Leaving Portland

August 21, 2012 8:28 PM

Fastest breakfast on the northbound way out of Portland (OR)?

Leaving Portland (from the Lloyd District) to drive to SeaTac early tomorrow morning. Really jonesing for one last awesome Portland meal. Can you recommend a FAST breakfast venue between here and Vancouver WA that is

(1) awesome
(2) vegan-friendly and meat-eater-friendly
(3) open at 7:15 AM
(4) east of the Willamette?
(5) FAST (like, ~15m)

I have a feeling the correct answer is a truck or cart. This is fine.

posted by zvs to Food & Drink (9 answers total)

This is tough.
The Doug Fir would be my go-to. The vegan options aren't extensive, and I'd get there first thing to meet your 'fast' requirement.
posted by msamye at 8:36 PM on August 21, 2012

Response by poster: I should say that vegan-friendly is the least essential criterion, as long as it's veggie-friendly.
posted by zvs at 8:37 PM on August 21, 2012

Pine State Biscuits on Belmont (according to YELP) opens at 7am. So does the Cadillac Cafe, but that place probably isn't too fast. Cup & Saucer is good and has vegan options (on Hawthorne), opens at 7. But, "really good" and "fast food" are, you know, maybe somewhat at odds. Plus, we are sleepy here in Portland.

Anyway, you can search by hours under "other features" on YELP. See if this link works.
posted by amanda at 8:41 PM on August 21, 2012

Ugh, don't go to the Cadillac Cafe. It's not that good, OR fast. And Cup & Saucer can be fast, but not always.

You could always do the Flavour Spot waffle cart on Mississippi and Fremont, that would be fast and a quick look at their webpage shows at least one vegan option (and many other veggie options).
posted by sherber at 8:45 PM on August 21, 2012

Never mind! Flavour spot opens at 8. I fail at breakfast!

I vote Pine State. At 7am your food should be fast and delicious (I was there once that early and remember it being not busy at all yet).
posted by sherber at 8:47 PM on August 21, 2012

Both the Flavor Spot and the Waffle Window don't seem to open till 8. You'd think a food truck would be a good option but not many open early and I wouldn't count on a specific one being open at all even if their hours state otherwise.
posted by amanda at 8:50 PM on August 21, 2012

Pine state is quick if you get there when they open.
posted by iamabot at 8:55 PM on August 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

Slightly south (but not too far by car?) is the Happy Sparrow Cafe, a purveyor of delicious kolaches. It should be open by 7, can provide take out boxes, and fed a very, very happy vegetarian and meat-eater for our last breakfast in Portland. Upsides: delicious tea and coffee. Downsides: pretty much you should like dough with tasty things. I think we got Tillamook cheddar with jalepeno, some sort of amazing poppy seed and fruit spread, sausages wrapped in kolaches, other sausages in kolaches, nutella, and even a chopped vegetable vegan one.
posted by jetlagaddict at 9:02 PM on August 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

Zell's fits your first four criteria perfectly, and I bet if you asked, they could be fast.
posted by dizziest at 6:15 AM on August 22, 2012