Cafe Pallino

I went to Caffe Pallino for the coffee, which is fabulous (I have a friend who works there who has been a barista for nearly 20 years), but I was blown away by the food! Every dish is made with such quality, and often rich, ingredients that you may get full before you would think. Such an unassuming atmosphere for such incredible food, and the prices make it a steal. I recommend Becca's Breakfast, but everything is good. (The grill closes at 2pm, so go before then for the full menu) Most of the baked goods are made on site too, and are delicious. I crave the hazelnut croissant... One of the best things about Caffe Pallino is that they have a liquor license, so you can have a glass of wine, a beer, a shot of Bailey's in your latte, or a cocktail. It is a place you can enjoy equally at 8am or 8pm. :)

This is my favorite cafe in Portland, and it's a short walk from home, happily... A rare case of a cafe that has people behind the bar who know how to make both great food and great espresso drinks, and all for very reasonable prices. Free wifi, too, and big windows with lots of light, nice on cloudy days especially (though it can sometimes be hard to find a shady spot in there on sunny days if you want one).

I had a really tasty cheese omelette. I wanted a quick but yummy breakfast and this did the trick. My only gripe is that the decor is a little on the modern/minimal/cold/impersonal side, whereas Detour Cafe (just a few doors down) is much more personal (but much slower service usually). If you're looking for a quick bite, this is a great place.

We wandered around SE this morning looking for brunch (which is almost silly when you consider how many great breakfast/brunch places there are in Sellwood). We finally ended up at Caffe Pallino (3003 SE Division St, Portland, OR , no website that I can find). I had cheesey grits topped with a soft fried egg, fesh tomatoes, and proscuitto with a latte. Markie had a beer and a breakfast sandwich served on a ciabatta roll with bacon and tomatoes. She said it was one of the best breakfast sandwiches she ever had. Nice that more casual dining places are getting beer, wine and liquor. They were short one person, so service was a little hampered, but not really noticable other than the wait in line. I wasn't terribly happy that while we were waiting in line someone came in and snagged the last table, but two more tables cleared up by the time we were ready to sit down. Overall, it's what a great neighborhood cafe should be.