Portage Bay Cafe - Ballard Reviews

We stopped here at 1:30 p.m. on a weekday and there was no wait as the restaurant was only about 75 percent full. The greeter told us to take a seat wherever there were menus, so we chose the only available booth. The other seating consists of tables and seats by a counter. An upbeat server came immediately for our drink order and soon returned for our food order. I saw nothing that appealed for lunch so opted for Classic Eggs Benedict under Breakfast items, which are served until closing. My husband wanted a Reuben, but as there was no more beef brisket, which is the meat used in that sandwich here, he ordered a poke bowl. My poached eggs arrived way over cooked. The smoked pork that is used instead of ham proved to be tough with a flavor that failed to go well with eggs. The poke bowl revealed only a trace of fish, but brimmed with ginger. On the upside, the bowl came with a big delicious slice of bread, made at the restaurant. Service remained good throughout our stay. The industrial look in the big room is typical of the atmosphere many eateries strive for today. I found the restroom in the restaurant occupied so followed a sign for additional restrooms after taking note of the code to enter. The sign took me out of the Portage Bay Cafe into what looked like a huge inside loading area for trucks, but nothing was there, I found this empty space to be kind of creepy, but the restroom itself was fine. Parking exists in a lot next to the restaurant and within the immediate neighborhood.

We really liked this place. We came for brunch and tried the eggs Benedict sampler and loved it! You get the veggie, salmon and crab tart versions and they are all very good. We also ordered the vegan pancakes for our baby and they were very good as well. Although it was out of our way, it was worth a visit.

Partage bay café is a large and very noisy room. The food is ok, but not excellent and the prices are higher than they should be for the money charged. Their big 'deal' is a open cafeteria fruit bar but the fuit is never fully ripe or flavorful. So customers pay for the privilege of mediocrity.

Stopped off for a late-ish brunch, just as they were closing. Very kindly let us in, and we had very tasty benedicts. Lots to choose from, a really extensive menu. Staff were really friendly and accommodating.

Happily, we reserved a place at this justifiably popular place for brunch. With a broad range of both sweet and savory dishes, the hardest part was choosing what to eat. If you go sweet, there is a fantastic "berry buffet" that includes a range of fresh and stewed berries, fresh whipped cream, whipped butter, syrup and more. We enjoyed fabulous challah french toast, oatmeal cobbler french toast (definitely go for this one if you love anything with cobbler!), and pancakes piled high with berry bar sweets. On the savory side, the farmer's hash was spectacular with perfectly made eggs and delightful veggies. Don't miss this place!

Went here with family while in Seattle for vacation. Easy to make a reservation online. Good COVID safety protocols. Food was great with a wide selection of entrees.

Lots of food, well prepared. Was good for lunch too! I had to type more here... And a little more. Still not at a hundred characters.

This is a truly great spot for breakfast, whether it's a working meeting or a leisurely breakfast. All the breakfast options I've tried have been great (but I am partial to the Phil's Breakfast - 3 eggs, potatoes, choice of meat, toast, etc). Pro tip: you can substitute braised greens for the meat if you are a vegetarian or just want to mix things up). Staff are great - friendly and prompt without being all over you. I've tried it a few times for lunch, but I think Portage Bay really shines for breakfast.

Have heard excellent things about Portage Bay for ages and was not disappointed. The crab cake eggs Benedict was delicious, as was what I tried of the pork belly benedict, the biscuits and gravy, and the french toast. Definitely busy and a bit noisy but nothing over the top. Love the locally sourced ingredients, even down to local hot sauces. I do wish this location had a bit more to offer as far as coffee goes, but even the drip was pretty good. Would definitely go back. Reserve online to avoid waiting as long, we did it about 2 hours beforehand and only had to wait a few minutes.

The experience is a bit on the noisy side but the food was well worth it. Our entire party was impressed with the quality and nuances of their breakfast. My grits were the best ever, not sure how they pulled them off. Definitely goes on the "keeper" list for the future.

A very popular place for breakfast or brunch on the weekends. Recommend making a reservation. We had oatmeal french toast, buckwheat pancakes, and the breakfast scramble. Everything was delicious. Pancakes and french toast include a trip to the topping bar with fresh and canned fruit, jellies, butter, whipped cream, etc. The strawberries and raspberries were fresh and perfect with the homemade whipped cream. Coffee was hot and our cups were refilled often. Fast and attentive service. Tables are a bit cramped and it is loud. A bit pricy but you will have plenty of leftovers.

Family get together and what better place than here. Great selection of breakfast items. Egg sandwiches, Migas with pork and pancakes-oh and they have this incredible fruit buffet to add to the pancakes-out of this world. Great service. Josh was friendly and did not rush us at all. Will definitely be back!

If you're in the mood for a great breakfast (or lunch) followed by a walking tour of one of Seattle's iconic destinations--Ballard Locks--then this is the place to go! Be prepared to wait for a table especially on weekends. And be sure to note they're open 7AM-230PM. Our waitress suggested we come around 1PM if a weekend and we could be seated right away. About the food, they source much of their product locally and bake their own breads. The French Toast choices are particularly good. And, if you order an entree item it includes a trip to their impressive fruit bar where delicious bowls of fresh fruit serve as toppings for pancakes and French Toast. Did I mention you can top all this off with a scoop of fresh whipped cream from the bowl at the end of the bar. The service is excellent, their coffee is strong (just as it should be, otherwise why drink it?) and food arrived promptly. Check this place out on your next visit to Seattle! You won't be disappointed!

I stopped in with a friend for a quick snack before a workshop at the nearby Nordic Museum. We had such a good experience that after the workshop we went back for a late lunch. Lovely food, good service, such friendly people. Highly recommend!

You couldn't get this quality in Seattle 10 years ago, but now you shouldn't miss it. Locally-sourced ingredients, a thoughtful "breakfast bar" for fruit nuts and other great (mostly) healthy items to add to your oatmeal or yogurt or... Eggs were perfect, fluffy but not too airy, tasty... I could go on and on. English muffins from a local bakery? Yup. An army of servers, all smiling and cheerful (is this the culture of the place, or the result of Seattle's absolutely reasonable minimum wage law?) You can't go wrong.

Great food on a very wet Sunday. Food & service were surprisingly great. The restaurant itself looks like a huge warehouse with many cramp tables. Unless you have reservations don't bother because the line for waiting is long & never ending. The place is like a huge warehouse with tables & great breakfast. There are 4 locations and will definitely recommend it and will try other locations.

That's the restaurant's tag line. We visit here often as it is near our workshop. The food is local, service is good, and the kitchen is willing to make special accommodations if you are on a restricted diet. This restaurant is popular so get there early if you are planning a weekend visit. Also, expect to pay more for a quality meal.

Such a cute / fun place to have breakfast / brunch. I felt right at home with my friends here. The service was good and fairly fast paced and the food was delicious.

The Portage Bay Cafe is one of the most popular brunch spots in Seattle. The Ballard location is the one I mostly frequent. The cafe is open daily from 8 AM to 2 PM (closed Tuesday & Wednesday). Please know that they only take 2 credit cards maximum per table so if you are a group of friends and want to “split the bill” you will need to have someone pay the entire bill and have everyone “Venmo” the payer. They serve all the expected brunch classics such as omelettes, French toast, pancakes, avocado toast, Eggs Benedict and a fabulous mole verde burrito. Reservations are highly recommended on weekends.

My husband and I stopped here for breakfast on the recommendation of one of his coworkers before a busy day of sightseeing in Seattle. I ordered the Farmer's Hash Bowl, which was full of fresh veggies, eggs, pepper bacon, and mushrooms with whole wheat toast (it's homemade and AMAZING) and my husband had the migas which had very well-seasoned scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, housemade salsa, and cilantro-lime crema in a flour tortilla topped with guac and he ordered a salad as his side. It was all so delicious! We also ordered one of their pancakes to share and I can definitely say it is among the best pancakes I've ever had in my life - fluffy, tender, and it soaked up the butter and syrup beautifully. Our server was very friendly and attentive and we both agreed we'd happily return again in the future.

Across the street from the iconic Sloop Tavern in Ballard. The food was excellent. Let's start there. And then you need to know that line was unholy. we had the good sense to put our reservation in an hour and a half before we wanted to eat. We still had another 20+ minute delay. But the food was excellent. And the servers were absolutely wonderful. The delay wasn't their error. It was just people taking longer to finish their meals because they were having a good time. Who can fault them? But the servers understood that we were hungry and that there was a clock ticking and they made sure the food came out within 10 minutes. The kids absolutely loved the pancakes and loaded them down with fresh berries and whipped cream. The Dungeness crab based Seattle Benedict was excellent. One of us had it with potatoes and the other had it without the English muffin and did a side order of honey wheat toast instead. See the photos. The colors were untouched. The huevos Ranchos were delicious hands-down. We had a couple of sides of bacon and the maple pork sausage was very popular with the kids. It's worth the wait. Just be ready. And if you've got kids the way we had four, take them for a walk down to the Nordic Heritage Museum the end of the block and take them to the labyrinth behind The building next to the parking lot. They'll enjoy themselves tremendously while they wait.

If you need a reason to get out of bed and grab an early breakfast, this is it! Get here early and sit away from the ramp that leads to the hostess's stand, otherwise people who slept in will totally watch you eat your amazing delicious breakfast. I recommend the pancakes because there are unlimited toppings and loads of fresh fruit and homemade whipped cream (hence the fast before title). If that's not your jam they have plenty of other options too.

We had a reservation, so we did not have to wait, however there was a waiting line the whole time we were there. It is a busy restaurant and loud, but the food is amazing. There was a wide selection for choices and a fruit bar for toppings on your breakfast choice. You won't go away hungry!

During the week, able to snag a table for four with no wait. Delicious salads and pancakes for the kids. Fun toppings bar for pancakes.

Cold toast, cold potatoes, and Minimal effort with our Service This place came highly recommended. We are sad to say we cannot offer the same encouraging appraisal.

What a nice all day brunch place. It was a bit loud since the place was packed. Food was great, had buckwheat pancakes and it was excellent. Definitely go back again with friends and family.

Lovely funky decor, delicious food. Their smoked salmon is divine. They have a breakfast bar for pancake and waffle toppings. Their bennies are great. Large portions. Reservations highly recommended.

So delicious! After a little bit of a wait on a busy Sunday morning, we ate at the counter and it was absolutely delicious! Great service, so glad we went!

The Portage Bay cafe is only open for breakfast and lunch. The do have gluten free options on the menu. I had gluten free french toast, which allowed me access to a toppings bar, including fresh fruit, whipped cream and other toppings. The french toast was made from homemade gluten free bread and was excellent. My wife had a sandwich and really enjoyed it. The restaurant is located near the fish ladders.

We came for brunch after an early morning flight. We lucked out with seats at the counter so not a long wait. It was fun to watch the staff with their well-orchestrated “dance” in the kitchen. The Eggs Benedict trio was so delicious ! I’m not a fan of too much hollandaise sauce and they were able to put it on the side instead.

We are long time visitors to Portage Bay, but our visit in February left us cold, and we will leave them. We had a noon reservation and waited over 45 minutes to be seated. Unexcusable. We will notbe back, nor recommend you to others.

We stopped in for a weekday lunch and found the large, modern space already quite busy. Nonetheless, we were seated promptly. Good selection of both breakfast (all day, in this case until closing at 2:30pm) and lunch offerings. Coffee by Fonza tasted burnt at first but got better as the meal progressed. Refills no problem.

Made reservations the night before for brunch on Sunday. Waited less than 5 minutes once we arrived. Great menu options. I ordered the hash without eggs or any of the meat options. Hash was excellent. Plentiful variety of roasted vegetables seasoned perfectly. Homemade bread was very good. Friends ordered the hash with eggs and bacon and oatmeal crusted French toast. Trip to fruit and whipped cream bar took the French toast over the top. Would definitely recommend.

I have been here for breakfast three times. Each time, there has been a long wait. The food is good, but I wouldn't say it is great. I have had better meals and at half the price. Many of the pancake items are overly sweet. They have a "bar" that has compotes, fresh whipped cream, nuts, and fruit that you can add to your pancakes, but much of it is very sweet. I would prefer fresh blueberries that aren't in a syrup. The biscuits and gravy is very rich and the serving is huge.

We made reservations online and found parking right in front of the restaurant. There was both indoor and outdoor seating but we opted for the warmth inside. The menu contained a good variety including organic and vegan options which ranged from Benedict’s, omelettes, Mexican burritos, pancakes, and more. A fresh fruit bar was included with each pancake and French toast entree and you could pick as much you wanted. Blackberries, raspberries, blueberries were the freshest and the canned peaches seemed odd. I enjoyed my two carnitas Benedict with a unique poblano hollandaise. The oatmeal cobbler French toast was quite good with oatmeal crumb crust and fresh fruit compote and lemon crème. The apple pie pancake was another great choice, sweet and cinnamony. Service was good and we enjoyed our leisurely Saturday breakfast. When we finished there was a long line so glad we made our reservations ahead of time.

Portage Bay's motto, "Eat Like You Give A Damn" says it all. I have had breakfast here on numerous visits and never had one that wasn't outstanding. Either make reservations or get on the list and wait. Usually it's a fairly rapid seating as the place is large. Your biggest problem might be emptying your plate.

Even with reservations, we had to wait about 20 minutes for a table. Also, parking is difficult so plan extra time to find a parking space. Portions were ample and delicious! There is quite a variety and it's all good. Service was good and food came out fairly quickly.

We had a 1 PM Sunday reservation. It was breakfast only on weekends, which was not clearly explained on the website. I had Phil's Breakfast. The eggs were overcooked, the potatoes were dried out, the toast was burnt on the bottom, and the pork loin was not tender. I did not want to send it back as they were very busy and did not realize it was not to my liking until I started eating. Since brunch is their specialty on weekends, I would think the food would have been better.

Met some old friends for breakfast. It was very busy. We waited for a few minutes for a table that would seat us all. The waitress was very efficient and the food came quickly. We had a dungeness crab benedict and Phil's breakfast. It was all very good.

Amazing breakfast! Several options available on the Eggs Benedict. Hot coffee and fresh squeezed Orange Juice. Chef also had daily specials that were excellent.