Cote’s Portland Cafe

This is one of my favorite lunch places in Portland. The prices are reasonable, the food is really good and the customer service is some of the best around. If you go there enough, they will remember your name and greet you warmly. It makes all the difference sometimes.
Everything is homemade and it shows. There are usually two new soups every day. I always check the website because they will post their daily soups and the mac and cheese of the day. The variety of soups is wonderful. I had the Southwest Chicken and Lime soup today. It was spicy and I’m glad I got the warning before buying it. The soups are always flavorful and well seasoned. I haven’t had a bad one yet! Plus, they give you a freshly baked savory biscuit to dunk in your soup.
They have freshly prepared sandwiches. I’m partial to the chicken salad or the curry chicken salad. It’s really tasty and you can go for either a wrap or a selection of breads. I highly recommend the burrito bowls. For around $ 8, you can get a big container of rice, lettuce, beans, sour cream and your meat of choice. You can also get them meat-​free and they are just as good. There are a bunch of add-​ons for an extra fee including guacamole, extra sour cream, and roasted corn. The burrito bowls are so filling and it’s money well spent.
I have yet to try the salad bar. It’s pay per pound and they have a variety of container sizes so you can get a big salad or a little side salad. The veggies all look fresh and there is plenty of variety to make any kind of salad you like.
Breakfast is pretty straightforward. I like that you can get a bagel with cream cheese for about $ 2. If you aren’t a cream cheese fanatic, I would recommend asking for it to be on the side because they will give you a ton. They cook eggs to your specifications and they aren’t microwaved, but cooked on a real stove! What a novelty!
Be aware that this place will be crowded during early morning hours and lunchtime. You may have to wait in line, but it will move quickly. I highly recommend stopping by 1 Portland Square and trying it out! I promise it won’t disappoint.

This is seriously the best place to get lunch in the city. I work downtown and it is hard to find restaurants that consistently have good food at a reasonable price. Most lunch spots are busy in downtown and the service is usually awful during lunch but Jason and the rest of the crew are always genuinely nice and provide the best customer service that I have seen in Portland. Everything tastes fresh and the homemade items are really great. The breakfast sandwiches are also really good and beat the microwaved eggs you get at most other sandwich shops downtown.