Sourdough Willy’s

What more can you ask for?
Great sourdough, great goodies (CCP Chocolate Chip Pecan cookies & Sticky Buns are my favs), from a local shop doing it the same way for over almost 30 years! Their Honey Whole Wheat is very tasty too, but I’m a sourdough guy.
One could hope for more operational hours (they’re only Tues-​Sat morning-​early afternoon), or more selection, but I suppose I’d rather they nail it on what they do provide than to over extend themselves and offer anything less than premium quality product they do.
Grace is usually tending the shop and is as friendly as they come

I sorry, but this sourdough bread just doesn’t measure up to the sourdough breads found in the San Francisco Bay Area. The crust is soft and the sour taste is fairly mild. I prefer the crust on the sourdough loaves at New Season market. I also tried the scones and the sticky buns. The were good, but not good enough for me to drive some distance to obtain them. The inner part of the sticky bun was nice, with walnuts and rasins, but the outer part was a little lacking.

This place is my goto spot for soft delicious sourdough bread. In sizes from goldilocks (huge loaf which she only makes a few of each day but can be ordered two days in advance) down to rolls, the bread is fantastic! Only open until 2:00 PM, get there early enough to get the sticky buns, with a buttery raison flavor. I’ve turned on a dozen people to this bread, and everyone says the same thing — yummy.

I’m so glad I found this place thanks to Unilocal.My favorite kind of bread is sourdough and this little place makes the best loafs I have EVER had. Ate the entire thing in 2 days and had to come back for more. The lady behind the counter is super sweet and makes you feel right at home. The building itself definitely needs a remodel but don’t let that stop you from giving this place a try.

To be honest I’ve passed by this place for years with my only thought being «that place looks like a dump.» We looked it up on Unilocal one day out of morbid curiosity and were shocked by the reviews (I actually thought they had closed down). The next day we stopped by and were not disappointed. The owner is as friendly as everyone says, the sticky buns were fantastic and the bread looks very good. Keep in mind this is a VERY small place and the selection is a bit limited but what they do they do extremely well. This is definitely an undiscovered (to me) gem which I’ll be visiting on a regular basis.

Oh gosh this place is an absolute gold nugget!!! Great Sticky Buns and fantastic sourdough bread. Some of the best I’ve had. I love little pockets of gems like this that may be overlooked in lieu of ‘trendier’ places. Let’s keep them in business. Prices are terrific.

If you love sourdough, don’t miss this West Linn gem! It has been there for many years and yet we are new to it! I love finding places that have character! Love the owner Grace and look forward to meeting Will. Thanks!

I am not sure if I should share my secret about Sour Dough Willy’s. Grace makes the BEST brownies my family has ever eaten. They come with nuts, and they can be ordered without. Grace makes them up and freezes them. Don’t let this deter you. Thawed they are wonderful, but let me tell you, frozen brownies are almost better than thawed. If you like your Snickers or 3 Musketeer bars frozen, Grace’s frozen brownies are even better. I always try and have them on hand hidden in my freezer, but without fail, when I go to use them they have been found and eaten. They are great plain, frozen, and I have served them like a s’more. Brownie, chocolate bar, and marshmallow, then zap in microwave and top with a chocolate kiss. You could also add a small dollop of vanilla ice cream. Sinfully Delicious!

The best sour dough bread in the Portland area, period. My 16 year old son will only eat sandwiches made from Sour Dough Willy’s sour dough bread — no other kind of bread and no other brand of sour dough! They also make the best sticky buns I’ve ever had and fantastic scones. And we can’t eat homemade soup without their sour dough rolls!
But the best part about this place is Grace, the owner. She’s always enthusiastic and has a story to tell. On my last «twice-​weekly» visit, she told me that their sour dough is actually from a San Francisco sour dough starter from the Larrabaru Bros’ bakery which is rumored to originally be from the 1600s!
If you’re going for the bread, wait ’til 10 AM to assure it’s cooled down enough to be sliced! And if you’re having a hard time finding it, just know that it is right across the street from Starbucks on 43…

Fake, fake, fake.
I’ve got to admit my Unilocal spidey sense was tingling on this one. Three reviews all written by out-​of-​towners. Highly suspicious.
What made it even more questionable was that I couldn’t find the place. Are you people punking me? I live in the same city, but this is on the other side of town along Highway 43 on the road to Lake Oswego.
While most retail is on the street or in strip malls, this bakery is in a house with a circular driveway above the road across from McDonald’s. The signage wasn’t obvious at first and it just blends into the background. And frankly, the place looks abandoned from the outside. Confidence was low.
The hours vary a little bit in the summer months when they also sell berries, but are typically 7a — 2p, Tuesday — Saturday. So between all these factors, it took several tries before I walked in the door. When I did it was all over.
This is not a bakery where you spend hours trying to figure out what to order. It is a very small list. Loaves of sourdough bread (sliced upon request), bags of sourdough rolls, about three varieties of cookies and a few other items. The owner, Grace, is a very nice lady and the tiny ordering area (two is a crowd) is filled with photos of her children from childhood to adulthood.
During one of my conversations with her I asked how long they’d been here and it was 20 years give or take. It amused me, because when I moved here in the mid-​90s one of the things I missed most about the Bay Area was sourdough bread. It wasn’t even stocked at most grocery stores back then. If Unilocal was around, my craving would have been satisfied immediately, but instead I had to wait ten years for technology to clue me in to this spot.
This is the definition of a small, local business. While individual items aren’t perfect (cookies can be a little crisp for my taste), the overall experience is. She is known for her sticky buns made with walnuts. And my boys can’t get enough of her sourdough rolls and bread. Perfect for making cinnamon toast this time of year.

Yes, the cookies are great. And yes, the sourdough is better than most (but not all) SF sourdough, which is a damn shame. But…
The scones, the scones, OH MY GOD! the scones.
Among my many things to-​do the next time I’m in Portland is to have more of those scones. And if I have to take a bus from Portland to West Linn and back, so be it! It’ll just give me time to eat said scones.

I’m a fan of the baked goods but what she does is simply sinful. It’s not complicated — just sourdough bread, chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies, scones, and some rolls. That’s it. That’s all.
Do NOT let the lack of options deter you from wandering here. Grace makes the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten (and from the size of my belly you can tell I’ve had a few). She’ll even make them a bit overcooked for me if I call ahead.
The sourdough bread is the kind I wish I could get in San Francisco. Ironic that I have to come to Portland to get the bread so famous in my own town. There is nothing like it.