Caffe PDX – Read. Find. Drink. Smile.

One question people regularly ask me is, “Where should I go for coffee in Portland?” Sometimes I stumble over the answer, because Portland has so many good cafés. While I would like to send them to all my favorites, I usually just give them two or three suggestions. When the SCAA Event came to Portland earlier this year, for example, I put together a few coffee tour ideas for visitors.

To make life easier for Portland’s coffee explorers, a group of friends and I have been working on a side project called the Caffe PDX SmartMap. Located at caffepdx.com, the site is designed to make it easier for you to find the best cafés and coffee shops in Portland. It highlights thirty of our favorite cafés around the city. We visited the shops, took some pictures and wrote up some descriptions that capture the spirit of each one. Visit Caffe PDX’s About page to learn more about our team.

Caffe PDX - click the image to check it out

Our goal was not to list every café in the city (Google does that quite well already). Rather, we wanted to highlight cafés where we are confident you will get a good cup of coffee and a unique Portland experience. Ultimately, the plan is to create a mobile app that will put a café guide in your pocket, but that is still under development. If you sign up for email updates (right-hand sidebar, this page), I will let you know as soon as it is ready.

When you visit Caffe PDX, click on a café name or on one of the map pins to bring up a quick snapshot of the café. Click ‘More info’ to bring up larger photos and the full café description. Caffe PDX is still “in beta” (the tech people tell me that’s code for  the testing phase), so you might come across a bug or two that we will be weeding out over the next few weeks. Time permitting, we will also add more features and maybe a couple more cafés.

Use the site to plan a weekend coffee adventure with your friends. Share the site with others so they too can find good coffee. Drop us a line and let us know what you think. We’re always looking for ideas of how to improve things.

Most importantly, have fun exploring Portland and enjoy your coffee!

Downtown PDX café update

The downtown coffee scene got a little bit more competitive this summer. Several well-known PDX cafés opened new locations in the downtown core. If you happen to be exploring, you might stop in and check them out.

In the Pearl District, the Red E Café has set up shop inside the Ecotrust building. Fans of the original café on North Killingsworth now have a place to visit when they head to the Pearl. Sipping iced coffee while enjoying the Ecotrust’s unique architecture is always a treat, or you can grab your coffee and head up to the roof for a new perspective on Portland.

Red E

Case Study, of Northeast Sandy Boulevard, opened a pop-up stand on Yamhill Street, just around the corner from the Central Library (in what used to be Finnegan’s). The pop-up is a predecessor to Case Study’s new café, expected to open this fall at the corner of 10th and Yamhill.

Case Study's pop-up

Phuong Tran, former US Barista Champion and owner of Lava Java, is making her first foray into the Portland market. She opened a coffee kiosk inside West End Bikes at SW 11th and Stark. Maglia Rosa (pink jersey – it’s a bike thing) serves single-origin espressos roasted by Stumptown and gives away smiles at no extra charge . The kiosk is open to the street, so passersby (and not just bike enthusiasts) can easily access the new shop.

Maglia Rosa's Phuong Tran

Finally, Billy Wilson opened his third Barista café at 529 SW 3rd Ave. The stripped-down ambience falls somewhere between a sophisticated saloon and stylish soda fountain. The white porcelain tiles and large windows really brighten up the café.  As a new twist, the latest Barista offers pourovers made to order.

Barista III

You serve what? (a lesson in expectation management)

Most cafés hang a sign in the window near the door telling customers what brand of coffee they sell, but not all. The other day I visited an unfamiliar shop in Downtown Portland that was tight-lipped about its coffee.  

“What kind of espresso do you have?” I asked the barista.

You would have thought I asked her for her phone number. She shot me a look that told me not to ask stupid questions. “It’s store-bought,” she replied, curtly.

Now it was my turn to give her a look—a puzzled one. In all the cafés I have visited, this was the first time someone said an espresso was “store-bought.”

Confused, I sputtered, “Any…particular store?”

She looked at me coolly and said, “It’s from Cash and Carry. Do you want one shot or two?”

“One, thank you.”

Inwardly, I dreaded the first sip of the espresso, but to my surprise, it was drinkable. While the coffee would not stand out in a tasting competition, it did not have any off-flavors or obvious defects. Considering the circumstances, I was satisfied. Never underestimate the power of low expectations.

Sterling Coffee moved! (but not too far)

Trader Joe’s decision to expand in Northwest Portland was good news for fans of the quirky supermarket, but the expansion pushed Sterling Coffee out of its space. Fortunately for fans of the coffee kiosk, Adam McGovern and Aric Miller, Sterling’s owners, found a new spot to set up shop. This week, Sterling moved around the corner from its original location into M Bar, a petite public house on Northwest 21st.

M Bar aficionados need not fret. M Bar did not disappear. Rather, the two beverage purveyors are joining forces. The space will be Sterling in the mornings and afternoons, and M Bar in the evenings. Sterling redecorated the bar to reflect its 19th century style. The new location gives customers a place to sit and enjoy—dare I say it?—“sterling” coffee without facing the traffic or the rain*. In a new twist, Sterling’s sharply-dressed baristas serve espressos in shapely snifters that send coffee aromas directly to your olfactory receptors. This is common in barista competitions, but it is the first time I’ve seen it in a café setting. Could coffee cocktails be next? We’ll have to wait and see.

Elegant espresso

Upcoming Event

On Sunday, June 17th, Sterling and M Bar are celebrating their new partnership with a public party billed as “the marriage of Sterling Coffee Roasters & M Bar.” Coffeehouse Northwest will be closed so that all Sterling Coffee family and friends can gather and witness the event. A live band playing Cuban music is scheduled for the reception. The party, open to everyone, runs from 8am-4:30pm.

Vitals

Location: 417 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR  97210
Hours: 7am-4:30pm Monday-Friday

*just because you dare, doesn’t mean you should