A classic diner experience with all the brunch essentials. There is usually a line in the weekends but it does move really fast so don't be afraid. The homemade rolls were so good!! Everything was pretty solid tbh. read more

Stepping Stone Cafe - Classic sausage two egg breakfast in the back and biscuits and gravy. - American Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Me and my girlfriend have been coming her for a year now, The food, is always hot and fresh, I saw someone wrote about it being overpriced, take your cheap butt to mcdonald's, seriously the price is as good as it gets, Service is always great, Just talk to your servers people, and build connections, The line, i see people complain about that, maybe come ahead of time, it's a great spot obviously it's gonna be busy, the best things in life aren't quick, aren't easy, so suck it up, And for the vegan people get a life lol, Like you can't write a bad review because they don't have a lot of vegan options, like hello your the odd one out, so don't leave a bad review just because the place didn't have something that's not a given, majority of people are animal based eaters, also Love the lady that runs that place she's awesome!! Recommend, Come early!! read more

This is a such a cute diner. Nothing fancy... just great food and friendly service. The best biscuit and chicken fried steak I have ever had. The biscuit was so soft and flakey and the chicken fried steak was so tender. Will definitely be back. read more

Great Little Neighborhood Diner. Located in the Slabtown area, this is a small little joint, but friendly and good service. We enjoyed our breakfast, everything was cooked as expected, BUT! (and this is a BIG BUT...) They DO NOT know what hash browns are. (hence only 4 stars) Their menu says the offer hash browns, which I am the poster-child for, but these are like thin, scallop-cut potatoes. I have no clue if they used to serve hashbrowns and just kept the word on their menu, or what. But overall, enjoyed our breakfast, and came back the next day too. If they do ever get their hash brown debacle corrected, I will continue to be a regular customer. Until then I may drop in periodically just for the staff and the funky ambience. read more

Stepping Stone Cafe - American Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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There are no words. The service was excellent, the food was amazing, and how could you not love sitting at a counter with nice people to converse with. Don't eat for a few days because the portions are huge. I'm saying this in the highest regard, this is the best greasy spoon in Portland read more

Cozy little neihgborhood cafe/diner with some good breakfast options. Loved the Eggs Benedict and the Pancakes are the size of a full plate. Good service too. Very old-school New Jersey/Maryland diner type feel. read more

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Waited the normal 30 mins for a table, but food came in a timely manner. Known for their fluffy pancakes; that did not disappoint! Corned beef hash & poached eggs were delicious! Chicken fried steak--really good! Busy & crowded but great staff! read more

We had some signatures and the kids had some featured pancakes. Both of my kids became sick from the food and the featured dishes were underwhelming. One of the servers went out to vape near the store and some of it entered the restaurant. read more

Get comfy and get cozy! This place is a tight squeeze when it gets busy! Especially on weekends! Have you ever had banana nut bread French toast with coffee on a rainy morning in Portland? I did for the first time at this place and WOW. I can't even describe how good it was! It's a bit of a ride on the NS streetcar line to this place, but it's worth it! Make sure you get in early in the morning to grab a seat because like I said, this place is very tight quarters and you might have to talk with someone at the counter, but hey. That's diners for ya! read more

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Good food, good staff, good location, good coffee, good vibe, good decoration, good chairs, good tables

Good as always. Fast service and friendly. They know there stuff and can help with any questions. We had an omelette the neo bobcat with feta and the waffle and chicken. The omelet comes with their version of a hash brown which at any time never can be called a HB it's sliced potatoes pan fried and that is an over statement. They hardly have seen the pan. The potatoes are not raw but they are not crispy at all. The omelette was tasty and more enjoyable to full you up. The chicken is always nicely fried and the waffle is ok. As a European American waffles hardly makes us happy lol but this is one of the better ones. The highlight is always the spicy Sirup. Yummy! Five star minus one for the hashbrowns that don't deserve the name. ;) read more

Stepping Stone Cafe - Neo bobcat - American Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I always see people lined up here and finally decided to go today since there was no line! Classic diner setup inside and sat at the bar of course. Good coffee. Got huevos Rancheros which was pretty solid. Food took a little while but that's ok. Otherwise service was pretty efficient. Ambiance very relaxed and server knew many patrons coming in. Looking forward to trying more next time read more

Stepping Stone Cafe - Huevos Rancheros - American Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The SMOTHERED BADASS!!! Is bomb.com as well as the stuffed French toast. and the MAN CAKES can't go wrong with them biscuits are flavorful buttery The service was great although it takes a little bit of time to order food but well worth the wait for sure!!! I will always recommend this place and as long as I live I'll definitely start making more trips oh and they don't have parking so you have find one close or have some one wait in like while you find parking Over all I give this place a 10/10 will be back soon!!! read more

Stepping Stone Cafe - Smothered bad ass omelet with gravy on top and a order of the biscuits and gravy with a side of fried eggs - American Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Got there soon after they opened, and there was already a line of people waiting to get in. After we were seated and ordered our food, it took a while for it to arrive. The food tasted good and was reasonably priced. The floors look dirty, there's graffiti in the restrooms. There are no toys on the ceiling. I only saw one Christmas ornament up there. The restaurant plays a wide variety of music, but it makes the environment loud, along with the talking of the numerous customers. read more

Our expectations were so high for this place only to be quickly shot down! We were sat by a nice gentleman who had personality but not enough to give to his coworker Tyler. Tyler approached us by asking if "we were ready"... No welcome in, no greeting. Straight to the point. We informed him that it was our first time and still no spark in his service. Tyler came back around almost immediately and we still weren't ready, resulting in him RUSHING us by saying they were going to do last call in 30 mins when they closed in and hr and 30 with people still being sat.. Tyler dropped the food and didn't come back to ask us how anything was, only to drop the check while we were still EATING. Water cups bone dry and needing boxes and still no Tyler... TAKE IT TO GO OR ASK FOR A DIFFERENT SERVER IF YOU GET TYLER. read more

While the food was great overall, despite a flub in the ordering process (entirely our fault), the service is what drove down our experience today. We had to wait about 20 to 30 minutes for a table, because we had a larger-than-usual party of five and ended up being seated outside in the shade, where it was a little bit too cold to dine without it sweater (again, my fault). The wait wasn't the problem; our five-person party made it difficult to accommodate us, as the number of booths inside are limited, and no one seemed to be in much of a hurry to head back out into the cold. Colder than the weather, though, was our server. Just generally aloof, and somewhat impersonal, without being offensively so. He just seemed like he'd rather not have been at work that day, and most of his answers were short and curt. Adding to our frustration was the 10+ minutes it took for someone (another server, quite possibly the manager) to come and take our food order. Our initial server had disappeared after taking our drink orders and delivering them, never once asking if we were ready to order our entrées. Trust me, we had *plenty* of time to figure it out while waiting in line. Once everything arrived (in a reasonable amount of time), most of us ended up pretty happy. One member of our party had neglected to say the words "Tres Leches" when she ordered her three-stack of "Mancakes", and ended up a disappointed that her order was nothing more than an (absurdly-large) plate of buttermilk pancakes, but she realized the fault was hers alone. Our server, who had returned by this point, offered to grab some of the components that could help approximate a conversion to "Tres Leches", only to return shortly after that they were actually out of said components. Double bummer. I forsook brunch altogether and ordered the Reuben, at the recommendation of our second server/manager(?). My wife, having spotted something called the "Morning Star Breakfast Bowl" on their online menu, but was missing from the printed copy, inquired about it, and was happy to learn that it was available. I very much enjoyed my Reuben, although I wouldn't say it had any particularly distinguishing or stand-out features; you know what you're getting with this one. The pastrami was shredded and contained just the right about of moisture. My wife's breakfast bowl was light and slightly earthy, due to the presence of the bell peppers, I believe, and enjoyable and heartily sized. Around the rest of the table, orders of biscuits and gravy, and chicken fried steak were enjoyed and ravaged, leaving no leftovers to take home...other than a colossal stack of flapjacks soaked in disappointment. Ironically, the friend in our group who had raved and recommended the Stepping Stone to us was the one whose order ended up being a disappointment. She felt bad on our behalf, but other than the less than impressive service, most of the other negative aspects of our experience were out of their control. We probably won't be rushing back here again, but my wife and I, from a personal perspective, had little to complain about, comparatively. Your mileage may vary. read more

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Food was amazing, great chill service, and a lovely small town diner feel. Will return! read more

Stepping Stone Cafe - Biscuits and gravy, bacon, French toast - American Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Easily my favorite breakfast place in Portland! Chicken fried steak was so good I couldn't leave a bite behind. Coffee is always good. Perfect classic diner feel and quick service. read more

Stepping Stone Cafe - Chicken Fried Steak and Neo Bobcat Omelet - American Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I can't believe I've never been here before! It's a great neighborhood spot with lots of eclectic, old school diner charm (my favorite!) We had to wait in line outside as we arrived at prime brunch time, but we were seated surprisingly fast. The food was classic diner fare and service was super friendly as well. Definitely adding this to our brunch rotation! read more

Stepping Stone Cafe - Bacon and 2 eggs - American Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Definitely a great local diner! Popular with wonderful food options. Staff were great. Only down side is trying to find a parking place. Will definitely go again! read more

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Came to Stepping Stone Cafe on a regular Saturday morning at around 8:30AM. Was able to get seated right away but it got packed at around 9AM with a general wait of about 10-20 minutes. Beware, the restaurant doesn't have much seating for groups larger than 4. Ordered the "Smothered Bad Ass' With some black coffee. It was okay to be honest, nothing life-changing about it. Definitely enough for two meals though read more

Stepping Stone Cafe - Smothered Bad Ass - American Near Me - Portland, Oregon

This is our favorite place for brunch! I always get the tofu scramble and it never disappoints

Short version: a small, well-run, quirky diner I can't quite love. Let's get the quirky part out the way. The décor is the first thing you notice, with the cute lab safety signs and the toys dangling from the ceiling rigged to jiggle every time somebody opens the front door. The menu is written in comically precious language I won't bother repeating. The food itself is quirky, with absurdly gigantic pancakes and biscuits. Oh, and hash browns made from slices instead of the usual juliennes or cubes. (Naturally, the restaurant has been featured on cable tv.) Service is excellent. Staffed by friendly folk who seem to enjoy their work. They make sure you're fed quickly and without fuss, and keep your coffee cup full. But in the end, you come here to eat. The food is fine, but the menu doesn't have a lot of choices. Those mega-biscuits aren't bad, but they're not great either. All in all a decent little place I can't get excited about returning to. read more

Inside was very warm and you sit in very close proximity of other people. They play rock music and it was pretty loud for a dinner. We heard the employees talking crap about the customers and it made us feel very uncomfortable! Customer service was not great, everyone seemed irritated and annoyed. The Chicken Fried Steak was over cooked, and the Banana Nut French Toast was also over cooked. The side of potatoes were undercooked and didn't taste good. The pancakes were pretty good for their size. Rating 2 stars out of 5 because of hearing them cussing and speaking bad about a customer coming in before closing time. The customer had to of heard them talking about him. Also for the food not properly being cooked! read more

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A real local neighborhood favorite. The line can go out the door for quite a ways on a busy Sunday. However, the staff run a tight ship with smiles. They move things along, but you do not feel hurried. They somehow always seem to have a good attitude and you feel like you are in one big orchestra. Notice when the front door opens what happens to the funny action people hanging from the ceiling. Their hashbrowns with vegetables can be made vegan without having the cheese. People love their biscuits I thought the food was just OK however, it was really fun to be part of the local Portland scene. read more

Famous "mancakes" are 11 inch if you dine in, 10 inches for takeout. Whole wheat is better. Buttermilk ones were hard fried on the bottom and needed a hack saw to break it in edible pieces. Flavor was OK. read more

A few years ago (pre-Covid) I rated them a 4 - maybe a 5. But times have changed. There was no line like there used to be so maybe that was sign. In the past you'd sign in and wait. Not today. The menu seems different and the food lacked the "wow" factor that used to draw me back all the time. Eggs Benedict were okay but the hash browns lacked any seasoning whatsoever. The banana nut French toast was spectacular "back in the day" but now it is too dense and just seemed "okay." Hate to say it, but not in any rush to return. read more

Food is OK at best, service is hit or miss, it's like one day they treat nice, the next it's like they are doing you a favor... Just like the menu states, you eat here because we let you. So, if you are looking for a one-time experience because of the show, then yes, come out and try it out for yourself!!! But if you are looking for your new favorite breakfast/lunch spot, this is not it!!! read more

I came here with my family while my grandma was visiting and my brother went inside to ask them a question and one of the sassy waiters snapped at him telling him to just wait in line... he was just trying to use the bathroom. Later on when they brought us our food the waiter told us a very long story about coffee and her friends. The food is honestly mediocre for a place charging up and with a line out the door like that. I got the grilled cheese and the cheese was super rubbery my grandmother got a pancake and the syrup was so artificial. This place is riddled with inappropriate stickers and packed to the brim and it makes a cramped and humid environment. read more

Cool old school dinner. We sat the counter. The staff was helpful and nice. Wait time for food was appropriate. The quality and taste of the food was good. My wife really enjoyed the oatmeal. My eggs were perfect. read more

Stepping Stone Cafe - Menu - American Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Definitely looks like a bit of a dive bar from outside but i will say the inside was cozy and not dirty looking. Service - top notch compared to some other places in Portland. I missed getting out server's name but he was the only gentleman I saw and he was so kind and friendly. Came off very genuine. The food. I added a few things to a scramble special they had and omg was it so good. I always have to ask for my eggs hard scrambled and they did such a good job with that too. Some places will leave them runny. They definitely delivered. Loved their take on hashbrowns which came out more like breakfast potatoes. They didn't take up the whole plate either which was nice. It was a very hearty and delicious breakfast. The only thing I could say is for everything i added was a $1.50 extra charge EACH. I won't dock for it but I feel like that was a lot to charge. Wish I knew that upfront and unfortunately made it too expensive. That's my only complaint though. Definitely one of my top 5 scrambles from a breakfast joint. Service and food made it 5 stars. read more

Stepping Stone Cafe - My version of one of their specials. Was fantastic. - American Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The food service was INCREDIBLE. I hope you get Marty as your server. He is so incredibly kind, welcoming, and super friendly. The Ambiance so fun!!! There's little weird stuff everywhere. Have a great time!!! read more

Stepping Stone Cafe - American Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The food was amazing. I had the smothered bad ass omelette and it was delicious. The service was fast and they were very happy to help us with our food. The restaurant was very quaint and had hip decor. Will definitely be back again. read more

Stepping Stone Cafe - Bad ass omelette with sourdough toast - American Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I've walked past this restaurant many times and it always seems to have a line. So today was the day we decided to wait. We waited about 30 minutes before being sat. The staff was really friendly and the ambiance was weird and pretty cozy. But the food was just okay. I got the chilaquiles and it was fine. Pancake was good but it was a pancake. I prob wouldn't come back or if I did I'd order some more standard diner food- a milk shake or tuna melt perhaps? read more

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Haven't been here in more years than you have likely been alive. It was good to see they were still doing good business with basically the same good service (with an attitude. They got a sign that still says something like "you eat here because we let you"). But either I've gotten to be a better cook in 4ish decades or the hash browns aren't as good as they were then. But everything else was top notch. read more

Stepping stone is a no nonsense breakfast and lunch stop that I cannot recommend more! The breakfasts are to the point, filling, and taste just as they should. The bloody marry is strong and consistent, the coffee is hot and fresh and bold. The service is excellent and makes you feel like a regular every time you come in. The old fashioned diner look is one of my favorites, old vinyl seats and booths mixed in with tables. These are the small businesses we need to keep supporting, please give them a try! read more

Service 10/10, food 10/10, ambiance 10/10, menu selection 10/10. My girlfriend and I had a fantastic breakfast here during our stay in Portland. Whether you're looking for something sweet or savory they have quite a selection for you! Staff were all so kind and had a very homey vibe. Will be back!!! read more

Some places in Portland are over-hyped. Stepping stone isn't one of them. Situated in a beautiful NW neighborhood, Stepping Stone has been a favourite for a long time. We love to get a full stack of the "mancakes" (massive plate-size pancakes) and French toast. We normally can't eat it all and my kids love to have leftover pancakes and French toast for breakfast that week. Those are the highlights and of course we get sides (eggs, bacon, sausage, etc). read more

By far my favorite diner in Portland. I have been coming to the Stepping Stone since the 1970s. Brilliant corned beef hash, perfect hashbrowns, and surprisingly good coffee. They are also known for delicious plate sized pancakes. Decorations hang from the ceiling connected by fishing line to the front door so they raise and lower with each opening. Authentic flavor of old NW Portland. And the staff are terrific! read more

This place is always delicious and has wonderful, kind service. It's always a pleasure to eat here. I especially love their Belgian Waffle read more

Stepping Stone Cafe - Belgian Waffle w/Blueberries - American Near Me - Portland, Oregon