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Categories: Vegetarian, Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Southeast Portland, Central EastsideMon-Sun. 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
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I loved this place!! We took some out of town friends here for breakfast Saturday and everyone left happy. The food was delicious! I got the scramble special with smoked salmon, cream cheese and dill. AMAZING! The bread they use for the toast was yummy too.
Everyone was happy with their food and couldn't stop raving about how delicious everything was. The prices were fair too.
The only downside is that it's kinda hard to find if you've never been there before. And parking is street parking near the Hawthorne District.
I'd definitely go back here!
I will never go back to Juniors because It took forever to be seated, there was nowhere to wait except outside in the rain, and it took a long long time to get my food.
My biggest complaint? Well to top it off, Some poor couple who had their own reasons (I'm sure) was chased out (I kid you not) on to the front sidewalk and yelled at by the owner of the restaurant for failing to tip. She did this in front of several customers who were also waiting to be seated.
Appalling! I shall not be back.
The moral to my story? If you go to Juniors, you'd better be prepared to tip no matter what. If not, you'd better hotfoot it away from there before the owner catches up to you and makes a scene. Unbelievable!
I wanted to try out this cafe for a reeaaallly long time before actually getting around to it and my experience didn't disappoint my expectations (for the most part).
All in all, the food was really good. The portions were HUGE. So, if you're intimidated by the prices, don't worry too much. The quantity of food you get is definitely worth it. The tofu scrambles here, for example, are tasty and plentiful, and the sides are generous too.
There was, however, an issue with our order when we got the check. My friend ordered eggs with a few sides, including sausage. The wording on the menu stated that you can get the eggs with sausage "and" whatever other item was listed. When we got the check with an extra $3.50 charged to us for the sausage, we came to understand that the "and" should have been an "or". It's a simple wording mistake, but it makes a big difference. And that difference resulted in spending more money than we planned.
Also, $3.50 for two skinny sausage links is pretty pricey.
Juniors is like my dream diner come true. It's hard to find a place like this in Minneapolis.
The potato and scrambler plates are huge, so if you've a small appetite, it's probably best to split it with someone else. Or you can have them again for lunch or dinner. I had the fennel and leek potatoes. It was delicious, but a lot of potatoes. My boyfriend ordered the french toast, and declared them tasty. I hate french toast, so I will take his word for it.
Decor was cute without being too twee or kitschy. Since the place is so small, the service is excellent.
If I'm in Portland again, I would definitely make a trip back to Juniors.
Everything I heard and read about it and more! I got the vegan french toast topped with fruit. I'm not a vegan, but after reading the reviews on here, I knew I had to try it. It tasted like french toast, but the fruit was what sold me. It was all perfectly ripe and sweet. Awesome. My boyfriend got the Greek potato dish. It was very tasty, and big enough for two meals (he took half of it home).
The decor was eclectic, service was good, and wait time was minimal. Definitely will be back for more!
Hooray for vegan breakfasts! To kick off the day, my PDX friend Sarah planned a trip to Juniors Cafe. There was no wait and we were seated right as we came in. Our waitress was a helpful, bubbly young lady who made sure we had everything we needed and was very chatty when she realized I was visiting from LA. My kind of waitress!
I orderd the vegan french toast, obviously. I say obviously because everyone loves french toast but it is entirely unvegan, so of course if I'm gonna have a vegan breakfast I'm going to want something one of a kind. I also had to get a side order of potatoes because, well, I love breakfast 'taters. French toast was epic, but the potatoes left me a little disappointed. Isn't it the worst when a vegan place can't get something simply and inherently vegan like potatoes right? It was a real downer when I bit into my first potato nugget and found it undercooked. If they can fix the potato problem they get a five star rating from me, easily.
Oh, and let me mention of the coffee. The coffee here was so fresh, so delicious, so perfect, that I ended up drinking a little too much and was reasonably wired for the rest of the afternoon.
Juniors is definitely worth a return visit when I'm back in Portland!
The Everly Brothers taunted Little Susie to wake the hell up...
The Beatles tried to convince us that love can't be bought...
Jackson 5 desperately wanted their girl back (while Michael secretly pined for Macaulay Culkin, I'm sure)...
And Buddy Holly proclaimed his love for Peggy Sue in that cheerful way only that bespectacled crooner can...
All this happened between the time my friendly, cute-as-a-button waitress took my order and eventually delivered it. Fairly quickly, I thought. So was her coffee refills, which I greatly appreciated. I was suffering from a headache (pronounced 'hangover') and the coffee and eggs were just what I needed.
Their 'Omar Scramble' is hearty and flavorful, each bite delivering a jolt of the Mediterranean from the mustard seed, scallions, and mushrooms. The only thing that would've completed the illusion is the substitution of feta for the cheddar cheese that it came with. But it was still quite tasty albeit a touch lukewarm in temperature. I also appreciated the choice between breakfast potatoes and apple sauce (I chose the latter), and the toasted slice of rye had just the right amount of butter to give it that familiar glaze without getting it soggy mid-meal.
My post-Friday night breakfast was going great until a little tyke two booths away started acting up, screaming at the top of his lungs, demanding that he be carried and toted in-and-out of the restaurant, and not be relegated to his high chair. (His little sister thankfully did not follow his cue, and simply stuffed into her tiny mouth whatever she was allowed to grab.)
[What is it with me and annoying kids seeming to always be in the same room? Wait, are the kids taking over the planet?]
So, instead of leisurely enjoying each bite, hanging a bit longer at the not-too-busy joint, poring over Lisey's Story, while enjoying a refilled cup, I hastily ate up my food, paid my bill, and left. (BTW, they charge $0.75 more for plastic transactions, so bring some cashola.)
This was my third visit to Juniors and each one has been A-OK. I'll keep coming back for reliable breakfast fare-- annoying kid or no.
While the food is decent at Juniors, the shitty pretentious hipster service here makes a stronger impression. When I walked in on a Thursday mid day I got attitude from the get go. No response when I said hi, a water pitcher plopped on the table with no glasses, and just plain unpleasantness. I don't understand why a waiter would be so put out to take food orders, whether they need the tip or not. There are far too many great breakfast places in Portland to frequent where the wait staff are nice.
The thing you have to understand about Junior's is: it's a dive cafe. We've been regulars here for about 6 years and seen pretty much the whole staff and ownership change. Fortunately, the food is still great, greasy, and ginormous.
Since we are old and boring, we usually don't need to worry about the long waits and "hair of the dog" aspects. The best time to go on weekends (if you can get up in time) is before 9 am. You'll get unlimited coffee refills, be assured a table, and the friendly staff will actually have time to chat with you.
There are things about Junior's that have been better, and also some that were worse. The interior has gotten a LOT better. The potatoes, not so much. Over all though, it's still one of our favorite breakfast spots and if they don't quite know us by name after all this time, we still always feel welcome and definitely full.
One little secret about Junior's, though. There's some sort of magic combination of their food and coffee that will make you NEED a bathroom within 20 minutes of leaving. Guaranteed.
The BF and I had a gift certificate to Junior's floating around, so we figured we'd go in (finally).
We were second on the waiting list for a table - no biggie, except the place was smallish and cramped, so we ended up waiting outside for our table so as to stay out from under foot of the service staff. We were seated in about 20 minutes, which wasn't too bad, and looked over the menu. The items sounded delish, and we were both agonizing over the choices. Finally, he decided upon the Texas Scramble, and I went with the Migas scramble.
About 45 minutes later, after suffering through way too much Black Sabbath played way too loud, breakfast finally arrived. It's worth noting that the place isn't -that- big, and there's just no way it should have taken nearly that long to get food out. Getting a refill on a cup of coffee was a chore.
When we finally got the food, it was good but not stupendous. What they lacked in quality, they made up in quantity. Everything seemed a little bland on my plate, so I spiced it up with some Aardvark sauce. The toast was cold, the eggs were anything but fluffy, and the potatoes? Well, the BF liked them, but I'm fairly certain I can do better myself. I wasn't impressed.
All in all, unless we end up with another gift certificate, I don't think we'll be going back. There are too many other breakfast places in town with creative menus and better music selections to warrant spending money there.
Juniors is the place to take people from out of town, to experience a cute lil pdx breakfast in a cute lil pdx place. The prices are on the high side *$2.25 for a cup o coffee*. However the atmosphere makes up for it, and if you can hit them on a weekday morning you shouldn't ever have to wait.
I ate here with a mix of omnivores, semi-vegetarians, and strict vegans, plus a small sorta-picky child, and everyone was pretty pleased with their breakfast. So, while Junior's might not be your absolute *favoritest* place, it's definitely a great choice for those times when everyone needs to compromise a little to find a menu that is flexible enough for a variety of diets.
The place is pretty tight, so seating for parties of 5+ is limited to the very back two tables. We had to wait a while, but it wasn't that bad. The staff was extremely helpful in shortening our wait.
I had some kinda "potato scramble" that didn't have eggs in it. Cheesy, fluffy, pretty good! But on the menu, there was some tempting rhetoric about it being "spicy", but there was only a sparse sprinkling of paprika, resulting in only the most inconsequential Scoville spike. 300 or 400 maybe? The dollop of sour cream was way too generous. My plate looked like the payoff scene of a bukkake flick. (Sorry!)
I think I will try something with sausage and eggs next time, 'cos it seemed like everyone else's breakfast looked way better than mine.
My buddies live right around the corner from Juniors Cafe, but it took me about 2 years to finally eat here. I couldn't tell you why it took me so long to finally take the plunge, but I am glad that I did. Juniors is small and cozy and feels like an old school diner that got infested with Hipsters who refuse to leave. The decor doesn't set the place back, but I am not sure it is attracting any new business either. The food on the other hand is worth mentioning. I really enjoyed my scramble experience as I discovered some long neglected veggie combinations that Juniors delivered in a great heaping of hangover cure grease. Service was friendly and efficient, with my coffee cup never actually bottoming out.
Overall I enjoyed my experience at Juniors and I will almost certainly be back, but with so many great breakfast places in the SE Juniors doesn't really stand up to comparison.
People have been telling me to eat breakfast here since I moved to Portland. I was dubious, but I finally took the plunge.
Well, shit. Everything I had was tasty (and served in huge portions!) and hot. I had the vegan potatoes with spicy tofu sauce and I wanted to drown in the deliciousness. I also sampled my dining partners' food, including the french toast, Superhero scramble, and some kind of hash. Everything tasted wonderful.
Plus, I want to steal the wallpaper.
I'd give it five stars, but they charge $2.25 or so for their coffee which is ludicrous.
Juniors has the 60's nightmare wallpaper and big wooden framed mirrors that evoke the decor of one of the other breakfast places in town (Mother's?) that is often raved about. The food is very different, however, and I couldn't be happier about it.
The menu's anchor is a selection of omelets and egg dishes of varying complexity and originality. I've tried most of them, and have yet to be disappointed. Even the pepper corn and honey omelet, which I was leery of, was a wonderfully simple treat. In that same vein, the breakfast sandwiches have some unique ingredients that go together very well.
Service is a little distracted, Eastside-ish, and yet very effective. I couldn't put my finger on it, but my lovely GF points out that their style is perfect for the morning: not quite awake, but super friendly and laid back, which sets up the right vibe for your day.
We went to Junior's after reading reviews about it not having a long wait...yeah, in this town when you are hungry for breakfast on a Sunday that sometimes takes a priority. We were surprised, after reading the mix of reviews here...from those that seem to hate the place to those that love it.
Perhaps those that hate it are offended by the fact that they are so accommodating to vegetarian/vegan diets. I can't say I've been to any breakfast spot that actually offered soy creamer at the table, I'm certain this was the first. They also offer to sub tofu for any egg item, they have veggie meat substitutes as well.
We will visit Juniors again, absolutely. The plates we tried were great. Great flavor. Great & friendly service, even if we did wait for the table. I wish I could say the same for the place we tried the weekend after Juniors.
I got a pretty standard breakfast: french toast, fried egg, vege sausage but it was just right!
Adorable ambiance and the waitress called us all "hun" and "my friends" teehee. She also went out of her way to serve my chai without any milk or soy milk which I guess they don't do there (I think it's concentrated or something?) but I was very happy about because I was congested with a sore thought and just wanted it straight.
The have a whole section of the menu devoted to french toast (including vegan french toast!). And they have nutella and toast as a side option!
The outdoor seating is out front and since the cafe is on 12th it's not the quietest spot for that.
You can pay with credit cards now but it's $0.75 extra
Great to take people you want to impress with Portland's cuteness, homey, my and pop stylins because Ladd's Addtion is right there and you can wander around the alleys getting lost after a perfect breakfast at an adorably little joint!
Juniors is the place I always float to when I've been locked out of all the other brunch places on Sunday (by the hoards). Once I walk in the door, I think "Oh, crap. This place." But by then I'm usually so famished that I eat there anyway.
The food is gross and greasy (not in the good way). It's the kind of food you'd make at home (badly) while trying overcome a hangover. It's usually served cold. There's always some ingredient in the dish that's out of place (like mushy green peppers). The last time I went there they announced they couldn't serve up banana bread anymore because "Bananas were too expensive." WHAA??
The cleanliness of the dishes is suspect.
The service is always nice though. But that doesn't help the food.
Meh sums it up pretty well. I'm vegan. I got potatoes, scramble and french toast. I enjoyed the potatoes, and the scramble was OK but the french toast was really thin, and thus really soggy. By the last half, I had to stop eating because it was really gross.
I really thought the interior of this place was very cute and very charming.
Some could call it "a hipster spot" in a negative tone, but I actually enjoyed it.
The french toast breakfast was awesome and the coffee was strong enough to knock your socks off.
The cafe itself is very small, but this place really hit me right. The servers were just as unique as the quality of the food. And the neighborhood it's located in is even cuter :)
I am proud to say Juniors made for an excellent breakfast before heading over to PDX to fly home to San Diego. Not too much food to give you a horrible stomach ache, but just enough to hold you over ALL DAY.
Deeeeelicious.
I'm for sure going back.
This place works for me but doesn't blow me away. It is not the best breakfast in the world BUT it is a hell of a lot better than Denny's!
Juniors is really a comfortable place, the service is very prompt (my coffee never emptied), the coffee is strong, and the food is pretty good (not great, but it is good).
Junior's is trying, the menu is creative, but the food is a little bland. This is a nice place to go if you are tired of Zells or Crush for your Sunday breakfast.
For a neighborhood restaurant, it is a great place to walk to, I don't think it is worth driving to however.
Juniors does a good job on breakfast, but it's nothing fancy -- perfect for those weekends when I think "damn, it's morning and I'm hungry but there's nothing in my house and I don't want to cook". It's a nice place to bring a friend or acquaintance to pick up some toast and eggs or maybe even some faux-bacon. Excellent coffee.
Make sure to bring cash or local checks if you don't want to wash dishes afterward.
It should come as no surprise that at noon on a Saturday, Hot Cake House was packed to the gills with a wait.
Four friends and I arrived at Juniors around 1pm on a Saturday afternoon and were seated instantly with tables to spare.
I traded $8 for two eggs, potatoes, two slices of toast and a few strips of bacon. I ordered the eggs over medium and they were almost there. Most diners give you over easy eggs when you order over medium. Whatever. Eggs are eggs I suppose.
The food was good - hit the spot and all that jazz. Nice staff, good atmosphere..etc. I'd return.
Among the circle I run with in Portland, I would dare to say that Junior's is the most popular breakfast destination. Located on SE 12th, halfway between Division and Hawthorne, Junior's is a small hole-in-the wall; this, together with its adorable and hip atmosphere and its menu that pleases carnivores, vegetarians, and vegans ensures that you will wait along time before being seated, and you'll probably wait along time before you get your food, too. It will be worth it.
The delicious coffee is bottomless, so you'll drink about six cups before the food arrives. Consider ordering the "Ancient Omelet," with honey and black peppercorn. According to lore, this is the omelet the ancient Greeks favored and I approve of it too. The sweet and salty combination is unusual and perfect. If you're looking for a superstar breakfast place in Portland are are willing to invest some time for your meal, go to Junior's. While generally limited to breakfast, they have begun serving gourmet 4 course vegan dinners on the first Friday of each month. Call for details.
Fuck Yeah Juniors.....FUCK YEAH.
In search of a good breakfast place without super long lines, we decided to try Juniors ... reviewed decently ... we knew we'd be in a bit of a line going at 1:00 ... but we were ok with that.
So we arrived -- put our name fourth on the list and had a seat at one of the their outdoor tables. We waited about 1/2 hour for our table -- not too long. Got inside, ordered our coffee and reviewed the menu.
Lots of vegetarian options (they have veggie sausage and even vegan toast) which is always nice. We ordered our breakfast then waited ... um ... like ... 45 minutes to an hour for our food to arrive. I was actually getting shaky ... hubby was waiting for me to say "screw this place I need food lets go somewhere else" but we'd already been waiting too long to give up now.
FINALLY the waitress came over making comments about how the place was going crazy ... she said out food was "next to be made" and laughed a little. I'm sure my description makes her sound mean -- but she was actually quite sweet and one of the saving graces to our experience. So I asked if she could bring us some toast ... and she did so immediately and with a smile.
About 5 minutes our food arrived. It was ... ok. I was actually a little disappointed. Generally when I'm starving to death the food is so amazing that I can't believe it. But this was ... disappointing.
The food was bland. Not exciting. I honestly think I could have done a better job in my own kitchen (and I'm not a great cook but I can whip up a mean frittata).
Anywho ... we MAY try it one more time ... because the waitress did say that this ISN'T normal ... but I think I'd rather spend my time waiting at the Tin Shed where at least I KNOW I'll get decent food after being starved.
Lesson learned ... bring a snack for the wait ... and don't go when you're already hungry. Maybe hit it at noon for dinner?
Oh well ... another one bites the dust :(
Think small.
The cooking and service was good, but the short menu - not including pancakes - bummed me out, ordering a plate of two eggs, potatoes and bacon. I guess $5.50 is a fair cost for that plate, but I think as far as the Portland breakfast scene goes, I'm used to getting a full stack or pancakes at MPF for $3.50ish.
Ultimately, Juniors was worth a good breakfast plate, but I just don't see myself stoppin' by anytime soon.
I took my boyfriend and a friend visiting from LA for lunch, and we all loved it. Their potatoes are delicious! Also, the French toast I would say its the second best in town. The waiters are nice but slow. So you might have to get their attention by raising your finger. The place is really small, and I think they only have one chef and two waiters. That might explain its slow yet friendly service. The waitress forgot my chai latte, but in the end she brought it to me and it was free.
Its not a complete vegan or vegetarian place. I am a vegetarian but I heard the bacon potato is delicious.
PS: Tofu scramble is not very good, so make sure you put some salsa on it. AND BRING CASH!
Going to Junior's Cafe after a night of dancing was exactly what I needed to pick me up for the rest of the day! Although my friends and I were forced to wait a bit for a table to open up, I was able to catch a glimpse of the huge portions that I imagined would steam up my glasses bigtime. Just as I found myself hypnotised by a large omelette, we were called inside and I decided to order my own.
The place is adorable, and I felt right at home in the booth table we got. The menu is jam-packed with choices for breakfast, but I'm sure it helps if you love eggs. I ordered a mammoth-sized omelette, toast and home-fried potatoes. It was delicious, and everything I'd hoped, but it was SO HUGE that even though I was stuffed, the plate looked as though I had eaten only the toast. Damn!
The service was great, and I consumed much more coffee than I needed, but at least I didn't feel neglected, as can happen in a busy place. The next time I come here, I will definitely bring someone with similar eating habits, and we'll split the omelette down the middle, so at least the staff feels like we tried.
I must say that I was disappointed with Juniors. After all, it is owned by the wonderful people that brought us Dots. Unfortunately, there weren't very many breakfast items that looked good to me - I am not an egg person. Plus there was a long wait to get a table.
One word: forgettable
I came here for breakfast/brunch on a Tuesday morning. The place was mostly empty, which is always nice, so we got seated right away. There really isn't too much to the restaurant itself: simple decor, nothing too fancy, but cozy and comfy. I ordered the fruit French toast (see my picture of it): French toast covered with fresh fruit. The fruit was great, but the French toast was just okay. My boyfriend got the "migas" eggs (I can't remember exactly what came with them) with the fruit cup: fruit and yogurt drizzled with honey, and I believe he liked it. Friendly and fast service too. Definitely not a bad place for brunch... 3-1/2 stars.
Juniors was recommended to us by a friend, so we thought we would give it a shot. I was amazed to find a breakfast joint on a Saturday morning that didn't require at least an hour wait in SE Portland....yea! The decor was cool and the place had a very quaint, neighborhood vibe. I ordered huevos rancheros (the special of the day) and was pleasantly surprised. The service was great and my coffee was never empty.
I used to end up hungover at Junior's at least once a month. If you like eggs, it's the place to go for morning eats. The 12th ave. scramble is great, and it includes zuchini, corn, red peppers, and parmesan. Add a little green tabasco and you're set. All the breakfast platters come with the tiniest cup of cottage cheese sprinkled with cinnamon that you will ever see, but it is exactly the right amount to satiate one's palate. Somehow, through a type of alchemy, Juniors is able to make the perfect scramble plate. The proportion of scramble to potatoes to toast is just right to leave one satisfied, and filled.
Don't let me forget the fruit cup! The first time I saw it I thought to myself, a $5 fruit cup! What the heck! But it's amazing, made with seasonal fruit, nancy's organic yogurt, drizzled with honey, and covered with sliced almonds. I don't think I've ever lusted after fruit in the same way.
High up on my list are also the yummy waffle. Even my deer hunting meat loving father, loved this vegan friendly bohemian breakfast house. Go there!
Juniors used to be bar none my favorite breakfast place in town, but things have changed a bit. For one, the service has taken a hit. It used to be absolutely exemplary, but in the past year, I've had all sorts of issues, forgotten orders, unfilled coffee, almost redicilous waits for the food to arrive once ordered (and there can't be more than twelve tables in the joint). None of these problems used to exist, but now they occur somewhat often. Also, the quality of the spuds seem to have changed, I've noticed them change a few times, and always I pray that they'll revert back to the original recipe, but alas, they usually disappoint. I should say that, while the service has issues, the servers are always very sweet, but they must sometimes get distracted or forgetful.
In either case, Juniors is still a solid place to eat, with lots of delicious meat and vegan options. The spicy tofu sauce is delicious (the same stuff at dots) and the 12th ave scramble (zucchini, corn, peppers, and parmesan) will continue to be one of my favorite dishes. It's just that it's lost it's fifth star. Get it back dudes! Eye of the Tiger!
a bit of a wait on a Sunday morning. But perfect bacon, excellent french toast. mmm.
One of my most favorite-ist breakfast joints in Portland. Sadly, I did not eat here nearly enough while I lived there, mostly because it's small and crowded on the weekends, and also because of the plentiful neighborhood breakfast choices all over the city. You can get a really giant breakfast for very little $$ ranging from master hangover cure style to healthy, vegetarian style. Great atmosphere.
i love junior's, especially because i've never had to wait more than a couple minutes for a table, even on weekends. good service and the food is wonderful too.
this place is always great. delicious food and coffee with many vegan or meaty options so everyone is happy. the owner is totally rad and all of the staff are sweethearts. today i had oatmeal with maple syrup and a side of tofu and black coffee. really yummy. there was a jerk there screaming on his cellphone though so that was gross...
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