Dime Store

Clean, friendly service in a pleasant space. A good find on a rainy Saturday downtown. Food was solid. Good scrambled eggs, crispy potatoes, chix salad sammy was v good. It did need some salt. It wasn’t amazing, but it was simple food prepared well. And as far as those commenting on prices, food costs have gone up, so have rents. Gotta pay your rent and pay your people.

I paid $ 12 for two biscuits, gravy, eggs and potatoes. The gravy was great but after a less than amazing bloody mary that felt like it had too much bbq sauce in it, my bill came out to $ 20.
Leos non smoking coffee shop is what this place used to be like, and man did they do a good job. You would get huge portions, everything was cheap, the owner was nuts, it was truly portland from the 90s. Now this place is fine but it’s… expensive for what you get. Also, what the heck is up with the 5% health insurance amount they tack on the bill? I asked a waitress and she said it was a transparency statement. What kind of transparency statement is that? That your boss can’t raise the price of food so they are going to guilt me into paying for your health coverage? How quaint. Tacky, even.
It must work because they’re still here. I wonder if there’s going to be a cost of living percent added on every year next.
They are priced like a upscale yet are punching well above their weight. The food is good but it’s not impressive enough to justify the cost. If you need to use a bathroom they tell you to take an elevator to a basement and go down a long hall in the dark. Their cocktails are not worth writing home about. You can blow $ 50 with two people with one cocktail each.
Needs work. And get rid of that transparency statement, be like the other businesses in town and raise your prices or the invisible hand will sway the market to your competitors.

I’m so disappointed in you, Dime Store.
The first time I went in, ordered biscuits and gravy, you were out of biscuits. So your waitress offered potatoes with gravy on top. I said fine. All of two tablespoons of gravy came on my completely unseasoned potatoes. I said something to her, but obviously my feedback went unheeded.
I called in an order several weeks later for biscuits and gravy. There was so little gravy, I wasn’t sure it was really there at all. I choked down half of a dry biscuit before I got so pissed off that I actually called and complained. Aside from being completely unsatisfied (and still hungry because I couldn’t eat a nasty dry biscuit that came out of a bag of premade Costco crap), $ 8 for one biscuit, no gravy, and an over-​easy egg is probably the worst deal in town. In fact, that was a masochist’s breakfast.
I really wish I could give you a chance to make it up to me, but you already fooled me twice, so shame on me. I’ll make the slightly longer trek out to Byways Café where the food is edible (actually, Byways is incredible, you should definitely go there instead).

This place started out strong. My husband and I went every weekend and brought friends often. But something happened — maybe the chef left or the staff changed over one too many times — and it was just average. The up side, it’s not usually crowded. Another up side, Mama Lil’s in the scramble. But the service has suffered and the once great food is now so so.

Expensive and not that great. The menu explains the Grinder sandwich as one thing but delivers another. On example, pickled onions means pickles and cut up raw onions. Fried egg sandwich is good with a house made sausage. Service is awesome. Just costly for the food and a can of soda is $ 3.50!

Having sent many Portland friends here, and brought out-​of-​town family and friends who also raved about Dime Store, I’m sad to say things have changed, for the much worse: grey, bad-​tasting eggs, potatoes barely cooked, lukewarm water even! And when I attempted to discuss my complaints with the owner, at the suggestion of waitstaff, I was subjected to a rant on the difficulties of keeping chefs, getting people to come to work, staffing a downtown establishment, and keeping within price-​points! No apology, although our meals (mostly uneaten) were «comped.» But I won’t return, because I don’t want to encounter that mean-​spirited woman who never said «I’m sorry» and was determined to lecture me on all of her problems. Sadly, this place seems to have burned out. Don’t go.

We have loved this place since the day it opened. I have said on numerous occasions that that was the best pancakes and the best biscuits in Portland! Now they have lost chef Ben, I don’t know what we will do. We went back this week and the food was abysmal. My pancakes were scrambled. The biscuits were burnt black. I sent them back they cut the black off the bottom and remade the pancakes but they were still a mess and didn’t have any flavor at all. Bring back chef Ben:(

Clean, comfy, natural lighting, yummy, good music, friendly employees. Small menu. This is short bc not done eating lol

By «Dime» they are referring to 10 for dollars (not cents), since everything in there is at least around that much. I ordered the pancakes. A stack of 3 fluffy cakes – and yes, the butter was local organic and had honey poured in it, and the syrup was organic maple – were delivered, and were delicious, but they were $ 14! No meat, no eggs, nothing. Just 3 pancakes. Wow! Two eggs with potatoes and toast is $ 9. And this is not including tip or «health and wellness» for employees, as many other reviewers have explained.
My party and I did find the food good, but I can’t justify spending that kind of money again for what you get, so we won’t be back. But service, establishment, and food were good.

Surprisingly great food for being a simple, low key diner. The two of us shared a steak and eggs, and the daily scramble which had pesto, some greens and veggies, and provolone cheese. The steak was cooked really nicely and sliced in a very easy-​to-​savor way. Both dishes were delicious and especially flavorful, and actually, neither of us could decide which dish was the better one. The dishes were served with some nice home fries and the eggs came with some great wheat toast which was dense and fresh. The coffee was also very good.
We showed up at 11:30 am on a Saturday and the place was half-​empty, which doesn’t happen often around here to good restaurants during brunch hour. It’s nice to find the good spots that aren’t slammed all the time. The interior and atmosphere is very casual, relaxing, and you’re not likely to walk away smelling like a diner, which is also a plus. Servers are friendly. All in all it could definitely become a regular spot for me, if the quality stays high and the crowds don’t catch on.

The food was decent in the small but cozy diner. There was nothing extraordinary about the egg and sausage scramble, and the «house-​squeezed» orange juice tasted like it came from a carton.
I expected my biscuits and gravy to be hot, but they were out of gravy and the biscuit was cold, though it’s crispy outside give a hint of how magnificent it could have been fresh. The beans and greens soup tasted salty and from a can, though the crusty fresh bread served with it was nice.
The prices were a bit high for the quality of the dishes. The staff was friendly and attentive, and the breads were good, but the unexceptional food left something to be desired.

I’ve been by this place many times, but have yet to stop in. Today I had sometime to kill and some papers to fill out, so I’d thought I’d stop in for a coffee. I’m not a straight coffee drinker and was hoping to get a latte or something along those lines. It didn’t look like they had that once I walked in. As I am not one to walk out of a place when I’ve already been acknowledged, I sat down at the bar and looked at the menu. She said what the daily scramble was and I forgot everything, but mama lil’s peppers. Even though, I wasn’t hungry enough for a scramble, it made me like this place solely because they have those peppers! They are delicious and local.
I decided on just a biscuit and gravy. Since that what was written on the menu, I thought it would be just one biscuit, but it was two, delicious, crispy biscuits. They were even garnished with chives. The waitress offered me hot sauce and I accepted. The hot sauce was a hot sauce I hadn’t heard of, it’s called Soul made right here in Portland. It was amazing!
This was a great little mistake, great service, wonderful biscuits and gravy, and decent prices. It was only $ 6 bucks!
I’ll bet back.

I had to add another star to this updated review for Dime Store. In my last review I noted that perhaps the restaurant needed a hard-​to-​define sense of soul. My visit just a few days ago occurred during a lull in business. I had excellent service from a very personable young woman who really knew what she was doing. We chatted throughout my visit and I think I found whatever hook I needed in terms of «soul» or «friendliness» to make this a regular stop. My omelet with arugula and thin-​sliced red peppers and Asiago cheese was just outstanding. I also drank three cups of coffee from Water Avenue Coffee and found a new favorite, rating right up there with my absolute fave from Coava. Really good job, Dime Store. I was a fan from first visit, but now we can add «returning customer» as well.

Cute diner with decent food and a simple breakfast menu, albeit a bit overpriced for what you get. If you’re coming in around brunch time (10am-​12pm) on a weekday, they may run out of a lot of the breakfast ingredients.
It was super quiet when we came in at 11, which was nice. We were greeted and seated right away, told what the specials were, and then ordered. Everything was generally okay; I ended up getting the last order of biscuits and gravy and the boyfriend got the omelette of the day, which included asparagus, gouda, and herbs. At a pricey $ 12 per plate, the portions were only okay and the food quality was good but not spectacular. The biscuits and gravy were okay (Brenda’s or Elite Café in SF wins for that until I get to visit the south), the eggs were okay, the one thing I liked was the brioche toast with jam, but all in all, a very solid 3 stars.
Also, I’ve really got to start asking what brand of tea restaurants use. But that sounds really weird, doesn’t it? I’ve been more fond of the places that serve Smith or Two Leaves. Dime Store serves Stash, which is still pretty good (aka not Lipton).
In general, I haven’t been over-​the-​moon about most things in Portland unless it’s from a food truck or if it’s donuts. This place was okay.

Enjoyed the clean & retro diner vibe, simple menu, and tasty food. Service was friendly and efficient. Felt breakfast was a bit pricey (fried egg sandwich on brioche with pickled peppers, cheese, bacon and home fries = $ 12).
But I will say that the portion size was good, the ingredients were high-​quality, and the home fried potatoes were awesome! They had both big chunks of tender potatoes along with smaller crispy bits that were very flavorful.
Would like to check them out for lunch (where you can get a burger, meatloaf, or chop for less than the cost of the egg sandwich.)

Third time in, had a well put together Breakfast sandwich, companion had a delicious apple beet salad. Sandwich had couple strip of bacon, an egg, and great cheese. Salad was good and well prepared.
Friendly helpful staff.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and as soon as I walked into Dime Store with my two friends, we were enthusiastically greeted by one of the nicest waiters I’ve ever had.
After offering us a free scone, all 3 of us ordered the scrambled special with pepperino cheese, roasted garlic, and spinach. I also got a pancake instead of toast which they included REAL maple syrup with (such a huge selling point for me as a Vermonter).
This was the best breakfast I’ve ever had. They coaxed so many flavors out of the eggs that I simply could not stop exclaiming how good they were and the pancake was fluffy perfection. If I could marry that breakfast, I would.
If you’re in Portland. Go to Dime Store. Also, their addition of tax to offer health benefits to their employees is AWESOME.

Overall Rating: A Solid 4.5 Stars.
Service: Friendly.
Food: Awesome!
Selection: The basics plus some snazzy specials.
Atmosphere and décor: Feels sparkling new! «This ain’t your grandma’s diner.»
Room for improvement: Couldn’t think of a thing.
How do they do it?
4 friends meet for Sunday breakfast. 3 order one of the specials, a crab omelette served with roasted potatoes and toast and sides of bacon. 1 orders 3 sides, an over easy egg, a pancake and something else.
The meals are served and bites are taken. Oh my! How do you make an omelet so darn fluffy and rich? Even the potatoes are fluffy! The pancake is definitely one of the best in Portland, fluffy, tasty and rich! Bacon is perfectly cooked and meaty.
I love the Health and Wellness charge!

Small breakfast joint, I believe a couple owns it. Very clean, food was fresh and well made. Issue is very little seating and when it got busy we ended up sitting next to a smelly man who kind of ruined the nice potato aroma. Lots of counter seating, little table seating. So, go early or risk the smelly man experience. Once the place got full, it was hard to get the attention of the overworked staff. The bread was really good, homemade jam on top, They don’t open super early, but be there close to open to ensure a good experience.

Breakfast. It starts the day motor.
Dime Store is the classic diner, updated. It serves breakfast and lunch now, with further hours to come.
Leo’s Nonsmoking Coffee Shop served breakfast and lunch in this building filled with medical and dental offices. The owner retired after 30 years. Dime Store continues that tradition of straightforward food with quality ingredients at a reasonable price in a modern homey atmosphere in the Leo’s spot.
There is diner counter seating, window bar seating and a few table spots.
They have a small menu to start, with a daily specials board.
Breakfast potatoes are a measure of any spot. Dime Store gets it uniquely right by deep frying rather than pan frying, and adding a little salt. They end up just slightly crunchy on the outside. The jams for the toast are actually made in house and not over sweetened.
Dime Store hasn’t been open very long. For now it would be a perfect spot for a breakfast date, a business meeting or to bring elderly relatives desiring the familiar. It’s clean and retro, with a customer-​oriented staff.
They have applied for a liquor license, and the team behind this is responsible for Yakuza and several other successful fine restaurants, so we know this is going to evolve!
Dime Store is classic diner, very clean, with excellent quality, and they make milkshakes!