A green pandan waffle is standing in for the biscuit in a take on a fast-food Big Breakfast. That one swap tells you a lot about this Oregon cafe. It’s playful, personal, and seriously good at mixing worlds.
The menu also tops pandan waffles with braised pork belly, a fried egg, and spicy syrup. There’s fried chicken on black sesame waffles too. Then the coffee list brings out egg coffee and salt coffee.
I like how the whole idea grew from childhood food memories. Think early coffee runs, drive-thru breakfasts, and family kitchens, all blended into one counter-service spot. The name itself honors the owners’ late parents.
I believe food tastes better when it carries a story like that. So what happens when three talented friends turn their memories into brunch?
Three Friends Built A Brunch Spot Out Of Their Childhood Memories
Mémoire Cà Phê started with three people who already knew how to run great food businesses. Chef Richard Le is known for Matta, and coffee roaster Kimberly Dam founded Portland Cà Phê.
Pastry chef Lisa Nguyen rounds out the trio. She co-founded HeyDay, a doughnut shop, so the sweet side is in very capable hands.
Their shared Vietnamese American heritage shapes everything here. The menu pulls from nostalgic memories, like fast-food breakfasts and early morning coffee and doughnut runs.
I love that the concept doesn’t pretend to be fancy or formal. It feels like a family scrapbook you can actually eat, with each dish pointing back to a real moment.
The name carries even more weight than it first seems. Mémoire is an homage to the owners’ late parents, which gives the cafe a true family-affair spirit.
That kind of meaning shows up in the details. Fish sauce sneaks into gravy, pandan turns waffles green, and classic American breakfasts get a warm Vietnamese twist.
So when you order here, you’re tasting more than recipes. You’re getting a peek at three childhoods, all served before 2 in the afternoon.
Egg Coffee And Salt Coffee Will Change Your Morning Routine
Egg in your coffee sounds like a dare at first. In Vietnam, though, cà phê tr?ng is a beloved classic, and it sits right on the menu here. Salt coffee, or cà phê mu?i, joins it as another traditional pick. Both drinks show off the Vietnamese coffee culture that anchors this whole Portland cafe.
The person behind the drink list matters a lot. Kimberly Dam, the roaster who founded Portland Cà Phê, developed the beverage menu herself.
That means the coffee isn’t an afterthought next to the waffles. It’s a starring act, built by someone who lives and breathes Vietnamese coffee every day. Not a coffee fan? You still have options, and they’re pretty fun ones.
Matcha lattes show up in several forms, including a peach matcha latte with coconut cream. There’s also a salted pandan matcha, which brings that sweet, grassy pandan flavor into your cup.
My advice is simple. Pair a sweet waffle with a bolder coffee, or match a salty dish with something creamy, and see which combo wins you over.
Green Waffles Topped With Pork Belly Are The Real Showstopper
Pandan gives these waffles a bright green color that’s hard to miss. The leaf is common in Southeast Asian sweets, and it brings a fragrant, almost vanilla-like flavor.
It starts with a pandan waffle as the base. Then come braised pork belly, a fried egg, arugula, scallions, crunchy bits, and a spicy syrup.
That’s sweet, savory, fresh, and spicy all on one plate. It’s basically chicken and waffles’ adventurous cousin who just got back from a trip. Prefer things simple? Plain pandan waffles are on the menu too.
They make a great pick if you want to taste pandan on its own. Pair one with a coffee, and you’ve got a lighter morning treat. One quick tip helps here. Popular items can sell out, so showing up earlier in the day gives you a better shot at the waffle you want.
Fried Chicken Gets A Black Sesame Makeover
Chicken and waffles is an American brunch legend. At Mémoire Cà Phê, the classic gets a Vietnamese American spin that feels fresh without losing its comfort.
The cafe has been noted for serving fried chicken on a black sesame waffle. That swap changes the whole look of the plate, with a dark, nutty-colored waffle under golden chicken.
Black sesame shows up a lot in Asian desserts. Here it moves into savory territory, which makes this dish a fun meeting point between two food traditions.
Waffle choices go beyond pandan and black sesame, too. Ube waffles also appear on the menu, bringing their famous purple color to the table.
I can’t imagine a better dish for a friend who says they don’t like trying new things. It looks familiar enough to feel safe, then quietly expands their horizons.
Want to make it a full spread? Add a sweet drink like a matcha latte, and you’ve balanced crunchy, savory, and creamy in one easy order.
Fast-Food Breakfast Nostalgia Gets A Serious Upgrade Here
Remember grabbing a drive-thru breakfast as a kid? The owners clearly do, and they turned that memory into some of the most playful plates on the menu.
One standout is a take on McDonald’s Big Breakfast. Instead of the usual biscuit, it comes with a pandan waffle, which is a swap I fully support.
The Sando is another nod to those quick morning meals. It’s served on a housemade milk bun with your choice of protein, American cheese, a fried egg, hash browns, and ??c bi?t sauce.
Breakfast burritos are a big draw too. Filling options include pork belly caramelized with fish sauce, steak sausage, or curried mushrooms.
That mushroom choice is great news for anyone skipping meat. It keeps the burrito hearty while still bringing bold flavor.
These dishes prove comfort food doesn’t have to stay frozen in time. A little fish sauce, a homemade bun, and some smart swaps can make an old favorite feel brand new, and a lot more delicious.
Fish Sauce Gravy Might Become Your New Obsession
Fish sauce in gravy sounds bold. It shows up in several dishes here, and it’s one of the most talked-about flavors on the whole menu. Biscuits and Gravy get the treatment first. The gravy uses fish sauce, giving a Southern classic a salty, savory Vietnamese kick.
Rice bowls lean into it as well. Each one comes with your choice of protein, fish sauce gravy, hash browns, and a fried egg. Hash browns on rice might seem unusual. Honestly, it’s the kind of combo that makes you wonder why nobody did it sooner.
Then there’s the shrimp omelet, a true menu star. It comes with coconut milk, cherry tomatoes, jasmine rice, and n??c m?m, the Vietnamese fish sauce.
This dish feels like a family breakfast and a weekend brunch rolled together. The rice makes it filling, while the coconut milk keeps things gentle and rich.
If you’re new to fish sauce, these plates are a friendly introduction. Start with the gravy, and you may end up hunting for it everywhere else.
Save Room Because The Pastry Case Plays Dirty
Lisa Nguyen co-founded a doughnut shop, so of course the sweets here are worth your attention. Pastry is a big part of the experience, not just a side note. Cinnamon rolls take center stage. Flavors include black sesame and marionberry jam, which is a very Oregon touch.
Marionberries are a type of blackberry closely tied to the state. Seeing them next to black sesame sums up the cafe perfectly, mixing Pacific Northwest pride with Vietnamese flavors.
Waffles can easily slide into dessert mode too. A plain pandan or ube waffle makes a sweet finish if you’re sharing a bigger meal. Thirsty after all that sugar? Soda Chanh is a smart pick.
It’s made with pandan simple syrup, lime juice, and soda water. That bright, bubbly mix cuts through rich food and sweet icing really well. Here’s my strategy. Order something savory to share, grab a cinnamon roll for the table, and let everyone fight politely over the last bite.
Bigger Digs On Alberta Mean More Room To Linger
Mémoire Cà Phê first opened on August 24, 2024, at 1495 NE Alberta St. It grew so popular that it quickly outgrew that first space. The cafe moved down the street to a larger home. You’ll now find it at 3003 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211, with a grand reopening around June 2026.
The new space is much bigger than the original. It’s designed to comfortably fit more than 15 guests at a time, which matters a lot for a brunch spot this busy. Inside, green tones and natural lighting set the mood. That palette fits nicely with all the pandan waffles coming out of the kitchen.
Ordering is simple at this counter-service cafe. You order up front, then find your spot and wait for the food. Hours run from 8 AM to 2 PM every day. That makes it an easy pick for a weekday breakfast or a lazy Sunday brunch in Portland’s Alberta neighborhood.
National Awards And DJ Brunches Keep The Buzz Going
Big national attention arrived fast. Eater named Mémoire Cà Phê one of the 14 best new restaurants in the United States in 2024. The owners also earned Restaurant Team of the Year at the 2024 Eater Awards. That’s huge praise for a cafe that only opened that same summer.
Local outlets joined the chorus as well. Eater Portland included it among the city’s best next-level brunch spots, and Portland Monthly listed it among the hottest new eateries of 2024.
The Oregonian added it to a 2025 roundup of Portland’s best new brunches. Few Oregon cafes collect that much recognition so quickly.
Beyond the food, the cafe hosts a DJ brunch series called Open Memory. The name fits right in with the whole theme of turning memories into something you can share.
Music, waffles, and Vietnamese coffee make a pretty great weekend plan. Follow the cafe’s social channels for event news, then grab your friends and show up ready to celebrate breakfast properly.
