The food was good, creative with healthy choices. I liked the vegan option they had for me and my husband was pleased with the shellfish and pasta he ordered. However, it is always so disappointing when the service is poor. The 20 - 30 something waitress didn't have a clue where we were in our meal or what was needed. She was spending lots of time talking to tables who had already been served, totally oblivious to those of us who had not. Sadly, this has become the norm in Portland and I think it is due to poor training on the part of the restaurant. It would be nice to see this improve at Cafe Nell, but I'm not holding my breath.

We had not been to Café Nell or even to the Nob Hill area for dining. The restaurant is nicely decorated, the staff very friendly and the food was excellent. My S.O. said her turkey burger was "... the best she had ever had". The Bloody Mary was amazing and the Clam Linguine has a spicy "snap". Very enjoyable.

Great restaurant and loved the off street parking!

First time here and picked it because it was one of the few places you can get a brunch reservation! The vibe was very chill but elegant. Waiting staff were very accommodating. The food was just a notch lower than my expectation. Everything tasted good, but it wasn't exceptional. Still, it's a neat gem in the NW neighborhood.

Great food, the service was wonderful too.

Service was outstanding. Waitress was friendly and knowledgeable. Food was excellent. This is a great neighborhood restaurant.

I checked in and had the meal and they claimed I didn’t show.

The Parisian eggs are LUSHIOUS -- creamy, rich, simply lovely. The side of potatoes and crispy baguette slices are perfect counterpoints. The New Zealand Sauvingnon Blanc was a perfect beverage. My husband had the lemon blueberry pancakes (new item) and thoroughly enjoyed them.

Waitress forgot one of our orders acted like it was just coming out late

It was ok. Not one we will return to though. Waiter was nice enough but the food was cold and took 40 minutes to arrive.

Our server was excellent, our food tasted very good, but its' presentation was poor. There was nothing on my plate but a salad sized portion of huervos rancheroes, this made the meal look very small. I would suggest at least "dressing up" the plate with, a slice of orange, a piece of melon, some grapes.... The same goes for the Marscapone Lemon Pancakes, again when set on the table in the center of the plate with nothing but white edges around it, it looked small. THe cheese grits came in a bowl, so the "island" look was not a concern.
But all tasted great, the coffee was great and service was too!

Fantastic, cozy spot for brunch! Love this spot for the food and the mimosas!

Pretty loud which [ regrettably ] signals a buzz worthy place in pdx. Somewhat small selection of bistro type meals good desserts too Per glass wine prices a bit high

Terrible service! Our waitress didn't seem happy to be at work. Two of my friends ordered food amd never got the food amd them was charged.

A lovely lunch at Café Nell. We loved our waiter Danny who made the experience exceptional in every way. He made wonderful suggestions for our dining pleasure and we were very happy.

Lovely dinner, great food. It was fairly empty when we were there (5 p.m. on Sunday) so was fairly quiet. The music was just a notch too loud.

From beginning to end the experience was really nice for my family on Easter. Everything was nice.

We had Easter brunch at Cafe Nell. The food tasted good, but the portion size was small. I was still hungry. I had a brioche type egg skillet dish. The coffee was very good...Umbria. The dining room is a bit small. The menu provides many options.

We had never been to Café Nell before and loved our experience. We had a window table with a view of flower pots on the sidewalk. The interior was cozy but elegant. Everything we had was well prepared and delicious. We especially enjoyed the mushrooms in puff pastry, the chicken liver mousse, the scallops, the beef vegetable soup (which had flavor which wasn't just salt) and the desserts. Our server was knowledgeable and more than helpful. (When we asked her abut the wine we enjoyed, she wrote down the information on the bottle to contact the distributer.) Although the meal wasn't overly pricey, the reason we gave it a 4-star on value is that there were just 2 scallops for $18. Although they were very tasty, we thought that was overpriced. We would definitely come back.

The place was cozy and our server was very pleasant and attentive. Ambient noise and tables close but could still easily talk. The mussels starter was very good- no sandy grains in the mussels and French fries had a nice texture. The salmon was very flavorful and moist but for the portion received was somewhat overpriced. The pork chop was very dry and they did make a new one which was better but still slightly dry. Cocktails were tasty.

Overall a nice place with a nice ambience. Would go again to try some of their other entrees.

Great food in a nice quaint location in NW Portland. Friendly staff, awesome drinks, not much more you can ask for than that! Definitely recommend.

Sunday brunch with my sisters and niece could not have been any better. The waitress was awesome and put up with the our clownery. The food was incredible and the bacon bloody Mary....well let's just say it was the best. Can't wait to go back.

The food was excellent and the presentation wonderful. This is a Hidden Gem that you could easily drive by and not realize this is one of the best restaurants in Portland

We visited Cafe Nell to enjoy Portland Dining Month. Though we had a reservation, we were seated in the bar which was blasting loud house music. I enjoy music if the vibe is right, but this just felt off. When I walked by the dining room en route to the restroom I could tell that it was very intimate with a lovely fireplace (and much lower music); I regret not asking to be moved in there before it was too late. Regarding the food, we hoped for a good value since it was Portland Dining Month, but the food was very underwhelming in both quality and portion size. The appetizer course was one small raviolo in some broth. The entree pasta was mushy/overcooked and a clump of it was stuck together. The server was very kind and attentive and the decor was charming, but those are the only positive notes I can offer.

Delicious, especially mushroom tart! Friendly staff and quaint, quiet spot.

The place was great! Didn't really try the normal menu as mt wife and I were there for Portland Dining Month, but they did a fantastic job with every dish on the special menu leaving me eager to come back and sample their everyday fair!

Part of Portland Dining Month. Delicious Food. Impeccable Service.

Overall food was very good. Crème Brulee has room for improvement.

Perfect weekend brunch spot!

Everyone loved what was ordered! We were there for dinner on a Friday night. My turkey burger was amazing. Our server was very nice too. The only negative is that the food service was slow coming out and a bit noisy as most restaurants seem to be.

Dining month menu was an attractive idea, but horribly executed. Room temp. soup had clearly been sitting out. Pasta was cooked until it was porridge. Portions were laughably small. Service was very slow, but friendly... until we ordered the dining month. Then it was virtually nonexistant and cold (like the food).

Have eaten lunch here and loved be the food, atmosphere and servers. So we tried dinner. Very good but not quite as lovely as lunch. The food was very good but the service was slow. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, so we will definitely give dinner another try.

Cute place, good food, great service. Seating was uncomfortable. Tiny hard chairs. Plus we were in the center of a crowded room.

Delicious food, excellent service! Only gripe was the noise level - we were seated in the middle of the restaurant and it was difficult to hear each other.

Excellent meal during Portland's dining month! The service was great and the recommendations were on point. Will definitely be back for cocktails when the weather is nice. Great for a date!

The foot was excellent, all our meals were very well prepared, came out together and we had a fantastic time. The mushroom tart appetizer was amazing, Lamb Ragu &, Steak frites and Salmon were all perfectly prepared. Great vibe, just nosey enough to be private but enjoyable. Slightly slow getting started with service but picked up and very attentive once we ordered.

Celebrated a "Spring Birthdays" dinner for 4 at Cafe Nell. The food was amazing - perfectly seasoned, properly cooked, and imaginatively -plated. The server was wonderful, just the right blend of gracious, personable, and knowledgeable about the food and wine (she suggested a very good pairing for the meal.) Cafe Nell is a good example of how fortunate we are in Portland to have high-end meals at accessible prices and in a welcoming (no-attitude!) environment. I would definitely bring guests or out of town visitors, and will definitely return again myself.

Had the burger salad for the first time. It was to die for! I can’t wait to go back for it.

First time visit to this restaurant and we weren't disappointed! We had a friendly & knowledgeable server, the space is cozy and appealing, and the food was very good and served in generous portions. I'd definitely come back! The only disappointment is that the March
dining month deal has gone up to $33/person, and so we didn't order from that menu.

Excellent restaurant!