Blueplate

We enjoyed two lunches at Blueplate during this, their final week, to be able to savor their perfect milkshake (peanut butter and chocolate), an egg cream (lovely), grilled cheese with bacon and tomato, and for my husband, the stroganoff. Delicious food, nice people, great vibe — nothing like this in Portland. Blueplate, we are going to miss you big time!!! Thank you for a great 10 years!!!

This place is simply AMAZING !!! I am from Texas so my mother in law and I decided to challenge his «Lone Star Chicken Fried Steak» I can honestly say coming from a state that prides itself in «home cooking «and «Soul food» Chef Jeff Knocked this out of the park !!! a wonderful experience hands down.

I like the diner feel, and the sodas are surprisingly good. However, the stroganoff was SO SALTY. Don’t get me wrong, the flavor was fantastic, but I could feel my organs saturate with salt and my body dehydrate as I ate. Other than that, the speed of service is a bit slow, but the staff is very kind so it’s not a big source of discomfort. The location is easy to miss (keep an eye out, and when you can see the bottom of the waterfront without being in the river, you’re there). I’ll be going again to try a different dish soon.

Went based on Unilocal reviews and was not disappointed. Service was excellent and the food better. It is a hole in the wall and did not pop out right away. There really is nothing more to add except that the milk shakes, which I did not have looked very good.

They take credit cards now, which is dangerous because I might come here more and I don’t know if my waistline can handle that. But my first lunch there today was delicious and I can’t wait to try more things. I had the sliders and a house made Chai Bomb soda. The soda was perfect – not too sweet. The sliders were perfectly cooked and a hefty little portion (could’ve saved one for later, but I was feeling piggish). The side of mashed potatoes was perfectly seasoned and had no need for gravy or anything to go with it (I could taste plenty of butter in there already). I like my food well salted and everything here fit the bill. Those sensitive to salt might take issue. There also are not a lot of options for vegetarians, but fortunately that isn’t a problem for me. Service was good. The place is small; wouldn’t bring a group larger than 4 and that might be pushing it at peak times. I like it!

After hearing many people talk about it, my wife and I came in. The food was great, the service was chill and comfortable. I had the Reuben Burger and my wife, the sliders. Both came with a side of mashed potatoes. Sooo good. We didn’t try it this time around because of the rain, but definitely have to try the milkshakes.

We were visiting portland and looking for some lunch. This place does comfort food right! I had the tomato soup and grilled cheese, which was perfect for a rainy day. Any sandwich served on texas toast is worth trying. My husband had the Tuesday special, Pot Roast. A stumptown coffee and chocolate shake was our dessert.
Having worked in customer service for many years, I appreciate the effort and passion of the one cook preparing food for the entire establishment and for the one young server always being friendly. I highly recommend supporting this small business.

After being on vacation for over a week Blueplate really hit the spot! Talk about down home, stick to your ribs comfort food. It’s food I love to eat and make in my own kitchen regularly.
I wish I could have ordered one of everything, but I went with the Blueplate Reuben Burger. The ground beef and pork patty was extremely flavorful. The sauerkraut added great texture and helped to cut through the richness of the patty and russian dressing. To top it off smashed Yukon gold potatoes come as a side with all their sandwiches, which are perfectly made. I could seriously eat them all day. Just give me a spoon.
I also had one of their house made sodas. How cool is that?! After much deliberation I went with the orange soda. It was good, not overly sweet like many corporate brands, but I don’t think I’d order it again.
My partner ordered the strawberry soda and it was tasty. I’d order it next time.
For two plates of delicious quality food and two drinks the total was only $ 22. If you’re in the area, or not far from it, heck, even if you are far from it, skip the chain restaurants or diners and get to Blueplate!

I ordered the Reuben burger, and it was excellent. I would definitely recommend it. The side of smashed potatoes that comes with it is a far better side than fries. As good as the food was though, my favorite part of my lunch was the house made soda. I had the Eastern Connection, and it was the best soda I’ve ever had. I want to go back and try all the rest of their sodas.

This little spot, tucked away in a barely noticeable spot downtown has a simple yet delicious menu. I’ve been for lunch a few times, most recently last week. The interior is small and narrow, with only about 4 tables and 6 bar seats. I was a party of 1 so I only had to wait about 5 minutes for a spot to open up. The age of the building and view from the bar stool into the small cooking space makes the place feel vintage and genuine. The cook does a great job of getting food out quickly and in turn increasing the customer turnover rate. I’m sure that can be attributed to the somewhat small menu.
I ordered the bleu burger — one patty served on Texas toast with bleu cheese crumbles melted over top while it cooks on the grill. It was really amazing. Creamy, delicious and nicely seasoned. The patty wasn’t necessarily cooked medium but I didn’t mind. It was served with a side of mashed potatoes, which I hadn’t expected but really enjoyed. It really felt like I was getting some genuine home cooked comfort food.
They have a nice list of house made sodas which I have yet to try. I’ll be sure to go back in the future to try one out though. I believe the menu rotates fairly often so I’m looking forward to a new item next time.

Had some coworkers go to blueplate for a late lunch. Our office caters food during the week and apparently this doesn’t sit well with he owner. He harassed them both verbally and physically putting his arm out in front of one person to stop him from leaving. Then, he followed the individual out to the sidewalk, attempting to pull him back in. There are other instances of this kind of unprofessionalism and violence (verbal and non verbal) from the owner in other Unilocal reviews. Needless, we won’t be going Blueplate ever again.

Really great place. Try their milkshakes and custom sodas. They also have great sandwiches. I love their Thursday special of beef stroganoff. This place gets busy because everyone knows how amazing it is. Worth taking a long lunch break for.

I have a friend who worked literally in the same building for a bit and didn’t realize this place was here. It’s that easy to miss. You shouldn’t miss it, though, because it’s really good.
Friend had Grilled cheese and Tom soup, I had the ‘American in Paris”. My sandwich was fantastic and the smashed potato side was a tasty bonus.
Buddy cleaned his plate and said it was great, too.

I had the bacon blue burger. The patty is half beef and half pork. Topped generously with bacon and blue cheese. The flavor is great. It came with a side of potatoes. For dessert I had a Sundae. The service was friendly.

WOW
I’ve wanted to visit this place forever, finally got the chance and I was not disappointed! We sat at the bar and started our lovely meal with their huckleberry milkshake. It was decadently creamy, full of flavor down to the last bite. Then we were delighted by our meal, I had the Thursday special Beef Stroganoff, best I’ve ever had seriously. Pasta perfectly cooked, meat tender and not a drop of gristle or fat, tossed in a light but creamy and flavor packed mushroom sauce. My guys burger was top notch too, perfectly cooked with their house mayo that is yummy! So worth the trip, Thank you!

Best beef stroganoff ever… brisket was tender and noodles was perfect… I would definitely come back… too bad you’re not in my state..

Not knocked out, but it’s not bad. My expectations for the Blueplate Reuben Burger ($ 10, as are all sandwiches) were high based on the rave reviews and press, e.g., Triple D. My son’s Northwest Sliders were OK. My wife’s «American in Paris» was good. The hand-​crafted sodas are good and worth $ 2, for sure. If you go, be patient. The kitchen is small. And don’t expect light options. This is heavy, stick-​to-​the-​ribs, need a nap afterward diner food. Not my usual fare, but to each their own.

I’m downtown a lot and I’ve walked by countless times not realizing that this restaurant was even there. Blueplate is LITERALLY a hole in the wall. The establishment is small, but cozy, and their staff is definitely welcoming and friendly.
In all honestly, I’ve only ever eaten their grilled cheese with tomato soup because it is seriously divine! It’s always grilled to cheesy and greasy perfection and the tomato soup is nothing you’d find in a can. You can really taste the heartiness and flavor in this dish. If grilled cheese isn’t your thing, they do offer daily specials to satisfy your appetite as well!
If you’re up for it, I’d highly recommend getting a milkshake with your meal! They’re a soda fountain after all, offering A LOT of flavors. There’s no excuse to not give it a try. It’s been a while for me (watching my sugar intake), but during Thanksgiving, I remember indulging a scrumptious pumpkin pie shake *drool*.
Definitely stop by and feast at this diner! They’re only open weekdays from 11am — 4pm so if you’re ever downtown during lunchtime, avoid the big chain restaurants and support this quaint spot!

I was not as impressed as I’d hoped. A little bit of a let down. Service was pretty mediocre. Several people who ordered after us got their food and drinks first. Our waitress explaining the specials said «I just had the taco salad. It’s really good. I just tried the xyz shake. It’s really good. The grilled cheese is really good.» My guess is that maybe she was pretty new but the service was just kind of awkward and our water was not refilled until after our bill was paid and we were ready to walk put the door.
I will say that the turkey sandwich was a little slice of heaven. Real carved turkey and not lunch meat. There was a honey mustard sauce of some sort that just made it divine. My husband ordered the grilled cheese and tomato soup which was also very good. We ordered a coconut Stumptown coffee milkshake with chocolate and that was probably one of the best shakes I’ve had. Overall, the food delivered but we were very disappointed in the service and lack of charm we had hoped for. My husband saw the café on an episode of Diners Drive ins and Dives and has wanted to try it for years.
The ambiance was not what we pictured and the only thing that felt retro about it was our server’s rockabilly look and red lipstick. The menu was very limited but I suppose when there are such good items, that’s alright. We will probably be back to try other daily specials but don’t know if I’ll ever make it a point to go there. Maybe in passing by.

Unexpected and delightful! Stellar tomato soup, I also really enjoyed my chocolate malt.
This place is small with excellent, personable service. Sitting at the lunch counter, I was able to watch my whole meal being made. If I lived or worked in downtown Portland I would eat here all the time! Highly recommended, cozy escape on a windy, rainy day.

I wish this place was open more than just at lunch because it is really good. I got the NW sliders and a Hawaiian sunset soda. All of it was fantastic.
I think when I go back I’ll get a shake though, tried a friend’s shake when we were there and it was so so good.
They were out of Mac n cheese which sucked since I imagine that being incredible.
Great service and a cool location.

Fantastic service, good atmosphere and decadent milk shakes!
We had the Rueben Burger, hand made sauerkraut, great bread with a perfectly cooked burger — nice side salad as well.

The service was perfect… the Rueben burger while a little heavy on the sauerkraut was still tasty and seemed to be a favorite in the restaurant. Wished I had ordered the grilled cheese and soup as my chicken sliders left something to be desired… just a weird flavor going on that I really can’t even describe.
They get the bump to 4 stars for their shakes and old fashioned Italian crème sodas and good prices on the drinks and shakes.

Ok it’s good and simple! Everything I’ve tasted explodes with flavor so your tongue can scream with excitement when you inform it your coming back for more.
Triple D actually got it correct with this place so if you don’t believe me then your Uncle Guy may persuade you to try this tiny place. Small place, BIG FOOD PUNCH!

I can’t say that the Blueplate grilled cheese lived up to it’s hype… there’s nothing really spectacular about it. The tomato soup literally tasted like it came out of a fresh jar of Prego, I expected a rich, creamy consistency. If it were advertised as grilled cheese and marinara, I wouldn’t be nearly as disappointed.
If based on the food alone, it’s worth the trip to try out… but the service was horrible! I came in a group of 3, and it took almost 30 minutes to get seated. We were seated once two people at the diner bar left, and didn’t realize ’til we sat down that there were 6 stools at the counter. They easily could have requested that the two customers move down a seat so that we could get seated. Also, it took at least ten minutes from the time we placed our order until they began to make it… and it was an open kitchen. They were literally standing around.
If I ever come back here, it’ll be to pick up an order that I purchase OVER THE PHONE at least half an hour prior.

I hesitate to post this because I am at odds. I love this little diner yet I think the chef has a bit of a sweet tooth which is at odds with what I have ordered. I’m hedging a little because I was pretty unhappy with the Chicken and Grits lunch special I had. Ever since my last visit, I’d been waiting for a Friday when I could go and they weren’t busy. Anxiously awaiting, even. I can make grits on my own that please me but the chicken part — that’s iffy, I’m just not much of a cook. To have both made for me — heaven.
The actuality of the meal was that the greens were sweet — overly so. I’m not quite sure why anyone would do that to a traditionally savory dish but that’s the way it was. I took one bite and got about one chew in and spit it into a napkin. So, if you’ve never read a review of mine, I am an over-​salter. I grew up that way, I’m trying to break the habit but I tend to want savory food over sweet food most days. In this case, I would have even taken a heavily smokey greens order over this sweet variety and I don’t like smokey food either. (I love the concept of red beans and rice but not the execution.) The grits that I tasted were sweet as well but I don’t know if that was bleed-​over from the greens. I took one bite of those and saved the rest for leftovers.
The chicken was interesting. Underneath the topping was freshly fried, not greasy, tender chicken but the cornmeal crust was unappetizing with a grittiness that was too much. I think given a different ratio, it might have worked but as is, I made myself eat once piece and took the rest as leftovers.
Overall, it was a disappointing meal but the staff were as pleasant as ever and I will certainly be back to try something else new on the menu.
Next day update: Leftover chicken was great. The grittiness was gone and it was just chicken with extra texture. The grits weren’t sweet but I didn’t like them. They had onions in them and tasted like onions but there wasn’t that grits flavor to the grits themselves. Edible but not worthwhile.