Lovejoy Bakers

What’s not to love about Lovejoy Bakers! The food is amazing, especially the breakfast sandwiches and the tomato soup! Talk about beautiful food! I love coming in the summertime and having their special drinks like watermelon lemonade made with pureed watermelon… seriously yum! There is nothing I have tried that has not impressed me at least a little.

Fresh baked goods and Stumptown coffee means it’s hard for this place to suck. The food is good, we’ve tried about half of the sandwiches available and a few of the pastries/​breads. You can buy Stumptown in whole bean bags which is convenient. The service up front is typically friendly. The layout is poor, the coffee counter is always clogged with people either waiting a really long time for a sandwich or fiddling with their coffee drink routine. Big deal? Not really, but it’s just a poor layout. The main reason for 3 stars out of 5 is how long you have to wait for a sandwich. We have waited 40 minutes. The drinks come out much faster!

I’ve driven by Lovejoy Bakers many times before and the row of classic Adirondack chairs out front on their wooden deck sidewalk had attracted my attention. Got a chance to stop in today to see what kind of baked goods they have. Naturally, they have lots of breads, and I was pleased to see that they have different types of rolls too, including sourdough. I like a good crusty sourdough but an entire loaf or even a baguette is just too much bread. A single roll is just right for me so that’s what I got. They also have a good selection of sweet pastries too, and I got a chocolate covered cream puff. I took my items with me to eat at home. The roll was perfect.. .crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.. .exactly the way sourdough should be. The cream puff however wasn’t quite as satisfying.. .the puff pastry part of it was kind of mushy, and it was filled with pastry cream instead of whipped cream (like cream puffs are supposed to be). But, hey, these are just minor quibbles. I also noticed today that, in addition to being a bakery, they are also a café which serves light meals, and have a nice seating area too. I’ll probably try them for lunch sometime.

Nice very casual fast foodie kinda place to enjoy quick eats and drinks. Coffee is great!
They sell whole loaves, love that! I bought a country artisan olive loaf, enjoyed it over ⁴⁄₅ days, it remained as fresh as the 1^st day.
The place is a good size, plenty of seating. I would make this one of my go to places if I lived in the area. Looking forward to trying a few other things off their menu when I get back to Portland, Pearl District.

I arrived after the lunch rush, around 1:15pm or so. There was no line, and a few open seats. Service was alright; the staff was more polite than friendly.
They don’t offer any soup+half-sandwich combo, which I thought was odd. They had plenty of sandwiches and soups. This would be an easy option to add to the menu.
I ordered a latte, the whole grilled cheese (sharp cheddar and Asiago) sandwich, and cup of creamy tomato soup. The latte I ordered took a little longer than most places, but the food came out fast.
Food: I was surprised that the sandwich didn’t have a stronger cheese flavor. Maybe the sourdough and butter overpowered it or maybe they didn’t use enough cheese? The soup was thick and creamy, but surprisingly lacking in tomato flavor. Maybe they added too much cream? The latte was okay, but a little boring. I’m surprised to hear they use stumptown, because the latte didn’t have a much of a coffee flavor. Overall, none of it was bad – just not especially flavorful. Makes me wonder about the rest of their menu. It can’t all be bland, right?

Fantastic spot for delicious coffee, sandwiches, soups, and pastries. I always get the Lovejoy Deluxe Breakfast Sandwich, but I ask for multigrain bread instead of ciabatta (its fried egg, blue cheese, bacon & frisée). It does sometimes take a while at peak times in the morning and on the weekends, so don’t come in a hurry! I absolutely love all their egg sandwiches — some other faves are the BELT (bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato) and the scrambled egg on ciabatta.

Spectacular, only downfall is that it gets to busy for its own good. But that’s not really a downfall.

I’ll start by saying that it’s a very nice atmosphere. The front of house staff is pleasant and friendly and the breakfast sandwiches that are served all day are delicious.
But don’t come here if you’re expecting timeliness. The kitchen staff has zero hustle. Even when the level of patronage is totally manageable, you’ll be waiting… And waiting… And waiting some more– for some scrambled eggs and ham on bread to go. What’s maddening is that while you’re standing around waiting, if you aren’t staring at your phone and benefiting from their free wifi, you’re likely watching the BOH staff mosey around at a pace that would make a sloth impatient.
For a coffee shop that serves delicious Stumptown coffee and local Smith teas, perhaps everyone in back should start their shift with a double shot espresso and start putting out their food quickly before their customers remember that McDonalds is now serving breakfast all day, too. I don’t care how amazing your bread is, waiting 20 minutes for a breakfast sandwich –on a weekday morning, no less– is unacceptable.
Get it together!

I see a mix of both positive and negative results from Lovejoy Bakers. I’d have to not recommend this eatery, due to poor service. As I do work in The Pearl District, I must say that Lovejoy Bakers have some of the slowest service and non-​recognition of customers in the area.
I’m not sure their excellent flavors, and unique offerings will sway my decision to not recommend eating here to friends. While I do enjoy artisan sandwiches, it will not bring me back. Does management even read these reviews? I’m certainly not the first to enjoy their sandwiches or baked goods without some sort of hesitation coming back.
Cheers.

Organized chaos wouldn’t be too far off in describing here. The good news is that it creates a vibrant atmosphere to start your day off with.
I came here for breakfast as it is right around the corner from my apartment and I’ve heard (read?) good things. I usually try and avoid added sugar and bread (because of the added sugar) and was slightly disappointed to see they didn’t have any options without both. But, this is a bakery after all so maybe I was foolish to even hope.
There aren’t very many options in terms of breakfast entrees, but when combined with the amount of pastries and breads they have, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding something that makes you drool. House coffee is $ 2.75 for all sizes so make sure you grab a big mug!
I got the Lox, scrambled egg & red onion on challah. My food was solid, nothing amazing, though. The lox were good but overall the sandwich needed something else but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Maybe a spread of some sort as it was a little dry.
Overall, I will be back to try some pastries and see what the daily specials are. And the fact that it’s a block from my apartment doesn’t hurt, either. I’ll be updating this after I do!

Went here to grab what I thought would be a quick bite, but I came during brunch rush and waited 30 minutes for my takeout food rightfully so.
Ordered the roast beef sandwich and a cup of gumbo. Bread was too hard and difficult to bite through and eventually it scraped the roof of my mouth to almost raw. The horseradish cream in the sandwich was a little weak and could’ve had more kick. The potato salad on the side was bland and it came with a couple potato chunks that were black and bruised so I stopped eating it. The gumbo tasted a bit stale and not as flavourful as I like my gumbo to be.
Overall, the meal smelled better than it tasted…

A nice bakery. I always have the BELT (a BLT, with an egg). It is always cooked to perfection, with the bacon cooked just right, and the yellow part of the egg breaking over the sandwich just perfectly. I also like to splurge and try their various non-​alcoholic mixed drinks (they usually have some special like a mint lemonade, for example).
Seating is a bit of a hassle, as there is not a lot of indoor seating that is comfortable. On a nice day, sit outside or take your food to-​go to a nearby park.

I stopped in for a quick lunch to go. I got the turkey bacon avacado sandwich. I actually didn’t love the ciabatta bread, it did not seem fresh enough, and normally I’m a sucker for ciabatta. The green goddess dressing is amazing though and the bacon was nice and crunchy.
I also got a piece of the iced lemon pound cake. The icing did not seem fully fresh, but the cake was very good and moist.

Food is excellant.
Customer service not so much. We literally had to flag someone down to take our order — though she saw us, but she was to busy putting stuff away.
Then we needed forks, literally, again, the two of us standing there, because they were out, we ask — her response — do u need two? Yes, do you see the two of us standing here?! Time is 430p, you don’t close till 6p.
Not the cheapest place so I would suggest if you want better customer service go elsewhere.

Went here on a Thursday to grab lunch during my hour away from work. Took the streetcar over from the Art Museum and hopped off 2 blocks away from Lovejoy Bakers. When I arrived there was a bit of a line, also their cash register system do-​dad wasn’t working. Not a problem though. I got up front and ordered their Roasted Turkey sandwich w/​out bacon and added lettuce tomato and onion.
After you order they hand you a number so they can find where you’re seated. SIDE NOTE: It is bus your own tables though, and it was slightly difficult to find where to put my dishes when I was finished, but I just asked someone. Moving on… I opted for a nice table outside in the shade. 10 minutes later I was presented with a lovely looking sandwich accompanied by some potato salad. A couple things:
1. Best potato salad I think I’ve ever had! I don’t know what they put in it but it was good!!!
2. The sandwich… OH MY GOSH! Delicious! Quality turkey and provolone, yummy house made green goddess dressing, creamy fresh avocado, and that ciabatta bread! Fabulous! One thing that can really make or break a sandwich for me is the bread — and this was top notch quality! Next time I go I am totes picking up some of their bread — I’m sure ANY kind would be awesome.
Oh I forgot to mention I also ordered a half side salad, so I only ate half the sandwich (but all of the potato and green salad) and took the rest back to work, wrapped it in foil, and it was just as delicious the next day :)
Lovejoy Bakers is doing a great lunch business. Check them out the next time you’re in the Pearl.

Have been here a few times since we moved to Portland, and haven’t been disappointed by this bakery/​café.
Clean, well lit space, friendly service, great coffee, delish food & fresh bread.
Last time I visited I had my usual Chai latte & to eat I tried something different the Lamb Meatloaf on ciabatta, OMG it was so tasty and the perfect size!
Keep up the good work :)

The treats are yummy. I’ve never eaten here before but it looked like quite a few people were enjoying some tasty lunches.
I find its the perfect place to come for an afternoon treat and tea/​coffee. Great atmosphere and friendly staff!

A SOLID place for breakfast/​lunch! I went here for lunch the other day and couldn’t believe how Lovejoy Bakers has been right under my nose in the Pearl for the past year!
I had the egg salad tartine sandwich and it was incredible. The egg salad wasn’t loaded with mayo and was light. The bread was the perfect combo of buttery and crunchy. Prices here are decent too. I finished the meal with a peanut butter cookie from their bakery, which was darn tasty.
What I especially love about Lovejoy Bakers in the great ambiance here on a nice day. They have a large outdoor patio that is perfect on a sunny day.
Can’t wait to come back here and try their breakfast options!

This is my favorite place to grab a quick latte and a breakfast sandwich, when visiting my brother in the Pearl District in Portland. I like the people, as they always seem to be friendly and genuinely seem to enjoy their their job and the people. They make a solid latte for a responsibly price.
As for breakfast, I always seem to lean toward their LoveJoy Breakfast Sandwich. I believe it had egg, bacon, Gouda, mixed greens etc. all on a warm ciabatta roll, it’s tasty for a quick morning sandwich.
If it’s a nice day, they have plenty of outdoor chairs to relax and enjoy your morning.

Good tasting pork belly banh mi sandwich. A bit easy on the pork belly I felt.
Okay café au lait.
Their bread looked tempting. Will have to come back for some of that later.