JaxDog Café & Books

Dawn Tower

2024-03

I was blown away by the quiche at this place. It was so full of flavor, and the custard was perfect. The only unpleasant experience was a customer trying to rush the kitchen and being a bit of a butthead about things. Sometimes waiting twenty minutes is worth it. It definitely is in this restaurant’s case.All of the baked items we tried were amazing. The drip coffee is surprisingly good as well. Nice book selection, we found two for my toddler while hanging out.

Allyssa Wilson

2023-12

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Greg Key

2023-08

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Keith Turner

2022-05

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Karina Miller

2023-05

Remarkable in every way. It is clear the owners are passionate about what they do. The food is perfection and the book selection beautifully curated and displayed. We will route through La Grande in the future just to stop here.Vegetarian options: Had a fabulous beet salad and lentil soup.

Jura Glo

2023-05

I had the best sandwich of my life. Everything is fresh and flavours are well combined and thought through. The staff is the sweetest. And the variety of books... Oh boy, tell your friends, ok my coming back!

Brandon Edelman

2022-05

We stumbled upon this place after seeing it shared the name with our Doggo! Such an awesome little place! Loved the quiet and serene bookstore/cafe vibe and the food was amazing!They had a cardamom roll (cinnamon roll with cardamom) that was out of this world! We ended up getting a second one to go for a snack later!We had a house salad, and their entree with soup. All of which was so fresh and full of flavor! We enjoyed ourselves and the food so much I forgot to snap pix before we finished them, hahaha!Next time we are on this side of the state we are definitely planning on coming back!

Kearl Hat

2023-05

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Sharon Porter

2024-03

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Lauren Hendrickson

2020-05

The food presentation is gorgeous. Friendly staff. They had rose tea, which is hard to find even in Portland. The ganache bar is like eating a bag of chocolate chips (the fancier kind), but it's gluten free! Atmosphere almost made this 5 star for me. Lots of great books. Window seating. Romantic, hip, classy, chill. It's all of those things. I'll be bringing my friends and my daughter.Was a little disappointed with the Ahi salad. Overwhelming coconut aminos flavor. The seasoning would have been sufficient with a balsamic glaze dressing or something. And it was over cooked. That's kind of my fault, I didn't specify rare, I just assumed because it's seared Ahi it would have been rare. But it was gluten free too and dang it that's hard to find here.Overall I really enjoyed my visit and it's a taste of Portland in this little town, which makes me giddy inside.

Taggart Calendar

2021-05

This cafe knocked my socks off! I was expecting plain and I received fantastic. The beet salad was complex and full of flavor. I also found multiple booms that suited my strange interests such as mushrooming.

Rachele Wharton

2018-05

We stopped in here during our very short stay in La Grande. What a fantastic experience. I had the lentil stuffed bell pepper and lentil vegetable soup with a ganache bar for dessert. My husband had a delicious bowl of fresh tomato soup and crusty bread. Highly recommend this vegetarian cafe!

Kegan Kidd, Artist

2022-05

Beautiful shop with delicious food. Highly recommend for travels looking for a relaxing lunch stop.

Gina Gonzales

2021-05

Good place to grab a bite. Good food, friendly staff and nice atmosphere. I ordered the special, falafel with red pepper soup, good portion and good flavor.

James Wimer

2023-05

Definitely not a book store by any standard. Very poor floor plan. Unwelcoming and pretentious environment. No room to browse the books. Seating was cramped with only two chairs per table, the hostess was rude/curt. Almost all the books are used. The smell of the kitchen area was so strong it deterred me from the idea of dinning in. A major birthday let down.Parking: Virtually none.

Micki Vickers

2023-05

Amazing lunch...interesting baked sweet potato with delicious and very different toppings. And I had soup with it. Wonderful. Good strong favorable coffee. Wonderful service. Pleasant and inviting environment. Lots of books too!!!

Margaret Monteleone

2022-05

The food was absolutely beautiful and incredibly delicious. Had the Roasted Beet Salad, wild rice and mushroom soup and ganache bars. Homemade bread was one of the best I've had. All were fabulous. Great selection of books at reasonable prices, too. Unique gifts and you can purchase a gift card, as well.

Nancy

2022-05

What a wonderful find on our way through town from Portland. The food was fresh and delicious, it tasted like all the vegetables had been picked right from the farm moments earlier. Loved the diverse and eclectic book selection that allows you to read a bit as you wait for your food. I'm sad I put a book back while eating, because when I went to pick it to buy afterwards, someone had gotten to it before me! Lovely spot, looking forward to visiting again on our way.

Kay Kellogg

2023-10

I’m updating my review after six years as they have changed a bit since my first one. Their establishment used to be above a bookstore that they ended up buying. After some structural emergencies in that building, they moved to a new spot and is *still* one of the best places in town by a lot (only Liberty Cafe compares food wise, but you don’t get the same level of service there).Jon & Laura are the very best of people and I am so grateful that they have been able to remain afloat after catastrophe and covid.Old review:In short: delicious, healthy, & expertly-prepared offerings in a cozy setting with great atmosphereIn detail: JaxDog is a hidden gem that is simply incomparable to anything else in La Grande. It is nestled on a second-floor, almost loft-like space above a lovely book shop that you walk through to get there, so it's easy to miss but completely worth finding.The menu is small and changes daily; there is always a quiche, 2 soups, and an entree and one or more of those are always vegetarian. They post their offerings on Facebook each day and it is also on a sandwich board outside of the book shop.As a native Vermonter, I am used to restaurants that serve delicious, healthy meals made with high quality ingredients, but such establishments are few & far between here. JaxDog is like something I'd find back home and I am grateful that we discovered it.I am a finicky vegetarian, so honestly there is not always something here that I am interested in eating, but my omnivorous husband would happily eat almost every dish they have ever offered and the food is always so good when we do eat here that I cannot give them less praise for my own restrictions.The only downside of this place is that it isn't all that child-friendly. If your kid is an awesome eater, then sure, but otherwise it would be tricky. Water is the only beverage option outside of coffee & tea and soup is the only thing on the menu that could be gotten in a smaller portion (tho entrees are certainly large enough to share)... we usually end up letting our 4-year-old eat one of their amazing cardamom rolls if we bring him, tho he does love their quiche on the right day & sometimes the soups; our older 3 wouldn't eat anything here other than the rolls, but they're always in school when we go anyhow! ;) But I'll also give them no less stars for this as I don't expect any decent small restaurant to cater to children unless they specifically claim to... I only mention it as a heads up to anyone wondering.

Matthias

2023-06

I simply love the combination of a cafe and a bookstore. JaxDog also offered a very clean bathroom. I sensed a bit of a smell when entering the cafe, but I did not notice it after a few minutes.

Explainer of the Obvious

2021-05

there may be few selections in the menu, but my God is everything on that menu top of the line and absolutely delicious. incredible service, incredible vibe, incredible cook. I feel like I'd see this place on Gordon Ramsay's show and pass with flying colors. its truly phenomenal. would recommend to anyone on a diet but doesn't wanna give up really good food, because this place is super healthy and diet friendly. honestly makes la grande seem like Portland.

Sascha Fischel-Freeman

2021-05

I recently completed a cross-country road trip from Austin to Washington. I stopped at JaxDog for lunch. It was hands down, the best food I had during my trip. The ingredients were fresh and good quality. The tuna was perfectly cooked, the salad was amazing and the homemade bread was delicious. And all for a very good price. Thanks so much for a fantastic meal!

Scott Reardon

2022-05

Great place. In a library setting! Nice little cafe with excellent food. Owner is very courteous and engaging. Not flashy. Simple menu. Limited hours Hidden gem!Features: It's Eastern Oregon; what do you expect?

Micki Bachand

2018-05

The food, the environment, the servings and the art!! What a delightful gem that we happened upon during our visit. I loved the combo of a bookstore with what feels like a little visit to a friend who loves to have people over to his kitchen. Everything sounded delicious and my serving of salad fed me for two meals!!

Rick Lee

2022-05

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AlexLexOne Cruz

2019-05

Very small and quaint cafe above a bookstore in the middle of nowhere Oregon that had an incredible selection of vegan options. I walked a mile and a half to this cafe and was pleasantly surprised I found this Gem. Great food and ambiance. I would definitely come again!

Trayse Riggle

2022-05

Food is fantastic. Atmosphere is fantastic. They recognize that we are all free individuals in control of our own destiny which, funny enough, is fairly rare. JaxDog is one of the finest gems in Union County.

Nicoll Davis

2021-05

I came here to work a few days and I absolutely loved the atmosphere. Everyone is super friendly! I enjoyed the tea and their cinnamon rolls are the best I've ever had. Highly recommend this cafe and book store! Thanks JaxDog!

Clank Tronix

2022-05

Best Quiche ever! Great service too! Great looking bookstore 🤓

James Brasch

2018-05

Very interesting dining establishment. Nothing else comparable in NE Oregon. Breakfast items are not only tasty but a work of art. All items on menu are delicious and do not rule out the house coffee or baked goods either. Fortunate enough to have it in town. Cheers!