1538 NE Alberta St., 281-1477, helsersonalberta.com. Breakfast and lunch daily.
Helser's embraces a combination of classic diner feel and a cleaned-up aesthetic that has come to define hip Portland dining—with old-school counter seating and a black-and-white-tiled floor alongside meditative green walls and light streaming through tall windows. And at a mere 22 years old, Helser's is somehow also one of the oldest restaurants on Alberta. The eggs Benedict at $10.50 is enough for two—served on thick sourdough bread with layers of thinly sliced ham and a heap of Yukon gold garlic and onion potatoes that look freshly scooped out of the bottom of a pan, with a brown and crispy shell, all topped with light hollandaise and served on a deep-dish plate. It also has an early-bird menu that runs surprisingly late, from 7 to 9 am, which offers five breakfast options for $5.95.
Check out Willamette Week's 2016 Cheap Eats guide here.
Willamette Week