JaxDog Café & Books

This place hits all the marks

Food is remarkable, wonderful service and gorgeous atmosphere. We were just passing through and so glad we chose to stop here

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.

Wonderful friendly staff. Delicious food! Beet salad was well worth the visit. Will be returning. Specials also available, good variety.

This is a cozy shop with wonderful atmosphere and terrific food options. The Ginger Apple Cider Vinegar Spritzer was a unique treat, and the cardamom rolls could be habit forming. Our sandwich was on house made farmhouse bread, and the black bean soup was exceptional.

Because of snow and freeway closures I actually stopped in La Grande and discovered this place. Loved the food. Friendly staff and great atmosphere made it too notch. For a book lovers I was in heaven. Found some old astrology books. Next time I drive past La Grande I'll be stopping by for some food and broiling the books again.

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.

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!

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!

Nice little book store and Cafe. I had split pea soup and a hot chocolate and they were very good. The atmosphere is very artsy and relaxing. Also they have a nice selection of books. Good place to go for a light meal or to find something to read in LaGrande, Oregon.

What a lovely experience...always. we can visit over a fresh, beautifully plated entree while gazing at the books I want
to read!

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.

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!

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

Great place to enjoy a coffee and find good reading choices

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!!!

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.

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.

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 atmosphere
In 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.

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.

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.