We had breakfast at The Victorian Café last weekend, and it reinforced my belief which I’ll boldly state here that the Victorian is the best breakfast place in town. There’s a number of reasons for this:

• The quality of food. They’re widely considered to have the best eggs benedict around (I’ve seen this asserted in a number of publications), but everything I’ve had there is beyond excellent. This last time I had the Salmon Benedict (smoked salmon, yum) and my wife had their new French Toast special, and I don’t think either of us has had better.
• The quality of service. Everyone there provides excellent service, is super friendly, and is attentive and timely. John Nolan, the owner (whom we knew before he owned it), makes it a point to visit everyone’s table and chat or at least say hi.
• It’s affordable. No, it’s not greasy-spoon cheap, but what place is anymore? All of their menu items are very reasonably priced, and you get huge portions for your money.
• It’s genuine. It’s a feeling you get: totally not pretentious (though they could probably get away with that), employees seem happy to be there, it’s a comfortable atmosphere.

There are only two drawbacks I can think of; the first is how long the wait can be on busy mornings. Wait times of up to and over an hour are not uncommon, and they don’t have much in the way of a waiting area, so the crowd can get backed up. And they don’t take reservations—you get your name on the list in the order you get there.

The other drawback is parking—they have limited space in their parking lot and, being on the westside, parking elsewhere is at a premium. The fact that they’re located on the corner of the Galveston roundabout doesn’t help this situation any.

But you know what? It’s worth the wait, and the parking. We’ve been going there for years, literally, and we have never had a bad meal there. That’s another factor in their Best of Bend distinction: consistency.

The Victorian Café
1404 NW Galveston Ave.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 382-6411