Broder Söder

Considering I’ve been here over an hour and a half (with a 2 year old) and still don’t have food (we were told 30 min wait) and then when we were being sat, i inquired about an open table outside and told they couldn’t seat us there only to seat another couple there less than 5 min later, we are very unhappy with the service. Even if the food is good whenever we get it, we would never recommend this place.

Slowest service I’ve ever had. Tables seated after us were served before us. The Swedish meatballs were okay (not great but not terrible), yogurt with granola was good. My husbands egg dish with cheese tasted like pure egg– neither of us were able to find the the cheese in there. The only thing I would come back for? The mimosa. Oh– we also ordered the pancake ball dish to share and it never came to the table!

This is definitely up there with my most favorite breakfast place in Portland! First off the vibe when you first walk is very unique and I love how clean they are! Service was pristine and I loved the staffs attire! Next was the food and man oh man was it delish! Portion size was just right and prices were too! If you like eggs they make them the best in all of Portland! Will be coming back for sure!

The woman and I had a fantastic brunch here. This place seems like an ikea café with amazingly good food. Get the brunch board and some of their great coffee

This is a hidden treasure, but don’t blink or you’ll miss it! Just a few minutes from Washington Square lays a quiet, not so little, wooden and stone building. You open the hand carved doors and walk into a modern yet cozy space. Coffee is offered while you wait for a table. We chose to sit outside and enjoyed the quiet surroundings. The food was great and they staff friendly.

We loved the atmosphere and the food. My bloody mary was awesome and staff were very friendly. Healthy portions and good, clean food! Come here and enjoy yourself!

The three stars are for the abelskivers and Water Ave coffee. We waited over an hour to be seated and the food was mediocre at best. I grew up with a Scandinavian grandfather and was excited to try Broder. The lefse was very tough, hard to cut through with a butter knife and also kind of greasy. Nothing at all like the soft lefse my grandparents made or that we’d get from the church. Also my «soft baked eggs» were cooked to hard. Overall just meh. I definitely wouldn’t come here unless I wanted to wait an absurd amount of time for abelskivers.

From the beautiful, woodsy setting to the impeccable dishes, Broder Soder was a great find — thanks Unilocalers! We got there just before noon on a Sunday and put our names on the list, grabbed some coffee, and read up on Finnish history while we waited (maybe 10 minutes? Wasn’t long).
We ordered little Swedish pancake balls (not their real name — see photo) to start with our coffee which were awesome. He had lost eggs I had Lefse. Both were excellent but we agreed we could’ve had the Swedish treats and split the lost eggs and been fine. Not that we else anything on our plates.
In short — go. It’s wonderful.

40 minute wait on Sunday brunch, but we went just as church let out.
Food was good. My husband had the potato pancakes and chicken Apple sausage. It was so tasty – I had serious plate envy.
We also ordered a breakfast board with cheeses, pickled veggies and salmon spread.
Cocktails were good. They even let us take them out to the patio after we finished eating to enjoy the sun.

3.5−3.7 stars.
I have not had much experience with nordic scan cuisine. Just to let you know I am no expert by any means to review this type of food.
Broder Soder is located in the back of the Nordic/​Scan community and events center. (Nordia House Scandinavian Heritage Foundation) The building and the grounds are esthetically pleasing. You want to slow down and turn in when you see the flags. There is plenty of parking down the slope on the side of the building.
There are several entrances in which to choose but the restaurant is in the back of the building adjacent to their patio.
We came during the week around noon. There was no wait. Only 3 – 4 other tables had patrons.
service was friendly/​basic. Everything was sparkling clean.
The Danish Pancake (Round Balls that look like donut holes) with the Loganberry and the lemon butter for dipping was one of the highlights of the meal. My Mr. loved them. That was his favorite thing.
My favorite thing was the potato pancakes with the chives. Loved those.
My main course was the Pytt I Panna (Swedish Hash) and then I added trout.
I loved it and would order it again. Suggested improvements would be: cut down on the grease/​butter/​oil when making this dish as it was a bit on the greasy side. Add more trout to the mix. The bread, I don’t know this kind of bread… I guess it is suppose to be that hard/​chewy!?!
My Mr. had the seasonal griddle cakes. They were good he said, but not the best cakes he had ever had. You will have to ask for syrup. I guess that is not a standard thing for this type of cuisine. They did a good job with the eggs. My husband likes them well done and browned. They did em perfect.
It was good but we were not blown away. A bit on the basic side. Prices were above average for a breakfast. I would like to come back and try a few more things off of their menu. Good luck with your business Broder.

We come here often for brunch. Interesting place to have a restaurant. Looks like they transform this church/​community center (?) into a brunch restaurant. Inside looks like IKEA. The food is super good. Very flavorful and decently portioned. Mimosas are so good! Hazelnut coffee is really good too. My favorite dish is the Lost Egg. Looking at other reviews I’m guessing it’s other people’s preferred dish also. Try the griddle cake! Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It comes with sour cream and kinda of like an apple sauce. Don’t be afraid to try it! Those two toppings makes the griddle cake superb!

Lovely restaurant with a cool vibe on the outside. Once you get inside, it is a little sparse… like Ikea, and be prepared to wait much longer than they tell you it will be. We were given a 20 minute wait time and waited almost an hour to be seated. They were telling everyone 20 minutes and there is no way this would be possible!
We were starving by the time we were seated and while the food was good, the servings were pretty small. I ordered the donuts and thank God I did because I would have left hungry had I not done so. They must use the tiniest eggs known to man. They are obviously cooked in a square thing, and come out rubbery. Meh.
The service was kind of slow, but I really don’t have any specific complaints about it. Just wish we would have gotten seated sooner, and the portion sizes more appropriate to the amount of money we paid. We would not go back.

My friends and I (a party of six) just all met up here at ate a wonderful breakfast! One of my friends came earlier than everyone else (closer to 9:10), and put us on the wait list. The hostess came to talk to our friend a few times because our table was ready, but a few of us were running late. Loved that they checked in with our party, and since they had to skip past us a few times, they offered my friends the option to have a drink while the rest of us got there. My friend even got a mimosa that she didn’t see on the drink menu!
When we did all finally get there a bit before ten, they sat us down pretty quickly and got us any missing eating utensils, gave us enough time to go over the menu together, and quickly got our orders. We didn’t wait too long, our waiter was nice, attentive, and gave some of my friends side suggestions.
The griddle cakes aren’t out of this world, but it was a solid pancake. Soo good with sour cream and applesauce. Also had a bite of my friend’s Lost Eggs – damn, that dish was good! It looked like a baked scramble, but the egg yolks were still gooey and broke into all of other goodies inside of her cast iron. The avocado salad also was a lot larger than I thought it would be.
I enjoyed the décor of the place, and my friend said she liked how the waiting area was kind of like a museum. So she went around that area while she waited for us. The décor of the place isn’t super fancy – it’s a brunch vibe, and I liked that. Like a nice after-​church-​eat-​brunch-​at-​church-​type vibe.
Good alcoholic drink menu.
This location also seems to be a kind of community center. It’s in an interesting location too. Can’t wait until the weather is nicer to check out the patio!

The aesthetics of the center beckon you; however, once you get inside the doors… prepare to wait… and wait.
Many restaurants do not take reservations, which I accept — just know, in advance, they do not nor will they put you on the wait list until your entire party is there. These are terms I accept (as it’s not uncommon for restaurants to apply these two house rules, or even just one).
The space is beautiful; poured concrete floors; beautiful wood; angles; and windows. Waiting is aided by a few small chair/​seating circles. However, that’s where the fun ends. We waited 45 minutes to get seated. OK, it’s Sunday… it’s breakfast/​brunch in Portland.
When seated, be prepared… they take the cheap, Scandinavian rendering (IKEA) of seating seriously. For old people, the hard plastic chairs will not suffice — I was fine, but we had two elderly people in our party of seven. The tables feel like cafeteria tables and are covered — can’t remember if the tablecloths were light cotton or a cheap plastic.
We ordered our food and, guess what? We waited… and waited. 45 minutes passed. Food served. Some of us had hot food; some rather cold. Our water carafes were empty and guess what? We waited.
Food was OK. My club was tasty, but toast was very hard — even the knife couldn’t cut it. The reviews at our table were mixed; the eggs and pancake dishes were great; soup not so much — it was more ordering soup for it to be hot (and this is the kind that’s supposed to be) and it wasn’t.
Plus, because the restaurant is part of an open space (with a good portion closed off and not open for the restaurant, but the openness, concrete floors, walls of windows, and low heat made it an unpleasant experience), but only separated by partition blind-​type things… we froze. At no point in time, did I feel a sense of warmth — and, sadly, that’s the feeling I got from this experience as a whole.
So, if you want to be seen in a cool, aesthetically-​pleasing place and wait for a long time for OK food, this is your place.

Feels like eating in a church reception hall, with a bar for those who like to imbibe before 3:00. With its airy design and light wood it also reminded me of the Kampi Chapel of Silence in Helsinki, although it wasn’t silent. I loved the window-​wall overlooking a patch of trees.
The food was tasty but overpriced. The fried eggs were art, squarish and sprinkled with diced chives.
We arrived at noon on Saturday and the wait was only about 15 minutes – I expected worse.
The service was okay.
Overall, I wasn’t wowed, but do I need to be wowed on a Saturday at noon when the real point was to visit with a friend and get some grub? Probably not.

Been to the Clinton location twice and both were wonderful experiences from the service to the hash! And they are trying a new hot sauce called HM (Habanero Maple) which is good enough for me to buy for home.

For the long waiting (almost 2 hours) on Sunday morning with empty stomach, the waiting was so not worth it. The food was nothing to be surprise yet memorized. The only part we like was the open space and the modern look of the building.

The food is deceivingly simple and extremely tasty. Me and my boyfriend got three dishes to share between us, and each one was unique and delicious. My boyfriend’s trout was perfectly cooked and I got the seasonal special with root vegetables and it was so hearty and filling but delicious! We also shared the danish pancakes even though we were fit to burst, we finished them gladly. We also really enjoyed the elderflower mimosa.

I’m not sure why this place has such a high rating. They missed the mark on EVERYTHING.
We went for lunch today, it was over an hour wait for our party of 2. We stuck it out because the food looked promising and we wanted to try something new. After waiting for 30 minutes we realized the hostess was just in her own world. Empty tables were being left open for long periods of time because she was chatting up friends. The staff was generally unfriendly but the hostess was both unfriendly and not on top of her game at all, especially for how busy it was. Or maybe it was the other way around, maybe they were busy because she wasn’t very attentive.
The food looked great coming out of the kitchen but when we got our plates (potato crêpe and lost eggs with a side of potato pancake) we found the food to be a complete disappointment. My baked eggs were incredibly dry and very very rubbery. It is possible to bake eggs and not overcook them. The breadcrumbs on top made it even more dry. Everything was flavorless. Even the spinach under the eggs was dry. My husband describes his potato crepes as the same — dry and flavorless. We had a side of potato pancake which was undercooked. I think the potatoes were probably parboiled but then did not complete cooking. Everything came out lukewarm or cold.
Its very rare that the food is bad enough where I don’t finish and leave the restaurant hungry. This was one of those times. We both got about 30% through the food we waited over an hour for and left hungry because the food was *that bad*.
I’m also not typically one to care about portion size… if the food is great, I don’t mind paying a higher price for less food. This time the food sucked, the portion was small, and the price was a little high.
I can forgive slow and unfriendly service. I can forgive a high price point. I can even forgive one or two mistakes with the food. I can’t forgive all three at the same time. I would never go back or recommend it.
On a positive note, the architecture and lighting were nice. The music was good too.

Finally, we have a different brunch option out here in the burbs!
Great coffee, Swedish décor and the location is beautiful. I can’t wait to come back with the pup and sit on the patio, look out over the grass into the line of trees. It’s a prefect locale for a Swedish dining haus’. Tranquil, casual, inventive. Seating is a bit odd, a large room divided by a temporary folding cloth parcel. I suppose it is used for larger gatherings in the off hours as part of the secondary function of this site.
The food was excellent. Flavors are unique and authentic. I had the open faced trio of sandwiches and each was wonderful and distinct. Curry chicken salad was creamy and had a nice strong curry flavor with generous fresh chicken, great texture and depth of flavor. The cheese and beets were lovely and fresh and finally the lox… some of the best and cleanest salmon I’ve had in the interior (not the coast)! The side salad was lightly dressed and accompanied the sandwiches perfectly.
The Swedish hash with pork confit was loved as well as the potato hash. The walnut toast, only 1 slice (unfortunately) was fantastic… nutty, perfect toast bread and would have been nice with butter and preserves, but good on its own. Not sure if it comes with it, but it wasn’t offered.
Not a cheap greasy spoon, but a nice place to brunch with out of towners for the unique (for the Burbs) offerings and location. I hope they open for dinner one day, but knowing it is a shared building, it may not be possible.
We will be back!

Well this is just the most wonderful hidden gem! Easy to drive past, but so worth it to stop in! The building is beautiful and there is so much natural light. The food is simply Swedish and delicious. It’s easy to share so you can try several things. It’s not super cheap, but if you’re looking to stay away from Washington Square or the McMenamins… such a great alternative!

Delicious! The space is so lovely compared to the Clinton location. One great thing about Broder is you don’t have this DIY thing where you have to grab your own silverware, plates, water, and practically do your own dishes after. No communal tables either so yay! Wait staff is casual & helpful in deciding what to have. We had a sweet & savory dishes & they were executed well with lots of flavor. My hot chocolate was a tiny work of art but they lost a star for not having homemade whipped cream. I know that may seem petty but as a former Minnesotan who has had lots of good food of this genre, store bought would be a no no. Still fabulous though.

The positive about this place is the nice building it is located in.
but that is all I have to say that is positive,
The server and host were not friendly and did not make us feel welcomed. The wait was over 15 minutes even though we saw a few empty tables.
The portions were tiny and the prices are very high for what you get.
Flavors overall were bland and uninteresting.
I would not go here again nor would I recommend this place to anyone.
The Walnut bread (one small piece) had no butter and we weren’t offered any. The ketchup is strange and nothing like Heinz. The eggs tasted like the cast iron pan they were served in. The potato pancake was practically raw inside and needed seasoning.
I just don’t get why some people like this place.
We also tried the SE Portland location, and that was even worse. Same small portions, same high prices, small cramped location and major attitude.

Super excited about his coming to SW. Border is one of my favorite in town!
Great Scandinavian style brunch!

Very surprising location. A beautiful building in a park like setting in the suburbs. The interior is just as beautiful as the exterior.
I had the Lost Eggs. Which is served in a 6″ cast iron skillet. You get two soft baked eggs under fresh spinach, thin sliced ham and bread crumbs.
The flavors were clean, you could taste everything and everything belonged.

So. You call but they don’t take reservations. And they won’t give you a possible wait time. So you show up and it’s an hour wait. A waste of your time and leaves a very negative impression — they only want you in the door on the chance that you’ll stick around.
The food was actually pretty good the one time we showed up early enough to have only a half hour wait. There are a number of creative ways to avoid the bad impression and still keep the tables full.

Fabulous food but it’s so hard to get in — everybody seems frazzled. Why not increase the staff on weekends and use the huge adjoining room so it’s not an hour’s wait hanging out in a lobby l.

From the outside, this really looks like a museum. I really wouldn’t have guessed that there was a restaurant inside this building. You go through these really big impressive wood carved doors and then once you are inside it opens up to the restaurant which is dead ahead and to the left and right is a little museum area. It’s a really new and interesting set up.
Food:
I loved it! I ordered the egg scramble and «easy eggs» or «lazy eggs»? Don’t remember the name, but both dishes were DELICIOUS! The egg scramble came on a little skillet, there was spinach and ham in it sprinkled with bread crumbs! The other dish was the «lazy eggs» (I think?) but it was basically a potato based crêpe wrapping ham and other ingredients inside. I loved both the dishes! You wouldn’t think the food is enough to eat, but it’s actually pretty dense and filling! The presentation of the dishes was always very inviting!
Ambiance:
The dining area is located to the back of the building where there are floor to ceiling windows that outlook a nice garden area. There were trees and grass and various plants, it was a very scenic and calming view. I really enjoyed the dinning experience, I felt like I was on vacation.
Service:
Our waitress was so wonderful! She was energetic, nice and so attentive. She also sang along with some of the songs that were played as background music in the restaurant. She had a great voice! Really fun gal!
Price:
A little over $ 10 for each dish. The meal overall came out to be around $ 30 (without tax and tip). I think the quality of the food is definitely worth it.
Overall:
I really enjoyed my brunch experience here, I would definitely come back! I want to try the pancakes and the swedish meatballs next time! I’ve already got my dishes mapped out for the next time!

Tucked inside the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation, this place looks like a modern, minimalist library from the outside. The wait was about half an hour, noontime, Sunday.
I tried the Lefse: ham and cheese inside a potato pancake with 2 eggs sunny side up, and then a lightly-​dressed spring salad atop everything. Really good. The potato pancake that served as a wrap for the ham and cheese was denser and chewier than I imagined, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! All the flavors of the dish complemented each other, and it felt like a balanced brunch.
The only missed mark was the mocha I ordered, which was quite small and definitely not hot enough when I got it.

PSA: they will not seat groups any larger than 6 at the same table. Massive bummer because I had called them about a large group reservation (knowing they probably don’t do reservations), and they mentioned that it would be easier to break our group of 8 into 2 groups of 4. This morning we showed up early to get our name on the list and received the news that they simply won’t seat a large group period. I wish they had told me this a few days ago when I called them. Had to settle for a crab Benedict at Marco’s instead.

This was my first time trying one of the Broder restaurants and I’m only sad because I didn’t go sooner. This location is off the 217 and borderline Beaverton but considered Southwest Portland. When you turn into this restaurant (small sign on the road), you’ll see a parking lot and a modern building right away. Don’t fret if the parking lot in the front is full, there’s also additional parking in the back (make a right when you enter). At first, you’re kinda thrown off, because from the outside it doesn’t look like a restaurant. That’s because it’s also a Denmark museum! And an event hall to the left when you enter. The restaurant itself is a little small but they have an outdoor patio with additional seating.
The food is what really makes this place stand out. Between me and my boyfriend, we ordered danish pancakes to share and I got the open faced breakfast sandwich and he ordered the breakfast hash. Everything was tasty and we left happy and full. I would literally order the same items again next time because I was that satisfied. The dipping sauces for the danish pancakes were perfect — lingoberry jam and lemon curd (not too lemon-​y).
The wait was the worst part but expected since we came for Saturday brunch. Arrived around 1130 AM and didn’t get seated until a little past noon. Thankfully, we already knew what to order and our food came out fairly quick. Will come back because service and staff were friendly and the Scandinavian food can’t be beat.

A friend and I had brunch at the Broder in Southwest today on a rainy– ish Saturday morning around ten.
Like the weather (sunny, then rainy, then overcast) the service was friendly but a little uneven. We were moved from one table to another after being served our coffee and we had a number of different people waiting on us.
The setting is lovely and the space is very pleasant. On a nice day it’d be awesome to sit on the patio.
There are carafes of water on the table and sugar cubes in an adorable container. We ordered mochas and they were small but good. $ 5 a pop. I think thats $ 1 too much.
We shared an order of six warm aebleskiver (I cant spell this).$ 10 They’re described as pancakes on the menu but they’re textured like a donut hole only better and come with lemon curd and lingonberry jam for dunking. I liked the curd best. I think $ 8 is a more fair price.
I got a baked scramble with sausage and chevre. The egg was perfect, the sausage was savory and nutmeggy, and the chevre was creamy. Good stuff. $ 13. It comes with walnut toast and one side. I chose the potato pancake. It tasted good, but the pancake was a little wet/​underdone in the middle.
My friend ordered the lost egg. $ 12 It looked nothing like the picture on Unilocal from the Clinton location. That photo showed a skillet with ham on the bottom, then egg, then spinach with sour cream and toasty brown breadcrumbs. This version had egg, a lot of fresh spinach that was more raw than cooked, then ham, then breadcrumbs that were not toasty brown or bubbly. The bottom had milky white stuff… maybe sour cream? It also came with toast but no side. My friend picked out the dreaded walnuts out of their toast and polished everything off, but said there was too much spinach and it needed more oven time.
I liked Broder overall, but given the weird service and a couple food flaws I cant give it a four. I bet with a little time the kinks will be worked out.
3.5. I’m gonna go back. There are some other interesting breakfast items to try. Check it out!

One of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in 23 years eating in Portland.

Absolutely freaking loved this place. FANTASTIC brunch with a huge assortment of Scandinavian options. Only wish I lived in Portland so I could go here every week!

This is one of those time I really hesitate to write a nice review because I want to keep this place for myself and friends. Sadly there is very little high quality food in the deep south west of Portland and when a place is good their tend to be lines all day like at Sasquatch. So far it’s very mellow here and I can get a table in the lovely outdoor area where it just feels so peaceful and nice, plus it’s dog friendly too. I hope they do well but not so well that I can’t get a seat as I love coming here either for lunch or a nice tea with pastries moment later in the afternoon.
The food is likely very different than anything you have had, unless you grew up in Scandinavia or like me grew up in Solvang which was like a little Denmark in California, so I know what an aebleskiver is, and it’s good by Odin! In fact their aebleskiver’s are better than any I ever had growing up so I know they take great care in making the food right. They also have all sorts of other things from soups of the day like chilled kale soup (which was actually quite good), beet salad with chevre and balsamic (probably more for those needing vegetables than really a nordic dish but I liked it), Swedish meatballs (my friend loved them so much I didn’t get to try them) and all the usual sides like pickled herring and what not. Really I’m not doing it justice as the menu had far more on it but that’s most of what we had. The expresso and tea is good here as well.
The service is casual but on the spot and the owners are nice people that really care about making a nice place to dine and relax. I love coming here.