Babica Hen Cafe

I get it, it's busy. It's a Sunday at 10, everyone and their grandmother are here but service here is SOOOO slow. Luckily we didn't travel to wait that long but I'd suggest coming here either super early before there's a 45 minute wait for a table or super late.

The decor here is fun though, I like the lay out of everything however it's a bit chaotic inside next to the pastry coffee bar. There a wall inside that they let the kiddos draw all over which is fun. My son had a lot of fun doodling all over. The cappuccino was really tasty. It appears that some patrons are bussing their own table. The service is friendly for being so busy and the food was ok....

Honestly had the food been better I would have rated this place a 4 but it was just ok. But I definitely would come back for the coffee and pastries!

Ive been to Babica Hen a handful of times over the past few years and noticed one consistent thing the last 2-3 times I've dined--the food always arrives cold.
We arrived today around 9:30am and the wait was 15-20 mins (the shortest it's ever been). The restaurant was not overly busy and our server got to us very shortly after we sat to take our order. Once we had placed the order, it took at least thirty minutes for our food to arrive. The first thing I checked was the temperature of our food based on many similar reviews. I gave the cold waffles a pass but was disappointed to find that the beef, potatoes, and bacon on my partner's dish were not lukewarm, but COLD. How do you manage to burn the bacon but somehow also serve them up cold?
I've given this restaurant the benefit of the doubt too many times to continue coming for this food. Especially with an automatic 18% gratuity at the very least I would like to get a warm meal.

Service - when we went it was quite busy, but our server was very good; Melanie. Meal - 12oz chai tea, soda, corned beef hash-delicious, smoked salmon avocado- fresh and flavorful, biscuit & chorizo gravy-hearty. Environment - busy but fast moving people dishes in and off and in and out. Clean and tight indoor and outdoor table services. They charge on top your check 18% service charge. They do contactless payment.

Would visit again should we visit Oregon. Hope you're still around.

The pulled pork waffle is awesome. Loaded with blue cheese and cabbage. I really liked it.
Their sausage is really sweet. Its loaded with aromatic spices, and short in savory flavor. I can see how some would like it, but I'm not a fan.

They have these cool corn fritters laden with sugary cereal for kids.

Service was fine. No complaints.

We are new to the area and was recommended this place for breakfast. Nice and cute restaurant and we sat outside. We got the vanilla banana French toast and egg scramble with ham and bacon. Service was great, food was great too so we will definitely come back!

Pros:
+ I had the the smoked salmon avocado Benedict and it was DELICIOUS.
+ Nice brunch vibes and dish-ware, serve-ware, glassware, etc.
+ Ample parking.

Neutral
* Expect longer wait times to be seated.

Cons:
-- Hard to get attentive service when it's so busy, e.g., waters not refilled, hard to get attention if something is needed, etc.

I'm not even a waffle gal but I was inclined to order some waffles after seeing them go by on their way to other tables. The lemon poppyseed waffles were AMAZING, and paired with the fresh berry compote was delectable.

My other fav was the avocado toast - comes as a single slice on a huge piece of bread, mashed avo + dressed arugula slaw + chili oil + more veggies and greens on top. It was piled high and spicy, just how I like it. I always add some S&P to mine as well, I appreciate that they don't over-salt the avocado in the kitchen.

Overall a delicious brunch spot that is homey and bustling. Be prepared to wait! Get your name in and walk around. Keep checking the link to see how far you are down the waitlist; when you get close to the top of the list head back and listen for your name. They say they text you, but we only ever got a physical call out from the seating hostess (which was fine, but what if we were relying on the text?).

Solid 8.5/10 and I'll be back if I'm in the area.

First off, we almost didn't come here because of many reviews noting long wait times or cold food. This was NOT our experience! We arrived on a Sunday at 10:40-ish. Parking lot was full but we got a stall within a couple minutes. Checked in and was told there would be a 45 minute wait which we expected. Hoping to get seated faster at the bar, we waited inside. Not even five minutes later, our name was called. The host explained she greatly over estimated a wait time for two people and seated us. Nice! We ordered and got our meals within 15 minutes and yes, food was at the appropriate temperature. I had the two choice waffle and hubby ordered the salmon benedict. We traded half way. Both were unique and tasty options. I especially loved the breakfast potatoes that were seasoned perfectly and crispy on the outside. Highly recommend those with less than desirable experiences to give them another try. You might just be pleasantly surprised like we were.

What a gem of a spot located in Lake Oswego! Very happy to have this restaurant close to home because it is so good.

If going for brunch, there may be a wait but it's worth it! Must try item would be the waffles. They have gluten free as well which is bad a**

ALMOND BERRY CREAM
- I got this each time I went because it was just so perfect. The crispy outer layer of the waffle with soft center. Amaretto blueberries. Thick and creamy mascarpone. And the added textural element of an almond crumble. Absolute perfection. And surprisingly "light" feeling.

CHICKEN TINGA
- very good with hearty portion. Tastes like very fresh ingredients *healthy*. Left me wanting a little something extra however. Perhaps some lime or more spice.

They also have the option of getting 1/2 and 1/2 waffles where you can mix and match. I got my fave waffle ^^^ and the fried chicken (not pictured). The fried chicken waffle is really good but very sweet. It is topped with a sweet potato mousse and tossed in a coconut and rum caramel over the chicken. This eliminates the desire for syrup, but was a little too sweet for me.

DRANKSSS
*lavender lemonade. Very pweeettyy and delicious!

Went to Babica Hen around noon and there was a line. But they've got EV charging, which was pretty nice. The wait wasn't too bad, they said 35 min and it was less... and they seemed to handle the crowd well. The restaurant was efficient and the host and servers were attentive.

Got the chicken and waffles. The chicken was just okay, not the best in town. But the waffles? Really good and big portions too. My wife got the waffles with short rib and Gorgonzola. She's on a roll for picking a better option than me. We took some leftover waffles home.

Might go back to try other stuff on the menu. Overall, it was a decent spot, especially for those waffles.

Let's start with ambiance since this is one of the reasons this restaurant drew my attention to it. I've driven by Babica Hen over the last several years and each time I drive by, I remind myself I want to try this cute little restaurant. Well, the lunch get together with our cousins came around and I remembered!

It's very cute inside; rustic charming is what comes to mind. The restaurant is actually quite bigger than my initial presumed from driving by. It's long and narrow. When you enter, you walk into the bar area. Look to the right toward the front of the restaurant or look to your left toward the back and there are plenty of tables and booths.

The service was ok, but nothing special. My guess is that the note on each table about an 18% automatic gratuity drives this behavior. Why work for it when it is automatically charged. I understand the concept of what they are trying to achieve with fair wages and everyone earning toward the support of both front and back of house staff. However, besides taking our order, asking once how we are doing in "drive my mode," and dropping off the hill, that was the event of any attention our table (and others received). In fact, someone else dropped off the food and asked who ordered what.

The food. I was expecting more. I actually would give the food only two stars. Both my husband and I ordered the burger. I ordered mine medium and it came medium rare. My husband ordered well done and it arrived medium. His curly fries were cold. My salad was basically lettuce with a few chopped onions and I guess there was dressing; my guess was a drizzle of olive oil over the top.

Our cousins ordered the breakfast plate. His response was it was "ok". Our other cousin did like her ricotta pancake (single).