Cameo Cafe Northwest

Great Food and Service! I wouldn’t normally take the time to review this place (as I reserve my reviews for very bad or very good places), however, Cameo’s gets an extra star for the pancakes alone!
Such audacity — what ever you do, don’t order a «full acre,» because I’ve personally witnessed a half-​acre take up a whole table! But here’s the point: the pancakes aren’t just big (excuse me, HUMUNGOUS), they’re quite tasty, and the cooks take great care to make sure the size factor doesn’t negatively affect your taste buds.
So, kudos to Cameo’s for such phenomenal (BIG) pancakes!

I read someone else’s review in which they described the food as «meh». I’d have to second that. This also was my second time there, and also my second time to come away with a very «meh» feeling. I was impressed with the friendly service we had from the moment we walked in and the atmosphere in general is, well… okay, I guess.
However, the focal point of a restaurant experience is, of course, the food — and while the portions are generous, the actual taste of the food itself is just «meh» ESPECIALLY considering the fact that it’s on the pricey side for your typical breakfast fare. $ 4.50 for a side of gravy which is served as a small scoop in a coffee cup? Seriously?
All of this not to mention the fact that because of the close quarters, it gets VERY loud and can be hard for two people to carry on a conversation. If you have no other options for breakfast, it fills a need — but I’d say that a Sunday morning wait somewhere else is more than likely going to be worth it.

I’ve been craving waffles for a few days now and finally succumbed and went over to Cameo this morning. This was my second time eating here, and my second time thinking «meh». It definitely satisfied my craving, but was in no way impressive. Both trips the service has been fairly fast, but by no means friendly (not rude, just not friendly, at all). Both times the dining room has been too cold for comfort (absolutely freezing the first time, just a bit chilly this morning). Both times the hot food was served on cold plates. My waffle was pretty good, but could have been a bit crispier on the outside, I really like that contrast of textures you usually get in waffles. Overall a very three star experience.

How about a pancake by the acre or half acre? With a choice of blueberries and bananas cooked inside with strawberries on top. It literally droops over the edges of a standard sized dinner plate. Or Cameo’s twist on the traditional eggs benedict known as the Eggs Jerusalem with creamy rich hollandaise sauce?
This intimate Portland treasure is a must for breakfast lovers. Tables placed in nooks give you a sense of privacy and importance, the wait-​staff is friendly and efficient and the food is incredible! This is a definite must for Oregonians and visitors alike.

The super filthy bathrooms and kitchen at the Cameo Café will insure that I NEVER go there for breakfast again.
Recently the upstairs bathroom was out of order, so I was directed to the downstairs bathroom. It was the most horrifying thing I’ve ever seen… there was a dirty dark brown mop sitting in a bucket of filthy water in the corner, no T.P., and dark grime all over the floor and walls.
I felt like I needed a full-​body-​condom just to feel safe pulling my pants down.
I’ve seen cleaner bathrooms in Tijuana.

I see the benefits inherent in eating at the Cameo Café, but for me it just is not really worth it. I normally try to convince people not to go here when eating with a group in Northwest. Having said that I will discuss aforementioned benefits to be fair: located in an old Victorian house, awesome pancakes, awesome breakfast in general, huge portions, and no substantial service complaints.

Cameo Café’ is located in an old Victorian off NW 23^rd. If you haven’t had breakfast here, you are missing out! Show up famished and ready to stand in line for at least a 20-​minute wait, because this place is packed on the weekends. Everything about Cameo is HUGE. Order a mimosa and it shows up in a large fountain glass; order a pancake and the darn thing is larger than the plate. They do not skimp on size here… if you are on a diet, this is definitely not the place for portion control. 1 full breakfast is more than enough for 2 people, so find something to share and split a plate with your breakfast date.

Great morning-​after breakfast! No «walk of shame» here! Split the blueberry pancakes, they are huge! A long with most of the other breakfast choices. You’ve got to be extremely hungry, sharing, or just plan on taking a to-​go box for the rest.
The service is working hard to be fast, but being in such a popular area the wait for your food may be a bit longer than the typical café. But believe me it’s worth the wait! Not much parking, so I recommend walking from home (hopefully you live close)!

UPDATED: boo to the Cameo Café. Was back this weekend after a few years away and it’s gone significantly downhill.
believe this place hasn’t gotten more love.
Awesome breakfast place in a converted old Victorian. The house is absolutely huge and cool since there are a ton of smaller rooms and different places to sit and have breakfast. In the summer months, the vine-​covered outdoor patio is really nice. Otherwise I’m a fan of the upstairs rooms since they’re a bit quieter and isolated, especially if my head is throbbing from too much booze the night before.
The menu is features pancakes by the acre and amazing whole wheat «strong bread» — like a sweet 7-​grain type bread that’s awesome as toast for eating with eggs over easy. The french toast was good as well w/​fruit compote.
Given the closeness to the NW 23^rd corridor, it’s a pretty easy choice if you’re anywhere up there.

Like many fun restaurants and cafes in Portland, Cameo Café is in an old converted Victorian with pictures on the walls and a nice creaky wooden floor. Walk in through the main entrance if you can, and sit at one of the front tables: they have a nicer view and a pleasant feeling. The back of the restaurant feels a little diner-​ish and bare. When I went, the consensus of my group seemed to be that if you stay away from the egg dishes, you’ll be fine. The waffles with fruit were tasty, the pancakes were enormous and good, and the specialty coffees fit the bill. The egg dishes sent a couple of people to the bathroom. But hey: I’m an ambience girl at heart, and this place was pretty cool looking. So I’ll come back for waffles and a coffee and sit in the front.