besaws

happy hour at besaw's.. the cream-of-asparagus soup is the right mix
of chunky and creamy,
the spinach dip's too small to share,
but looks and tastes so dreamy.

the whole spinach leaves cooked in the dip
were one of many nice details ---
my dad & i giggled over two crushed
rhubarb apple cocktails.

the meatloaf sammy is really quite
extra ordinary,
but jews and muslims, it has bacon ---
so please be wary.

mothra says..... quality menu & service. this has been on mothra’s wish list for some time. but the lines out the door on the weekends (nice problem huh?) have kept me away. recently on a workday, yes, the moth gets a vacation day occasionally, k and i popped in to a full restaurant with no wait and sat at the front counter. as you know, i love sitting at the front counter diner style. bobby greeted us and took our drink order. this place was just buzzing. diners moving in and out of the restaurant, employee’s scurrying around taking care of the diners, bus persons in & out of the kitchen, and chef’s doing what a chef does. onward. breakfast is served til 3pm each day the menu is really cool. k mentions that the menu is: “terrific.” it did not take too long to decide on our entrée items. bobby took our order. as we waited, he greeted and said so long to his regulars. within 15 minutes or so, k’s lox and bagel platter and my croque madame plate arrived. wow! the eggs were cooked perfectly over a shaved ham and béchamel sandwich. in addition a load of rosemary roasted potatoes was on the side. k’s lox plate included a picked hardboiled egg, 3 large sundried tomatoes, an assortment of picked vegetables, red onions, capers, and cream cheese with toasted bagel. lovely! enter no conversation as we inhaled our breakfast.
negatives, few: the coffee was fair but not extraordinary also, k kept steeling my rosemary potatoes. but that’s not besaws issue is it?
pluses, many: bobby was terrific on the front end with his customer service. sarah was great quietly on the back end efficient. the menu is fabulous; the chef’s are amazing, the prices just fine. we will be back to try other items on the menu. mothra says...... 3.75 of 5.0

besaw's legendary meatloaf. so delicious.

founded in 1903, the original besaws is now in a new location in slabtown on nw 21st & raleigh. while everyone in portland is nostalgic about the old location, besaws didn't lose its title of best breakfast in pdx with the move.

for tourists- be prepared to wait.

wild salmon scramble. this was a good dish, but i particularly enjoyed the potatoes, which were basically like upscale french fries with giant garlic cloves mixed in. they also have a house made ketchup. the ambience here is really cool and it's a shame they have to move. good coffee and marionberry jam. definitely worth a visit if in the area.

besaw’s, tracing their humble roots back to a beer parlor and gambling hall in 1903, has seen many iterations over the years. we headed to besaw’s for breakfast on the last day of our portland road trip but quickly got lost. as it turned out, besaw’s had recently moved from their 112-year home to a new location a couple of blocks away and our gps still had their old address.

while it may not have the dilapidated charm of the old location this new venue is beautiful. the u-shaped bar is a great for watching the action and observing the menu options as they are delivered to other guests. i had the special omelette that was filled with oyster mushrooms, greens, dill and chèvre cheese and topped with creme fraiche. it was delightful. my bites of pancake with real maple syrup were also tasty.

are you serious , worst policies ever.. have been going to this restaurent for years, food is great but it is incredibly crowded.? called in to order my breakfast to pick up and was informed they dont offer take out on weekends. all i was trying to order was bacon and eggs, i was told their kitchen was inadequate. what .......????????????????? why not .....? this is another great example of how this city is becoming very unappealing. our family has done business on 23rd for years. this is embarrassing. this restaurant used to be good, i guess there just like every other sell out. take care of your long term customers or we'll just go else where and tell all our millions of friends on the web. i don't know how to explain it , it's so frustrating to enjoy a hash spot for years and now i have to go find another favorite place eat my breakfast. compleatlly disappointed in you you besaws.

disappointing but in a great neighbourhood.

this place is amazing! service was great and food was even better. get uncle earl's famous bloody mary! the staff even gave us some must see and do recommendations. highly highly recommend for an adorable portland experience.

artisan breakfast. rarely is a breakfast perfect; besaw's was wonderful. excellent bread, the potatoes were perfect and the eggs were definately farm fresh. coupled with an outstanding nw portland environ, this is not to be missed for those that require the bar to be raised.

during my trip to portland i learned that locals love their breakfasts and that there are lots of restaurants serving up great breakfasts (perfect for someone like me who could eat breakfast for lunch and dinner!). 

besaw’s are known for using local ingredients, and they also have their own 16 lot garden out the back of the restaurant that they source a lot of their ingredients from.

oatmeal. awesome place to eat but they changed the oatmeal. for some reason mine came with butter melted all over it. some people might like that but i wasn't a fan. anyway, make sure you ask them to hold the butter if you order oatmeal and if you don't like it either.

otherwise this is one of the best breakfast spots in portland.

weekend brunch? be prepared for a wait! table for three, waited 45+ min to get a table. typical for a great brunch spot in pdx. i ordered the breakfast burger, delicious! topped w/ am egg over one slice of 'texas' toast, served w/ garlic home fries--happy stomach. my cohorts were also satisfied, having ordered a combination of the scrambles served at besaw's. i would go back to try a cinnamon roll (which, they were out of by the time we were seated. bummer!), but the wait is ridiculous!:/ a local favorite, located on 23rd ave (another reason why it's so damn busy), but it's def worth a try! :d