Morning Star Cafe

Great coffee, great breakfast, quaint. A portland winner. Really nice wait staff and very well run. Crowded but efficient. Very happy when we left with a very satisfying meal.

Fell in love with this place, loved their grilled cheese, and walked over yesterday to find they have closed & no info on another location. Sucks :(

After ordering a drink and some food off of the happy hour menu I found out that they will not give you a to go box to take home food if it is from the happy hour menu.
I was at the restaurant for a little under an hour but in the end their happy hour portions proved to be too much… This restaurant would rather waste half a plate of food rather than let a paying customer take their leftovers, someone who clearly did not just order food with the intention of taking it to go.
No where on the menu does it mention that all happy hour portions must be consumed here. Also the waitstaff did not had to give me such a hard time especially since I was ordering drinks as well.
Thanks for taking my money…

This is our 2^nd time here. It’s always busy and there’s always a line to order but it goes pretty quikly. You always worry that you’re not going to be able to find a seat but there’s always the counter. The staff is super friendly and assures everyone that a table should be opening up soon and as soon as we order… there’s a table for us. My husband and I ordered the standard eggs overeasy w/​bacon & with potatoes. I saw the Bloody Mary but my husband said that he wanted to save room for beer later. The cashier asked if we wanted to taste the tomato base & we said yes. It was delicious. But still my husband said no to the Bloody Mary. I held back a tear and agreed. I had to use the restroom so I excused myself. Upon my return, guess what? A Bloody Mary was at the table waiting for me! It was a rich fresh tomato base, nice & spicy garnished with a slice of lemon, lime, pickled Green beans, and olives. Yum!!!

I love the Morningstar Café. For a while, this was my regular Saturday morning brunch spot. The service is incredibly friendly, and has always been speedy.
Sandwiches are tasty, and come with chips — or fries for a small charge. Lots of other entrees, like salads (which my wife has enjoyed), but I’ve generally stayed with the sandwiches because I can be a creature of habit and they’re so good. The beer and liquor selections feature locally produced beverages.
The coffee is good, and the mugs have always been kept full. Check this place out for breakfast or brunch, it’s easily one of the best places to eat in its neighborhood.

Meh. The hash was really overcooked, to the point where the flavor resembled kettle chips.
Slow morning and lots of staff, but the service seemed absent. If you can’t keep the drinks filled…

I came here on a Sunday morning because I didn’t want to stand in line at Mother’s Bistro a block away.
Service was prompt and attentive, and for our large group, we didn’t have to wait too long to be seated.
I ordered the Biker’s Breakfast, which was bacon, eggs, home fries, toast, and a boar sausage patty.
I was not a fan of the home fries, because I prefer them brown and crispy, than just cooked. The bacon was sweet and smoky, and the boar sausage patty was delicious and gamey, but did break apart very easily, because there’s not a lot of fat to hold the patty together.
This was a good way to end my trip to Portland. Simple and delicious.

you get what you pay for? I’m not sure that applies. I’ve never had a good latte, but it’s also cheaper than most places. the breakfast food comes in large portions and you get a lot of food for the price but the preparation is inconsistent. One time i had a stack of pancakes (not impressed with the flavor) and the bottom one was almost black. If I were cooking… I’d re do that pancake.
My husband and I can eat here for about $ 15 bucks so it’s not bad, but I’d rather pay $ 30 and enjoy every bite then think about the $ 15 i just wasted.
I haven’t tried the lunch sandwiches, maybe that’s their specialty. it certainly isn’t breakfast. You will get better food at almost half the price at Steppingstone Café in the Alpha district.

Decent coffee, good breakfast, great price.
I had the florentine scramble, but subbed hashbrowns for a side of greens. No problem!
Service was pleasant and fast and my modifications were all respected — I was being picky after eating like an asshole for two days prior to my Sunday morning breakfast here.
I think 3 stars (average Unilocal rating) is likely accurate, but I had a good time!

I was very satisfied and I know I’ll be coming back.
You don’t really get table-​side service; rather you order at the counter and then afterwards place your dishes in the service tub. I suppose it’s up to you on how you feel about the tip jar there.
I ordered a P-​town Scramble with scrambled eggs, lox, capers and tomatoes. It was exactly what I needed! I definitely recommend ordering a bagel to slather this on. Add a mug of coffee and it’s the perfect breakfast.
The gal at the counter who rang me up was also very friendly and shared some stories with me. I moved from Portland to Columbus, OH, and was back in town visiting. She was very friendly and asked about my experiences and how I enjoyed Columbus. I love LOVE friendly people in customer service!

A quick and easy place to go to for breakfast or lunch.
You order at the counter. Get a number. Free water on the side. They bring you the food to your table.
Prices are great and service was good. Although, they seem overwhelmed or scatter-​brained at times. They forgot my friend’s apple cider and when we finally asked, they apologized and said they were out.
My eggs benedict with salmon and hashbrown was great and if the eggs were just a little more runny, it would be perfect. The hashbrown wasn’t overly salted, which I liked and could use just a tad more browning.
However, you get good bang for the buck, great portions and pretty good food at Morning Star Café.

This is a viable, but lesser alternative to the much heralded nearby Mother’s, one of the best breakfast spots in the USA. But Mother’s also enjoys long lines and if you want some solid breakfast chow, this is a nice spill over alternative.
One annoyance, these folk subscribe to the one –piece-​of-​toast –is-​enough philosophy. BOO!

I didn’t think it was horrible.
They have lunch specials that aren’t too bad, and at least the staff is semi-​friendly.
The butternut squash ravioli with homemade pesto sauce was delicious. Their portions are kind of small, so if you’re starving you might need to budget for more food. It was like a snack for me. But I’m a fatty.

Worst. Eggs. Benedict. Ever.
Having said that I have been here many times and their sandwiches are great! They seem to have a quality selection of meat. I like the outdoor seating but it’s right next to the Morrison ramp where people hang a left to get to downtown. The constant noise of cars driving by you is distracting and takes away from what otherwise could be a nice happy hour spot.

I sooooo mourn the loss of this place. Here’s my old review: Great place for breakfast. I ate here 3 mornings in a row on my visit to Portland. I loved the breakfast burrito with boar sausage. Other days I had the scramble with portobello mushrooms and sausage. On weekdays you order at the counter and they bring it to you. Coffee is self serve. On weekends a waitress takes your order at your table and refills your coffee (not always quickly).
The staff is friendly and considerate. (The lady taking my order cautioned me that home fries with my burrito might be too much food. I was starving but listened and tookthem off my order; she was right.) The café is clean, with high ceilings decorated with a maze of ducts. There is ample window booth seating, which is great for watching people walk past. You can grab a free Portland Tribune or Willamette Week from a box just outside and spend an hour, reading, drinking the «endless» cup of (great) coffee and watching the city go by.

Downtown Portland offers 3 establishments in abundance: coffee houses, food carts, and strip clubs. The casual observer should quickly realize that he possesses a limited amount of time, stomach, and — to a certain extent — money to explore the bountiful offerings of PDX. The weekend traveler simply lacks the luxury of randomly selecting eateries (Note: the term restaurants would exclude bars and street vendors).
Morning Star Café is one such establishment that I recommend left alone to locals. Morning Star offers your prototypical breakfast/​brunch options on weekends. By all accounts, it’s a local favorite where people can enjoy a casual and cozy meal. For tourists, however, it’s hardly unique and may hinder your regimented itinerary. Unless you arrive early, you risk facing the brunch crowd. Nothing against the food (I just ordered coffee) but a breakfast scramble here is probably just as good as any other breakfast scrambler.
On a plus side, minors are allowed only until 9PM (good riddance to them anyway). [Original Visit: December 18, 2010]
Death by PDX — An Extended Weekend of Eating #3.

I stumbled upon this place on the morning of July 4^th with a friend from out of town when I realized that all the Food Carts were closed for the holiday.
Loved… My vegetarian breakfast burrito and that my friend had a Boar sausage scramble. Lots of light in this place, busy, but our waitress was prompt. Good location for out-​of-​towners staying downtown.
Disliked… I don’t feel too strongly about this place either way, but if I’m in the neighborhood again and the food carts are closed I will definitely try it again.

This place is generally crowded so I’m thinking the location must be the biggest draw. While the food is good and it’s a pretty good spot to WiFi, there are some things about it that I don’t like very much.
It’s comfortable enough and that’s important for me because I’m there for about 3 hours on those mornings I don’t have a client. Lots of big windows everywhere so that is a really cool selling point.
I had the Greek Salad the other day and while it was very good, there didn’t seem to be enough of it. Very little value for the money. It’s mostly lettuce with a meager sprinkling of whatever else they put on it. It’s just not worth it.
As for the staff. Wow, not very friendly at all and if they had to smile, their faces would break. What an unhappy lot they seem to be. I’m surprised this place hasn’t been Unilocaled more than it has. I’ll continue to go here for awhile and update the review. It’ll either get better or not.

3-​star reviews are so difficult for me to write.
It’s hard to say anything interesting/​get fired up when you’re not POLARIZED in one direction (maybe this is why DB’s like Limbaugh dominate the ariwaves?)
So, this place was alright. Kind of a lower-​cost, no-​frills breakfast joint.
You go up to the counter to order, you fill your own coffee. Kind of like a coffee shop setup, only with actual food and not just baked goods.
If you’re near it and you’re hungry it’s worth a shot.

It is my humble opinion that in a city that gets as cold as Portland there should be indoor waiting areas in all busy restaurants. For example I waited for 20 minutes to eat at Morning Star Café. Normally I am unphased by waits, and 20 minutes no problem! In fact if I go out to breakfast on a weekend, I expect a wait! However on this particular morning I panicked where I heard this. I looked around at all the warm people with plates of delicious food and headed back outside to the cold to wait. Time passes slower when you’re cold and hungry by the way.
I ordered a breakfast burrito with sausage which was meh. It was nothing I couldn’t have whipped up in the comfort of my own home. and probably spared myself some of the grease which was oozing out. There was nothing hot about that hot sauce… i like it spicy. I will say that it was It is well priced! I escaped paying under 20 $ for two breakfasts and drinks! I imagine this place would be much more enjoyably during the week so you could relax without feeling bad for the growing number of people waiting outside.
I was really unmoved by this place, I almost even forgot to Unilocal it. I never forget to Unilocal anything.