City State Diner Reviews

Whether it's going to be coffee and granola or biscuits and gravy, this is your place for young and old, hungry or harried. Nice style/decor for modern diner ambiance, busy and popular, friendly staff, great menu for breakfast and lunch sandwiches. I had the Gravy Train and was sated all day. Bouzouki likes and endorses loukaniko, too. What is this fascination Portland has with the Southern breakfast? It's not 100% authentic but it's quite delicious in its own way.

My coworker and I ordered salads, and they were delicious, fresh and huge. The service was fast, which important for a work day lunch. I will definitely want to come back and order another salad, which is not my typical go-to for a diner.

We had a great breakfast at the City State Diner. LOVED the Eggs Benedict with the ww biscuits and the seared grits. --which were more like pollenta than what i am use to as grits, since i am from the South. The service was fast, friendly and helpful. The food was great, and the coffee kept coming. I would gladly eat here again the next time i am that part of Portland.

Adorable and warm...The fireplace, the private booths, the food, live soft music and the wine choices!

I was hooked on the Hazelnut Challah French Toast before I even got there thanks to the Internet! I was not disappointed! Good sized portions, good food, and nice facilities. I was hoping it would meet my expectations when I saw the line waiting to be seated..... It did........and I am sure I will be there again on my next trip to Portland!

Had a friend visiting from out of town and wanted to go somewhere close to home that served well executed more traditional-ish fare. Getting tired of the one-name hipster restaurants that may tantalize your senses but can leave you hungry and broke - they are all over Portland now. City State proved to be exactly what we were looking for, I had a BLT made with thick slabs of crispy pepper bacon, crisp lettuce, juicy tomato on chewy toasted bread - it was one of the best I've ever had. Seriously. I substituted fruit for the fries and was surprised to get a bowl, filled with fresh (not slimy and sodden) watermelon, grapes, apples and strawberries - all sweet. My friend got one of the breakfast sandwiches on a biscuit. She was delighted. The biscuit was crispy on outside and soft but flakey inside. Egg was perfectly done - server made sure to inquire. Coffee, even decaf, was strong and flavorful. Service was cheerful and attentive even though the place was filled. We enjoyed it so much, we returned the next day and had another very satisfying meal! Very happy to have tried City State. Its going to become one of my local go-to places for breakfast or lunch.

The biscuits had the flavor I remember from childhood. Strong coffee MMMmmm. I'll be back for the hazelnut french toast.

we returned to city state diner for lunch...i had the salmon salad sandwich on wheat with a salad...my friend had burger with fries.....the service was great, and the staff was friendly...it's so cozy, it's like a home away from home...

5 stars for the food. The lower overall rating is lower because of our experience. We visited in June 2021. There was limited seating - due to social distancing only every other booth was open. We put our names on the waitlist. There was a table with 3 guests who had finished their meal but kept sitting and chatting. We asked the staff about it and they said that they were discussing it but chose not to clear away their table or subtly check in with the table to see if the needed anything else, or do anything to indicate that there were several people waiting! We waited for over 30 minutes because of this! Staff should treat all their customers well including those waiting for a table, not just the ones sitting at the tables

Stopped here for breakfast. Service was ok, not very friendly to us "out of towners". Coffee could've been a little fresher. Biscuit and gravy was good, potatoes were good and eggs were also good. I probably wouldn't eat here again, seemed small and not most friendly service.

I really liked their twist on the Cuban, with strawberry jam and capicolla. My lady had the Rueben and it was large and in charge, with wonderful flavor. This is a cool little spot that was even playing a little Tribe Called Quest in the radio. Rad! This was our second visit this weekend during our trip, and may make a 3rd!

We have been here more than once. They are a small diner with a delicious menu. The service is always good and the food is wonderful. One tip would be that weekend mornings are really busy and there is a wait. We went recently on a Monday and it was not too busy.

They turn out some decent food, some not-so-decent. I've gone in a half a dozen times and what really bothers me is that almost everything is their "take" on it. You order something and it's surprising what comes out of the kitchen. The food is very nice to look at, but I've been quite underwhelmed 5 out of 6 times. It isn't awful, maybe they're just trying too hard to be some artsy, unique restaurant. Don't go looking for high-quality diner food, it isn't here.

we had lunch yesterday at city state....i had the salmon salad sandwich on whole wheat with coleslaw, and my friend had the global deluxe with fries....the food was delicious, the place cozy and warm, plus the staff is so friendly..thx so much

City State feels like a neighborhood secret- while other restaurants in the neighborhood have lines around the block City State has a 15 minute wait and MUCH better food than you'll find anywhere! Over the years both their food and service has remained consistently awesome. The ambience is friendly and never too loud now matter how busy they may be. The menu hosts so many fantastic dishes (in huge portions). My husband adores their meatloaf breakfast, while I prefer their 2+2+2 with veggie sausage, potatoes, tofu and rye toast. It is where I take out-of-towners every time.

So, sooo, delicious! From pancakes to the traditional breakfast. I've never had seared grits, and I'm from Louisiana, very interesting! I also had crab cakes as my meat. They could've been so awesome but were way too salty. I did mention that, hopefully they will rectify it. Bloody Mary was, above!! Lots of veggies but more importantly lots of alcohol ;)

I always seek out veggie benedicts for breakfast or lunch with spinach & tomato. Usually, restaurants don't have both, so I have to ask to add one of the ingredients. I was excited when I saw my favorite blend on the menu, and it was delicious! The tomatoes were sweet, the spinach and perfect hollandaise were ample, the eggs were cooked perfectly and the English muffin was not hard for a change. I opted for the fruit instead of the potatoes, and it was served beautifully with apples fanned on the side of the cup with strawberries, red & white grapes and blueberries. I was with girlfriends, and I look forward to taking my husband for a more meatier option; there are lots of breakfast options!

Saturday morning about 10:30 with a 25 min wait was well worth it! Pork belly Benedict was delicious! They were busy but never made us feel rushed the entire time, wait staff was great.

Yesterday was my third trip to City State. With each successive visit, my opinion has dropped to where it now stands below "C" level. At most, City State deserves a "D". Yesterday, I ordered one of their scrambles (a breakfast item) that ostensibly should have contained carmelized onions and goat cheese. The meager few bits of onion tasted like nothing and had the consistency of something prepared a day before. As for the goat cheese...was there any goat cheese? I couldn't find or taste any. The side of grits was rubbery, cold and barely edible. It probably had solidified under a heat lamp for hours. All this, plus a cup of coffee and tip, came to nearly $20 for a bland, poorly prepared, poorly served meal. Goodbye City State. It was nice knowing you.

We stopped by the City State Diner for a quick lunch and we were totally bowled over by the fantastic food. I had a burger and, without a doubt, it was the best burger I have yet had in Portland, including upscale restaurants! The diner is "a diner" so don't expect more, but they do have beer and wine on the menu. Breakfast is served all day long and lots of people seemed to be enjoying their breakfasts in the early afternoon.

We dropped off our son at Reed recently and spent a week in Portland, eating our way through town. Loved it! :-) On our last day we decided on City State for brunch, the boys wanted something sweet and we wanted savory. Our experience and things we ordered was all very close to perfection. :-) Food was delicious, the pancakes of the day were toasted coconut and we fought over every bite. The scrambles are so good! The only advice my son offered about the hazelnut French toast is that it should come drizzled with Nutella. Coffee was good, service was good, the wait was short and very pleasant with the serve-yourself cups of coffee. Overall, we loved City State and we highly recommend it. And we’ll definitely be back next time we come to Portland!

Louisiana crab hash was yummy! My wife enjoyed her eggs Benedict! If you go with the grits.. be prepared. It's not like grits I'm the South! Real tasty with jam!

This is a great diner set in a great neighborhood, I had French toast with tasty bacon and some fried potato. I really enjoyed this place, it had great coffee to help me get over the jet lag. Would love to return some day!

Nothing fancy about building or decor, but a real solid selection of Breakfast foods. From Biscuits and Grave to some really nice eggs Benedict's, steak, and everything between. Haven't tried for lunch. Nice people and reasonable service. Good to fair prices.

Great breakfast. Good service. Quirky but neat. Only breakfast and sandwiches. Not good for GF or vegetarians.

Cute diner with fun atmosphere, mediocre coffee and decent comfort food. What's all the fuss about, anyway? We had breakfast on a weekday, so no lines--but I sure wouldn't wait an hour for ordinary diner food on the weekend.

The choices here are amazing! Finally settled on eggs Benedict with salmon on biscuit. They do not disappoint! Outstanding! And pretty edgy and swank too!

We were here for breakfast, this restaurant has small plates as well as large. The food was very good, service was excellent. The mountain mushrooms scrambled eggs were very tasty, a was the hazel nut challah French toast.

One reason why there always seems to be a line outside this diner is because it's a great place to take a date. Comfortable place for a first-time outing or with your spouse of all these years. Our party had 3 eggs benedicts and 1 Best of Both Worlds, which is eggs benny and biscuits and gravy - he could not finish all of that tall order. The 40-minute wait for Sunday brunch is just what you need to do to eat here. Service is good, food is good, atmosphere is perfect Portland.

Breakfast at City State is really great. Good food, service, and reasonable prices. Clean and comfortable place to eat.

The quality of their food and service is fantastic. Give it a shot if you're in the area. Their drinks are always on point as well. Highly recommend, and the wait is never too bad.

I like this place and often eat breakfast here. It's busy on weekends but when I go alone I eat at the counter so I've never had to wait. Very young (unlike me!) customers and a fun and lively atmosphere. Good coffee. I did a small order this time-one biscuit with one egg. Very good.

We stumbled upon this great place while vintage shopping. Reasons we love it: Great breakfast food. My husband says it is the best corned beef hash of all. And he's tried it everywhere. We have been twice now this month. Once I was very hungry and once I was not. They have a great selection of smaller breakfast sandwiches that I love - for when I don't want to have a large meal. And my husband can have his larger meal. Biscuits are of the cornmeal-ish variety and taste as if they were baked in a cast iron skillet. Excellent biscuits. We love this place. Quirky, casual - but also with very comfy booths. Breakfast all day!

We were riding our bikes all over Portland and found our fuel meters totally on empty. We were heading for a Mediterranean restaurant nearby and it was closed. We noticed this place was open with outdoor seating--could not resist. The staff was super friendly! The crab scramble and grilled grits totally fit the bill and the falafel burger was quite yummy. I wasn't in the mood for toast and they actually substituted a cupcake. So much food and so little time. This place won't disappoint!

Stopped in on a whim today. Glad I did. Lovely ambience, efficient servers and great food. They serve breakfast all day along with great luncheon items. I'll be back soon.

love coming to citystate. i had the smoked salmon salad. my friend had the hamburger with fries. the server was the best! all the food was excellent. the ambiance was neat.

My brother and I really like Eggs Benedict and so we're always on the look out for a good place. City State has several Eggs Benedict options on their menu (as well as a ton of other options.) Our favorite is the Crab Benedict. The service is good but the place is very small and you would find better luck getting a table on a weekday.

dined with old friend from neighboring Hollywood district... place was packed with locals which might tell you everything you need to know!!! I had breakfast with egg/cheese and sausage: so sinfully good!! companion had breakfast platter: her grits were exceptionally wonderful!!! staff is friendly and accommodating: cannot ask for more...

Went with our Portland friend on our last day here for breakfast. I tasted his pork belly eggs Benedict and WOW! I had the Louisiana Crab Benedict and DOUBLE WOW. Very large portions and the restaurant was nicely decorated and spotless. I have a sensitive belly for fake stuff,cheap cheese and butter and everything here was high quality. If the lunches and dinners are as good as our breakfasts were...I definitely recommend it!

we came here for lunch yesterday after record store day at music millenium...i had a pacifico, and my partner had the bfk cocktail with dcaf...next, i had the salmon salad sandwich and slaw, and she had the louisiana crab hash with steamed grits.....all the drinks and food were excellent as always...the staff is especially nice and quick..she allowed us to move to a booth when one cleared, much appreciated....it's always cozy, fun, and tasty...thx so much....

This was my first time here, it was recommended, (any time you can get a recommendation it's a plus). Their menu is great, their service is great, and the food is great. So what more can one ask for? It was a Sat. morning and I was expecting to be standing in line, so I arrived a bet early to wait for my friend, funny thing she did too, we both got in and we were seated at a clean table right away, what a nice surprise.... we hadn't seen each other in a while and had lots to talk about, we never felt the pressure to leave, and we had a great experience here. We both said WE WILL BE BACK, and that says a lot, since we meet every month and try someplace new, since there are such great restaurant's in Portland, and seldom return to the same place twice, but we'll make an exception for this place....

I usually meet my buddy for lunch here mid-week, when the lines are a bit more manageable. Love their many scrambles (usually get the Forest Mushroom) and my pal is a big Eggs Benny fan, of which they have several variations.The coffee's always hot and fresh, and the comfy diner vibe works well here. Service is always crisp and on top of things, and the food is always good, year after year (so far!). A tiny little gem in a getting-rapidly-crowded neighborhood.

I found significantly sized egg shells in my scramble and the mushrooms seemed reconstituted, not fresh. I would have mentioned it to our server, but she never came and checked on us. We had to flag down someone else to get coffee refills. I won't be back. There are too many other great places to eat.

I wanted to love this place. Simple service, unfussy breakfast menu yet ultimately average and surprisingly pricey for the quality on offer. Service was below par despite it being quiet (4 tables; midweek, c.10am) The mimosas were decent. I won't return; its just not for me.

We went there for Sunday brunch. I ordered a Forest Mushroom scramble with chives, muenster, spinach and garlic. It was very average in taste, the potatoes had no seasoning of herbs. Nothing special about this place. Though service was very good.

My boyfriend and I stopped here for breakfast during our stay in Portland. Our server was amazing and the food came quickly. This place is great if you have dietary restrictions. They offer vegetarian and gluten free options for almost everything on the menu. I would highly recommend this place for anyone looking for a cute breakfast place. Both of us had scrambles, I subbed tofu for the bacon at no charge, which was amazing!

Went here this morning with our niece and really enjoyed our meals. It is a very cozy place that caters mostly to locals offering dine excellent food served by an attentive staff. Sone of the dishes had a pleasant quick from spices as well and the biscuits are really well done. Portions are enormous and two can share easily

Coffee is very strong and bitter. So if you like it that way you will love their coffee. I could not drink it and sent it back. I tried the salmon scramble with potatoes and when the waitress asked what bread I wanted. I asked if they had biscuits. She said yes and I asked for it split and grilled which confused her so I explained. She said they just toast it. I said fine. My wife got the standard which is a basic two egg breakfast. Breakfast came out and as I suspected the biscuit was very dry from being toasted. It was like a chalk biscuit and I could not eat it. Growing up in the south I am used to biscuits being buttered, cut in two and then grilled, why they call it split and grilled, and they end up moist grilled delicious biscuits. The salmon scramble was decent, but not really that great. Not a lot of flavor or creativity going on with it. The potatoes were good. My wife also could only eat a tiny bit of her biscuit since it was super dry and chalky as well. I then asked the waitress for some real maple syrup for the dry biscuit and she said they don't have that and only the fake stuff. I knew then we were in trouble. My wife grew up in Vermont and fake syrup is considered sacrilege in that state. As a matter of fact there is one breakfast place in southern Vermont that has it listed on their menu as "fake crap" and charges extra for it which I found humorous. More thinking needs to go into the menu and ingredients and no cost cutting on the staples like syrup and a smoother brew of coffee. That would probably help this place out greatly. Not to mention the waitress never told me the biscuits are a dollar extra per biscuit over other breads and considering how bad they were I was not a happy camper. It seems the locals like this place as it is pretty full each time we go by, but this is no Screen Door which we just discovered the other day and will be going to instead of this place from now on.

we visited this diner about 6 monts ago and wished to return. i ordered the smoked salmon salad, and my friend had the loukiniko great sausage scramble. we were both very happy with our dishes. she had coffee too. the server was friendly and efficient.

As President Bartlet said to Roberto Mendoza: "You were not the first choice, but you are the last one, and the right one." Went to Screen Door, but I'm fundamentally opposed to long lines. We walked in and sat down right away. It started out with above average diner coffee. Usually, it's over-roasted beans, but these weren't. Not fantastic, but I'm a total coffee snob, so no place is going to please me. I ordered the huevos rancheros. I think that might have been the best ranchero sauce I've ever had. All the other dishes on our table looked pretty good, but besides my dish, I just had the fruit and granola with yogurt, which was quite good, but, honestly, you can only do so good with that. Good service, always full (if you want it) coffee. I'll be back.

I forget about this gem of a diner, located a mere few blocks from my home. I had the good fortune to join friends there early Sunday AM for breakfast. We got in at 8am, and by 8:30, the place was packed! I enjoyed the "Louisiana Crab Hash". I LOVE eggs benedict, but eat gluten-free, so the hash seemed like the next best option. Two cooked eggs with Hollandaise were placed nicely over the top of the hash. City State Diner does have GF bread available, for a mere $1 extra, which is very reasonable. The service was perfect, even when the diner got busy. Our food came out in what seemed like only 5 minutes, but the quality was fantastic! The coffee kept flowing, was good and strong, and our waiter was so personable. I am really lucky to live within walking distance of so many great restaurants, this is just one of them. City State does not get a lot of press when it comes to breakfast restaurants, but it should. I would highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for some upscale comfort food.

So many great food spots in Portland & this is a terrific one. Robust menu, reasonable pricing, nice ambiance, excellent service. We would go back.

I had lunch at City State Diner today and it was excellent. I had the Global Deluxe Burger and like Mary Poppins, it was practically perfect in every way. A hand formed burger with pepper bacon, pink onion, cheddar cheese, lettuce, pickle on a toasted bun and french fries with rosemary. Like I said, one of the best tasting hamburgers in Portland.

This is by far the best restaurant ever...love love love. The service was top notch and the food was incredible. I wish I could eat there everyday.

What's not to love about that? Such a great little neighborhood vibe here. Ordered the Deluxe with bacon (duh) and house potatoes. A wee bit pricey but delicious nonetheless. Would definitely come back for a bacon fix next time i'm in the area.

Great neighbourhood cafe with fab French toast good atmosphere and great service really good start to the holiday :) yum yum

The breakfast meatloaf is a must! We had to wait a bit, but worth it. Bring your appetite. Lots of food. Probably enough to share. I wanted to try their seared grits, but my meal came with house potatoes. I didnt complain, just ate. Still good. Breakfast meatloaf I suspect was made with breakfast meats, not ground beef.

We visited Portland for two days after a week in Yosemite. We loved this breakfast spot so much that we ate there for breakfast and lunch! Eggs Benedict, biscuits and gravy, meatloaf sandwich, cuban sandwich, absolutely everything was delicious with very generous portions. And the Bloody Mary was to die for, garnished with the restaurant's house-made pickles. Seriously, don't miss it!

The food was excellent; the portions were generous. Server was friendly and attentive. She recommended I try biscuits and I’m really glad I did. Dining room is noisy but not uncomfortably so. Restroom could stand a deep cleaning.

Really enjoy eating here. We frequently visit because of location and the food. The biscuits and veggie gravy is my go to!

They serve an eclectic mix of American food! Great biscuits and lobster hash! They were out of scones for our visit but we got to have grits, so no problem!

Good menu-decent prices. It's open for Breakfast & Lunch with a good variety for both carnivores & herbivores

Trendy urban places usually fail miserably when trying to update diner food, but City State succeeds admirably by focusing on the basics. My husband got a simple scrambled egg meal that focused proper soft scrambled eggs, room-temperature butter, real jam and perfectly toasted toast. The coffee is also very good. On the fancy side, I got the hazelnut challah french toast, which was actually encrusted with hazelnuts and absolutely delicious.

I ordered Best of Both worlds; a combo of biscuits & gravy with eggs Benedict. My wife had a spinach bacon scramble. One of the best compliments is the STUMPTOWN COFFEE! Great way to start the weekend. So good. And the food came so fast!

We were soo disappointed! It looks like such a nice little place. Not the case in our situation... we waited hours for food and it was substandard! Too expensive for the poor quality of food. There are sooo many great rest. in Portland and sadly this is not one of them.

Ham & Egg sandwich ordered egg medium well. Served barely over easy. The yolk was running as it was served. French Toast ordered with a sausage patty. The toast was dry and hard to cut. The sausage patty was a hamburger patty. We have patronized this "Diner" for over 2 years and have observed a decline in service and food quality. They have this way of taking orders that allows people that came in after you to go right to a table to order by a qrcode. Meanwhile you are standing in a line waiting to order as you see empty tables vanish. They have a sign in the window saying that they are going back to table service in March. Hope sooner than later. We will wait and see before we ever return.

We sat outside at a picnic table while enjoying a delicious lunch -- wonderful fresh salad, and breakfast food, which is served all day. Excellent salad, great service.

Lovely place, sitting outside with delicious Eggs Benedict and breakfast. Honest and nice service! 5 stars, definitely. We felt very well. 4 Germans - happy :)

Great locals place. Get the grits instead of potatoes and a side of bacon, and then combine. So good! Had them add arugula to my crispy prosciutto eggs Benedict, oh yeah! And good cocktails!

Great Atmosphere

Enjoyed a tasty breakfast sandwich and latte. I ordered a house sausage, egg and Swiss on English muffin and loved it. The staff was real nice and there was a good crowd but no line. I'll come again.

excellent place as usual. we came for breakfast/lunch 9-12-13. i ordered the lousiana crab hash, with whole wheat toast. my friend had the fritatta with prosciutto, and whole wheat toast. we were very hungry and satiated afterwards. the staff is very friendly and laid back.

We've been here 3 times in 2 weeks. I love the biscuit breakfast. Bacon is thick and cooked crisp. In fact, we all like what we ordered. You know how sometimes you get meal envy...not here. We were all happy with our choices. And on the weekend go for their Bloody Mary meal.

On a Sunday in Portland you just need to expect to wait for brunch (the Portlandia sketch "Brunch Village" is truly based in reality), and as expected we waited about 1/2 hour, which actually isn't too bad. The place is run very efficiently and they manage to get people in and out as quickly as possible, and it didn't look like they sacrificed cleanliness to do that--while waiting outside I saw a busser cleaning up a table and he really wiped the table down well. Might seem odd to mention that but sometimes a sticky table makes my brain go to places I wish it didn't. My husband had the Gravy Train, which as a biscuit with bacon/poached egg/gravy, and I had a veggie sausage Benedict. We both chose the grits as a side. The food came out to us within 10 minutes and it was super-tasty, especially the ample amount of dill hollandaise, poured over those poached eggs--yum. The grits were interesting, fried into triangular wedges. Not what I expected and while I did enjoy the first triangle, I enjoyed them a little bit less with each bite, so should have stopped with one. The place is a bit small so if you have a larger party it will take longer to get a table than if you are a party of 2-3, but again, the staff seems to do well to get even larger groups of 5 or so seated without waiting forever. A very decent option if you are up near Burnside.

We were searching for a place for breakfast and saw that this place was highly rated. It didn't disappoint. The food was good and reasonably priced and the service was great.

Find this place and have the Louisiana Crab Hash, it's one of the best things I've ever eaten. Simple dish, complex flavor I couldn't even figure out to steal it! My husband had something with biscuits and gravy that he loved but I was lost in flavor land with my hash. Also, the poached eggs were PERFECTLY cooked, and a rarity at any breakfast, they were hot! Not spicy, hot like they had just been cooked, not cooked and held for service. Same for all of the other components, the hash, and the potatoes, which I'm sure we're delicious but I had to make a choice and the hash won. Large portions, by the way. Fabulous Bloody Mary, like a side dish and a cocktail. I had a house infused cucumber vodka and soda with lime and it was delicious - would have liked a cucumber garnish but at this point that's a tiny detail. Service was very good, serve seemed to care that we really liked the food, fairly quick considering the quality. Cute place, wait could probably get long but might be worth it as the food is that good.

Excellent food! Friendly staff. Had a burger with a friend. Great spot. Highly recommended if you are in the area.

Didn't expect much from this "hole in the wall" place but don't let the external looks fool you, they cook up some delicious food! We love the breakfasts. The crab hash was excellent. Haven't had a bad thing there yet! Go, will enjoy it!

This was our 2nd time eating here. I had the Lousianna Crab Hash. Oh my! It was so good. And once again, the service was great and the food came out really fast. We will certainly be going again, soon.