Jake's Grill

Back in the early 2000s, if you visited Portland, two places everyone talked about were Jake’s Famous Crawfish and Jake’s Grill. Crawfish was the place for seafood, and Jake’s Grill was where you went for a classic steakhouse experience. We came here many times over the years, but as Portland’s food scene evolved with so many great new restaurants, we naturally stopped coming. This trip, our hotel included breakfast vouchers, so after more than 20 years we decided to revisit Jake’s Grill. The nostalgia disappeared the moment we looked at the menu. My husband ordered the Denver Omelet, and I had the Breakfast Trio. The omelet was just average, but the pancakes were honestly some of the worst I’ve had. We each left most of our breakfast untouched. What surprised me even more was how much the service had declined. Afterward, I learned that the restaurant became part of McCormick & Schmick’s, and many longtime customers have said both the food quality and service have gone downhill. That made a lot of sense to me. In fact, McCormick & Schmick’s has been one of the most disappointing chain restaurants I’ve visited, and even its Seattle location eventually closed. It’s sad to see a restaurant that was once a Portland icon lose what made it special. Sometimes a great legacy doesn’t survive the wrong ownership. That said, if you’re visiting Portland today, I’d skip Jake’s Grill. There are far better breakfast spots that truly represent the city’s incredible food scene.

Had an amazing time at Jake's Grill on 4/20. Iya took great care of us, very knowledgeable/helpful with recommendations & answering questions. Food was so flavorful! You could tell every element of the dishes were carefully thought out & were well executed. Everything we had was delicious! We arrived about 10 minutes early for our 5:15 reservation, but were seated immediately. The place filled up quickly, but service remained attentive & food arrived quickly. Environment was lively with high end service. Only drawback is I wish we lived here so we could go back & try more items!