting for my table, I witness the larger parties being escorted back to this room), but I have never seen it.

There is always a wait at this place because it is SO GOOD. We thought that since we got there at 8:30am (and we're usually not there until at least 10am) there wouldn't be a wait. Wrong. Anyway, I love everything about this restaurant. I love the fact that they use all organic and fair trade foods. I love their coffee. I love their "breakfast bar," even though I have never used it. *The breakfast bar is a toppings bar for your french toast or pancakes. They have enormous bowls of every kind of fruit imaginable, whipped cream, butter, syrup, etc. It is a major draw for those who like french toast and pancakes for breakfast.*

I ordered a Chicken-Sausage scramble (because I like eggs for breakfast, not pancakes/french toast) and substituted out the potatoes for fresh fruit. It was delicious. Yummy in my tummy. Their coffee mugs are enormous and I think I drank about 24 oz. of their fantastic coffee. This is probably my favorite place to have breakfast in Seattle. The only "negative" is the wait (which they obviously have no control over and which they handle quite beautifully - their host does a great job). A.

He said: Neat place. There's a crew boat hung from the ceiling, ohmage to the fact that they are close to the water and the university's boathouse. The wait is always long, partially because its the only breakfast place in a several block radius which also contains several hotels, chock full of people visiting the university from out of town for one reason or another, and partially because this place is really good. I did take advantage of the breakfast bar, and had two fat pancakes covered in fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and fresh made whip cream. The coffee is good and the mugs are oversize (the best way to improve on good coffee is to have more of it.) This place also has great pepper-bacon. A little bit pricier than some of the other breakfast places we frequent, but still well worth it. A.