Skyline Restaurant — Restaurant in Portland

Accidentally time traveled to this nostalgic drive-in diner today. It was the bee's knees. If you are in the mood for a no frills burger spot, Skyline is it. The diner has an easy going, casual atmosphere.. no muss..no fuss.. You can literally come here in your pajamas and no one will care. I could hardly believe my eyes to find a diner in the middle of the woods that has gluten free options on the menu. It is true. Soft, fluffy legit burger buns too. I got the cheeseburger, potato salad, and indulged in a cherry coke. Everything was perfect.

This place is frozen in time and serves as a reminder of days gone by. There happened to be a few beautiful classic cars parked outside that gave it an extra vintage vibe. There is booth style seating inside and a lovely covered dining area outside. The friendly servers were busy flying around feeding lots of hungry bellies. We got there early so we got a table right away, but the place filled up quickly. There was a line out the door so I have to hand it the entire staff for getting this many people fed.

I was baffled by some of the other negative reviews. It does prove that you should always give a place a try yourself before believing all the digital trash talk. In an effort to have a local spot's back, I have addressed some of those issues below.

You may read other reviews about the prices, but this place is no different than any other place in America. To be fair, prices have gone up everywhere. This local place has not been spared from inflation and cannot operate at a loss folks. If it is too costly for you, no shame. It is okay to eat somewhere better aligned with your budget, but it is not okay to rate them low based on the price of food. Don't get your poodle skirt in a twist... everything is up.

You may have also seen the post about not enough salt... you know what, there is a salt shaker right there on the table. Give that thing a little shaky shake.

As for the "cup not being pleasing" " poor food presentation" & "frowning servers" .. It is just a cup. It is a good food in a basket. Food services employees are proned to burn out. They are human beings that deserve respect. They are not paid enough to put up with abuse, judgement, or entitlement. If you want fancy smancy food and servers with fake smiles, pretending to like you so you tip them, choose a different restaurant. Or better yet, eat at home. If there is an issue, tell the staff to their face and give them a chance to make it right before blasting them on the internet. People can easily come up with a million complaints, but rarely a single solution.

No, the bathrooms nor the building are wheelchair accessible so plan accordingly. The building is old and unfortunately disabled folks were not considered during construction planning for any building in the 1930s. Ableism and lack of mindfulness from back in the day are not today's owner's fault. If the owner updated the building to ADA standards, those complaining about burger price now would pass all the way out. I am disabled but not confined to a mobility aide 24/7 so I do understand the frustration with older buildings. The good news is that there are to-go and delivery options if you are unable to visit.

If you are still reading, seriously give this place a chance. It is worth going off the beaten...

After doing some research on classic, authentic diners in the Portland area, I finally landed on Skyline Restaurant. My wife and I visited today and it was everything I'd hoped for! When we walked in, the aroma of their food was immediately tantalizing, and the environment in the diner just felt immediately warm and inviting. We sat down in a booth and only waited a couple minutes before our server came to take our order. The staff was super friendly and attentive throughout our visit.

I wanted to get the "flagship" experience so I opted for the 1/4 lb. bacon cheeseburger, fries and a mocha shake (I would have gone for the more classic chocolate malt, but hey - I needed some afternoon caffeine, so two birds, one stone 😊). Our food came out remarkably fast and it was hot, fresh and delicious. The burger bun was substantial and the grilled patty was just the right thickness. It was that classic fast food-style burger where it's not super thick, which is my preference. The bacon was lean and had just the right balance of crunch and chewiness. The cheese, sauce, fresh lettuce, tomato and pickle topped off the burger perfectly. The fries are the shoestring variety, which, again, is my personal favorite style. They were so tasty! They actually reminded me of the fries at In-N-Out, which I mean as a high compliment. The shake was super thick and was a very generous portion. Overall, the meal was exactly what I had hoped for and hit all the right notes. My wife generally embraces a vegetarian diet so she was pleased with the vegetarian and vegan options on the menu. She had the porta bella sandwich and said it was delicious, too.

I got the sense as we ate that this was a favorite spot for folks who live nearby. There was almost a small town sense of community in the restaurant. I heard a man sitting near me telling his friend he was a regular here, and I got the impression that was the case for many of the patrons there. It's awesome to know a classic, nostalgic diner like Skyline still exists and is relatively close by for us. For your classic diner comfort food like burgers, fries and shakes, plus some veggie- and vegan-friendly menu options, this is your place if you're looking for that atmosphere, service and menu. We'll definitely be back, and I'm eager to show my friends and...

Ok here goes.. First off I want to say I have NEVER written a review for any food establishment because usually I just never go back, but I felt this time was warranted 100%. Let me say maybe long ago when I was 10 maybe 15 years old, Im 25 now, Skyline Restaurant may have been considered “The best burgers in Portland”, but Im sorry to say as someone who used to believe this place had great food! That is no longer the case. I’ve followed up and read previous 1 star reviews to truly grasp how I feel and luckily there weren’t too many people who thought the same. Maybe that’s because others are the same way, they just don’t come back or don’t like the inconvenience of wasting time on a review. I don’t know. So here’s my story - I came in yesterday with my family for the first time in years and left completely disappointed 😢 I used to rave about this place but now quality of food here is just mediocre to say the least. I got a burger which was pretty good and a side of chili fries, I have to say this was the saddest excuse of “chili” I have ever seen at a restaurant with this kind of reputation. I KNOW FOR A FACT! This was a can of $1 hormel chili, it were was so watery and tasteless I couldn’t even eat half of my fries because they were beyond soggy. So I wasted $10 on that. Secondly the “chicken strips” were not even real chicken strips. They reminded me of longer chicken nuggets from burger king, LITERALLY! Don't waste your time trying them, you will be disappointed. SKYLINE. Please do better! I understand you have to jack up prices according to inflation but I want to point out that SOME of your items are made of such CHEAP ingredients, I would never recommend anyone trying them. I don't want to sound like Im trying to be a mean here, but I just don’t believe your prices align with the quality of the food being served anymore. I spent almost $70 on 2 meals, which was just too damn expensive for the long chicken nuggets, a burger, sad chili fries with 2 sodas and a salad. You guys still have the same great nostalgia, just not the same good food...