Papa Haydn,

5829 Southeast Milwaukie Avenue, Portland, OR 97202

"This used to be a favorite special events restaurant for me and my mom going as far back as the early 90s. For years the service has slid downhill to the point that the ‘vibe’ atmosphere detracts from your meal. The turnover is high, I don’t know if servers and hosts last 2 mos. Something has radically changed, I was noticing this change well before the pandemic. Service industry is HARD, I know from personal experience, but the staff here consistently seem viscerally miserable. And they are sure to pass this along - from the moment you call to make a reservation, to walking in the front door to being seated to placing your order. You will be made aware that they are “putting up with you” because it’s their job to ‘accommodate’ but they’d rather be just about anywhere else. Those kinds of restaurants depress me to my core. You feel like by just being a patron you are enslaving or insulting them in some way. There is no joy and no one is having fun. Interactions with customers feel forced, simulated. The pastry counter is a harried and joyless conveyor belt. Watching the girl assembling the avalanche of orders in a much much too small space is kind of shocking. And she’s angry. Tempted to try NW 23rd because it breaks our hearts to give up “special celebratory desserts at Papa Haydn’s” but I can’t face another Sellwood experience. The desserts are not worth the cost to the staff’s well-being. It feels “unfair” or an injustice that they are working there and serving you. Don’t torture them with your business. I don’t want the bad vibe download. I get it EVERY time I’ve stepped foot in there in the last 6 years. I have to accept that a magical place where I have such fond and formative memories is a phantom of the past. Nothing lasts forever."

"The food is always fantastic here! Love the large outdoor patio dining. Staff are very friendly and professional. Desserts are scrumptous!!! Treat yourself."

"Very tasty! Although not everyone was formally dressed, I thought I would have been more comfortable slightly more dressed up than tshirt and jeans. My sandwich was perfect and the dessert, divine Update: Food was still spectacular! My friend’s pork was perfectly cooked, and not dry! The combination of flavors was perfect. I got the chicken sandwich and it really was the best I’d ever had! We both saved room for dessert! She had the apricot cake and I had the passion dessert mouse. Both were lovely! The servers were friendly, but we did have to wait 20 minutes even though we had reservations. They accidentally had made four reservations for the same time, but we were the only party that had to wait. Update: The service was so much better. No wait with our reservation, and they remembered to write Happy Birthday on my cake. I love the outside seating!"

"Come here for a special occasion! Service is excellent, food is delicious, and you can’t go wrong with their cake. I got the mushroom risotto and it was so flavorful, their burgers are also really tasty. My family has been going here for over 20 years and it never disappoints. Make sure to get a reservation in advance. I also love stopping by just to get a quick piece of cake!"