Junior's Cafe — Restaurant in Portland

Sipping my coffee while I write this review...

I just left Juniors with my family. We've been loyal customers since early 2000's. Guess what? I am not coming back.

Here's why:

The moment I came in the blonde hair waitress tells me I am in her way (it wasn't that busy) as I stood by the tall table by window looking at window while family waited in car. I moved for her to clean table and said sorry. She then cleaned table and I thought she was done so I stood next to it, not really in way. She came back to set forks on it and told me with such sass "you are really determined to be in my way."

Ok... "Oh sorry I thought you were done."

She seated two people. That's fine. It's just her abruptness and lacking of kindness that was alarming.

Next stage..

They have the door wide open and its 60 degrees... We have a 2 year old who started shaking. We can see each other's breaths. I ask waitress if they can close the door. Abruptly she says "no the chef is hot" and walks away.

Ok... Maybe the owner can fix this with better ventilation without the comfort expense of their guests? I go to car to get jackets I'm glad we had.

I then order something I never tried before, biscuits with gravy and two eggs. No where on the menu does it say it has pork in it. When it comes out and I bite into it (I don't eat meat, just eggs) I am appalled to discover I just ate pork.

They were kind and understanding to take a reorder for me. One thing I observe about them is that they rush you when they take your order and quick to leave instead of pausing for a moment and making sure we are done. We were not done ordering and they just walk away... I understand they are trying to keep up with their pace... However it makes things harder for them by not having that pause and making sure everyone is satisfied. They just are so itching to move and take your menu and go go go!

They were pretty conservative about checking in with us... As in hardly. I got one refill on coffee. When we are leaving I ask for a to go cup. Is that wrong?

The brown hair waitress brings me one but doesn't bother to offer to fill it up... There was hardly any left in my cup.

I got up and came to blonde waitress and asked her if I could have coffee in the to go cup. I saw her talk with other waitress and noticed they rolled their eyes.

She came up and then what happens next floored me for its ranking in all time customer service rudeness I've experienced....

"This coffee is really expensive and we don't normally do this but you guys were sweet so just this one time." She says as she poor's coffee into my to go cup...

(I take a sip of that shaming coffee after spending $57)

Really? Are you so poverty conscious?? You got a decent tip and a full table. We weren't there very long either. It's a normal thing for people to take a to go cup.

By the way my son was perfectly healthy when we got there and when we left, because it was so needlessly cold, he now has a fever ( despite bundling him up).

Finally, as being a customer for years I notice that the quality of the food has decreased as well as the kind service. I guarantee you... I'm not coming back.

Thank you...

(Sipping that sassy guilt...

03/07/20:  3.85 out of 5 - I came here with my Saturday Running Group.  We've been to Junior's Cafe many times.  Just haven't gotten around to doing a proper review.

The Business The location isn't much to look at.  It's a small location and somewhat off the beaten path.  It is an old space that looks like a house in Portland.  It's not as clean and kept as it could be.  I have a thing for poorly maintained vents in any restaurant.  Therefore, Junior's Cafe can do with some cleaning with the vents. Scored:  2.5 out of 5.

The Staff The friendliness and attentiveness of the staff have always seemed to be great.  Always nice and accommodating.  The staff seems to go above and beyond each time I have eaten here. Scored:  4.75 out of 5.

The Food I had ordered the Hot Whole Oat Cereal with Fruits and Nuts.  There's not much to say about it except that it was very tasty. Scored:  4.75 out of 5.

The Bathroom This may seem to be a funny thing to rate, but the bathroom in any restaurant/eatery should ALWAYS BE CLEAN and in tip top condition and working order...ALWAYS.  Unfortunately, Junior's bathroom is small.  More like a Water Closet, and it's pretty dirty.  Not sure it could be better, but... Scored:  2.5 out of 5.

The Price Fortunately for Junior's Cafe, the prices seem fair for a brunch spot in Portland, Oregon.  Keep it low and fair, and the patrons will keep coming back. Scored:  4.75 out of 5.

I have only come in to Junior's Cafe with my running group, so more than likely I will coming back for more.  I will update this review accordingly.  If you are in the area and finding yourself wanting a good meal at fair prices then give Junior's Cafe a try.  I hope your experience is as good as mine.

As I always say, try it out once and decide for...

I've had some great experiences here over the years. My most recent visit might be my last. I'll try to be brief... We showed up and had our name put on the list, and told 30min. No problem. Went and got a coffee and came back after about 25 min, a table that was empty 25 min earlier was still empty and we were seated there. About 20 min of zero contact or acknowledgement followed. Eventually we get menus and waters and try to order Bloody Marys. The response was 'sorry we are out of vodka.' No offer of anything else! Like, I want to buy booze from you! As a former server this blew my mind. We waited another few to order while a table that arrived after us was already taken care of (to be fair, in a different section). After we placed our order we didn't see our server again for about 25min at which point they asked us if we were chillin. Then walked away. No update on the food, no offer of drink menu..nothing. after another 30 of no contact or updates we left, something that has never felt right to me but this time it really did. Overall about 2 hours of our morning gone. We went to food carts and got a delicious meal in like 10...