honeycuspe — Restaurant in Portland

I’m only giving a 2 star review bc I own small businesses and I truly believe the only way we can improve our business is with honest customer feed back. This place has no website or phone number to contact so there is no way to know what is on the menu or price points besides customer reviews which are too old for accuracy. $14 a year ago and $16 five months ago. And now $18. And I am very aware of the rapid increase in COG’s over the past years so I’m not faulting that. That being said, I also understand not having a phone number to avoid overwhelming calls during busy hours and it’s a food cart right so we are all used to the inconsistencies. But also, if you plan to charge $18 for a thin waffle and a fried chicken breast and the only menus available reflect lower prices then some effort could be made to be more transparent to customers. Not to mention Screen Door offers a much better portion with years of consistent quality for ¢.70 more. I don’t have any problem paying good money for quality food but there will be realistic expectations.

Food - Can’t lie, pretty good. You can taste the quality of the ingredients. The waffle has great flavor and texture but like I said it’s a little on the thin side so it doesn’t hold up well under the hot heavy chicken and doesn’t portion well together. I season pretty heavily so the chicken could use more for my liking but it was cooked well and the breading was nice and crispy. The Pave potato’s were quite the surprise. Not something you usually find on a food truck menu. However they were pretty overcooked so I couldn’t enjoy at least half of them.

The issue I have here is really with the experience. It was my first time so after arriving and seeing the classic chicken and waffles priced at $18 I explored the rest of the menu and found that I could order a waffle for $5 and fried chicken for $9.50. I inquired about the difference between ordering the classic or just ordering the 2 items separately. I asked what the difference was, more waffle, more chicken, what? I was told that there is no difference really but if people try to order them separate then we just charge them for the classic at $18. I rebuttal with the obvious issue at hand and was told that’s just how we do it here. I’m not sure if that’s how he meant to say it but those were his exact words. So even though 2 separate items would use more packaging and increase overhead it is still advertised as cheaper but they will simply charge you an extra $3.50 for absolutely nothing regardless. All I’m saying here is the educated consumer is going to feel scammed and during such a difficult economic time for everyone it’s just a bad look. I would have walked away right then but didn’t have time to find another place for breakfast and I’ve been wanting to try this place for some time now. And honestly just as a piece of advice, if a customer inquires about why it feels like they’re being ripped off you might want to just make something up, like you are still trying to update your menu’s pricing or something. Simply agreeing that you are going to scam me with a straight face with no logical reason given just feels...

Honeycuspe is simply phenomenal. I heard about this place when reviewing lists of best food carts in Portland on the way here, and I was simply amazed. I brought my dad and my two kids here here-- and my dad is really picky (we're lifelong new yorkers). The pod is AMAZING they have a full bar which helps pass the time, a trendy seating area, indoor lounge, and a rooftop deck with skyline views of the whole city. They have games like cornhole, connect four, Jenga and basketball which my kids LOVE (it can be hard for them to wait.) The service I received was excellent-- especially the guy with the glasses he was absolutely delightful, he recommended us excellent items and even complimented my outfit. My kids loved this place, we planned to get takeout but decided to order for here so we could take in the atmosphere. It was so fun and lively even in the middle of a weekday. The fire pits and covered seating area keeps the rain at bay. If you're visiting portland DON'T SKIP THESE WAFFLES. I ordered just a basic waffle with whip cream and blueberries and it was the best waffle I ever had. My dad got the breakfast waffle with bacon and I could tell he liked it because it was gone in seconds. My kids loved it because there are so many choices for sweet toppings for them (and they kept changing their mind). The staff is also great about accomodating special requests and also clearly communicated the wait times. Although it took 15 minutes I could see that they were getting doordash orders as well as using beepers so I could see the line of tickets of people in front of us (even though people weren't waiting.) It's definitely reasonable and worth it for food like this. And the presentation of the items we ordered was simply GORGEOUS. 10/10 would come back again. whoever decided to build this pod clearly had a vision for fun and their social media presence is also really well managed...

I watched a very popular food YouTuber recommend this location in one of their videos and they specifically called out the waffles and the pav potatoes. We ordered the Classic Savory Waffle with Buttermilk fried chicken, the Strawberry-Lemon Compote Waffle with fresh whipped cream, and the Pav Potatoes which if you don't know are thinly layered potato slices formed into a cube, baked and fried, served with ketchup and chives. I think the stand out for me was the fried chicken; it was juicy, crispy, tender, and the portion size was exactly what I would hope for. I do wish they had the option for a gravy because that would've set it over the top for me personally. But regardless, if I were to come back it would be for this fried chicken. That said if you're more of a sweet person, their waffles are PERFECT for the saucy sweet fruity dish that we tried. The waffles are almost like a fluffy crepe, they are so airy and light, and soak up the sweet sauces really well. I definitely think the waffles suit the sweeter dish in my opinion. The only real let down was the potatoes. They felt overcooked, under-seasoned, and I think could benefit from more of a savory note, whether it's butter, or something more umami. It kind of just tasted like plain potato that was a little burnt. Overall a good experience but I was surprised to find that what I thought was their hero dish was a let down, and their mains exceeded my...