Vista Spring Cafe Reviews

Nice place in the "hood" to share a pizza and a beer! Great sandwiches and nice wine selection. This is casual dining at its best! Or takeout if you prefer.

This is located in an old, beautiful part of Portland and great to add time to your trip to walk around the neighborhood. We didn't try much, just the cobb salad which was good. Seemed like it had fresh ingredients. I always think $13.50 for a lunch salad is a little high but I'd like to come back for after work drinks some time. The waitress never came back to refill our water glasses, which is a little annoying, I always drink a lot of water.

My family and friends have been enjoying all that the Vista Springs Cafe has to offer since the late 1980's. It's warm and inviting - quaint and is most beautiful at Christmas. • In response to several negative reviews I'll have to say I've never experienced disruptive children - although it is child friendly - and if children were poorly behaved it's hardly a negative mark on the restaurant - try holding the parents responsible. • And of all the food I have enjoyed - I had one pizza that was not up to their usual fine standard and they simply offered something else. • We have enjoyed great food - look at their menu before going so you know what they have - don't be disappointed because you didn't plan in advance. I find the menu varietal - but they don't have lobster - mostly pizza - really good - great sandwiches - soups - their clam chowder is great - etc. • And sometimes you have to wait - there is a sign in sheet in the lobby - but not lots of room - so we sometimes wait outside. There's an awning if it's rainy and it just lends to their charm. • I am happy to recommend this as one of my favorite restaurants.

Great place to meet in a fun neighborhood with friends. Great selection of salads and sandwiches. Cozy place for conversation

Close to home, good for snowy days when you cant use the car!

Stopped her for lunch one day a few months ago, and couldn't have been more pleased. This place has an amazing Reuben (even better, possibly, than the famous Reuben at the Goose Hollow Inn, a mile down the hill), and much, MUCH better service. Atmosphere is great, too, whether outside on a nice day, or inside. The inside has great old, wooden tables, and a very interesting looking old cooling/fan system.

Needed a handy spot for lunch, this turned out just right for location. Went for the Gluten Free pizza, which was unexpectedly good. The menu is extensive and a full bar. Service was very good. This is the old money, high end part of Portland. Take a walk of the neighborhood after eating, there are many beautiful homes in the area.

An amazing out-of-the-way cafe on the way up Vista Avenue to Council Crest (the highest point in Portland, awesome views on a clear day!). They really know how to make good pizza, pasta, and traditional sandwiches and soups and salads. Unbeatable in every way!

High above the city you find this wonderful cafe with an adjacent antiques store. Excellent and well priced casual food--sandwiches, pizzas, soups, salads, etc. There is a full bar. I love to bring visitors here. Always fun.

We loved this quaint cafe tucked away in an upscale residential neighborhood. We expected the prices to be higher but were pleasantly surprised to find most items between $10 and $15, and several far less than that. The menu tends to feature designing your own pizza, but there are several interesting sandwiches and hamburgers as well as salads. The soup I had prior to my sandwich was also excellent. The only comment I would have is that this is definitely more of a lunch place rather than dinner house. There are a few entrees, but they are mostly pasta. The restaurant cannot seat large parties over 8 though. There are mostly booths and small tables. The service was attentive, and quick. There was a bit of a wait, so we took ourselves next door to a well stocked antique shop until our table was ready. We definitely will return to this charming cafe, as the food was good and the atmosphere almost like you would expect to find in a European city.

Pizza was excellent. Have ok beer menu. Lasagna obviously made earlier in week and reheated. Wouldn't recommend as it was dry and probably dry initially. Excellent salad--Insalata de Pera.

We had a late lunch here after a visit to Oregon Zoo on a monday afternoon. Really nice. According to our 4-year old “ the best pizza in the world”. Also the turkey dipper and spinach salat were very good. Great service, great place!!!!

I have been to this restaurant twice while visiting Portland. Once last summer and most recently last month (Nov. 2012). I was told it looked especially cute at holiday time with all it's white twinkly lights and decor. I was not disappointed! It is a popular little place tucked away in Portland Heights, known mainly by the locals. As small as it is, it is complete with bar, tables and booths, and sports many wonderful entrees. Everything from their home made pizzas, to burgers, pastas, sandwiches, salads, etc. (look up their menu!) Amongst my party of four, the Vista Club sandwich, Oregon Blue Cheese Burger, and Ceasar Salad were the favs. Not sure if they take reservations, but if you go later than 6:00 you may need them.

Great place to visit with friends who live in Portland and took us to Vista Springs. Booth made conversation easy. We were disappointed that eggplant lasagna is no longer on the menu, and the regular lasagna that we ordered was not so special. Very nice beet/buratta/greens salad but chowder was so so. I think we could have made better choices from the menu. I do respect this family owned restaurant, a valuable resource to the community!

My server & the cook screamed at each other across the restaurant the entire time I was there! The older server lady that waited on me looked disheveled like she just rolled out of bed in frumpy yoga pants and bad bed head and attitude. My pizza was cold, tasteless and way to expensive. I watched her pour my flat diet coke from an already open can, like how long was that sitting before I got there? Then she took the rest of my pizza (which I didn't want) and boxed it up on a counter with dirty dishes on it from some other people's table! I'm never going back!

I often talk a long lunch hour and walk into the west hills from downtown Portland. This restaurant is a perfect reward near the higher parts of a walk. It has a limited menu and the service isn't always fast, but the food is very good and the atmosphere is great for a moment of relaxation before the walk back down to reality.

Lunch before a Portland Hills Walk. Gone by this place many times, first time to stop. Good menu, very good sandwiches, nice atmosphere, relaxed eating. Clearly will return.

Nice ambiance in restaurant but found the food to be just ok. Service was attentive and friendly. All parking was on the street and not necessarily close by. Ordered a poppyseed chicken salad. Chicken tasted like processed chicken and poppyseed dressing tasted like a store bought brand. Go for the ambiance not the food.

Whether by myself, on a date, or with family, LOVE this neighborhood spot for a delicious meal. Great hillside location (parking can sometimes be a challenge). Lovely dining environment, pleasant decor.

This restaurant is tucked away in a little neighborhood in southwest Portland. Friends and I gathered on a Thursday afternoon for lunch to catch up with each other's lives. The menu is diverse, and we each had something different. We each commented on the quality of the food and the quiet, relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant. It proved to be a great place for friends of more than sixty years to spend time reacquainting and reliving our childhoods together!!

What a great find! After passing it several times on out way to play golf we decided to try it out and were so pleased. The food is great and there is a full bar. Good service. Around 5pm it gets a little busy with neighborhood folks and there are not reservations. Easy parking.

the Vista Spring aims to be a half-notch above the standard pizza and burger joint, and could have made it, BUT. we and another couple had supper at the Vista Spring. They are regulars; it was our first visit. We understand that the cafe is often so busy that there are significant waiting times, which may have influenced our server's habit patterns despite this being a near-empty evening (lousy weather). We felt rushed from the time we arrived until we left (which was after the server went off shift). We had little time for a hello with our friends, and almost no time to read the multiple pizza offerings before ordering. The server stood over us while we scanned the menu, and was generally helicoptering or dinner. but her vigilance failed when she forgot to bring our friends' pre-meal salad. the pizzas were above average (neither the standard mozzarella plus red sauce, nor a random collection of "gourmet" items). we would no doubt rate the restaurant a notch higher if we had had the leisure to enjoy our meal, especially because no other patrons would have been inconvenienced. still, why would we want to set ourselves up for a repeat performance?

After touring the Portland Japanese Gardens, sought a nearby place to eat lunch. Really a perfect place for lunch. Sat outside, since the weather was excellent, all the food was excellent -- soups, salads, and sandwiches. The berry pie was fantastic. They had a nice selection of wines, etc. Price, food, and service was all great. All 4 of us liked everything.

Located high in the west hills, the Vista serves simple and tasty Italian food, great soups, and little individual pizzas. The location is in a residential nrighborhood. There always seems to be plenty of parking. The prices are reasonable and the building is vintage. This is a hidden gem away from the tourists. Full bar and friendly staff

Pretty good family food

High quality ingredients, in meals prepared so they are creative but recognizable. Nice not to have to struggle to recognize what you ordered! Ample portion size for large eaters. They offer everything from salads (I like the Greek caesar) to BLTs--with avacado. Fruit can be substituted for chips. If you are in a hurry, let your server know, as they make a point of not rushing people.

Are you one of those people like myself that is tired of over rated trendy restaurants with strange names and even stranger cuisine... inflated prices and snotty service? THEN, you must go to the Vista Spring Cafe and become engulfed in a wonderful environment... absolutely terrific food, superior and sensitive service along with a deep sigh of confidence that you are in a very comfortable place... You have arrived! The location is really nice... in the middle of a very cool neighborhood and you are being welcomed as you walk in... sit anywhere and if you are meeting someone they, to, will be delighted... the value is amazing and you will place this on your list of top lunch spots... we haven't tried dinner yet but we have been told by patrons that it is terrific as well! Please go and breath in style of this place... delightful!

I don't live very far from the Vista Cafe. It is such a great place to meet with family and friends. Good salads and pastas. They usually can find a table for you even if it snowing.

I like going to the Vista Spring Cafe. If I am traveling between Washington Park/ NW on Vista heading towards Dosch and Raleigh Hills/Beaverton/Hillsdale, I always pass by the Vista Springs Cafe and it usually seems to be time to eat.

This is a wonderful place! We almost always take visitors here after picking them up at airport - it's not very far away. It sits high above the city in a nice neighborhood. The views on the way up (and down) are stunning. The cafe is very attractive, casual but elegant and they have nice big booths in the windows. There is also a bar area if you are alone. Most menu items are delicious. The service is excellent. There is also a door inside the cafe that leads to an interesting antique shop that is fun to browse after dining.

I spent 23 US$ here on a hearty french burger (ciabatta bread), a small green salad and in a cherry cobbler. The meal was delicious, well served and freshly made. The restaurant is far from downtown, but it is the closest decent local place to go when you visit Washington Park and have a rental. The service is a bit slow: there is one lady in the whole little place in charge of serving tables and attend the cashier. But the decor and atmosphere of this restaurant is 100% worth it.

When you see this small corner restaurant there are virtually always people sitting outside at the tables enjoying their food and the weather too. It is on a corner and once we visited we became fans too. The p;rices are reasonable, the food is good and the service is prompt. Once you try it you will return, as we did when we visited the Portland area.

I have been to this restaurant for many years. It is a place you can go to and get away from the madding crowd of the downtown environment, parking has never been a problem and it is free.... limited menu but enough variety for most folks. Haven't tried their pizza so you are on your own. Sandwiches and soups are good and they have a full bar. This is a family cafe so on a few occasions the kids have been loud. There is also sidewalk seating. Go, relax and enjoy.

An old standby in a very nice residentual setting. Relaxing, welcoming environment with very good food. Great Ceaser Salad for this lunchtime meal. Busy, so we sat at the bar. Good service. Just a wonderful casual restaurant.

Everything I've eaten here was great. The location is out of the way; but if you're nearby, it's a good bet for tasty pizza, burgers, salads, etc. It has a pub-like atmosphere. A little on the noisy side.

The ruben is excellent. Service was good. Atmosphere was nice. Lots of good lunch items on the menu. I didn't save room for dessert but they looked good too.

Went to lunch above town, after a visit to Council Crest Park. It is up on a hill. Parking at the corner wasn't bad, but pay attention on the turn. The food was tasty. I had a grilled cheese that was delicious, and different. Highly recommend it for a reasonable and light lunch. My wife enjoyed her sandwich and salad. We arrived right before a major lunch rush. I was slightly disappointed that the service turned south. When finishing up, our waitress apologized for the holiday (New Years Eve) crowd and her inattentiveness to us, and laid two very large cookies to-go on the table as an apology. Kudos. Don't forget to visit the antique store that is attached when you are finished.

Great neighborhood location. Obviously a place locals like to go. Atmosphere was comfortable and unhurried. I had a make your own pizza with beef and mushrooms. It was DELICIOUS. I don’t know if it was the three cheeses they used or the sauce but we all thought it was great.

My brother, wife, and niece joined us on Sunday. The two have been with us several times and looked forward to returning. They were very pleased with the food and service (although, it can miss needs of a table). We all had their pizza and agree it is one of the best here. They even like it better than ones they can get in the SFO area. This review echoes what I could write at other times. We visit usually once every two months (would be more often if we lived in the neighborhood). Only one time, I was a bit disappointed when we took friends for lunch What makes the restaurant especially appealing is that it is a neighborhood place. Having locals and families gives it a nice atmosphere.

This neighborhood restaurant has great service - you can park on the street. Pizza menu? Oh yeah! One entire side of the 8 1/2" x 11" menu is PIZZA. Yet, I chose the Soup of the Day and the Spaghetti and Meatballs. And the IPA beer! When we are in Portland, we ALWAYS stop here for lunch. You should too.

A great cafe in a wonderful SW Portland neighborhood is what we returned to after many years away. No extensive menu here but the Italian dishes were very good and very plentiful. I ordered the combo personal sized pizza, my wife the Montrachet pizza. Our friends ordered the spaghetti dish and the lasagna. Both of their dishes were very large, and our pizzas made for a tomorrow meal! Highly recommended, but it's a busy place and no reservations taken. Plan ahead!

We stopped in for a late night dinner as we are staying at an AirBnB around the corner. The caesar salad was good and the spinach ravioli was very fresh and tasty! My daughter had the mozzarella, tomato and basil appetizer that she said was very good as well! I would definitely recommend this place! The waitress was very nice and the service was great!

the only mcmenamins i love. a gem tucked away up in the hills.

First time visitors to this neighborhood café.Four of us were each impressed with the food quality for each of our menu selections(Cubano,Quiche,Pizza,Salad). Service was exceptional.Location made for easy parking.Nicely decorated for the holiday season.

Stayed in a VRBO a couple blocks away so we had to check out the local eats. Enjoyed it enough to have lunch here twice in one week. First time pizza, very good thin crust pizza. Second time burger and club house. Beer and wine is reasonably priced and well cared for. Room is getting a little old, but aren't we all?

A great experience from the drive up Vista Ave (named for its views of the city, I assume) through the big and beautiful old homes in the hills to a sweet and quiet (and unexpected) little neighborhood cafe in an old and very charming building for wonderful food. My only complaint, and I mean my ONLY complaint was that the beer menu was weirdly unclear and the waitress didn't know the selections. Example, there were two beers on tap that appeared to change because they weren't named (one called "seasonal" and the other "visiting" or something) and she didn't know what they were that night or maybe at all. I asked for an amber and she said they didn't have one, though the menu mentioned "Belgium Fat Tire", which turned out to be Fat Tire Amber, which she also didn't know. (we had to figure it out ) However, the salad I had was lovely, interesting to eye and palate, and delicious as was the bread that came with it. The German beef dip sandwich (basically a French dip) was soooo yummy. My daughter and her beau each had a different pizza and both thought theirs was great. The price was nice too - not cheap but appropriate and gentle on the wallet. I paid $66 for three meals, salads, a beer, three desserts, a coffee, and a $10 tip. Not bad. Great place for a family dinner or a sweet date.

Large variety of foods, accommodating gluten free, vegetarian, etc. Servers very nice about substitutions. The bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado sandwich is terrific. The greek salad is also excellent.

FILTHY! Do not eat here unless you want a cook to try and fight you over frozen lasagna... SERIOUSLY! followed me to my car threatening me because they served cold food with NASTY silverware. I called the owner and got the same cook who threatened me... GROSS and get out!

Easy to find,as it as the junction of Vista and Spring Street! Friendly staff with a good menu and very reasonable pricing. A variety of booths and a bar make this a short wait place even on busy days. Look up when dining to admire the beautiful antique Indian punkah fans suspended from the ceiling.

My husband and I visited a friend in Portland. We offered to take her to lunch if she would suggest the place, and she chose this small restaurant not too far from her home. It was fairly quiet after the waiter agreed to turn down the music, and we had an excellent lunch and pleasant conversation.

This is a great neighborhood restaurant high above downtown in the Council Crest area. The sandwiches and pizza are above par. It's nice to sit out but the old booths inside are a great place place to hang on a rainy day. The soups are homemade and the sandwiches are great.

We were a large group for dinner. They had a nice table arranged and handled our group very well. The restaurant is in a charming location and very nicely decorated. It has a cozy and casual feel. Parking is on street. We tried a number of items off the menu and all were delicious. The pizza was really great and we also very much enjoyed the hummus. Even dessert was good. Prices seemed quite reasonable. We would be happy to go back and enjoy another dinner.

Great pizza!

My husband took me here in the 90’s when it was fairly new and it has kept its good tasting food ever since. I have taken my girlfriends, our grandchildren, and ourselves here, ever since. I love their spinach salad, and our grandchildren love their pizza, my husband also loves their chowder. I love the quaintness of this place and the decoration, especially around the holidays they go all out. It is nice to be in a neighborhood close to down town without having to pay for parking too. If you have time, find you way down the stairwell to the antic store, you might find a treasure! This is a place you might find you way back, to time and time again.

We have been here before and ordered a hamburger and mushroom pizza. Liked it so much we ordered it again. I think it may be the cheese blend on the pizza that makes it so good. But we really enjoyed the pizza. Also had the hummus appetizer which was delicious. Great neighborhood atmosphere.

Three of us arrived at noon on Sunday, and were surprised to find the restaurant empty--not a good sign. I ordered the soup of the day, but later was told that they had "run out" (huh? for the first customer of the day?) so I substituted clam chowder, which my partner also ordered. That chowder was thick, bland and at best lukewarm. We both had salads, which were mediocre; the third was happy with his sandwich. I don't often say this, but: we'd have had a much more satisfying lunch at Denny's.

We return to Vista Spring multiple times a year primarily for its pizza. In the last 8 years or so here in Portland, we have tried many pizza restaurants including those supposedly rated as the "best." We have found the "best" here. In addition to excellent pizza (we usually select the personal size where we can create our own tailored one). The salads all are very good, and usually there service is good. While their beer selection is good, I miss Arrogant B... which they had for a long time. On the last visit, we ran into a bit of disappointment that our pizzas were cold. Having always had one too hot to eat, we were a bit unhappy. However, the problem was promptly remedied and it turned out that the chef had made a mistake and set them out for pickup. Usually, we are too full for desert, which we have heard from others are excellent. The staff made up for slightly bad start by offering us each a choice of dessert. We only shared one, and the Bundt cake lived up to previous recommendations. We'll be back

We enjoyed the pizza. The crust could have been baked a little more in the middle for my taste but the toppings were fresh and plentiful. This is a very cute little cafe tucked away in the hills. We enjoyed the drive to/from the cafe. The staff were very friendly. I just happened upon this on our GPS - glad we went!

Cheerful phone service with Covid-safe curbside delivery. We love picking up takeout portions of Vista Spring’s delicious mac and cheese and lasagna chilled to freeze for next week’s dinners while getting a partially baked pizza to finish for 3-5 min in a 425 degree oven when we get home. Lovingly prepared delicious menu.