Hands On Cafe and Catering

It is now called Noble Only by the owners of Noble Rot. Same location in the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts.
They now take credit cards as well as cash.

Closed … The original owner of 25+ years has retired. The new ownership was a disappointment. We arrived expecting the ever delightful experience of a Hands on Café breakfast – which are incredible – but only to discover that the restaurant was replaced by a new company. In order to keep it short, I will sum up the new experience as wishing I had gone to Denny’s. Please note: the singe star rating reflects the current experience; not the past. I wish I had taken a picture of our meals since the image would has said it all. My tiny omelette was watery and somewhat lost on a large cold white plate. My mothers pancakes were small, lonely, and about as basic as they get, while my wife’s eggs Benedict … well, the egg yolk was the consistency of a boiled egg. Mourning the loss of the Hands on Café.

Alert! Hands on Café no longer seems to exist! At least not at the OCAC. Sadly, I went there for lunch today only to discover a new place called Nobleoni in operation. (It may be related to Noble Rot.)
The focus seems to be on a few salad and sandwich options. There were 2 soup choices served with 1 piece of baked white bread ($ 5) with salad costing $ 2 extra. The entrees were listed as «etc.» and were limited to Mac and cheese, which I don’t really consider an entrée ($ 7), and «rice and meat» with a choice of chicken or coconut pork and vegetable (broccoli, carrots, or Brussel sprouts) for $ 8. I had the pork and brussels, which was tasty but seemed to be a little sparse without the bread and salad I’m accustomed to at HOC. The desserts also appeared less exciting and unique, but I did not try any. I miss you, HOC!

I chanced upon this gem when a member of my team suggested it. We work nearby, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, now that I’ve been here nearly a dozen times in the past eight months, I can tell you that this is one of those places you’ll be afraid to tell your friends about because it’s just on the edge of being too successful to allow everyone to sit during busy times.
The food choices are all over the map whenever you visit, and wonderful in terms of nutritional value and taste. There’s always a wonderful variety of salad, a non-​traditional pasta plate, a vegetarian option, and a gluten-​free option. In addition, there’s a variety of soups, often with an intriguing selection of ingredients, and the bread (wheat and French, of course) is freshly baked. Where the soup and salad option at most places will leave you wanting, here, this is a filling and tasty choice, while still remaining as healthy an option as you could want.
The entrees are a foodies’ dream, and the portions are sizable. I often see my coworkers and other patrons taking home leftovers.
Rest assured, there are opportunities for decadence: their desserts are a welcome mix of fresh, moderately healthy, and just a bit lavish. It’s good to treat yourself to one when you can.
The staff is fantastic. Even when crazy/​busy, they are helpful and attentive. Special orders? They’ll help out in any way they can. The result is a laid back ambiance that only adds to the special feel for the place.
One slight ding, and it leads back to my first idea: the place is tiny. There are usually more guests than tables, and while in the summer, outside seating is available, during the colder months, grabbing a place to sit can be tricky.
Whatever you do, be selective in who you tell about this. Let’s just keep this amazing spot on the down-​low and between us…

What has changed at Hands On Café since my first review in 2009? Well, I’m a few years older, the café has a new owner (the son of the long-​time owner has graduated from student to Chef Cook), and the food? It’s only getting better.
I don’t know of a single place in Portland that’s quite like this. It has the quaint charm of a classic café but food that could compete with any lunch/​brunch spot downtown. It’s hidden on a small college campus out on Barnes Road and it’s literally the cafeteria for the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts.
This food is fantastic. The Sunday brunches consist of short, well-​thought-​out menus that generally offer an egg dish, a griddle dish (french toast or pancakes), a savory dish (pork loin or similar) and maybe one or two more offerings. Call ahead and they’ll throw together vegan-​friendly options for you (if that’s your thing). The coffee is strong and the mugs are all hand-​made by OCAC students and staff. The food flavors are fantastic. I’m consistently wowed at how well they balance and combine flavors here.
Lunches are served off the cafeteria line… sort of. Last time I was in I enjoyed one heck of a fatoush salad and a nice chickpea, peanut and cabbage soup. The menu also had a tasty-​looking giant taco and something else… I was too distracted by the fatoush salad to pay enough attention. This was actually the first time I had been in for lunch and I can confirm it’s as diligently crafted as the brunches.
Recent visits have only continued to confirm that I should be making the trek out to this wooded, zen-​like space for lunch more often. It’s worth it to spend a few minutes browsing the student art/​craft store or even just soaking in a short walk through the beautiful wooded campus.
If only my undergrad and grad colleges had food this good on the meal plan!

Hands On Café is the restaurant that belongs to the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts. I love to stop by here after a visit to St Vincent’s Hospital for a doctor visit, or to check out their Artist’s Shop.
There are usually two choices of soup, a couple of entrees, and some serious desserts. The day I went there, the soup choices were Tomato with Bleu Cheese and French Onion. I had a bowl of the French Onion. Really good onion soup, paired with delicious Grand Central Bakery bread. The bread choices were wheat and French. I went for the wheat, and it was great.
Then there’s the desserts. The day that I was there, there was an awesome-​looking German Chocolate, but I couldn’t justify the calories. The other choice was a chocolate chip cookie. I did have that and it was … well, let’s just say ‘yum’.
This is a great little find. There aren’t many little restaurants with this much character near St. V’s.

Ultimate hidden gem! I stumbled upon this place from Unilocal and was a little hesitant to check it out initially but now I wish I had checked it out earlier. I came for brunch with a friend around noon on Sunday and was seated right away. I was a little confused because the table they told me to sit at already had some food on it. Turns out every table has a few pieces of delicious freshly baked zucchini and chocolate bread for us to start off with. I loved how they use handmade mugs/​plates that I’m guessing was made right in their ceramics studio. They gave the place a very homey feeling.
The menu only has a few options but they all sounded very good. It changes every 3 weeks but they said there’s always some sort of pancakes and omelette dish. I ordered the omelette and it was delicious! My friend really enjoyed her pancakes too.
I’m definitely going to be back in a few weeks to see what new dishes they have to offer.

The further from the Portland epicenter you travel, the less likely you will find individualistic eateries. The Hands On Café at Oregon College of Arts and Crafts is one on the Portland-​Beaverton border.
This small open kitchen was an artist’s inspiration for feeding students mid day. It has grown though the space is small, inside and in good weather, out.
There is a limited and changing menu. Creative in design. Often includes international flavor influences. Usually about 5 items, a few deserts, and they run out of some as the meal time progresses, so earlier is better.
Visit the school’s gallery shop while there. A great place for WashCo to Portland business meetings.

Awesome service, even better food! I don’t wanna tell people about this place cause I don’t wanna share!!!

We went here for the Sunday brunch, after having a completely horrid breakfast at «Biscuits Café» the previous day.
This place has a good atmosphere and friendly waitstaff. Our food arrived promptly and was fresh and warm. We ordered the pancakes with fresh fruit, and the salmon eggs Benedict. Both were really delicious and were priced reasonably at about $ 11 each.
We’ll definitely be returning here, maybe to check out their lunch or dinner menu.

I originally came across this place when my mom was visiting in the summertime. We sat out on the nice patio in the sun, which is surrounded by vegetation. It’s small and it feels like you are at someones house. Ahhhh… the Oregon summer… We had a delicious lunch with very fresh, seasonal ingredients. I saw that they have brunch on the weekends and decided I definitely had to come back for that.
There are very few places to get brunch in the Beaverton area that are not chain restaurants, so it already has that going for it… but it goes well beyond that. When you arrive, they seat you and bring you a plate of 2 – 3 kinds of homemade bread (like zucchini, banana and poppy seed) and a half of a grapefruit with candied ginger on top. So yummy! They only have a few (maybe about 4 – 5?) choices for breakfast, but unless you are really picky, I think everyone would find one choice to be up their alley. Everything I’ve had has been delicious and you can tell they only use quality ingredients. The place isn’t very big, but we’ve never had to wait more than a few minutes to be seated. However, we may have had good timing because I’ve noticed it get busier after we’ve been seated.
One thing to know before you go — they only take cash or local checks. I rarely carry cash and often use my debit card, so it was a surprise for me. I know many other people are the same way, so be prepared for that.
Another fun thing to do when you go here is to visit the gift shop that has arts and crafts made locally — many of them by students of the school there (Oregon College of Art and Craft). Beautifully made stuff and lots of good options for unique gifts.

This place is fantastic! Not only do you have a lovely meal, but look around to get a dose of local artist culture, delightfully hung on all the walls and in every nook and cranny, representing many mediums. Wen we were there it was beautifully created fabric pieces, along with of course paintings and ceramics plus gewelry, many things are for sale.
We waited only a few minutes and were served coffee while we watched the kitchen in full view. It’s tiny, about the size of my kitchen at home! Yet they have obviously figured out exactly how to juggle the space enough to tidily and deliciously create about 4 dishes per service. I had the pancakes — light and fluffy which is usually impossible in a multi-​grain version, which this was. It was perfectly cooked and tender and hot. Yum. They served me two little patties of homemade spicy sausage, oh dear was it good. I make my own sausage many times a year, and this was spot-​on with plenty of salt and pepper and herbs. Good job you guys.
Husband got the bubble and squeak, with two cabbage preparations, one was red cabbage, spiced and wilted, and a green cabbage that I believe was steamed. House corned beef slices, plenty thick and lean, on top of the veggies, tasted great.
Before our mains arrived, they served us two slices of moist cake — one was lemon and the other was carrot, both delicate and freshly made. But wait, we also got a half ruby-​red grapefruit, perfectly segmented and sugared for our enjoyment. Delightful!
The menu is changing every three weeks, so we’ll wait it out and go back for seconds. Very good service, absolutely professional although dress is pretty casual. Everything is very artistic, including the plates and cups. You must try it!
J

Just so that you’re not surprised: this is the cafeteria of the Oregon College of Art & Craft. Park and follow the signs to the Hands On Café. You’ll need cash or local check to pay.
For lunch, you’ll find two soups and three entrees to choose from. The soups are thick and chunky — very good; the pasta entrée was tasty and abundant.
The food is a bit pricey, but it is to be expected since they use organic, local ingredients.

This small independently owned Café is a must eat in Portland.
Owned by a local family with loads of talent when it comes to the kitchen. There are a few misconceptions in some of these reviews that I would love to clear up.
1.The cooks and bakers are not generally students, they are the family that owns the restaurant and one other hired professional.
Some of the servers and dishwashers are students though and very friendly.
2.This place is very kiddo kind. Anyone who has brought their child in knows how friendly they are to families. They are extremely accommodating in feeding, entertaining, and cleaning up after small tikes,
3.Prices start at under $ 5 a meal. The value here is extraordinary, no where else in town will you find a restaurant that achieves the caliber of culinary excellence while providing consistency, quality, and variety all for under $ 11.95 a plate. A good honest meal is what you will find here.
4.There are no granola hippies here, just cooks that respect and are sensitive to peoples dietary needs and restrictions healthy not fussy.
The menu does change every day, They do run out of items sometimes, what do you expect with limited amounts of food for a menu that changes everyday. You have to get there early to snag a good seat, it can get competitive, but the wait is never over 15 minutes. There is always abundant coffee and a beautiful gallery and gift shop to look at whilst you wait.
Lunch is 11:30am-2:00pm
Dinner is 5:30pm-7:30pm
Cafeteria style service and seating
Mon-​Friday
Brunch is 9:30am-1:30ish pm
Full service (get there early for the best menu options)
The food is just plain great everyday.

Secret Spot Award! This place is great. They are now open for brunch (not sure which days), lunch and dinner (Mon-​Thurs). The food is always excellent. It is super casual, leans towards comfort food in general, and the prices and the quality can’t be beat.
I have probably been here 5 times and I have never disliked my food or the service. My portions have always left me questioning if I should actually finish my plate (so I don’t get the previous post about that, although I have never been for brunch).
The staff’s recs have always been solid and I love that the gallery and art shop are attached leaving me plenty of places to wander while I digest.
A great spot for a leisurely lunch with a friend who isn’t concerned about going somewhere «to be seen» =)

First off, «brunch» is a combination of «breakfast» and «lunch» so your menu should be as well.
Second, if your menu only has four choices, make damn sure you don’t run out of one, thereby eliminating 25% of your menu.
Third, for the price we paid, I don’t think I should have left hungry. The Huevos Ahogados was tasty and the plate was gorgeous (the servers term in describing the dish) but the portion was small. Pretty is nice, but it doesn’t fill me up.

Love this little gem of a place. As Lucia C. said, I wish my school eatery had been this good (or maybe I don’t!). Tucked into the woods right off of busy Barnes Road with nothing else in sight but pretty little shingled buildings, this is a hidden oasis.
Have been there three times and the food has always been excellent. The menu changes every day, so I won’t go into details, but suffice it to say they’ve got it down. The place itself has a very homey feel (the kitchen is wide open and looks like it could be in someone’s house) and the staff is mostly students.
Outdoor seating is available when it’s nice – also a plus. Will definitely continue to return to this little paradise.

If my school had a cafeteria like this, I would eat there everyday& and gain the freshman 50 for REALZ! The food was really excellent and it’s amazing that many of the chefs are STUDENTS– I can only imagine the potentially fabulous food they will cook up in the future with their skill& expertise
The day I went they served three menu options: chicken yam stew & rice, fettuccine with garlic& veggies, and chicken Cesar salad. Each item was $ 8. After a good five minutes of intense decision-​making, I ordered the chicken with yam stew.
Oh my it was surprisingly tasty! The chicken was tenderly cooked in a bath of yam and zesty sauce, and smothered over a bed of bastimi rice. It looked like such a big unmanageable portion too… UNTIL I finished it and stared helplessly at my empty plate. Some of my buddies ordered the fettuccine and said it was also really good, but a bit too garlicky. So yes, all that intense decision-​making paid off. To finish the meal off, I bought a huge $ 2 chocolate chip cookie. It was really chewy and also tough like a cookie should be, but tasted like it was baked with honey. It was much much too sweet to be eaten on its own, and would have tasted better with milk.
I tried coming here for brunch on Saturday, but they weren’t open =[. Note to self & everyone else: they are only open Sundays from 9−1pm for brunch. I heard that their brunch items change every 3 weeks and their lunch items change every few days (or maybe even daily!)

I’m at a loss for words to use to describe my experience here aside from maybe a few like: Fantastically Amazing! Superbly Exquisite! and Yummiliciously Good!
As far as the technical description of the place & food I’m going to piggy back on Don B.‘s review because he has it down to the nitty & gritty. I think he was so excited to review this place, and I get why, that he decided they deserved a mark above 5 stars and gave them %-Stars. I totally concur, %-Stars indeed!!!
I had the marinated pork tenderloin on cream sauce with bits of apple, cabbage, and bacon. Topped with pork demi-​glaze sauce. Served with poached egg, savory potato tart and pickled beets. I heart those pickled beets so much, they were pickled just enough to knock the dirt off, and they were subtle but so flavorful. When it was served to me and I saw the presentation I turned to my lovely server and told her, «I’m not worthy.» Her response was, «Yeah, we don’t mess around here.» She along with the other servers were just so sweet and non hurrying and helpful with anything I needed and asked for.
I don’t want to say anything more so that you can come here and have your own special experience, and you should too.
Bön Appetit!

Nestled away in the woody southwest hills is a lovely oasis. The sunny and casual back patio at the Hands on Café was the perfect spot to meet up with old college friends. Plastic chairs and vinyl tablecloths could not detract from the lovely surroundings or the filling, eclectic food.
We had three lunch options, all very different and very… international. I can’t think of a better way to describe the mix of interesting dishes. Though my salad was drowned in dressing, the rest of the meal was delicious.
The clientele is equally as mixed — students from the college, business people from the surrounding area, ladies of a certain age lunching together, etc. It made for a lively atmosphere.
If I still lived here, this would definitely become a favorite spot of mine — especially since it’s next door to the college’s gift shop. An arts and craft gift shop? I’m in heaven.