Portage Bay Cafe - West Seattle

Was my first stop on my trip to Seattle. Walked in by myself after driving by cause it looked cute. Host at the door was not warm and inviting I was greeted by "do you have reservation" no I didn't first time here just drove by, I can leave if you're too busy. She seats me at a counter in the corner that wasn't very comfortable. I tell the waitress it's my first time here. I see people getting up and making their own looked like to be fruit station? Nothing is explained to me, so still curious about that. Wanted to see pictures on yelp so I can see portion sizes but there's absolutely NO WiFi here. For it being breakfast items everything is on the expensive side. Biscuits n gravy 17. My potatoes were so overcooked and dry I couldn't eat them. Coffee wasn't that great (which I thought Seattle is known for) I spent about 50 for one person sitting at an uncomfortable diner stool. If you want warm & inviting and not uppity breakfast this isn't the place.*Also NSync/Backstreet Boys music playing in the background really not a breakfast vibe.

Came here on a Friday early afternoon for brunch. I sat down shortly after my 5 friends were seated. They received their drinks quickly. I was not asked for drinks until we were placing food orders. It took so long to get my water and mimosa that my food came at the same time that I finally got a drink. We also didn't have silverware until after our food was delivered. The whole service was just off and a little chaotic. 3 different people were serving us and it was still not great. On the menu it said my order came with a choice of potatoes, salad, or fruit - but then I was charged $5 for the fruit - which is insane in itself, but also list that kind of crazy up charge. The food was good but I wouldn't return due to the odd service and non non-disclosed upcharge.

What a great brunch! We got right in, service was quick and food was great. Highly recommended by this crew!!

The west Seattle portage bay location is my favorite portage bay location! The staff is always very attentive, friendly, and lovely! But most importantly, the berry bar is the most superior out of all the locations!How can you go wrong with the pancakes or French toast option that allows you to visit the berry bar! I pile the toppings high and eat enough carbs to last me a long time. I really dream about these trips and the fruits/whip/nuts. I crave portage bay brunch at least once a month and so delighted that the standard has remained high after all these years in the local brunch business! Definitely check it out immediately if you haven't had the pleasure of piling fruits high on your stack of carbs goodness!

I have always loved portage bay, being a big fan of the French toast (bananas foster or oatmeal crumble)...this visit I was torn between the Swedish pancakes and the yogurt bowl. Server told me that the yogurt bowl didn't come with a lot of yogurt, mostly granola and she would do the Swedish pancakes. I ended up getting the Swedish pancakes, they were good but tasted eerily close to the ikea ones. Pancakes came with a visit to the berry bar (did this shrink?). My friend ordered one of the Benedict's, he also got a side of the French toast and meant to ask for the salad but the server said greens...so he ended up paying extra for the heavy greens. I think there's also a price difference between the menu and what was charged for the French toast side. It's super loud inside, so conversation is hard.

The restaurant was very busy so we sat at the bar. The server was very welcoming and friendly. We ordered the vegan pancakes and asked them to be crispy. They were a bit dense and only a bit crispy. They were fine but tasted a bit raw in the middle. The crepes we ordered were good but did not come with lingonberries (I believe there is a shortage). The atmosphere was casual and not too loud for how full it was. Overall the food was fine but I expected it would be better.

I was wowed by how great my experience at Portage Bay was. We're staying a few minutes away at my in-laws house and we wanted to go to a place within walking distance. We were told that the place gets pretty busy, so we made reservations ahead of time on Open Table for a 9:30a slot. We dined on a Friday morning, and it was pretty busy the entire time we were there, so I would definitely advise you make a reservation even on a weekday.The business was really easy to access from the road and we were promptly sat down upon arrival. The service here was top-notch. Our waitress was attentive and super-friendly the entire meal.Everything on the menu looked incredible. It was really hard to narrow down what to get, but ultimately I decided to go with the Ligonberry Pancakes. With any of the Pancake/ French Toast dishes, you're entitled to a trip to their toppings bar. You can help yourself to extra fresh fruit, butter and whipped cream. My pancakes were delicious. They had a texture that was a bit more substantial than a crepe, but not as robust as a full-blown pancake. I guess you'd characterize it as a pancrepe. The lingonberry compote was tart and the lingonberry butter was very satisfying. I also helped myself to a few poached pears, blueberries and whipped cream from the fixin' bar. My husband got a Salmon Benedict which was part of their Seasonal Menu. It was really good and the potatoes he ordered with it were very hearty tasting. Like the seasoning had maybe cumin and a slight curry flavor to it. Unexpected, but very good! The atmosphere here is an upscale casual feel. The silverware had a nice weight to it (Oneida), so you already know that a lot of thought was given to every detail. I would easily dine here again. It checked off the boxes for a satisfying and delicious meal. On the way out- every member of the staff we walked past- said goodbye and thanks us. Everything about this meal was great and I'd love to come back on future visits to West Seattle.

My friend and I had a delicious breakfast here. It was my first time at the West Seattle location and I was not disappointed! My friend ordered the vegan pancakes and I got the challah French toast with jam and juniper nut butter off their specials menu. We also got a side of eggs, mushrooms, and potatoes for some savory flavor. Everything tasted great!This location is on the smaller side compared to the SLU and Roosevelt ones, but the service was friendly and efficient! I love Portage Bay and am so glad they have this location a little closer to the South Sound area!

This was the worst biscuits and "sausage" gravy I've ever had. I know times are hard, but talk about cutting corners. This was so bad it makes Denny's look like fine dining. The biscuit was a little bigger than the size of an Oreo cookie. TEENY TINY flecks of sausage in a slime gravy. 1 egg. All sitting on a diced up potato. Basically, this is half a diced up potato with an egg on top for $16.25.Put it this way, after going here for brunch, we had to go to another restaurant to eat. We will never be back.

We never got a chance to eat at the restaurant. We were told the wait time would be an hour for an inside table, but outside tables were immediately available. We put our name on the wait list for an inside table. Then walked over to the farmer market. While at the farmers market we received a text message. When we returned to the restaurant we were told they had an outside table for us. We declined the outdoor table and said we would wait for a table inside.During the next hour we checked in twice. Each time time the hostess would check the waitlist and tell us it would be another 20 minutes. At the 90 minutes mark the hostess said our name no longer appeared on the waitlist.We decided to leave and told the hostess we would be writing this review. To which she said that's not fair.