Situated in Portland’s West End, Cafe Ohno is an unassuming little neighborhood joint that’s been open for eight years. The current owners have been running it for the past three, and after a recent visit, it was easy to understand why a lot of people are saying “Oh Yes!” to Ohno.

On the morning front, they offer six speciality breakfast sandwiches with ingredients such as maple glazed prosciutto, avocado, smoked Atlantic salmon, sriracha (a type of hot sauce), cucumber and grilled hanger streak.

I’m all kinds of excited about a pre-work stop-off to grab one of these babies.

And speaking of hanger steak, this was the shining star of my lunch. The hanger steak wrap ($9.50) came with bacon, cheddar cheese, spinach and onion as well as a choice of sides. I opted for the spinach salad. Although Ohno does have seating for 10 or so, I took my show on the road, and it was worth the wait to enjoy this gourmet lunch.

The steak itself was cooked medium, with just the right amount of pink (read: to perfection), and the sandwich was served on a whole wheat wrap which, much to my delight, was grilled. Could it have been a few bites bigger? Probably. But then again, had it been, I might not have had room for the best seven-layer bar I’ve had in years, made by Emma D’s Bakeshop and wisely sold at Ohno.

For future lunch reference, other tempting creations are the mango bourbon barbecue pulled pork sandwich ($7.99), the crispy Maine crabcake sandwich with sweet Asian slaw ($8.99) and the roasted chicken sandwich ($7.99).

The specials board is also quite mouthwatering. The day I popped in, Ohno was serving lentil soup, Southwest-style pork chops with cranapple chutney, and beef stuffed red peppers.

It may have taken me a while to find my way to Cafe Ohno, but they had me at hello and at first bite.

 

The Features staff of The Portland Press Herald anonymously samples meals for about $7.