This Kenton cafe is a chameleon: Those looking for a no-fuss breakfast of biscuits and gravy will find it here; then again, those looking for a light yogurt parfait with passionfruit curd will find it here, too. But those looking to luxuriate with something unique should seek out the bowl of mini macadamia nut waffles, which come dressed in a pandan condensed cream. The meaty sides — longganisa and corned beef, in particular — should not be missed. Derby is open for onsite dining and takeout.

After a long closure, Sweedeedee is back and — if you can believe it — better than before. Now, raspberry compote adds welcome acidity to a custardy and caramelized-sugar-encrusted (think: liege waffle) French toast, a potato-and-pepper-filled frittata dresses up like a tortilla Española with a smoky paprika aioli, and DIY sourdough toast comes with a nice selection of pickles and briny accompaniments. The best part of Sweedeedee’s brunch, however, is its all-day add-ons, like tender beet salads with pickled chiles or light honeycrisp-and-radish salads with mint. It’s open for indoor and outdoor seating, plus takeout.

The patio at Tin Shed has always been a breakfast hangout, even pre-pandemic. Neighbors would sit out among the plants, tucked away on Alberta, with piles of eggs over cheesy grits or raspberry-jam scones. For those seeking a pile of potato cakes, an asparagus-leek eggs Benedict, and a passionfruit-pineapple-orange mimosa, this is the mid-week brunch spot to hit. Tin Shed is open for takeout or onsite dining, with reservations available.

This Williams bakery makes some of the city’s finest laminated pastries, whether they’re stuffed with meat and sprinkled with everything bagel seasoning, or simply served plain, shatteringly flaky and exceptionally buttery. Beyond breakfast, it’s always worth it to grab a dessert from the cold case while perusing the other pastries. Jinju is currently open for walk-ins.

Eclectic from start to finish, Cameo Cafe has the quintessential funky Portland decor and serves a mashup of American and Korean flavors. Cameo is still offering its omelets and hash browns, waffles, pancakes, or other American classics, but those in the know head straight for Sue Gee’s Pindaettok, a massive Korean pancake of veggies, beans, and ground rice, served with bacon, two eggs, and toast. It holds up well, especially for those who picnic at Rocky Butte. Cameo Cafe is open for takeout and onsite dining.

Pip’s is a Fremont neighborhood favorite for its bite-sized doughnuts, served hot and fresh-fried alongside its number of distinct chais — its honey and sea salt doughnuts are a Portland treasure. But even beyond the doughnuts and tea, Pip’s Original has stood as a leader, supporting local restaurants with its Community Chai fundraisers and speaking out about safely running food businesses during a pandemic. Order doughnuts and chai for takeout at the cafe.

Bernstein’s Bagels likely makes the city’s best bagel — chewy but not too dense, dotted with little bubbles to indicate the right level of snap. They come with bagel-sized layers of eclectic schmears and as breakfast sandwiches with eggs and prosciutto, ordered for carry-out. It’s best to arrive early, however; these days, Bernstein’s sells out more often than not.

Inside the Glisan convenience store J&T’s Market, Adrian Flores tops cheeseburgers with bacon and eggs, piles plates with huevos rancheros, and ladles bowls of birria de chivo as early as 7 a.m. On the weekends, menudo lands at picnic tables outside the store, sipped alongside horchata and, in some cases, energy drinks from the fridges inside. But for mid-week workers, the selection of breakfast burritos is a real draw, filled with everything from chorizo and potatoes to ham, sausage, and bacon. Sahuayo is open for takeout.

Back in the day, Hunnymilk served customizable plates of both sweet and savory brunch items, side-by-side in a single meal. However, during the Year of the Pivot, Hunnymilk switched things up and became something of a doughnut shop: The menu is still a choose-your-own-adventure of sweet and savory dishes, but now its entire menu involves some sort of fried dough. For instance, one meal might involve popcorn chicken-and-waffle doughnuts with a yuzu dip and an apple pie ‘churro-nut’ with whiskey caramel apples and crème brûlée custard. Hunnymilk is now open for dine-in and takeout.

This no-fuss breakfast cafe opened in the ‘80s, but it feels like one of those places that’s been around forever. Here, scones and jam land at your table before a $6 stack of pumpkin pancakes, or an omelet smothered in a chanterelle cream sauce, or one of the city’s best renditions of corned beef hash. The coffee is hot and served in a glass mug, the specials board is frequently updated, and the regulars are likely sitting at the counter. Zell’s is open for onsite dining, indoors or outdoors (on nice days), as well as takeout.

Even with its very literal name, Behind the Museum Cafe can be a little tricky to find. It’s worth the brief hunt, though, as this charming, independently owned cafe serves all manner of Japanese teas and breakfast treats, from baguette sandwiches to onigiri and otsumami. Every pastry and rice ball here is best when enjoyed with a cup of genmaicha, matcha, or sencha. Behind the Museum Cafe offers indoor and outdoor dining, as well as takeout and delivery.

This food cart-turned-restaurant has been a Hawthorne mainstay for years, and with other locations in Pioneer Courthouse Square and the Prost food cart pod, these sandwiches show no signs of stopping. The “Sriracha Mix-A-Lot” — a fried egg with seared ham, avocado, havarti, tomato, and sriracha — is a typical crowd-pleaser, as well as the classic “Yolko Ono,” a fried egg with pesto, parmesan, sausage patty, and “Magic Egg Dust” spice mixture. Sandwiches can be made vegetarian or gluten-free. Orders for takeout should be made online.

La Osita, the breakfast cart with some of the city’s best breakfast burritos and tacos, is still going strong during the pandemic. The chorizo-stuffed breakfast burrito with a hearty dose of pico de gallo is a smart choice, but it’s hard to beat the “brunch taco,” with thick slabs of bacon and tangy pickled onions. The cart takes walk-up orders for takeout.

Cafe Rowan is one of those places that felt overdue for the neighborhood: A really polished breakfast cafe, where locals could grab a morning coffee (Deadstock, natch), maybe a fussy avocado toast with watermelon radish and tahini, or a truly inventive breakfast sandwich — the Rowan combines bacon, eggs, and house-made blueberry jam, while the Dame pairs gochujang and Mama Lil’s pepper aioli with house sausage and manchego. If people want the full brunch experience, Cafe Rowan has that covered, too: banana french toast with coffee maple syrup, shrimp and grits with bacon shallot jam, or eggs Benedict with smoked Pacific Northwestern Steelhead. Cafe Rowan is open for onsite dining and takeout.

This Brentwood-Darlington cafe has been something of a poorly kept secret for weekday brunch, mastering midcentury brunch nostalgia. Yep, Mehri’s has your standard Benedicts, chicken-fried steak and eggs, house-made biscuits slathered in sausage gravy. It also bakes cinnamon rolls and gives them the French toast treatment, stuffs pancakes with fruit compote, and makes the bread for toast in-house. Mehri’s is open for indoor or outdoor dining, as well as takeout.

This Scandinavian breakfast cafe is a Portland gem, with locations everywhere from Hood River to this SW Oleson cafe. It has all the classics, including the cheerful little aebleskivers — spherical, fluffy pancake balls topped in powdered sugar. Those who feel comfortable eating onsite can do so, as well, for pans of lost eggs and Swedish meatballs. The cafe is open for takeout, as well as indoor and outdoor seating.