Podnah’s: The *best* breakfast place you’re still not eating at
I know I said it before – but it bears repeating: why wait in line for breakfast elsewhere when you can waltz right into Podnah’s and get a table right away?
I woke up this morning with a craving for ham, grits and eggs. And not just any grits – Podnah’s grits. So I gathered up my stacks of unread newspapers, jumped in the car & walked into a place that was entirely empty, save for one woman sitting at a table by herself.
But, wait! I know that woman! So I ended up dishing it over grits with a friend I’d been trading emails with for weeks about having lunch ‘sometime’, and stashed my newspapers away for later.
We both don’t understand why more people aren’t adding Podnah’s to their weekend breakfast rotation. Even though we always order the same dish (she’s also a ham, eggs and grits fan), we hear great things about the smoked trout hash. Or the biscuits and gravy. And while the menu’s a small one – surely you don’t need to have your choice of eggs benedicts and/or scrambles every weekend, do you?
Maybe people hear ‘Podnah’s’ and only think ribs (or smoked prime rib. Or brisket. Or whatever.) Maybe people don’t want to have to serve their own coffee. And maybe it’s okay that there’s always plenty of room for me.
Except…I want to know that I’ll always be able to get grits, ham and eggs when I want them. Or that, one day, I might veer from my usual and get to try the smoked trout hash instead.
So whatever your hangup is about Podnah’s and breakfast, well – get over it, will you please? They’re now open from 9 am to 12 pm Saturday and Sunday only. They don’t have the breakfast menu on their website, unfortunately – but VJ’s got the update on some of the new menu additions here.
Side note/best sight of the day: the tow-headed toddler with the cherub cheeks clapping and crowing and bouncing in her seat when the order of biscuits and gravy was set down in front of Dad. There’s nothing like training those young’uns early, is there…?
Updated for those asking in the comments:
1469 NE Prescott St
503-281-3700
podnahspit.com/
The #8 bus stops mere steps away, no less…
You had me at “grits”! I’ll be checking this place out whenever I get back to Portland from the holiday vacation.
Of course, now that the cat’s out of the bag, I guess everyone else in Portland’s demand-heavy breakfast market will be there as well.
Next time you go you should take my husband! He’s love you! He really want to try to out, but the thought of grits and hash just grosses me out. I’ll stick to pancakes and omelette’s!
Uh, we tried. Trust me. Last we had heard, they were open @ 8:30, so that is when we arrived a few weeks ago only to find out they aren’t open until 9am. So we went elsewhere. Oh well, we’ll try again sometime.
I may have missed it, but I don’t think I saw a location for this restaurant. So where is it?
“jumped in the car & walked into a place that was entirely empty”
We don’t all so freely jump in our cars. Some of us don’t even have cars! Now if you want to organize a carpool, or plan a bike excursion, I’d love to try Podnah’s.
Well, now Podnah’s *was* the only good breakfast place in NE without an hour wait :(
Michael, I’ll leave the carpooling and/or bike excursion organizing to you, if you don’t mind.
I did update the post to include transit information, though. (I didn’t have a car for a while, and still walk/take mass transit when I can, fwiw…)
Dietrich, I don’t think I have the power to create lines out the door/hour waits – I just want to make sure they keep it up, is all!