Fat City Reviews

Bad service, keep forgetting me, asked me to move to the counter so a lady and her son could have my table, even though there was three stools in a row at the counter. My food took forever and it was mediocre. Or going back. Sorry

Quaint, unique atmosphere...great staff! Homemade food, large portions! The cinnamon rolls are huge! The biscuits and gravy are great, the omelets are very fluffy and filling! If you like hole in the wall, unique diners this is a must stop!

The place is very funky with signs and license plates all over the walls! It's not a place for neat freaks but it's clean enough and homey like an old bunk house! The staff is very friendly and fun and the patrons are very diverse. The food is very good! I'd say heavy on a great breakfast and hamburger/sandwich lunch. This is a place one should experience..... I've have some friends I'll be taking....

You can tell this is a local favorite by the greetings between customers and the staff. Ready to greet you as you walk in the door, the staff are good folks! A menu full of diner favorites...chili burgers, Kringle fries, really good potato salad, grilled onions on their burgers and bottomless refills. Love the license plates and signs to read while you are waiting. Photos under glass on the tables are entertaining as well. Take home a tshirt and send it back from wherever you wear it on your travels.

Good Comfort food for breakfast and lunch - plenty of food, pretty good, pretty basic. This cafe is longstanding piece of Multnomah history and I visit it every time I am in Portland

For a small "berg" this us the place to eat American food in American prices..located right in center of town.

Nothing exotic here just really good traditional breakfast food. It comes in large portions. Whether it's pancakes or omelettes nothings going to surprise you on surprise you onthe menu but the quality taste of the food.

I'll keep this brief.. Service was fantastic. We got our food quickly and everyone was friendly. The food, although basic, was very good. I had a Philly Cheesestake that was one of the better ones I've had on the West Coast. Even the pancakes my son had were very good. I realize it's hard to mess up pancakes, but they had good flavor, weren't overly huge, and were not too heavy. I'd certainly return.

It's my old neighborhood and I've eaten here many time spanning several decades now. Recently returned for a visit and thought it was better than ever. Super Friendly vibe here and great food. Glad to share a meal with my son here to pass on a family tradition.

Old license plates and amusing signs adorn the walls of the little breakfast and lunch joint with a laid-back atmosphere with friendly, personable wait staff. This place has been around seemingly forever (I first ate there in 1981) and has definitely stood the test of time.

This place continues to be a great place for breakfast. On weekdays you see the regulars, and on weekends it can be crowded. So be sure you get there early to get a table. Everything is good, but the sticky buns are exceptional.

Great food and great service. Our waitress made sure we had a great time. I've only been there for breakfast and it's always cranking. You have to try a cinnamon roll!

Fine service, fun ambiance and decor (probably the highlight, as our toddler loved looking at the license plates while we waited for our food), and fine food (nothing out of this world, but it got the job done). Reasonable prices for the quality and quantity of food.

This is the second time I had the pleasure of joining my family at Fat City. Both times I was impressed with the food, it was good home cooking and large servings. The cinnamon roll was very good! The omelette was fantastic! The atmosphere was fun, the staff was friendly. A great little mom and pop diner!

When friends visit with us in Multnomah Village they want to have lunch and walk the village. We usually take them to Fat City. A flashback to the 1950's with great burgers and breakfasts. The shakes are A-1. When we walk the village with our dog, we have to stop and get a bone bisquit for him. He loes Fat City, although he has to eat on the sidewalk outside. Fun.

I've visited fat city a handful of times in the 12 years I've been in the Portland area and everytime I visit, the family that runs this joint always deliver. The blonde lady(bad with names...sorry) has a great sense of humor and theres also a younger kid that can be Taylor lautner's little brother. If you visit make sure to call him "sharkboy". The service is great,but so is the food. Good ol fashioned diner food served with a smile ;)

Farmer's sizzle and cinnamon bun French toast were our choices. Plenty to share. Really delicious. Our server Nathan was friendly, and helpful about answering touristy type questions!

Just had lunch at Fat City with my daughter for the first time in years. I love this place! The "decor" is license plate chic with a lunch counter. Employees are fun and friendly, service is no frills and efficient. Food is solid good. Get the potato salad (best potato salad other than my mother's) and steal fries from someone at your table because they are going to have a ton of them. Price is right. And have a milkshake!!!

By myself, so I sat at the counter--and most of the tables were filled. No wonder. My BLT was just the way that I ordered it--crisp bacon, sourdough bread. The owner-waitress, Helen, was very friendly and helpful. Very comfortable. I'm going back today.

We had a very nice breakfast at this clean, comfortable retro place. Courteous servers brought our freshly cooked meal. Food was excellent and just the wAy we ordered. A definite Go Back place.

We decided to try this restaurant after our neighbors kept talking about the cinnamon rolls. We chose to go on a weekday morning. This is a very tiny diner. It has at most ten tables and some stools at the counter. We arrived around 9AM and got one of the last booths. By 9:30AM all tables were filled up! The staff here is friendly. They took our order relatively quickly and served us our drinks. I ordered the Towering Inferno (egg scramble with bacon and ghost pepper salsa). The eggs were average, and the bacon was a tad underdone (I like mine crispy even in a scramble). The ghost pepper salsa was incredible! It had a nice flavor with a perfect amount of heat. The biscuit was large and moist without being under done. I'd go back just for the biscuits! The cinnamon rolls are HUGE! They are great right out of the oven with a nice amount of "goo." We took four of them home. They were so-so the next day. So it is best to eat them right away. I give this place 3 stars because it is a bit run down and it could use a good scrub down. We'd go back to get biscuits and cinnamon rolls to go. If you like the eclectic parts of Portland this place will probably appeal to you. It is located in area that is a bit like SE Portland.

So, we were looking for a small neighborhood spot to try for breakfast on Labor Day morning. I'd driven by Fat City a few weeks earlier while on business, and it looked like a quaint little spot. We showed up about 8:30 for find a crowd of about fifteen people standing outside, waiting for one of maybe twenty tables inside. We added our name to the clipboard hanging inside the front door and joined the crowd. At one point, a young man, I guessed him to be a busser or waiter, walked outside, offered a friendly greeting to everyone and assured everyone that it wouldn't be too long of a wait. He commented "If anyone needs anything let me know!", and one of the fellows standing nearby almost jokingly said "I could use a cup of coffee", and another couple said something about a glass of water. To our surprise, within a few minutes, out he came, with a tray holding coffee and waters, which he proceeded to hand out. I wished I'd asked for a cup! No too much later, our name was called and my wife and I were seated at a booth near the back, next to the window where the food was set out from the kitchen. How torcherous it was to see all these omelets, huge pancakes, and cinnamon rolls passing by. To make a long story short, we soon were served, and very much enjoyed the food, the service and the surroundings. If you're out for a leisurely morning of shopping in Southwest Portland, this little spot is definitely worth stopping by.

Small place with great food! Come early because it gets busy. The service was awesome and the place has a great small diner vibe. Next time I'm in town I will be going back again.

I hadnt been to Fat City in years. There was a line out the door but in the end we didnt wait that long. I had a 1/2 order of French toast and a poached egg and hot chocolate. My husband had an omelet and coffee. His omlet came with hashbrowns and sour cream. He loved it but thought that the coffee was too weak. The waitress thought that was unlikely since usually their ciffee is”too strong”. He asked for hot chocolate instead. We both passed on the whipped cream. The hot chocolate was very hot and very sweet which i liked.it came in a larger than usual mug. The French toast was very good. I think i got real maple syrup but i wouldnt swear to it. The waiter was good but we had to ask them to remove the charge for the coffee that my husband didn't drink. They did remove it. I asked for a buscuit to eat with my poached egg. It was huge and delicious. Even though the place was crowded it wasnt obnoxiouly noisy. Im sure we’ll go back. It was a lot of food and all good. It’sa big menu with lots that I’d like to try. I love the atmoshere of lots of things on the wall to read while waiting, many of them quite funny.

... if you can get a table, this place will cook you a superb breakfast. The omelets are huge. The place is small, but for what you get, the prices are reasonable. Plus, the ambience (aka stuff on the wall) is fun to view, waiting for one's breakfast. The wait staff hustles.

Take a journey back in time when small neighborhood cafes were all the rage... where you received a friendly smile as you came in, squeezed yourself into a small/compact table or booth and grabbed a menu with a plethora of stuff that you want to eat (all at the same time)... the prices are more than fare and I believe that Fat City should be canonized as a Saint (well, a Saint place anyway) now, I must say, be brave because there may be a line but that's okay - you will meet other food-a-holics and have fun during the wait... love this place!

As a former Portland resident I used to go here quite often. On a recent visit to Portland we stopped by for Breakfast, and were once again treated to a nice local joint for a good reasonably priced breakfast. The service was very good, and the atmosphere remains down home.

I wanted to like this place, but they let me down. Waiter had a bad attitude, and the food was uninteresting. Portland has much better places.

Great hole in the wall visited by locals (moi). Visit twice and you are a regular. Humongous pancakes and the best cinnamon roll on the planet.

I used to go here when I was a kid. Its got that soda shop from the 50s sorta feel and their cheese sandwich is as American as they come.

Great old fashioned diner in the middle of fun Multnomah Village. Arrive early or expect to wait for a table for this cozy cafe. The service is fantastic and friendly, everyone is happy to be here and ready to take care of the customers quickly and efficiently. Four of us ate fantastic breakfasts. Biscuits and gravy, chicken fried steak, country benedict and huevos rancheros. Delicious.

Very popular breakfast spot in the heart of Portland's Multnomah Village. Great bacon and fabulous home fries. Expect to wait on weekends, but well worth it!

Nestled on a corner in the tiny multnomah village, you'll find Fat City Cafe. The menu lives up to the Cafes name with the fat city double burger, the Rushmore, the garlic Burger etc..The special the morning we came was the Gyro Omelette. Just lie down and die now 'because what the waiter recited to me was nothing but pure heaven. I decided to go traditional with biscuits and gravy a whole order for under 6 bucks! As I sat relishing a plate of food that was so much like that of my childhood I was taken down memory lane, my friend leaned over and described Fat City's other hot item, the cinnamon roll French toast. It all sounded amazing. The walls were covered with license plates from around the world, down home proper service with a laugh and a smile and amazing food. Stop screwing around people...get there...now!

A Multnomah village - Diner,Drive In, and Dive kinda Restaurant. Totally funky but in a good way. The food is of good quality > fresh and perfectly prepared. Many in house made items on the menu. The restaurant is small with limited seating. We were first time guests and totally enjoyed the unique dining @ Fat city. Family owned and operated offering a good old home style breakfast in a non- corporate setting. Will definitely be back..

Best staff, location and prices. Amazing food!

This is a great spot for breakfast and for casual meetings. Good food, friendly service and lots of Americana on the walls. The breakfasts are well presented and tasty with lots of options.

Awful. Dirty, slow service, small, greasy as hell. Just bad. Bad.

Fat City is a fun diner in the heart of Multnomah Village. The walls are covered with license plates, news clips and other memorabilia from around the US and the world. We had breakfast there today. Portions are large and the food is very good, as is the service. Although we didn't have it, they have a reputation for making terrific cinnamon rolls. If you are looking for a nice place for breakfast or lunch and want to take a trip down memory lane, this place will fit the bill.

I always enjoy this place. I love to sit at the counter. It is fun to see what your eyes will find. The coffee is good and filled frequently. I also enjoy the breakfast from the egg dishes to pancakes.

Great place! Great food, big portions, friendly staff. Not your run of the mill chain restaurant nor run of the mill local place. Well worth stopping in.

Standard greasy spoon fair. Server was good. Hostess was not. Asked the hostess if they had fresh squeezed juice to which she said yeah, the orange juice isn't bad. Then went 4 feet behind me and got it out of a machine...

It is like they transported my kitchen and my menu to Multnomah Village! Always a hit and always fun. And, the Oregon Historical Society has nothing on them......

The coffee is organic and staff are always checking in to see if more is needed. The owner, Helen, is so nice, knows everyone, and keeps everything flowing well. The staff are all so pleasant and accommodating. The fun atmosphere - license plates from all over the U.S. and world, old signs, and fun kitschy stuff - and Sasquatch watching over the room - is just a delight. And, the food is excellent. Best biscuits and cinnamon rolls in town! Servings are generous. (The only thing I would change is having a higher quality jam available, and maybe adding a bear container of honey at the tables.) Some of the booth seats are a little tired, but they add to the charm. There can be long waits on weekends, but it's worth it.

Went just around noon time for lunch. Had eggs and pancake. It was so good. The syrup is so warm and sticky and ooey gooey! Yum!! My friend had the cinnamon French toast and loved it! I also got a cinnamon roll to go, which was tremendous - just wish it had a little more frosting. Service was super. Fast and attentive. Can't wait to go back!

The food was no better than any other cafe in town so i dont see why we waited over an hour for Shari's style food. Better off else where if you want a bigger faster place to eat.

Family run business with an ecclectic style. Super fun to play I-spy with the kiddos with all of the fun decor. Excellent breakfast - my son even had a BLT for breakfast and said it was his favorite BLT EVER. Friendly service, Helen & Tom are amazing. Always so happy to be here.

We have had many good experiences here in the past and we’re looking forward to breakfast there today. Unfortunately, we did not have a good experience. Service was slow. We thought they had forgotten us. The waitress was abrupt when she took our order. We ordered eggs over medium and asked that the hashbrowns be well cooked. We got eggs with runny whites and hashbrowns that were almost white outside. We asked to have them cooked more. The owner came back and argued with us telling us the eggs weren’t runny. I explained that we have eaten there many times before without problems like these. She responded I have owned this restaurant for 25 years and I have never seen you. One thing for sure she needs a memory check and she will never see us again.

We had a late lunch here and what a fun diner! The decor is delightful and the food was great. Parking was a bit of a challenge, but we drove around the block once and found a spot.

Not only does Fat City live up to its name it’s an institution in Multnomah Village. Classic 1950’s style booths and counter are comfortable for chowing down. Breakfast is there specialty but they also have a traditional lunch menu. The walls are decorated with signs and license plates to keep you entertained while you nosh. They also enjoy seasonal decorations which add to the already festive atmosphere. The over sized cinnamon rolls are a special treat and big enough for 4 people. Diners Tip: Wear stretch pants!

We been coming by here for years for the good food and decent portions. Lately the service is dropping. Our last visit, no plans to go back ever again, our server pretty much ignored us. As we sat to wait for our order, we saw coffee and waters get filled. Our soda was empty and no ask if we wanted water. The server offered water to new tables coming in, but no offering to us. Server was more interested in a person standing at counter talking about their date in Eugene. This person didn’t even order food. He came in just to talk as we sat right next to him as he stood and talked. All the while our drink was empty and no follow up to ask how our food was. It felt like she wanted to drop the food and get away from us. We felt so unwelcome there. There was maybe 6 tables total when we were there eating. When we arrived only 3 tables were open so it wasn’t like they were slammed and too busy to refill drinks. Mention our dissatisfaction to owner and response was, that’s my daughter and she’s is new at this. We’ve been in before and seen her plenty of times, I don’t think she can call her new at this. We like the food and portion sizes, but the poor service is something that will leave a bad taste with us. We will not go back to this place to eat again. We didn’t feel welcomed at all.

We had breakfast twice here because everything was closed on Labor day. But actually it wasn't too bad, exactly what you'd expect. The interior, atmosphere and staff were all great.

Hundreds of license plates decorate this Multnomah Village tradition. Great food, friendly staff. Owners are amazing. A busy bustling place where you will be remembered. This is the real thing family owned and operated. You will feel like you are welcome and right at home.

With the name, it had to be good. The best thing the prices meet the serving size. Yeah no left over breakfast and a bill that was under 20$ for two. The best thing the staff and the hash browns. Yum. Saturday I thought no I want good hash browns were was that again, oh yeah, fat city!

Breakfast here is hardy and that's not a euphemism in this case. Not matter what you order you won't leave hungry. I've never eaten anything buy breakfast here so I can't speak for the other meals, but I suspect that they're up to the same standard. The omelets and scramblers are stuffed and tasty. The sides of bacon and corned beef hash are excellent, but you probably won't need to order a side. I've also seen other people eating the waffles and they looked good and nothing was left when the people were finished, so they must be good.

This place is small but has a huge menu! This is a family owned & operated business with super friendly staff and homey atmosphere. Have only been here 1 time but there were SO many things on the menu we both want to go back for. They serve breakfast all day & have a very appealing menu for any type of appetite! The waitress/server chased customers out the door & down the street when she saw they had left their wallet on the table. Cannot day enough about this place for the staff alone, but the food was worth a second visit as well! I definitely recommend this place!

Good ol' American diner food. I still think the diners in Pennsylvania are the best in the country.

I have had many breakfasts at Fat City over the years, but today that all came to an end. I had gone a bit early as I was to meet my son there at 8:30, and so sat a table having a coffee while waiting for him as I have done so many times before. Slightly after 8:15 they came to me and said, if you are not going to order now, we can't have you waiting. So I thanked them and paid for my coffee, and told them that if that is how they feel, well they don't need my business and I will not be frequenting their restaurant any more. Good for them feeling that they are in such a position , but bad for them in the not proper way of handling it. Good luck to them finding customers who wouldn't find this to be an unacceptable way of doing business

Disappointing. Food was hot when served but service was awful. Server never checked back with us after taking our order nor did she offer to refill coffee. When she put our bill on the table, she didn’t even ask if we liked our breakfast.

Good old Fat City ^ have not been here for years, but halfway through a 13m hike I was ready for lunch / great turkey club and ice tea served fast and tasty / server very nice. Will be back.

My best friend in the whole world lives in Portland and we waited in the cold rain outside the restaurant. We enjoyed two of the special breakfast options and the good service. Now we can see why everyone wants to go here. We'll go back!

Great Breakfast and a fun atmosphere. If you are in the area definitely worth a stop in. Enjoyed the walls and even walked out with a tie dyed tshirt.