Whenever I get into discussions about the best brunches in Portland, people will always complain about long lines, and they will almost always mention Gravy. For a lot of people, it’s an example of a good place with a terrible line. For me, it’s an example of a good place to start in North Portland.
Let’s just say you look at Gravy’s line and think, “Let’s go somewhere else.” Well, you could walk about three blocks and visit several fine North Portland brunches: Radar, Equinox, Miss Delta, and the food carts up the street. And that’s just what you could walk to!
And then there’s InterUrban. Whenever I mention their brunch, people seem to not realize it exists. This, of course, is one of the things I like about it.
The decor of this place is something like Fancy Woodlands Lodge. It reminds me a bit of the Woodsman Tavern, but it feels less open and less like a restaurant, more like a bar — both good points. The main dining area is actually upstairs, so it feels a little exclusive — you know, like that cool room upstairs at your granddad’s cabin where you can go play and be away from the adults, down at the bar.
As for the food, one way thing to know is that one of the of the founders was John Gorham of Toro Bravo, Tasty n Sons, Tasty n Alder, and the new Mediterranean Exploration company. So it’s good. The menu changes occasionally; the current one is on their website, and here it is from when we visited.
You gotta love the Walk of Shame, in particular!
I’ve had two brunches at Interurban, and both times we had a great meal with no lines. We were there right at opening time of 10 a.m. both times, and once we had reservations, but even when we left after 11, there wasn’t a wait. And the food … well, feast your eyes!
If all of that looks good to you, and if a good brunch in a cool neighborhood with little or no wait also sounds good, then get yourself on over to Interurban and see you have (probably) been missing.