About

The Cricket Cafe started as a bet between the former owner and his girlfriend. I am somewhat foggy on how it came to be, but it was named after a neighborhood cat crossed paths with them, and they found out it’s name was Cricket.. behold our namesake. Anyway, I purchased the cafe in late 2003 with my wife and we set out to improve upon the many great things that had so much potential here. The menu needed a facelift, and in fact we felt the whole place needed one but with time and money constraints we focused mostly on the importance of making great food and big portions for a good price.

After a few years we considered adding alcohol (a bar) to the equation. We wondered about changing the dynamic of the business and if it would scare off families and teetotalers, but after careful review and receiving much praise, we stumbled into what I like to call our saving grace.
The liquid breakfast was born! It was natural to have a bloody mary on the menu but not natural to name it the Bloody Gary. See, I figured no one really had the history correct when it comes to the bloody.. and so if it too could handle a facelift, then I was going to give it a manly one. The name stuck and you can frequently hear it just being called the Gary by server staff and regulars.

On a good day we pump out many beverages and lots of great food, and that’s what keeps me reinventing breakfast classics and cocktail dreams.. the concept that all great things can use a new twist. We still put out all the old favorites and the standbys, and we do it by creating dishes with fresh and local ingredients from our growing list of purveyors and suppliers like the Portland Farmers Market, a Family Italian bakery, and a very responsible dairy, all the way down to the mint that our next door neighbors were so kind to grow and provide us with. It’s a neighborhood experience so why not use what the locals have to offer? We like to think it makes a difference in the quality and freshness as well as helping the community thrive and stay on it’s feet.

The Cricket Cafe is nothing more or less than a corner cafe with a desire to please all palates and even the harshest critics (they won’t agree). For all those who have to brave the long lines on the weekends, they soon realize it’s all worth it at the first sip of the Gary or gourmet hot chocolate, to the last bite of the Saint’s hash or the towering Cricket omelet. Beyond that it’s just breakfast, so relax, and enjoy your time away from the stove.