Sweedeedee (Portland Road Trip 2016) – Hipster Heaven

It’s difficult to imagine a city more hipster than Vancouver… but if there was one… that place would be Portland. Wanting to take a trip down to the coast, we stopped by Sweedeedee for an early morning breakfast in Portland.

Located in the gentrifying area of Humboldt in North Portland, surrounded by residential homes, this cute little cafe was bustling with early morning traffic. If you’re looking for hipster in Portland, you’ve stepped into the right location… right down to the fixed-gear bikes that patrons park outside. This tiny cafe seems to always have lineups – partly because it’s a really tiny shop with very little seating.

First things first… get in line to order (don’t try looking for a seat first). For some reason, the line moves fairly slow – but that gives you a chance to review their limited menu offerings. I had heard that their salted honey pie was really good but we were just looking for breakfast items this morning.

That didn’t stop me from ordering a chocolate chip cookie though. This was a really good cookie… filled with dark chocolate chunks and with the slightest crispness to the bite giving way to a slightly chewy centre. After you order, they will take your name and seat you (as soon as something becomes available). Meanwhile, you have to wait in the somewhat cramped interior, trying not to get in the way of others in the lineup. As there isn’t many seats available, be prepared for a bit of a wait as other patrons sometimes like to linger.

We managed to get a seat by the front window which gave us a fairly good view of the people walking by on the street. We were a bit surprised at how long our meals took to arrive… over 30 minutes from what I recall. I ordered the Trout on Rye ($14) which arrived with a salad, veggies, housemade pickles, whipped cream cheese and thin rye toast with cold trout. I’m assuming that this was meant to be served with cold trout? Since the rye toast was so thin, it was rather flimsy and difficult to pick up with the trout on top. Overall, it was an interesting breakfast option and I’m glad I tried it but I probably wouldn’t consider this my favourite breakfast option.

We also ordered the Breakfast Plate ($11) which came with a sunny side up egg, farm greens, thick-cut brioche toast, preserves, bacon, cheddar cheese, and seasonal fruit. The brioche toast was surprisingly very airy and the preserves to top it with was quite pleasing. The thick strips of bacon were also a winner here.

If you’re looking for a quick breakfast… go somewhere else. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in hipster galore, step on in. Personally, I would probably grab some of their baked items to-go.

5202 N Albina Ave
Portland, OR

www.sweedeedee.com