Cafe Olli: Portland
3925 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR
The Place: A seasonal all-day cafe that is charming and delightful and everything you’d imagine when you think of an all-day cafe in Portland, Oregon.
The Time: Sunday March 16, 11:45am. I am in Portland on my book tour! After a whirlwind of events in New York celebrating the launch of SPIRITED WOMEN, Olivia and I set off for Rip City! Never been to this city (or state!) before, but I’m kind of in love with it. We have a little break Sunday morning after two events on Friday and Saturday, and Olivia has some high school buds here. So I want to give them time to reminisce and talk shit, and I realized I’ve never done an official ~*brunch*~ review before. In 8 years, how is that possible?
This is how close I am to the oven!
The Vibe: Lovely, quaint, a little crunchy. It’s in a converted farmhouse of some sort that feels much larger than it is thanks to the high sloping ceilings. It’s busy, but there’s one spot at the bar–a huge perk of dining out alone is usually never having to wait, even during Sunday brunch! The blonde oak bar is not actually a bar but a chefs’ counter, meaning the entire kitchen. I can even feel the heat coming from the wood-fired oven and am up close and personal with the chefs, so really this is like brunch and a show for me. Everything looks stupid delicious and smells amazing and I am so happy with my choices in life. I’m sitting between two duos of women, but it’s filled with families, friends, couples–seems like a universal brunch spot for this neighborhood. There are huge windows on two sides beaming in the morning (afternoon?) light. There’s a stack of firewood next to the oven, the wooden ceiling soars upward, and I feel like I should be a person who makes my own granola, just by being here. There’s also a very sweet outdoor area in front where I spy not one, but two tiny dogs in bags.
The Bartender: I’m pretty sure there isn’t one, but instead I interact most with my server, Carlos, who comes up behind me and kind of scares the shit out of me initially. It’s a little perplexing to turn fully around in my chair to address him, but duh, the cooks aren’t gonna take my order. Everyone who works here is wearing a hat of some sort, except the host, who’s rocking an excellent fair isle sweater. This feels important to note.
Baked eggs, toast, mimosa, coffee — breakfast of champions
The Drank: My mimosa takes a while to arrive but it's a busy brunch service so I get it. It is a perfectly acceptable mimosa. But the longer I sit and watch and smell the food, the hungrier I get until, blissfully, my baked eggs arrive over the counter. They are SO good and SO hot so I’m happy I have a mimosa to sip on while they cool off. They’re in a cast iron skillet with chickpeas, spinach, shallots, and pistachio salsa macha and they rock. I also get a side of toast because of course I want a side of toast. All eggs are cooked in the wood oven! Meaning there are no scrambled eggs! I also really respect the amount of Parmesan I watch the cooks shave over the top of the salads. My kind of people.
Was I Hit On?: Carlos makes a point to swing by and check on me, by saying: “hey, haven’t seen you in a minute, how’re you doing?” as if we’re old friends who bumped into each other on the street. This is not a come on, just good service. He also calls me “madam” which I think he’s saying in a cute, fun way, and not implying that he thinks I’m old. Hopefully.
Should You Drink Here Alone?: Sure! Everything at Cafe Olli is delicious and chill and if I lived in this city, I’d be here all the time. For dinner, they do wood-fired pizza! What’s not to love?
Bonus Content! Other Places I Drank in Portland!
I went to Cafe Olli by myself, but otherwise my drinking partner was my best friend and co-author, Olivia McGiff. Figured it was worth sharing my favorite spots in the city–which is pretty much everywhere we went over the course of three days.
Moon Pocha - 28 NE 28th Ave
A Korean restaurant and bar that opened literally two days before we stumbled in after getting off our flight. Yummy food, good beer, a chef that walks around pouring free shots of soju. Sign me up.
The Sports Bra - 2512 NE Broadway
The first women’s sports bar in the country. The owner, Jenny Nguyen, is one of the profiled ladies in SPIRITED WOMEN, so we held a book event there, but honestly, I might move to Portland just for this bar. It’s a magical place.
Nostrana - 1401 SE Morrison St
The beautiful Italian restaurant where we held a happy hour book party. Another time, I would enjoy sitting at that bar while drinking a Negroni and eating delicious pasta, and I’d be as happy as a clam.
Hey Love - 920 E Burnside St
A super fun tropical bar owned by Emily Mistell, the woman who was supposed to be our conversation partner at a book event (damn you, Covid!). I’m still thinking about that Mama Dúts Gimlet.
Pacific Standard - 100 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
A chill hotel bar with library vibes–in decor, not attitude. Great cocktails and a great bartender, who turned out to be one of the owners!
Kann - 548 SE Ash St
The rumors are true. This celebrated Haitian restaurant from Top Chef alumnus Gregory Gourdet is absurdly good. Those peanut creamed greens are maybe one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. A must if you’re a foodie visiting Portland.
Freeland Spirits - 2671 NW Vaughn St
A woman-owned and operated distillery that we also featured in SPIRITED WOMEN! We already knew that their flagship product, their Freeland Spirits gin, was delicious, but it was great to get to sample all of their spirits. A craft spirit flight for $25 when it’s this good can’t be beat.