Starky’s

They went out of business after 30 years. They were great when the original owners had it, but in recent years, it was like a kitchen nightmare. And the dining room was empty.

We went to Starky’s last night for a final hoo-​rah. I had family in town and I figured with something as main stay to Portland as Starky’s, that we couldn’t go wrong.
Fine fine fine… the burger and tots was a great value. But overall, a terrible experience.
We had a reservation at 6:30. The others in our group were a half hour late! NOT STARKY’S fault. So while we waited, we decided to have a couple cocktails.
The waiter in the bar area, Chris, was so rude to the customers. He was extremely short with me. I just felt like I was bothering him. I heard him say to a group of fellas standing at the bar, «move! I’m busy and you’re in my way!» No need to talk to the customers that way.
When our group finally arrived, we got seated. Not a joke, or an exaggeration, we waited 30 minutes to have our order taken. There was a table behind us that got up and walked out because they hadn’t been served yet.
I’m no princess and I don’t act like one, I just expected something better. I am not alone in saying, nobody likes to be sassed by the waiter.
I’m sad to see you leave, however last nights experience makes it not as sad.

My partner and I came last Saturday night for dinner. We’d never been here before so didn’t know what to expect. Certainly wasn’t expecting what we got.
I ordered the mac and cheese which was ok. It had way too much sauce that drowned out the noodles. My partner ordered the Chicken Dijon which came with a salad. The server asked what type of dressing she wanted and she replied, «do you have a balsamic?» to which he replied «yes». He brought the salad out with another plate of oil and vinegar used for bread. Wtf? The chicken dijon was awful. The chicken was rubbery and incredibly salty like it was right out of the freezer and then microwaved. The worst part was this chicken dinner was $ 17! Are you kidding me? We will not be back, which is a shame because there isn’t very many LGBT establishments in Portland.

Whenever I’m in Portland, I have dinner at Starky’s and I’m never disappointed. The food is great, prices reasonable and the service is personal and attentive. If you appreciate a quiet and relaxed atmosphere, this is the place to go. This place is a real gem.

We had a wonderful waiter I need to say that who did his best to entertain us and make it a good experience but the food was less than desirable the fish and chip seem to be the best thing to order and still it was lacking flavor shrimp Louie had no flavor and frozen shrimp not necessary in Oregon this time of year the chicken fried steak did have real mashed potatoes and was okay but not a lot of flavor and the seared halibut was just bland. to top it off we did find a hair in one of the salads our friend had to pull it out of her mouth they did come for her meal which was very nice and again I credit that to the very nice waiter we have their house Merlot is delicious and everyone seem to be happy with their alcohol we probably won’t go back again and the sad part is that years ago it was the bomb to go to with excellent 5 star cooking and just a really fun place for men and women both probably won’t return in fact I know we won’t return that we have wonderful memories anyway

Love going here for drinks! Staff is very friendly and know how to pour a good drink! Wish they introduced a vegan option other than the veggie burger. Clientele is also very friendly. If you’re new like me it’s a great place to make new friends!

Yeah, I had a great time here, but the waiters really need to find out how to charge credit cards correctly…

Good drinks but don’t order the corned beef hash if you are looking for real corned beef and not the dog food can variety…

Restaurant does not look like much from the outside but inside is very clean. The tables in the dinning room are covered with linen, nicely folded napkins, seats are very comfortable and the table has its own little plate with ketchup and house made jam.
We arrived at 10am and the place was empty but by the time we left there was a full house. They have bottomless mimosas and leave the bottle of champagne at your table with an ice bucket, also a little carafe of orange juice. We had two bottles of champagne and it was nice to just sit and talk and not feel like we were being rushed.
The food here was great, came out hot and had a little house made brownie on the rim of the plate. The staff is very friendly and make you feel welcomed.
I will definitely return for brunch next weekend and recommend this place to others. The nice part about this restaurant is that it does have a parking lot so no circling around the block for parking.

Okay, I’ll give credit where credit is due. A friend talked me into going back after my last experience, which was bad. One of the main servers apologized for our bad experience and bought our first round of drinks, which was very nice.
This is a fun place to go for a «totally gay» experience, even if it’s a bit dated inside. Some of the food is really good, the fettuccine with chicken is garlic-​y, fatty and great. The potato skins are pretty fab too. And if you’re feeling the sugar need, they’ll bring you a giant slab of tasty carrot cake. Drinks are strong and great always.
I do think the servers could be a bit mellower at times, but they generally have a ton of customers to wait on so I’m sure they are doing their best.
The interior and menu could definitely use some updating, though I guess that’s part of the charm. I read in the local press that the owners have put the building up for sale, so I don’t know if there will be a Starky’s in the future, but I hope so.

We love our Sunday Brunch with Chris or other staff.
Food seems consistent, and the bottoms up cocktails never seem to fail is for three bottles as a rule.
Maybe a rework of the menu is needed? Some weekends when the «fresh fruit» is a side of applesauce might not be appropriate for the same price as when it’s «fresh fruit»?
We won’t frequent the bar, but Sundays are fun still!

Up visiting from SF with friends and we were looking for a fun, LGBT friendly brunch spot. We hit the jackpot! The fried chicken with gravy is especially delish!

BEST BRUNCH PLACE EVER! Truly bottomless mimosas delish food, SUPER friendly helpful staff, wonderful décor, especially during the holidays.

Starky’s serves up an awesome brunch and for a mere $ 8.00 you can indulge with bottomless mimosas. The nice thing about brunching at Starky’s is that they just bring the bottle of bubbly and park it on your table with a little carafe of orange juice so there is none of that flagging down the server every 2 minutes for a mimosa refill.
You’ll find lots of choices to be had on the menu from sweet to savory. The chicken fried chicken is always a winning choice as are the benedicts. Most recently I had the top sirloin benedict which was the daily special and it was awesome.
My only grumble is that the tables are rather on the smallish side so when you and your 3 friends all have a mimosa, a coffee and a water, there is little room for your plate of food, your silverware and any condiments. In fact, all the tables seem rather close together and it seems a little crowded.
So if you don’t mind a cozy dining experience, grab your bestest brunch buddies and head to Starky’s.
2014 — Review # 94

We come here on Sundays, since Chris works on Sundays. The staff is great, very welcoming.

Update 5/​1/​15 — this place goes up and down like a yoyo with quality control. Had steak and eggs — asked for eggs over medium got them over easy like raw — steak was tough as shoe leather and came in two bite size pieces also came with roasted potatoes — 3 bite size pieces and undercooked. Give it two stars because service was good and so was the coffee. For $ 12.95 I could of done better… came here because my friend likes it… going back to Bread and Ink café — better menu and prices and food is amazing every time!

Always great after a night of drinking. The drinks here are stiff and the bottomless mimosa’s really are bottomless. The toast they serve always comes out perfectly buttered and the jam is always tasty and presented well. Nice staff and I love all of the concerts they play in the bar. Been coming here for years and will continue. The patio is nice too.

Kitchy. Campy. Comfortable.
Let’s say you have a gaggle of gays. They aren’t twinks. They prefer Diana Ross videos over football. It’s Sunday morning. Where should you take them for brunch?
Starky’s!!!
This restaurant has been around FOREVER. I have been going for at least 15 years that I can remember. I don’t think it has ever changed. It’s cozy. It could probably use a tiny bit of updating, but it is completely welcoming in every way. It’s tough to beat the $ 8 bottomless mimosa during brunch. They don’t hesitate to bring another bottle as soon as you start getting low. If you prefer something else, they have a full bar, so no problem. I have never had to wait for a table, and they have a parking lot. Like what you have read so far?
On to the food. I noticed a few people complaining that the menu needs updating to make their dishes lighter and healthier, to cater to modern diets. Well guess what? Sometimes you want the classics with all of the fat, calories, and deliciousness that they were meant to have. I personally go for the chicken fried chicken. Every. Time. It is coated in bread crumbs instead of batter, and very crisp. My friends lean toward the chicken fried steak, and are consistently happy with it. The food won’t blow your mind, but it’s good in an old-​school diner sort of way. The table gets a basket of toast to share. For the prices ($ 10 and under), you get a nice portion of food. As Valerie mentioned all of the plates come with a mini brownie. The perfect little morsel to end the meal.
The staff has always been super congenial and on the ball. I love Sunday brunch at Starky’s! There are quite a few regulars, and you will most likely see someone you know if you run with the gay crowd. Everyone is very friendly, and it’s not packed with 21 year old kids. It attracts a more mature clientele. I only wish it were walking distance from my apartment.
Pssst, read the review from Justin N. He’s a funny dude.

Really good food and reasonable prices. Super generous portions: the nachos were enough for four, and we had ordered four other dishes. Oink! The burger looked and smelled fantastic but my friend wasn’t about to let me have a bite! I still can’t get over the reasonable prices for the portions we received.
Well made drinks and good selection of beer. The crowd is friendly and mixed. Fantastic patio if the weather permits.

I did some bottomless mimosas with a friend a few weeks back at Starky’s. It’s a quaint little spot. We took full advantage of their $ 8 bottomless mimosas (thank you very much!), but I will note that in order to qualify for the special you have to get food. This is a smart qualification because otherwise they would have been stuck with me, drunk, much MUCH longer. I had their basic eggs and toast, which hit the spot. They literally leave you a full bottle of champagne and a tall glass of OJ and let you mix at your own discretion. I loved this! Between my friend and I, we went through almost 2 bottles of champagne in a few hours. My only request is more comfortable outdoor seating (you’re literally sitting on stone), but I suppose if they did that they’d never be rid of me!
Remember to tip your waiter well for putting up with your drunk self for so long! They most certainly deserve it

Still love having brunch at Starky’s! And when they say bottomless mimosas… they mean it. Although, they did raise the price… it is now $ 8. But seriously. Still cheap. Still excellent. Love how they just throw an ice bucket and bottle at your table.
The service is always pretty good and staff is friendly. This place definitely gets a bit crowded on the weekends.
This last go-​round I tried the eggs benedict and it was pretty good. The ham was a super thick cut and their red potatoes are A-​OK. What’s odd is that it says your meal comes with fruit… however the fruit… was literally ONE piece of cantelope. I’m not sure if that even constitutes as such? The rest of my table recieved the same thing. Also we got a brownie square. Odd, yes. Delicious? Oh my, yes.
All in all you can grab a great brunch here with drinks for under $ 20 which is great in my book!