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  • ร—
    Urban Bliss Life ยป Restaurant Reviews ยป Portland Oregon Restaurants ยป North Light Restaurant in Portland, Oregon [CLOSED]

    Published: November 21, 2014 / Updated: October 14, 2021 by Marlynn Jayme Schotland ยท This post may contain affiliate links.

    North Light Restaurant in Portland, Oregon [CLOSED]

    North Light restaurant is now closed.

    Brunch in Portland, Oregon is more than just a thing. Portlanders don't just love brunch, we live for brunch. We rearrange our lives and plot and plan and scheme in order to make sure we've got good line coverage at the brunch spot du jour.

    We wait in line a long, long, crazy long time for brunch.

    And most of the time, it's well worth the madness. We do brunch well here in the Rose City.

    So it is with some hesitation that I share one of my new favorite brunch spots with you, because as much as I love sharing new finds with all of you, I like that the lines, so far, have not been insanely long here. But this place is so delightful and the food is so wonderfully done, that I suppose I wouldn't be doing my job if I kept it all to myself.

    Sigh. I love you all THAT much. And because I am sharing this brunch spot with you, I expect you to go there and love on it as much as I do, deal?

    Jump to:
    • North Light Restaurant
    • Starters
    • Cocktails
    • Main Brunch Dishes
    • Bacon-wrapped meatloaf

    North Light Restaurant

    In the heart of Portland's quirky, fun, sweet Mississippi shopping district is North Light. A small but bright space with a full bar and nice outdoor space for the warmer days ahead.

    North Light Bar

    North Light offers up dinner Tuesday through Saturday, happy hour on Wednesday through Saturday, as well as brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

    Go for brunch. Trust me. You can start with some pastries, such as a hazelnut croissant, apple cranberry scone, or chocolate cinnamon babka, pictured below with housemade apple butter.

    Starters

    North Light Patries Portland, Oregon brunch

    One of my favorite items on their menu are the housemade crumpets. These are DIVINE. They are buttery with just the right amount of sweetness.

    North Light Housemade Crumpets

    You can also order up one of North Light's tasty cocktails, such as this Bee's Secret, which has vodka, honey syrup, yellow chartreuse, and bubbles. A great way to make any brunch a celebration!

    Cocktails

    North Light Bees Secret cocktail

    My husband and kids tend to be pancake and waffle brunch folk, and the gingerbread pancake at North Light is delicious. Served with maple syrup and apple compote, you get just enough hint of gingerbread in these fluffy, filling pancakes.

    Main Brunch Dishes

    North Light Gingerbread Pancake

    If eggs are your brunch thang, then you have a great selection of specialty dishes from which to choose.

    There is a Frittata of the Day. One this particular day, I enjoyed the housemade lamb sausage, arugula frittata with lamb curry. I'm one of those weirdos who likes ketchup with my eggs, and I am just in love with the idea of offering up a curry sauce as a more elegant condiment!

    North Light Frittata

    An inventive dish that I really enjoyed was the black bean fry bread taco. This beautiful dish was served with salsa fresca, cojita cheese, lettuce, and sour cream. I just loved how all of the layers of flavors danced nicely together with each bite.

    North Light Black Bean Fry Bread Taco

    And for those of you who enjoy the traditional brunch star -- eggs benedict -- North Light offers a Benedict of the Day. On this day, it was a poached egg with shaved steak, tomato, and a well-executed, traditional hollandaise sauce.

    North Light Benedict

    For heartier fare, North Light has you covered as well.

    This chicken fried buffalo strip steak was juicy on the inside, crispy and buttery on the outside, with a sausage gravy that is perfect for soaking up with the chicken fried buffalo strip steak.

    I could eat this everyday. But then, I wouldn't be able to fit in my car. So maybe I'd just eat this once a week, to be safe. Moderation, folks.

    North Light Chicken Fried Buffalo Strip Steak

    Or maybe you want a filling starch brunch AND meat? Check out the stuffed house made pullman bread french toast with farmers cheese, shaved ham, pear compote, and cumin maple syrup. I'm still debating how I feel about this dish. It's an absolutely gorgeous presentation, and the french toast is absolute sin on its own (in a very good way), but I think this would be delicious with or without the shaved ham. Don't miss a bite of the pear compote though. Mmm-mmm, North Light knows how to do fruit compotes well (note the apple compote on the gingerbread pancake above).

    North Light Stuffed House MadePullman Bread French Toast

    Bacon-wrapped meatloaf

    Finally, for those of you with ginormous brunch appetites, you must try the bacon wrapped meatloaf.

    Yes: bacon wrapped meatloaf. And it doesn't come to greet you on its own, it brings a bevy of food friends along with it.

    It's almost like an elegant Scotch egg, but much more complex and delicious. It has a hard boiled egg center and is served with demi-glace gravy, green beans, seasoned potatoes, and bacon jam.

    North Light Bacon Wrapped Meat Loaf

    You'll definitely want to wear comfy, stretch pants for that last one. But like all of the food at North Light: it's well worth it!

    So go forth and add this lovely restaurant to your Portland brunch list! I love it, and hope you will too.

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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Erin says

        November 27, 2014 at 6:24 pm

        Oh my gosh! That all looks so incredibly good. Fresh pastries? Crumpets?! Frittata? Ah, I want it all! Definitely on my list.

        Reply
      2. Deborah says

        November 22, 2014 at 8:00 am

        That looks AMMMMMAZING! Will have to check it out when I get up that way. And your photos and gorgeous! BTW- I thought it was hysterical that the ad after this review was of Spanx ...hahaha

        Reply
      3. Create/Enjoy says

        November 22, 2014 at 9:54 am

        This place sounds AMAZING. That bacon wrapped scotch egg meatloaf?! Insane!!! I must learn to make it! ;)

        I don't do grains or much dairy so the typical carb-ey brunch of pancakes etc doesn't work for me but I love the sound of lamb sausage frittata and curry on eggs!! This place sounds great!

        Reply
      4. Renรฉe says

        November 21, 2014 at 1:05 pm

        "We wait in line a long, long, crazy ass long time for brunch." Yes we do! (How long did *you* wait the last time you went to Besaw's?) And I know everyone says it, but I'll say it again - I love the transformation that the Mississippi District has undergone in the last decade! We will have to try North Light out soon - it looks fabulous.

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          November 21, 2014 at 3:55 pm

          Mississippi really has turned into such a fun, vibrant area. I love it!

      5. Melinda says

        November 21, 2014 at 12:15 pm

        Oh, you had me at Gingerbread pancake. This place sounds DIVINE!

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          November 21, 2014 at 3:53 pm

          Those pancakes are so perfect for fall, Melinda! I think it's a seasonal dish, so be sure to go there before it's no longer on the menu! :-)

      6. Rachel says

        November 21, 2014 at 10:24 am

        Scotch eggs are one of my favorite foods (so weird I know) and that dish looks amazing!!!

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          November 21, 2014 at 3:52 pm

          Rachel, the people I know who like Scotch eggs LOVE them, so I don't think that's too weird ;)

      7. Pech says

        November 21, 2014 at 10:22 am

        That meatloaf.... although I also have a soft spot for buttery soft crumpets!

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          November 21, 2014 at 3:52 pm

          Pech, the crumpets are seriously addictive. They are possibly the best crumpets I have had in Portland. I dream about them! (Is that wrong...?)

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      Hi! If you're looking for easy, fast, delicious family-friendly recipes, wine pairings, and travel tips, you've come to the right place! I'm Marlynn - a cookbook author, writer, photographer, and mom of two teenagers + a lovable lab retriever. I hold a WSET 2 with Distinction in wine, and am a member of Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA).

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