Sunday Brunch at Nel Centro

Oh Nel Centro. What can I say? I really, really wanted to like Nel Centro. I walk by it on my way home from work every evening, and people look reasonably content with the food that is before them. It's close to home, close to the office, from the outside looking in looked like it would be decent - I even read a couple of reviews online.. and yet.. I was very disappointed. 

My big mistake may have been going to Nel Centro for brunch instead of the more popular Happy Hour, but I was swayed by two separate blog reviews that named Nel Centro "their favorite brunch in Portland".  WHAT? Needless to say I'll not be reading those blogs again because clearly my taste is vastly different from the authors of those blogs. 

Perhaps my first clue as to the quality of the brunch at Nel Centro should have been the crowd in the dining room. The complete and utter lack of a crowd. In Portland even the worst establishments have couple of people milling about during brunch hours. 

The menu was boring an uninspiring. T had an omelet with smoked apples, brie, baby arugula and bacon ($13.00). Everything on the menu comes with potatoes and toast. 

I ordered the extremely boring eggs any style with bacon ($11.00). I don't even know where to begin. I'm not a fan of a meal where everything is pretty much the same color. The eggs were completely overcooked and unappetizing. The potatoes were incredibly greasy and under cooked, which made them like hard little grease covered rocks. The bacon was really tiny and fatty and was not the flavor of something I would choose to put in my mouth.  Yuck. 

If you'd like to check our Nel Centro for yourself, their website is www.nelcentro.com. They are located at 1408 SW 6th Ave in Portland. They are open for breakfast Mon-Fri from 6:30am - 10:30am and Saturday from 7:30am - 11:30am. Brunch is served on Sunday from 8:00am - 2:00pm. They are open for lunch Mon - Fri from 11:30am - 2:30pm  and dinner Sun - Thurs from 5:00pm - 9:00pm and Fri - Sat from 5:00pm - 10:00pm.