Times Visited: Too Many to Count!
Junior’s is the type of restaurant that you’ll take friends from out of town to, but only because they’ll leave town and then it’s all yours again. The space is small, and if you’re not there before 10am, odds are you’re waiting outside awhile. But as Junior’s regulars know, the wait is worth it for the food. Home of my favorite tofu scramble and the raddest gold walls in town, Junior’s is a Southeast Portland breakfast gem.
The french toast, ordered by my partner, had a splendidly subtle amount of spice to it (cinnamon and nutmeg?), though was the thinnest version we’ve ever seen. We can’t really complain though, because it’s Grand Central bread. My superhero tofu scramble is the type of dish made for hangovers, if only they served mimosas! Regardless, the tofu in it is great, with large, mildly yellow pieces that seem to be seasoned right in the pan while it cooks. The superhero comes with greens, tomatoes, onions and vegan veggie sausage. A bite of two or more of these fixings at one time just screams comfort food. And then, you have a side of roasted potatoes and toast with soy butter, all for $7.50. Both my partner’s and my potatoes were slightly undercooked, though decent, and once again lightly spiced just enough. Junior’s serves Stumptown coffee, and I had a sweettart of a drink, the papaya lemonade ($1.75).
Overall, we both adore Junior’s, but with a 20 minute wait to be seated, and 30 more minutes till our food came (our visit was at noon), it’s best to go early or with something to read. As a Southeast Portland resident, I’m sure I’ll find myself there within a few weeks, and particular if you don’t have to wait, it’s even worth a trip across town. It’s one of those places where you need to have a first meal at, because you won’t forget it.
French Toast Plate with tofu and vegan sausage

Vegan potato plate with tofu sauce and tofu scramble:

Rating: 4.25 out 5
Address: 1742 SE 12th Ave Portland, OR 97214
Open Daily, 8am – 3pm



15 responses so far ↓
karla // June 8, 2007 at 10:25 am |
you didn’t mention how they don’t charge you $1 extra to replace eggs with tofu. that is actually the main reason i liked junior’s. second reason: it’s such a darn cute place.
getsconed // June 9, 2007 at 5:22 am |
good call! I forgot about the sub price, like at Cup & Saucer unless you get the special scramble.
Mindy // June 10, 2007 at 1:39 pm |
Am I losing mind or did something happen to the review of Pizza Fino??
Mindy // June 10, 2007 at 1:42 pm |
Ignore that, I’m an idiot.
Mindy // June 10, 2007 at 1:43 pm |
But since I’m here… you guys need to add an alphabetical archive, so you can find the reviews easier.
getsconed // June 11, 2007 at 12:05 am |
Hey Mindy, We’re still figuring out WordPress, but we have an idea for an index we’re going to work with.
Thanks!
jd
jake // June 12, 2007 at 4:50 pm |
no. there’s too many people at junior’s already!
just kidding. (a little)
i love this place. easily my favorite breakfast/brunch place in portland, maybe ever.
susan // June 13, 2007 at 4:59 am |
Juniors doesn’t charge extra for tofu substitution, but they do charge if you add tofu (or eggs) as a side dish.
I like to get the potato plate with the addition of tofu & toast– I think that’s $1.50 extra. The fennel leek hash is my favorite thing on the menu.
Red & Black Cafe « Stumptown Vegans // July 18, 2007 at 12:37 am |
[...] vegan benefit dinner this Saturday night, 7/21/2007 at 6pm. Vegan chef Aaron Adams, formerly of the Junior’s Cafe vegan dinners, is cooking. Visit the Red & Black website for more information and [...]
Vegan Family Style Dinner Benefit at Red & Black Cafe « Stumptown Vegans // July 31, 2007 at 1:29 pm |
[...] appetizer, soup, main course, side dishes and dessert. The vegan chef was Aaron Adams, formerly of Junior’s Café’s vegan family style dinners. I attended with a few friends, and sat at a long table, eating the [...]
Charley // August 4, 2007 at 1:14 pm |
Reading this makes me want to go to Junior’s very soon. I recently thought about it but instead opted for Bijou Cafe downtown. The waitress there was very helpful in pointing out that neither the potatoes nor toast was vegan, so I ordered a side of tofu scramble and a fruit plate. It was good (and healthy) but I missed the anticipated taters and toast … and won’t be going back to Bijou any time soon.
getsconed // September 1, 2007 at 1:53 am |
That’s a shame about Bijou, Charley. At there is a scramble option downtown.
Herbivore in San Francisco « Stumptown Vegans // November 8, 2007 at 2:09 pm |
[...] Portland does breakfast so well that I did have to focus at first on keeping warm thoughts of Vita, Junior’s, Jam and Beaterville out of my mind, and remembering I was out of town. The experience didn’t [...]
shawn // March 22, 2008 at 5:32 am |
I could live off of their potatoes and I concur that theirs is the best tofu scramble in town.
Bitclone Web Design —Portland, Oregon » Blog Archive » Portland is chock full of vegans // July 21, 2008 at 2:11 am |
[...] consider this, soy has no gristle. I’ve had some great tofu scrambles in this town Juniors Cafe is my favorite so far…their scramble is more like real eggs, which I like more than the other [...]