Food: Coffee Shop

Albina Press Hawthorne

The second location of the Albina Press, which opened in 2007, might be the greatest coffee space in Portland. The open bar area gives you a view of the baristas from almost every angle—face-to-face for friendly conversation, or swing around back to watch their careful attention to each drink. The 2,000-square-foot space is divided into pockets, each of which has a different feel: a comfortable, leather-couchy lounge area; a desky laptop scribble space; and a sleepy do-the-Sunday-crossword-and-watch-the-cars-pass window nook. Albina Press serves Stumptown coffee as well as any of Stumptown’s own cafes, along with a great tea selection and excellent pastries.

Arleta Library Bakery Cafe

Nick and Sarah Iannarone’s tiny Arleta brunch HQ has earned the love of its neighbors—who line up out the door on weekends—by virtue of tasty house-baked scones and cookies, as well as its off-kilter cafe standards. Yes, you can order “Portland’s Best Biscuits-n-Gravy” ($10) here. And you’ll be happily surprised when it turns out to be a slab of moist pork loin drizzled in rosemary-scented sausage gravy atop fluffy sweet-potato biscuits. Sturdy semolina griddlecakes are crisped up with heavenly bacon niblets ($8), and the Iannarones even make their own jam—strawberry-bourbon rhubarb jam.

Cellar Door Coffee

This quiet corner shop just east of Ladd’s Addition places a heavy emphasis on organics and vegan-friendliness—for example, they use Holy Kakow’s organic chocolate syrup, made here in Portland. The owners, husband-and-wife team Jeremy Adams and Andrea Pastor, roast the coffee themselves in the basement, and they do an impressive job. There are only a handful of house-roasted coffees available in Portland, and Cellar Door showcases some of the better ones. I recommend trying any of their single-origin coffees brewed for French press. (HN)

CLOSED Little Red Bike Cafe

Coffee Plant

This downtown shop serves mostly a workaday crowd in need of a midday break, but the staff manages to make you feel very at home among the traffic and patter of Washington Street. Cute decor and adorable logos (why more than one?) welcome you in. The shop serves Stumptown Coffee that’s well prepared. Housemade pastries (scones, pumpkin doughnuts, fluffy muffins) keep things feeling downright comfy. But the best part of the Coffee Plant experience is the baristas, who know the shop in and out and have an easy familiarity with everyone who walks through the door.

Coffeehouse Northwest

This is where the coffee cognoscenti spend their free time and tip money. You can’t get a better cappuccino anywhere in the city. Owner Adam McGovern and his team of baristas do incredible things with Stumptown Coffee, and produce one of the finest hot chocolates in town (actually, maybe anywhere). Look forward to new mochas made with Portland-produced chocolate (by Holy Kakow) in March. Stunning pastries made by Nuvrei continue the standard of excellence.

Cool Moon Ice Cream

Here in Gelato Land, Cool Moon is poised to bring back normal American ice cream. The employees strongly encourage you to taste as many housemade flavors as you like, and after a bout of bite-sized portions, nothing sounds better than the single size ($3.10), which can be split into one scoop each of your two favorites. If you’re not in the mood for something sweet, try a grilled-cheese waffle ($3), which is as filling as it is unusual. Bring in your own mug for 25 cents off any coffee drink.

E'njoni Cafe

Love variety? E’Njoni’s veggie combo ($8.95 lunch, $9.95 dinner) offers okra curry, stewed spinach, lentils in berbere sauce and beet stew if you want it. Inject some meat into your meal with another favorite: hamli wot ($12.95), a spicy sautéed chicken with spinach. Although the Ethiopian coffee here is dark and delicious (check out the traditional coffee ceremony), so is a pot of steaming shahi ($2.50), black tea loaded with cardamom, cloves and ginger. Wine and beer are now available as well.

Extracto

While Extracto has been serving well-made coffee since 2005, the Concordia neighborhood cafe recently became Portland’s latest small-batch roaster, roasting, preparing and selling under the appellation Cherry Coffee Roasters. After about six months of business, Cherry has transformed Extracto in small but noticeable ways: One of the happiest side benefits of house-roasting is being able to watch, and smell, the process unfold from start to finish—drop by on most weekdays to see the magic happen. With blends like “Gentleman Caller” and “Ladyfriend,” it’s hard not to fall in love.

Fuller's coffee shop

This Formica-topped slice of yesteryear handles breakfast standbys and milkshakes with equal aplomb. The only seating is at the U-shaped counter, so your waitress is always on hand with a warm-up for your coffee. You also can’t sit face-to-face with your companions, which can be vexing with groups, but it might be handy if, say, you’re eating a morning-after breakfast with a lazy-eyed hookup. (It happens!) One crooked look at your plate and you’ll be wolfing down eggs, bacon and perfect hash browns ($8.75) that won’t judge you for the night before. (ES)

Gladstone Coffee & Pizza

Yeah, coffee is in the name, but if Gladstone Coffee had a marquee, it would say “pizza” in three-foot neon letters. The cozy, unassuming eatery just off Southeast 39th Avenue offers large, well-made pies with the usual toppings for less than $20, as well as slightly pricier specialties such as basil pesto ($23) and the Umbria ($24), made with white sauce, prosciutto and red onions, which, split among four people, is worth the extra scratch.

Java Man Coffee

Forget namby-pamby tea rooms-—Java Man is exactly what Russian restaurants in the U.S. are supposed to be: incongruous, slightly forbidding and sudden in its comforts. From behind the counter of a chain coffee-shop franchise downtown, cabbage rolls ($6.75), borscht ($5.25) and pierogi ($1.85) are laconically served up by a man who looks like he’s broken people in half. But man, oh man, is the food good. I just hope the owner doesn’t have a daughter in town—he’d probably kill me.

Ken's Artisan Bakery

Let’s make this official: There’s no croissant in town that rivals Ken’s. Crisp, flaky and buttery, these browned beauties are even better with chocolate ($3). Sandwiches are good, too. The Ken’s hero ($6.95) pairs an intimidating stack of warm meat and cheese with crunchy lettuce and marinated onions. It’s delicious, but it will knock you out. Nab a slice of perfect fruit tart ($2.95) for dessert, and don’t forget to come back for the best pizza in town ($10-$12) on Mondays from 5:30 to 9:30 pm. (BW)

Kettleman Bagels and Bakery East

On the understanding that the boiled bagel and the delicatessen are great societal gifts, Jeffrey Wang has melded the two New York institutions together. Thus, the decidedly non-Kosher Marquam ($7.50), a hot bagel sandwich filled with ham, pepperoni, cheese, red onions and black olives. Customers can also choose from a selection of cold meats ($6.95-$7.50) or a sprightly chicken salad ($6.50) atop bagels flavored with jalapeños or sun-dried tomatoes. Purists can stick with the unimprovable simplicity of a plain toasted bagel with butter—for only $1.50.

Ristretto Williams

Ristretto has been roasting coffee since 2005, but the new location, on Williams Avenue, takes coffee appreciation to a new level with regular tasting events and a dedicated “cupping room.” With soaring ceilings; the smell of fresh-brewed coffee; a modern mixture of dark woods, metals and leather; and a simple, open bar, the space appeases all senses. Ristretto is another of the very few places in town that roasts high-quality coffees on its own, often buying from the same farms and importers as Stumptown. Being able to taste different expressions of the same coffees is one of the joys of having multiple roasters in the same town.

Spella Caffe (Cart)

For coffee en plein air, check out Andrea Spella’s cart at the Alder Street cart pod. Spella roasts his own espresso beans, using a slightly darker formulation than the popular light roasts prized by Stumptown and others. It doesn’t produce the strikingly unique flavors of some light-roasted coffee, but it creates round, rich, sweet espresso with beautiful crema. Drinking Spella’s coffee is always a full-body experience: standing, sipping your Americano in the midday crush, among people and the commingling smells from the United Nations of neighboring food carts, with fresh air and sweetness at the back of your throat. If that’s not addictive, I don’t know what is.