Jan 23, 2024 - Food and Drink

Bite Club: Savory and sweet brunch at Sweedeedee

Meira Gebel

An image of a table with three plates on it, including a plate of pancakes and two coffee cups. — A friend of mine also enjoyed the classic breakfast sandwich, pictured on the left. Photo: Meira Gebel/Axios

As we know, Portland loves brunch.

So much so that there was already a line outside the North Albina cafe Sweedeedee before it opened at 10am on Saturday.

The menu: Known for its inventive seasonal menu and stack-full pastry case, here you'll find a curated menu of twists on breakfast classics. For example, a warm bowl of polenta is served with bok choy, a sprinkling of nuts and a soft-boiled egg.

To try something savory and sweet, I ordered the breakfast plate (house rye bread, jammy eggs, smoked trout, and chicory salad) and corncakes.

The bite: My inner sweet tooth rejoiced. Made with corn flour, these pancakes are a delightful diversion from what you'd expect and hold together reasonably well when doused with syrup.

The plate reminded me of "Girl Dinner" — a choose-your-own-adventure style meal where the variety of delicious pairings is entirely up to you.
I especially enjoyed a dollop of cultured butter, trout and chicory on a bite of rye.

The bottom line: Now I understand why people are happy to wait in 30-degree weather for the doors to open.

Add Axios on Google

Bite Club: Savory and sweet brunch at Sweedeedee

More Portland stories