Maelily & Ryleigh’s

Sigh. I often wish there were more old school family diners in this town. After Steve and Renees closed, Maelily and Ryleigh’s was the only remaining option of it’s kind for most of Portland. What I mean when I say that, is, a diner that’s been around for awhile, that serves as a community melting pot. There are a few diners (Marcys and Beckys) still remaining in downtown Portland, but they don’t have easy access (parking) for families and older folks. Those places have also become tourist attractions/​hipster hangouts which also shifts the focus.
M&R’s has plenty of parking and lots of space inside and that is where most of the allure ends. The waitstaff can be short and there is a definite feel that you are being moved through, the sooner you leave, the better. I have often waited at the front for a LONG time (with an elderly companion) in a near empty restaurant to be seated.
Ultimately, it all comes down to the food. A salty waitstaff can be ignored, if there is something amazing going on in the kitchen. Sadly, this is not the case. There is nothing even interesting coming out of the kitchen. They have not perfected the heaven that can come from a solid diner breakfast. The food is meh at best.
I have given them many many chances to do better and nothing has ever changed my mind. I have an elderly friend who I meet once a month for breakfast who always chooses to meet here. I asked her why long ago, and she said, it was all about the parking. She doesn’t feel comfortable navigating spaces downtown.
I think M&R’s maintains a fair amount of customer base that way. In that spirit, I would urge them to consider a kinder approach to their patrons.
If you have mobility, go somewhere else!

I originally went to Maelily and Ryleigh’s a month ago on a Sunday but left with a so-​so experience but decided I’d return and wait to write the review to give them another chance. This is definitely a family oriented restaurant. It can get crowded on the weekends specially and there isn’t too much waiting space. They have a breakfast/​lunch menu but I’ve tried to order lunch both times and seems their not serving it. They should be a little more clear on when they serve it because their rent any hours. The food was great! Home fries were a little burnt but in a good way, seasoned very well. Also had the omelette which was awesome. They serve a variety of food and prices aren’t too bad at all.
My biggest complaint here is the service and how they have it set up. I think they have one hostess and two servers to handle 20 – 25 tables. I don’t think it’s very fair to the waiting staff their running around like chicken with there heads cut off. In turn the service is bad. They’d be fine with a third waitress but I understand there also trying to turn a profit. It also reflects on their attitude, the stress is wearing on them and they don’t talk/​appear happy. They sit you down and won’t come back for 5 – 10 minutes just to ask for drinks. A simple «we’re running behind it’ll be a little while» goes a long way. Waited an hour for food both times although it wasn’t really busy. Service is a must for me, I’ll remember the service over the food at a restaurant any day. Overall, I won’t be returning to this restaurant.

Our favorite breakfast spot in Portland! Always good food. Fun décor. Portions are a good size and have a large selection on the menu. Get a grilled muffin!

Nice little diner, just off of forest. Nothing fancy or extravagant.

I’ve had breakfast at Maelily & Ryleigh’s on three occasions since the name change. At best, my experiences have been mediocre. While their décor is fun, I found their food to be bland & their service slow. Suggest bringing in your own coffee as what the restaurant serves is watered down and you will be hard-​pressed to get the server’s attention for a second cup.
For what breakfast will cost you at Maelily & Ryleigh’s, there are better venues within the surrounding area that offer better breakfast fare at the same price.

This is a classic diner style breakfast spot. Traditional breakfast fare with no frills approach.
The parking is very ample and accessible, which is nice. The layout has plenty of tables and a good size bar for singles. Sunday paper is communal.
The breakfast items are traditional and fairly standard. I had three eggs over easy and the hash. The eggs were fine… the hash, ample portion and decent flavor. They missed the mark a bit on the texture, it should be flat pressed more to give it some crust on the outside. Minor nit pick. I had coffee, a small tomato juice and the above food. It was $ 13, which is a bit high for the standard fare approach, but not unreasonable.
Overall, this is a clean, friendly, standard breakfast spot. It’s fine if you are looking for a quick and easy meal.
3 ½ stars…

Quirky local restaurant. Obviously very popular. Great breakfast and lunch menu and prices are reasonable. Breakfast was wonderful. The eggs Benedict are to die for!!! Service was great and very friendly. It’s a small kitchen so you may have to wait a little bit for your meal but the wait is worth it.

I like this place because it is your classic breakfast spot. The food comes out quick and they are consistent. I was here on Sunday with a friend and we were seated right away with quick and friendly service. Go here for a no frills– classic breakfast and treat yourself to a grilled blueberry muffin!

This place is not exactly my cup Of tea.
We started with seeing some place which had a nice sign! And since we were waiting to go there. We parked on in!
When we entered the area. We saw waiters who seemed to notice us. But they just went on with all the other customers instead. So I got a bad feeling about this place!
As soon as we were seated. I found the place was a bit under-​polished. With the same green dye on the walls.
It was a long wait to get our food. We we were chatting until our food came in! The fries were a bit better than usual!
The prices were pricy. Like 2.75 for salsa a Ounce. And eggs Benedict with home fries for 8.95.
The wait for a receipt was a Loooooong time. My friend even got up and talked with the cashier about when we get the bill.
Then the drive home with my free candy. It was red. So I thought it was cherry! But… cinnamon. And the «scramble on in» sign was opposite of the door. Okay…
I would usually go here as a last resort. Not a big fan. But come here only if you want to.

I hope I have added pictures in the past, or at least remember to do so from now on. The food here is good and varied. Every member of my family who comes here has a fav treat. Some say the french toast, some say the varieties of muffins, some can’t decide between all the yummy.
When hubby and I are in town, we try to get at least one breakfast visit in before heading home to NYC.

Summary: if you’re looking for run-​of-​the-​mill fare, at decent prices, this is a reasonable spot.
Let’s hit the good, first:
— It’s a super cute interior, and I really like that the owner’s family is central to the restaurant’s theme (even the name appears to be a mismash of three kids’ names).
— Parking is also a breeze, with the lot behind around around the restaurant.
— Prices are very reasonable.
— They’re quick. We were in and out in around 30 minutes for breakfast.
The could be better:
— While very pleasant, the wait staff was keen on keeping us moving. My nine year-​old even mentioned that she felt rushed while trying to pick breakfast. I don’t mind brisk service, but she’d asked if we were ready to order three times within the first four minutes of sitting down.
— I had to spend a few minutes explaining to my daughter why having advertisements in-​laid in the tabletops was a smart idea… (that’s an interesting convo).
The lame:
— The food was adequate. Absolutely nothing special here. In fact, my bacon was so thin and chewy, it might have been microwaved (if I didn’t refuse to believe that was possible). Calli had to delicately stash a couple pieces of ham from her omelette that were «too chewy and hard» to get through.
— Who puts pancakes on TOP of a couple of sunny-​side up eggs, with bacon and sausage on top of the pancakes? I’m not lobbying for Korean-​style dish separation, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen that…
If I lived within a block or two and dined out often, I’d go for a quick, inexpensive meal. But there’s no way i’m going back during one of my weekly breakfast ventures.

Service was good. Seems to be a place where several regulars visit often. It’s a perfectly nice place. Food was just okay, but maybe it is not the regular experience since I went during a very snowy slow day, so maybe it wasn’t up to normal standards.

Nothing fancy but super friendly and great breakfast. Love those muffins. Everything I was looking for!

My favorite place to get breakfast, really kid friendly, good food and a nice welcoming staff

Totally found this based on Unilocal reviews, as we were looking for a breakfast place for a family of three. Not much to look at from the outside, it’s super cute/​tacky/​weird inside and fun for the whole gang. The service was polite and quick, the prices reasonable, and the food 3.5 stars. Nothing fancy; basically old school straight up breakfast choices (yes, you can do egg whites) and hot coffee. Can’t go wrong. Check it out!

If you’ve got kids, you need to try this place. It’s great. We stopped in here on Saturday for brunch after a morning of sledding at Payson Park with three hungry kids and the service was fantastic. Our waitress took the time to let the kids order for themselves and treated them like actual people rather than something she had to put up with. The food was tasty — try a muffin, you won’t be sorry — and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
Bottom line: try it, you’ll like it.

The food here was decent, but I wouldn’t say it was standout quality. I will admit that my banana walnut pancake was pretty good, though. My husband grabbed a corned beef hash omelette which he was pretty sure was made with Hormel. Service was a little slow, too. It looked like one poor woman was waiting on all of the tables, running food, and manning the register.
All in all, it was okay. We probably won’t be back.

High quality, inexpensive, no frills breakfast in Portland with friendly service.

You can’t go wrong here. Reasonable prices. Great pancakes especially the banana walnut pancake & great omelets. They have the usual sausage, bacon, corned beef hash etc. Big variety of muffins too. Very nice staff and great service with decent speed. Fresh squeezed orange juice and stronger coffee would certainly make it a 5 star place.

After a gruelling week of finals, which consisted of poor dietary options and lack of sleep, a good brunch was what the doctor ordered for a couple of hungry and exhausted pharmacy students.
Atmosphere: homey, friendly and a true mom & pop restaurant.
Service: friendly waitresses but bit of a long wait for some good food.
Food: I ordered the hash and cheese omelette with pumpernickle toast (about $ 6.50). You know the saying, «you get a what you pay for?» Well I definitely got what I paid for and so much more. Their portions were huge and just what my stomach craved for. The hash was perfect and the toast was toasted perfectly with the right amount of butter (not too much for those worried about their cholesterol).
Overall: I would reccomend this place over and over again especially for those who are tight on a budget but have a big appetite.
Additional tips:
*more parking can be found behind the restaurant
*eggs benedict is only made on the weekends
*I have heard that there is a bit of a wait early in the mornings so expect delays
*They take cards and cash