Koffee Kup Diner

Burgers were pretty good. Definitely better than McDonald’s. Fries were also good and hot. One of your great Indiana Mom and Pop style places to eat. Their dessert’s were very we;; prepared also. Other great things to try there is their Coleslaw it is really excellent and they have good steaks and chicken.

My husband and I visited here while he had a job im town. This is a nice place to grab a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Prices are very reasonable. Waitress very friendly.

It’s a decent breakfast place. The food is good, the service has always been alright when we’d visit, and the atmosphere of the place is nice. Very classic feeling. It’s probably the best place to get some food in the town.

The Koffee Kup Diner stands on a corner on Meridian St. in Portland, IN, in a place where it has been for decades, as long as I can remember. I had never been there my entire life, for some unknown reason. I guess my family just never went there. The exterior makes it look almost invisible, blending in with the surrounding architecture dating back probably to the depression, the Great Depression, not the recent one. Crumbling sidewalks and hand-​painted signs in the window give you the first impression — probably not the best first impression, but don’t judge a book by its cover. The interior is basic Midwestern diner, replete with black and white checkerboard floor tiles and Formica table tops. Country music, commercials and all, sound from the radio. Sirius radio, an iPod, or Pandora probably don’t exist here.
The most impressive thing about the Koffee Kup Diner, especially compared to all of the other fast food and chain restaurants/​corporate food in Portland, is the fact that many of the menu items, including the side dishes and pies, are made from scratch, not off the food service delivery truck. Ohhhh, the pies! We had the sugar cream pie. Sugar cream pie may be an acquired taste for anyone who isn’t a Hoosier, but be it known, it IS the state pie of Indiana. This one had a tad more nutmeg and cinnamon in it — it was VERY good. It was homemade after all. We didn’t have any other pies, but I’m guessing they are all excellent. No matter what, save room for pie.
I had a veggie omelet with toast for about $ 4. It was typical diner food — basic, satisfying, and good. I ordered just a taste of the coleslaw, as it was also homemade and I love good coleslaw. This was excellent, being not too rich, which I like. My husband ordered the mini chef salad with two chicken strips, minus the bacon and ham on the salad, for about $ 4.50. It was definitely minimal, probably being a side salad anywhere else, but the chicken strips were good. This place is a super good value, even by Midwestern standards.
The coleslaw and chicken strips were so good we ordered a tub of coleslaw and 20 chicken strips to take to our family reunion the following day. The food was ready when we came to pick it up, and everyone at the reunion really seemed to enjoy it.
The service was friendly in that Midwestern, «How ya doin’ hon?» sort of way. Our waitress knew her customers by name and her customers seemed to know all of the other customers by name as well.
My only real criticism of this restaurant is a certain amount of lack of detail when it comes to cleaning. A little attention to the 1″ cracks between the cushions on the booths and behind the cushions of the booths would go a long way to improving the perception of the place. Also, the glass case by the cash register is filled with an odd assortment of random stuff (a wadded-​up sweatshirt, kids books, crayons, cash register tapes) that just needs to be cleaned up, or at least organized. Anything, including nothing, would be better than what is in there now.
Three stars for this restaurant is fair, in my opinion. I don’t want to mislead anyone — this isn’t the Cordon Bleu. BUT, for a Midwestern diner, it does serve up some homemade chow, and it really is one of the best restaurants in Portland, IN. The price is right, too. Compared to the other culinary offerings in Portland, the Koffee Kup Diner would get 5 stars. I would go back there again.

Kind of drab outside, but the inside is clean and the cooking is Indiana farm kitchen. Delicious fresh peach pie… baked pie shell filled with unbaked fruit slathered in tasty fruit juice jell and topped with whipped cream.
Grilled pork tenderloin pounded thin & sauteed for a sandwich. Side choices include cucumbers and onion in sour cream dressing or pickled beet chunks with a pink pickled egg or fresh cole slaw. (Oh, how I miss you, Mom!). I asked at the Jay County Historical Society who had the best pie in town and they sent me here. Those ladies know their pie. Open early for breakfast and closes at 4 pm.