Delta Cafe

Coming from the south I was very excited to try Delta Cafe, we came in around 8:45 PM and sat at the bar. Instantly fell in love with our server/bartender Sage. I would go back for drinks just because of how amazing she was. Unfortunately, majority of the food was not it tonight. We ordered the BBQ on Texas Toast with Mac and Cheese and Collard Greens. The collards were actually pretty good with some Crystal hot sauce but the Mac and Cheese and BBQ were mediocre. The other enjoyable option was the Beignets. They came with a lemon custard that I wasn't the biggest fan of but my partner loved it. As for the hush puppies... those were absolutely terrible. They were hard and severe dry on the inside. Tasted like plain Cornbread rolled into a ball and deep fried for 10 hours. The meatloaf was also not good, even though I'm not used to gravy on meatloaf it still didn't taste good itself, it looked like it was also fried. I can't say if these recipes would be better if the grease was changed out or not. We were very kind and provided feedback. I definitely was hoping to love this place, the vibe and service were great...just wish someone would help them with the food side.

I offer this rating as a snapshot of one experience, not my experience with Delta Cafe in general. I ordered (through Uber Eats) the Mom’s Fried Chicken and got a tiny, shriveled drumstick that appeared to be several hours old and an oversized boneless chicken strip. The chicken strip was super bland and the chicken had no flavor to it - tasted like it was boiled in unsalted water. This is unusual for this restaurant, but it makes me wonder if the management has changed. Super disappointed, especially considering that I paid $17 for this.

REVISED 5/28/25 because the service here has taken a BIG step up over the past few months. It seems like there was some major staff changes on the floor and in the kitchen and brunch service has been attentive and food comes out much faster than it used to. We've been for brunch maybe 4-5 times in the past two months or so and everything has been wonderful. Our brunch faves are the veggie benedict, the beignets, and the fried cheesy grits. I could seriously eat those grits at every meal.

This place was the tits. I was balls deep in my food. From the whole vibe of the restaurant and the staff was awesome. And our sever was a Florida native like me and my fiancé and that made the experience even better. We will definitely be coming back. The menu was perfectly executed just like our meal. And I can’t wait to try more of what they are throwing down back there in that kitchen. 🤘🏻

We were heading to Ikea, and the traffic was so bad around 430ish pm. We figured that we get something to eat while waiting for the traffic to die down. My daughter and I wanted some Thai or Vietnamese food. My husband had wanted to go to Delta Cafe for a while now. He swore up and down that this place was awesome (in his defense the last time he went was like 20plus years ago). He recommended some dishes from what he recall of the menu. We got to the place and was able to get a parking space so that is plus already. The place is not much to look at, but this type of place that have moms and dad's vibe simply the best places to eat so I did not mind the "dive bar" ambience. We went to seat ourselves and we had the server walk to us right away. The place was fairly empty with two other occupied patrons in the booths by the bar area. We first went to the window seating, but it is too cold. That is the first I noticed about the place that it was cold and dark. The decor is what I would expect from the place... misfits and mismatch that has a charm to it. The server asked right away what we wanted for drink and my husband said to give us a moment. Ok this sounds weird, but she was staring or had this awkward moment like waiting... unsure if she heard him saying we needed more time. We got to this place around 4:50pm. We moved table at this time and waited for the server to come back and we sat there for a good 15 min before we sent our daughter to search for her. My daughter said that she is the only one working server so that is forgivable. She came to take our order like within 10 mins I believed. My daughter blesses her heart decided to share with me since she thought that the menu was not palatable. We ordered the fried chicken and blackened catfish. We ordered 7 up and my husband ordered some drink on their special menu. My daughter complaining that there was so much ice in the 7up that she took to sip and that was it. No refill since the server did not bother to even check with us. When the food finally came around...I posted on FB and it looks like the food was served 5 minutes before 7pm. The chicken was flavorful and hot unfortunately it was chewy and dry. The mash potato was not bad, it was actually tasty. The cheesy grits whatever that thing was so bland, I had to dipped in the mash potato to make it tasty. My husband fish was cold. I mean literally cold inside. The beans were cold. The rice was cold. The collard greens were good but a bit salty but at least it was somewhat warm. My husband told the server that the food was really cold. She apologized and went to the kitchen and took a bit of time to get back with us. She came with the new fresh fish, but she did not take into account that the rest of the meal was cold. She keeps apologizing. We ended eating the chicken for 3 of us. There is not much choice. My husband did not eat his food and the one replacement fish as well. The waitress stands next to our table and states that can she make an excuse for the food being cold. She went on to say that they are understaff and the place is cold (broken heater or some shit like that) so that is why the food is cold. If one food is already done, then send to the table and don't let it sit there waiting for the other to finish! Apologize then that the food will be delivered at different times instead of having it sitting there and getting cold! Also, we noticed that there is not a lot of noises coming from the kitchen since they advertise that the meals are cooked from scratch, you would think that the kitchen will be louder. When we left, the two people that is supposed to be cooks are just standing around chit chatting. Good GOD what a horrible place...dirty and shitty service and overall awful food! NOT RECOMMENDED. The only the thing that came from that horrible place is that we did not get charge for the fish dish. I would throw a fit if they had insisted that we pay for it.

The food was delicious as always, highly recommend the catfish bites, gumbo, and of course the beignets. Sage, the bartender, made some AMAZING drinks as well! Fantastic and considerate service!

I rarely leave negative reviews without contacting merchants directly, but the feedback link in the order email leads somewhere my computer thinks is too unsafe and insecure to connect to. I remember Delta being dependable back in the day, if not usually my first choice, but we ordered takeout recently and had to throw almost the entire order away. The coating/breading they use on everything has an unappealing, sandy texture and desperately needs seasoning. I could see it working with fish, but the fried chicken breast was dry and chewy. The drumstick fared a teensy bit better but was nowhere near as juicy or flavorful as I expect from a piece of dark meat. And that coating is simply...not good. Mashed potatoes were just ok, better without the bland gravy. One of the fried cheesy polenta triangles obviously split open during cooking. It was packaged upside down to hide the gaping split, but when I tried to pick it up it disintegrated back into the takeout box. (See photo.) I did try the intact one, but it tasted more like fryer oil that needs changing than cheese or grits. Fried pickle spears tasted fine, but again with the sandy coating. The menu said we'd get corn bread with the order of drumsticks, but it wasn't included. After tasting the food we did get, I wasn't heartbroken. Person who picked up our food said cafe was empty, vibe was off, and the old fashioned he ordered while waiting (his usual) was unrecognizable and ungarnished. I honestly feel bad writing this, because they're an Old Portland joint to me, but OOF.

We shared the Fried Chicken Special- two breasts, four drumsticks, cole slaw and greens (subbed for mashers and gravy)- this was an incredible amount of food and so good for $20. The fried chicken at the Delta is some of the best in Portland. Wonderful cocktails, friendly service and a super relaxed atmosphere. Recommend!

Really good Southern food The gumbo is excellent and the mac & cheese is creamy deliciousness. Loved the fried okra too. Our waitress was great. The restaurant is eclectic with the decor but it all works

I'm going to have to be a negative Nancy with this place. The worst part of going here was the bathroom. It had a puddle of urine that reeked on the floor. Before using the restroom, I could have had some positive things to say but that was so gross I almost forgot what I started to like about it. I will try to give the positives: cool music playing; had really good nostalgic music from the 90s. The food was decent, nothing too special about it but pretty tasty. We went for brunch and they had the basics including a pretty impressive serving of chicken and waffles. Waitress was pretty nice but they were very busy and understaffed. If they remodeled their bathrooms with a complete overhaul including their plumbing I may try it again. But that bathroom is a dealbreaker for me. Sorry Delta.

We wanted something different one night and opted for cajun. I knew this place and thought we should go ahead and get food from here. So glad we did. The beignets were delicious, no surprise there, but they came with like a lemon curd for dipping. So basically they took something good and managed to make it even better. We had no idea what to expect with fried cheesy grits, but they were these perfectly crisped little triangles. Cornbread is clearly not packaged and are huge muffins. Etouffee, catfish, sides - all quite tasty. Kind of kicking myself for knowing they've been there all along but not going before. Now I know where to get the good good.

To the manager, I am sorry because you were very nice to me. This cafe was highly recommended, I ordered ribs with the sauce on the side, catfish nuggets and coleslaw. The catfish nuggets were good, the ribs was just basic and the coleslaw was horrible. You need a chef.

I just ate from Delta Cafe, ordered in Chicken strips that came with sweet potatoes fries. Fried pickle, hush puppies, beignets and a piece of pecan pie. Will not eat everything today. Must tell you portions are large, foods is so tasty, homemade sauce is absolutely great. Fried pickle no one can beat the taste! Hush puppy is the so tasty this was the reason I picked this restaurant to try, so happy with it!! Will have deserts tomorrow and I'm sure I will be delighted!!!

Lo our bartender and server rocks! Yummy food funky vibe..came in for happy hour which are posted wrong on on the website.. but still worth a visit Good service Good value

Service is always amazing with good advice ordering. The Delta has its mojo back! Been coming since it opened in the 90s and the food is back to splendor. Drinks are strong and nice relaxing ambience.

Food was great and for a fair price. Everything was crispy and the portions were pretty wild.

Close your doors Myself and wife went there a few years back. I ordered jambalaya and my wife ordered trout. My jambalaya.was the worst I ever had and could imagine. It was nothing more than a pile of white rice, 3 shrimp and some watery hot sauce all over it. It was uneatable , just too hot to eat . $15.00 never went back.

Amazing place! Service was tentative and acknowledging of our needs. The music was soft enough that we did not need to yell over it despite also being a bar which is always really nice. The food was all absolutely amazing! And the prices matched the flavor and portion sizes of the food. More than 5 stars! Absolutely will return

Delta Cafe has some of the best authentic creole food in town at very reasonable prices. Plus the wait staff is fun and friendly.

My Sunday brunch at Delta Cafe was a very tasty brisket stew topped with a pair of perfectly poached eggs. It was filling enough that I could only finish a little over half of the very ample serving. The room felt like it could be New Orleans some thirty years ago with the bar in the next room amplifying that vibe and moving it another decade into the past. Our waitress was friendly and helpful, dropping in regularly but unobtrusivel, to make sure we remained happy. We hope to return as soon as possible.

It's just terrible. We go once a decade. How is this place open. The food is terrible. The service is rarely above "meh". It's not even remotely close to actual southern cuisine. Just disgusting.

Waited over an hour for our food and when it arrived it was really bad. Not a lot more to say. Great music but terrible service and food and I don't say that lightly. Avoid

When we walked in I wasn't sure if this is place that everyone raved about! With two people in the restaurant it took a long while for the waitress to sit us. She didn't seem interested but was more concern with talking with the other waitress. We almost walked out but then our waitress with curly blonde hair saved the day! Her attitude was hilarious she was down to earth and very kind. Food was good the cornbread different but yummy. We didn't feel the decor but we blessed our food and enjoyed ourselves

Ordered from DoorDash an hour before close without realizing and it was the most delicious food I've had since I've moved to Portland. Didn't know how good the food was in the South until I moved up here. So glad I could find this place, especially from the comfort of my home.

A Portland hidden gem. PHENOMENAL food, awesome bartenders, great interior layout & design. such great menu prices. I tell everyone I know to go or get take out.

Eaten there several times over the years. Then about five years ago we ordered a chicken dish and it was very raw. I know these things happen but they didn't seen to care. That was so disappointing. So yesterday we decided to give them another try and ordered through door dash. Really mixed results. The corn bread was rock hard and tasteless. The ribs were good. The bienets were ok but we only got four when we paid for eight. Pulled pork sandwich was really soggy and disappointing. Overall not happy. I won't go back.

We love how Delta Cafe has improved recently! The bartender Lo is so kind, personable, and gives great service. I know when we see her it will be a good experience. I also feel like the food quality has improved. We have been going to delta off and on for the last 15 years but lately have become regulars again! It feels cleaner and nicer than ever before.

Best food I've ever had. We moved away years ago and only visit. I still dream of their giant lemonades.

Great drinks and food. Dirty Mac is a fav with the changing meat (always hoping for brisket). Lo is a great bartender/server with a pleasant and personal demeanor. Will come back again and again.

Hit & miss. We live blocks away & would go here all the time, but the food quality is poor most of the time. I've tried off & on over many years. I've had friend chicken here & cold in the center & over cooked on outer. Greens that were so incredibly salty no one could eat it. When I have told staff, that act shocked. With no credit given. I also miss when they had small band music. Sadly we have given up

This is probably a good place to go late at night, get a little drunk, and then - only then - if you're really hungry - order some food. This may explain the wild variations in reviews here. We were there on a Friday at 7 pm. No one greeted us. Interior gloomy. Patio dreary - a corner table was available but full of uneaten food and cigarette leavings. We bused it over to an adjacent table and it was still there when we left. The food was about halfway edible.

The jambalaya was fantastic! I have insanely high standards for Cajun food and this place meets the mark! Huge portions so it turns out to be a great deal.

Waitress was so busy, she came off very rude. Waited almost 30 minutes for a 4 piece order of Beignets. Never tasted a Beignets like that, not good. Next morning I tried to eat again, and hard as a rock, dense, threw away, we all tasted them but three people agreed they were bad.

Ever since the business was sold to different owner, it just hasn't been the same quality. I got an order of beignet to go. They were under cooked and had an overwhelming flavor of yeast. Do not order the beignets here. I think the current owner doesn't know much about southern cooking and needs to play to their own strengths instead of trying to fill the shoes of the great chefs of Deltas past.

Great fried chicken and catfish. Love the cocktails especially the sazerac cocktails. Great community restaurant.

Great divy bar and cafe with good southern food. Usually just here for drinks and appetizers around happy hour. Friendly bartender, good service, patio seating.

I used to eat/drink with pleasure at Delta Cafe. Took a friend last Friday with expectations of same. Very sad food. Greens were a bowl of 90% broth, a tablespoon of shredded pork, and about 1/8 leaf of a collard green cut into about 6 pieces. They used to serve a very good traditional bowl full of greens. Very disappointed. Beignets were basically bland with texture coarse, and hush puppies similarly disappointing. Fried cheesy grits were deep-fried triangles again bland with no distinguishable cheese flavor. Arnold Palmer beverage was fine. What has happened???

Admittedly, I haven't eaten at this place in over 20 years lol. I grew up in Seattle and used to make trips down to Portland when I was in a DJ crew. The promoter brought us to this place. It was owned by white people and not even southern ones lol. With that be said, the food was amazing. I always got the fried chicken, mac & cheese, and collard greens. There used to be this waiter named Rusty who was always there every time we came, which was usually on Sunday afternoons following our Saturday night gigs. One time, a bar towel fell on the floor and he picked it up and put it back on the counter (I could see the waiter station from where I was seated I had to call him out for that lol. I still kept going back though. The food was always great. I think their promoter got married and stopped doing the parties or something. I can't remember why he stopped coming down. Anyway, I moved to Cali back in 2004 and I have not been to Portland since :( I forgot all about this place. But I was on a YouTube video about a southern restaurant in Long Beach California, where the lady would actually buy the chicken from Popeyes and then serve it as her own She happened to be white and so one of the comments said that white people need to learn how to fry chicken. So I had to tell them that white people do know how to fry chicken and that's what made think of this place. And that's why I know that they are not from the south, because I asked lol. I couldn't believe how good the food was Anyway, I decided to google it on the whim and happily, it is still here!!

Went in under covid constricted conditions: heated patio out back (couldn't sit inside). Ordered the catfish bites, hush puppies, and jumbalaya ... And a couple drinks. Food was inexpensive and delicious. Would def go back for more

An enjoyable spot for cold nights, or for nights when you're emotionally chilly and need a Louisiana style pick-me-up. Be ready for pork ribs cooked with all the fat, cornbread, and reasonably priced cocktails. The interior is a Woodstock must-see, the patio is decent, and the wait staff are generally friendly.

We have been coming here for over six years and we are constantly impressed by the service, and the amazing food. You cannot forget about their happy hour cocktails! So good. It's such a cool, dark and laid back ambiance with great 80's music. They also sell local artists' work up on their walls! That's awesome. This is the best go to place for food and drinks.

Delta Café, some of the finest southern food in the state of Oregon. A lot of it I cannot eat anymore due to becoming a pescatarian but does that stop me from going in to full my belly? Nope. Great Jambalaya - easily my number one menu item here. Smaller place, but not so mall you feel cramped. Good service and it is in a fun little neighborhood.

Our local spot for brunch and things like beignets ( comes with a scrumptious lemon curd dipping sauce), Cajun catfish nuggets, their delectable country fried steak ( haven't found a better one in town), fried oysters ... tonight we had both the oyster poboy, fried oyster side of the day, as well as two piece Cajun fried chicken -we love that everything isn't just boneless chicken breast ( !)- all good. Lucky to have this place within 5 mins of the house, park right in front ( wish there was a handicapped parking spot, but that's ok we made do!)... Friendly service and the booths inside are comfy too.

10 years after we visited this memorable cafe, we came back and brought the painting to the cafe and had a happy hour. Beer is solid. Fried oyster is fresh and crispy out, with just enough of seasoning. Hubby ordered a bbq tofu PO' boy and couldn't stop raving on how good it is. Beignet for main course? Or dessert? Yes please! 4 gigantic pieces with lemon curd showed up and they are so good! Pipping hot fresh from the fryer. Sad thing is we got a dinner date with friend so we had to share one beignet so we are not loaded. Well pack the rest up either for tonight or bkst tomorrow with my espresso.

The food we had (chicken, waffles, BBQ pork, sweet potato fries) were very good. Lots of drink options (it's a bar, so duh). Service was speedy and friendly. Good place for casual dining, drinks and good southern style food. Definitely on my return list.

So I have been here a few time over the last 15 years. As a younger man I enjoyed many a bottle of their finest 40 ounce Pabst blue ribbon served in a bucket of ice like champagne. And as time passed after I had moved out of the Woodstock neighborhood I have been back and enjoyed there food. The food is southern. And it is fucking delicious. Seriously. Everything on the menu is great. So it was a special take my wife out to dinner during a pandemic night. I suggested the delta. It's a little out of the way from where we live (30 minutes depending on traffic and protests) but the food is worth it. This time was different than others. We waited an hour for our food. My food came piping hot and my wife's was cold. The speed of service just was not there today. And they were not slammed busy either. Kind of dead. In the summary: The portions are moderate, but extremely tasty. $15-18 a plate. The decor is very New Orleans mixed with Portland style. The food is good, check the place out. Just plan on it possibly taking a while.

The biscuits and gravy were delicious! The bacon was cooked to perfection. Best sweet ice tea I've ever had!

Everything was bad: food, service, cleanliness. Not recommended. I mean, how do you mess up a chicken nugget?

I can't rave enough about this place. The authentic Cajun cuisine was more than I could ask for when I left the south. The service was superb, very knowledgeable waiters. Try the jambalaya and the pork collard greens!

Good food, great and friendly service, has good vibe. Great customer service loved the beignets.

We came here when my boyfriend was jonesing for chicken and waffles. I was excited that they have four (!) different types of eggs benedict, one of my favorite dishes. We should both have come away happier than pigs in mud. Instead, we came away laughing that kind of laughter you do when so many things go wrong that it switches from upsetting to hilarious. First up, the server threw the paper they wrote our order on in the trash by accident, and forgot about us until over ten minutes later, when they confessed their error and retook our order. That's OK, man, everyone makes mistakes. They were nice enough to give us a sizeable discount. Next, they brought me the wrong eggs benedict, with ham instead of artichokes. When I pointed out that the artichokes were missing, they brought me a side of the artichoke and creamed spinach that were supposed to go under the egg, insinuating that a topping had been forgotten. I told them that I'm vegetarian and this wasn't "missing" something, it was the wrong item: a normal eggs benedict with Canadian bacon. They apologized and brought me the right dish. I had to ask for ketchup for the potato side a second time, and for a new fork, as they'd taken my fork with the old plate and not replaced it. Whatever! OK! Here we go! Eggs benedict! Artichoke! What's not to love? (´0｀*) E V E R Y T H I N G (´0｀*) The eggs were slightly undercooked, with more runny whites than I like to see with runny yolks. The artichokes were massive heart pieces that didn't have a good flavor (what did you do?!) or go well with the dish at all. The flavorless creamed spinach added so much moisture that it ran over the plate, messed up the texture of the English muffins, and detracted from the flavor and fun of the runny yolks. Hollandaise? I think there was some somewhere. I couldn't really tell. Even the potatoes on the side were oversalted and overseasoned. I've had a lot of eggs benedict lately, from Zell's Cafe (wonderful) to Little Griddle (good), and I haven't had a one I disliked until now. This was so poor that I didn't even eat half. I had to come home and cook something else. Apparently the chicken and waffles were also mediocre, with dry chicken and soft waffles that had no crisp. Waste of a good hen! I leave two stars because of the discount and because nothing was gross or unhygienic, just bad. The menu proudly states that they've been breaking hearts for some time, and I believe it!

I tried to order on Uber Eats last night. I had submitted my order but only to have it cancelled and still have a pending authorization charge. I DO NOT RECOMMEND ORDERING from this restaurant. Let the buyer beware.

I am so sad to leave this less than positive review, as we have been coming here for years--decades, in fact. Not sure what has happened. But tonight my to -go order, along with every other order apparently, was held up. I waited 25 minutes last when the order was supposed to be ready--and a full 65 minutes after placing the order. Meanwhile, I get to hear the staff arguing and bitching about all the orders. Nonstop. So unprofessional, and it was loud. I don't know what would make me want to come back again at this point. I probably won't. The owner should know how badly his employees are running this business into the ground.

Disappointing. Honestly I haven't experienced good service anywhere in Portland lately. The food is ok, but the service was lame. Save yourself $100 and just make your eggs and waffles at home. I bet you can do a better job then they can at getting everybody's food out on time. My kid didn't even get his order until we were already done eating. I used to be a server. I would be appalled to let that happen. But that's what you can expect nowadays. Nobody gives a shit.

My wife and I stopped at Delta Café today to have what we thought would be a great meal - - the joke was on us! I ordered the chicken and waffles she ordered the catfish Poboy and both meals were terrible. First off I requested at least one breast with my chicken and waffles and got a thigh and a drumstick. The chicken was warm yet burned and very greasy. The wife's Poboy just didn't have any flavor at all she had to use the tartar sauce to give it some taste. When our server asked how was the food I was totally honest and was told that I could get 10% off my tab - - being an out of towner and not wanting to cause a ruckus I said fine; however, I questioned how could this please be in business if the food tastes like this on a regular basis.

Staff was really nice- the food was horrible. That's it- go for drinks but I would NOT eat there again.

Ugh, I hate leaving bad reviews but we are still talking about how horrible our visit was this last Friday. We went for dinner with our friends and sat out on the patio. We ordered hush puppies and corn fritters along with drinks. The apps were okay, I had one of each and didn't feel the need to eat anymore. We placed our dinner order and it took roughly an hour before it even came out. I had ordered the chicken and waffles with mashed potatoes; horrible. The waffle was cold, the fried chicken was warm at least, but there was so much breading and was very bland. The mashed potatoes weren't even good, I would've rather had instant mashed potatoes honestly. The rest of the group got the fried chicken po'boy with cajun corn, fried shrimp po'boy with fried cheesy grits, and Mom's chicken with pork beans and rice. Out of the 4 meals we got, everything we had was very bland. There was another review saying that TV dinners are better, and they weren't wrong. My husband got the Cajun corn and they legit took a dash of Cajun seasoning and sprinkled it on top. There was barely anything on it. I tried the fried cheesy grits and YUCK. Ugh, our bill came to $130 between all our meals and drinks and it was the worst way to spend our money. Between waiting for our food and check, we were there over 2 hours (not willingly). I'm not sure if we just had a bad experience or what. But since we all experienced the same thing with our meals, I would have to say this is probably to be expected. I will never go back or recommend this place to anyone.