Arleta Library Bakery Cafe

So you all know that the brunch game in Portland is strong and it’s hard not to have to wait 30 – 60 minutes for a table on the weekend. Gotta give lots of love to Arleta for still being a quiet, hidden gem that is TINY but with great, fast service. Their menu is not very big, about 10 – 15 choices but all you need to know about is the Biscuits and Gravy. The gravy is thick, meaty and full of savory flavor. The biscuits are soft, fresh and big. The portion is large and you won’t go home disappointed.

Great neighborhood spot for breakfast. Small but worth any wait. The biscuits and gravy with pork loin will hold up to any others in the city, maybe even best them!

Stopped by here after touring the Mt Scott Community Center. Very friendly staff, coffee was perfect, and our muffin was great. We will return to try brunch.

Today was gloomy and wet, yet the Arleta Library Café broke through the clouds with a delicious Florentine omelette and home fries. The coffee cake was topped with hand whipped cream! Stump town coffee to boot! Excellent food and attentive wait staff. Don’t miss this gem!

Good neighborhood joint. Get there early to avoid the wait. Go for the scone when you’re given the option they are delicious!

This place is really small and will fill up with the line they have waiting outside right before they open up. The biscuits and gravy were really good here.

Favorite brunch place because of excellent food, service, coffee, and homemade jam! I’ve always been seated right away here and food got to the table really fast. I got the Portland’s biscuits & gravy and my fiancé got the Sicilian hash. The biscuits and gravy are sooooo damn delicious with fluffy biscuits baked to perfection, fragrant and savory rosemary sausage gravy, with sliced pork, and excellently seasoned potatoes. The silcilian hash was equally delicious and the beef was braised so well, it was packed with flavor. My coffee cup was never empty and complimented the lemon lavender scone so nicely. I also got a side of 1 semolina griddlecake that tastes so good with the homemade raspberry jam (not overly sweet, my favorite!).

The atmosphere was quaint and the food was prepped very quickly. The server was very nice and the food was actually amazing.
I would personally probably avoid this little place on the weekends due to the small seating area. With such good food, I’m sure there’s quite a wait. Will definitely revisit!

Over rated to much salt in there food the potatoes wear awesome though definitely not going hear again

The coffee cake is reason enough to check out Arleta Library. I’ve been twice, and both times thoroughly enjoyed my coffee cake eating experience. The summer version of the coffee cake involved blackberries and a recent fall version included apples and cinnamon.
It will change your mind about coffee cake, guaranteed.

Yum.
Unilocal really doesn’t disappoint. We were headed out to visit the Belmont goats on our recent trip to Portland, and we were looking for a good breakfast spot nearby and found Arleta on Unilocal.I was skeptical (Library bakery café? not sure what to expect), but breakfast was awesome.
We shared some breakfast pastries. Hubby and our friend both got some sort of benny and another friend got the biscuits and gravy. They had ample options for vegetarians and I got some sort of veggie egg scramble which was delicious. The coffee was also fantastic. It’s a small place so be prepared for a wait on the weekends, and seating is a bit tight. Worth the wait

OMG. The BEST Biscuits and Gravy I’ve ever had.
Whenever I go to breakfast, 99% of the time I order the biscuits and gravy if its on the menu. Sometimes they are hit or miss. I detest bacon gravy and hate when places try to serve that. Anyhow Arleta knows what they are doing and they do it well. The biscuit is semi-​sconish on the outside but soft on the inside. The layer of pork in-​between the biscuit and gravy was a nice surprise. I appreciated the chunks of sausage in the gravy and the gravy its self was just to die for. Rich and creamy and a little hint of herbs. I loved it.
My husband ordered the special which was a Monte Cristo breakfast sandwich. Delicious!!!
Get there early for a spot otherwise a little bit of a wait.
(I might add that those with a large party, please think of somewhere else to go. I don’t think it’s fair for the wait staff or cooks in a very small location and kitchen to accommodate parties of more than 6. Food comes out at separate times and customers get crabby when its not their fault that you came in with such a large group. Also not fair to those waiting for a table when you are taking up the majority of the tables in such a small place. Just something to think about…).
What a little hidden gem in SE! We will be back!

What a wonderful find! Thanks Unilocal.
We had the biscuits and gravy and a scone. The sweet potato biscuit was lovely and the gravy was superb. Big chunks of good sausage and a slice of pork loin on each biscuit. The scone was the perfect; not cakey, lightly sweet.
Service cheerful, casual and prompt.
I will definitely come back and bring all my friends.

Tried this out today and was impressed! The biscuits and gravy were some of best I’ve had — topped with a thin piece of pork loin (very unique). The library fries had a Cajun like twist to them, not spicy but similar flavors. The Stumptown coffee was awesomely strong (made with a French press) and the service was great. I loved the low key atmosphere and vibe. My only slight complaint was that it could have used a bit of TLC. We sat at the booth closest to the front and there were a few flies and ants. Nothing I couldn’t look past. We’ll be back!

The breakfast here is amazing. Their scones are delicious as was their Portlander (scramble w/​veggies and bacon.) They have homemade condiments. The jam was delicious.
The staff is very polite here and the service was quick. The prices are reasonable, my scramble was $ 10.50 and you get a ton of food.
The one downfall was the heat. It’s July and the grill is about 3 feet from where we sat. It was extremely warm in there. They do have a patio out back which looked nice but there were no seats available for is.
Overall I give this a 4.5 rating. I will be back!

Food was good but small place. Kinda pricey for what we had for breakfast. The portlander dish, one coffee and a quiche w/​salad came to $ 28. Though pastries look delicious.

Now when a restaurant’s menu describes something as «Portland’s Best» anything, that usually raised armed flag, but I took the bait. I tried the Portland’s Best Biscuit and Gravy. Now, I grew up in the south and have had more than my share of good biscuits and gravy — this wasn’t just the Best — it was amazing. The biscuit was light, flakey and tender. The gravy was flavorsome with large pieces of a great sausage — and it wasn’t greasy at all! That’s a tricky combination, and they pulled it off with aplomb. The staff was friendly and overall the service was top notch. If you are in the neighborhood stop in, if not it’s definitely worth the drive.

The restaurant was relatively small, but had a nice atmosphere. The staff was very friendly and gave frequent refills of good coffee (it looked like it was all french pressed). I ordered the Sicilian Hash, and it tasted great. The beef was tender and flavorful, and the eggs were cooked perfectly. I got the lemon poppy seed scone as a side, which was warm, crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside — just as a scone should be but often isn’t. I also got to try the special which was their spin on a Monte Cristo — it was extremely delicious.
I’ll definitely stop by again the next time that I’m in the neighborhood!

Omg! Love this place! I’m never disappointed when I try one of their specials. I had the «seven…(something)». It was fried pork belly, with an egg sunny side up on a bed of wilted fresh greens, drizzled with bacon aioli! It tasted way better than it sounds, my favorite almost «paleo» style meal from arleta. I usually get the portlander, which is also amazing or some bacon & eggs. The biscuits and gravy are a wonderful indulgence meal but I would regularly order the «seven».
Stumptown coffee always good:)

«Their music and food tastes great» Auggie age 7
We love it. Nice people. Kid friendly. Good coffee. Fresh juice. Great syrup. Don’t tell anyone ok?