The nation-wide awareness of Portland’s bustling coffee community is at this point one of the facts of everyday life, particularly when it concerns the city’s leading position in ethical coffee and food consumption.
With such respected representatives of artisanal and eco-friendly coffee culture as Never Coffee Portland and Kopi Coffee, Portland gives even the de-facto coffee cities like Seattle or New York a run for their money.
But what of less known coffeehouse gems and independently-owned neighborhood spots? As countless as your options in Portland are, some of the currently operating coffee shops stand out against the rest. The following list may shed some light on Portland’s best coffee bars, roasteries, and adjacent bakeries.
Proud Mary Coffee
2012 NE Alberta St
Portland, OR 97211
503-208-3475
Open daily from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm;
As an Aussie-style coffee bar and cafe, Proud Mary Coffee in Portland fully delivers on its Aussie-themed specials as well as craft coffee drinks mase using world-renowned roasts from Panama, Guatemala, and East Africa.
If you’re looking to try out new coffee flavors, be sure to check out the cafe’s full drink menu: they offer everything from classic drip, long black, aero press, and cold drip coffee to espresso-based drinks and deluxe V60 pour-overs.
Other options include teas, smoothies, other hot drinks, soft cold drinks and light alcoholic cocktails, with one of their most notable unique specials being the so-called Cold Fashioned that mixes bourbon, cold drip, blood orange, and spiced syrup.
And if you’re in need of a quick bite or full lunch, Proud Mary has got you covered, offering all-day breakfast and lunch menus, including their in-house made Aussie meat pies and such delicacies as breakfast sashimi and sticky pork and watermelon salads.
World Cup Coffee
1005 W Burnside St
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-4651 (ext. 1233)
Open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm;
Bookshop and coffeehouse combos are a sight you see more and more often these days, especially in Portland, but World Cup fills a very specific niche of coffee authenticity and preservation of the bookstore’s original purpose and atmosphere.
Found in Portland’s famous Powell’s bookstore, World Cup Coffee occupies a separate coffee room where you can purchase one of the shop’s coffee drinks made from elite house-roasted beans as well as pastry and other desserts. At the stand, you can also purchase single-origin retail coffee and blends as well as decaf, tea, K-Cups, and themed merch.
Portland Coffee Roasters
815 SE Oak St
Portland, OR 97214
503-334-4685
Open Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm;
One of Portland’s best local coffee retailers, Portland Coffee Roasters holds the title of the city’s finest roaster companies along with Coava Coffee and Heart Coffee roasters, while its main cafe remains to be a go-to spot for good coffee, friendly atmosphere, and a close sense of community. For all its open space, the cafe on Oak Street feels incredibly homey thanks to its log cabin style setting and woodsy design.
Using their own roasts as well as Smith Teamaker’s tea and chai from Dragonfly Chai, the cafe serves all popular coffee, espresso, tea, and non-caf drinks with various add-ons. The food menu is rich with fresh treats, sandwiches, wraps, salads, burritos, and parfait for dessert.
Maplewood Coffee & Tea
5206 SW Custer Street
Portland, OR 97219
503-688-4626
Open Thursday through Sunday from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm;
Located in a historic Maplewood post office and general store building established as early as 1911 and previously known as the Green Store, Maplewood Coffee & Tea retains the architectural aesthetic and vibrancy of the era while providing only the best of locally-roasted coffees, teas, pastries, and full-course meals.
For mornings and afternoons, Maplewood serves classic breakfast and lunch foods as well as a variety of baked goods, while their dinner menu is much more extensive and always available for pick-up. The cafe also conducts regular live music events and accommodates group gatherings with a selection of lager and elite wines as well as various non-caf and non-alc drinks.
Kopi Coffee Co
2327 E. Burnside
Portland, OR 97214
503-234-8610
Open daily from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm;
Perhaps one of Portland’s most interesting and uniquely diverse coffee shops, Kopi Coffee Co in Kern offers a unique fusion of authentic South East Asian and Indonesian recipes in a vibrantly warm setting with a casual, friendly atmosphere.
In the best beverage traditions of South Asia, Kopi puts a special emphasis on the use of ginger in their drinks, so if it’s your first time encountering coffee with ginger, be sure to have a taste of the shop’s signature drinks like Ginger Americano, Indonesian Iced Coffee, Kopi Jahe, or Jahe Latte.
Kopi’s food choices range from delicious stuffed Roti—flakey Malaysian flatbread with fillings—to Nasi Pagi rice bowls with meat and vegan toppings and salad alternatives.
In addition to making the best cold brews in PDX, Kopi serves traditional Vietnamese Phin coffee, both Vegan and classic Arabica. Another delicious specialty of the shop is Kedai Susu which is essentially a meticulously prepared mix of espresso latte with makrut lime, lemongrass and sweetened condensed coconut milk.
Tandem Coffee Roasters
Tandem Coffee + Bakery
742 Congress St.
Portland, ME, 04102
207-760-4440
Tandem Cafe + Roastery
122 Anderson St.
Portland, ME, 04101
207-760-4440
Open Wednesday through Sunday from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm;
Known for their warm urban-style cafe and roastery spaces, Tandem Coffee Roasters offers plenty of space for in-house breakfasts as well as tasting probably the best coffee in Portland, Maine, or at least the top contender for the title.
Similar to the Heart Coffee in Portland, Oregon, Tandem houses a roasting room and baking space, serving only fresh baked goods and other staple breakfast items from light sandwiches and quiche to pastry, biscuits, and assorted desserts.
Their coffee drinks cover espressos, traditional drip coffee and pour-overs, nitro and malt iced brews as well as non-caf drinks, while their shop stocks retail coffee bags, both single-origin and blends, accessories, coffee brewers apparel, and even vinyl.
Nossa Familia Coffee Roastery
Seven Corners Cafe
2007 SE Division St., Portland, OR 97202
971-337-8259
Central Eastside Cafe
1633 SE 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97214
971-322-3753
Pearl District Espresso Bar
1350 NW Lovejoy St, Portland, OR 97209
541-304-9234
Open daily from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm;
Part of a small coffee shop chain with locations in Oregon and Los Angeles, Portland’s Nossa Familia keeps up with the farm-to-table coffeehouse tradition, outfitting their shops in a fusion of Boho and American rustic style and serving only freshly roasted coffee with house-baked goods and breakfasts made from locally-sourced ingredients.
The shop’s coffee menu features all popular classics, from drip and pour-over brews to espresso, blended drinks, Brazilian-style cafézinho, and much more. And if you want to grab something quick for breakfast, Nossa Familia offers a wide variety of breakfast bowls, toast, bowls, bagels, and small plates.
St Johns Coffee Roasters
7304 N Leavitt Ave
Portland, OR 97203
503-445-2249
Open daily from 7:00 am to 12:00 pm;
For over eleven years now, St Johns Coffee Roasters has been a favorite haunt of many neighborhood locals, students, and busy professionals, serving elite coffee roasts at much more reasonable prices as well as making them available for purchase or under subscription.
The shop thrives on simplicity and home-like coziness with its bricked interior and woodsy elements, though there is plenty of light and air left for work or studying. Apart from a wide selection of espresso, pour-overs, and other classic coffee brews, St Johns serves snacks from Sommerlind Baking Company, with such breakfast favorites as glazed lemon and banana walnut loaves, Sourdough English muffins, and salted caramel cookies.
Crema Coffee + Bakery
Crema at the Fair-Haired Dumbell
390 NE Couch St, Portland, Portland, OR 97232
Open daily from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm;
Crema Coffee & Bakery
2728 SE Ankeny Street, Portland, OR 97214
503-234-0206
Open daily from 6:30 am to 6:00 pm;
Another great homey spot in the Kern area, Crema coffee houses are a great source of fresh brews and roasts as well as affordable breakfast and lunch foods. The in-house bakery also serves fresh baked goods daily, including savory and sweet pastry, cookies, scones, croissants, breads, and much more.
In addition to hot and cold brews, the shop offers classic espresso, tea, creamy blended drinks, and signature favorites like Vietnamese iced espresso and Mexican mocha with chilli, cinnamon, almond, and cocoa.
Fuller’s Coffee Shop
136 NW 9th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
503-222-5608
Open Tuesday – Saturday from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm;
Sunday from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm;
One of the oldest generational cafes in Portland, Fuller’s Coffee Shop has been in business for over seventy years and provided the local community with delicious elite coffee brews and hearty meals at the turn of each decade.
Premium roasts and espresso drinks aside, Fuller’s widely favored for its extensive breakfast and lunch menus. They have everything from traditional waffles, omelettes, and pancakes to sandwiches, French toast, and tortillas.
Their lunch menu won’t leave anyone wanting: among the special offerings are beef and chicken steaks, burgers, salads, seafood, and plenty of greasy and veggie side options.
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