One of the things I want to do with the site is support businesses I believe in by writing positive reviews on here. I have no idea if that is going to help them or not, but it can’t hurt them. It will, by luck, also help me recall places I like. This page contains reviews of coffee shops I have walked to from my house in the Overlook neighborhood in Portland Oregon. I’m only going to list the ones I’ve been to and like and recommend, not all of them. I think. We’ll see. Yup, I didn’t list some others, partly because I’ve not been there……
Coffee Shops Near Overlook
Not all of these are in Overlook. Maybe I should call this North or Northeast coffee shops? Because some of these are in Kenton or Arbor Lodge. Alas, the neighborhoods in Portland are small, and I’m willing to walk a lot……but here are some coffee shops I like in the area.
Blend is a smaller sized place, I guess. It’s got good coffee, and very nice employees. It can get crowded at times, either with Adidas employees or with a knitting club (or other club). It really only has a couple of what I’d call comfy chairs, but it has some good sized tables to sit around with other people. It isn’t fancy, and the food is not all that good. Go for the coffee, not the breakfast food/snacks. If you like something more than “just coffee”, I recommend the Honey Badger. It’s got honey and spices and it tastes good. If you plan to go often, get a punch card (double punches on Tuesday, IIRC). The music is pretty random, depending on who is in charge at the moment. Which is kind of fun. There are definite regulars there, almost like a comfy bar. They are currently closed up due to the pandemic. Parking isn’t ideal, now that part of the neighborhood requires a pass to park more than 2 hours.
This is a really cool concept. There are shelves of books you can read in the shop, or check out. A coffee shop and private library all in one. It’s not clear to me that the books are organized in any way……The coffee here is good, but I think I like Blend’s slightly more. The food here, however, is much better than Blend. I definitely recommend the breakfast tacos (not huge portions, but good enough). I’m surprised at the lack of comfy chairs, given all the books, but there are plenty of tables to sit at. I’ve never seen it really crowded but that could just be luck. You might have to park a block or so away at times, but if you aren’t staying long, it should be “easy” to park.
Madrona Hill Cafe
Love this place. Love it. Good coffee, and great food. Well, breakfasty food, I’ve never had anything other than that there. The pastries and other items are really, really good. Their website is currently bouncing to some kind of spam spot…..otherwise I’d link it. I’m drawing a blank on how many comfy chairs they have, as I often sit outside at one of the picnic tables. Or take it to go and sit in a park on the bluff. Anyway, I’ll be going here again when they re-open at some point. Plenty of parking in the neighborhood around this one.
Arbor Lodge Coffee
I’ve only been here once, so the review will be short. I like it. There were definitely good pastries (if a small selection) and good coffee. It was crowded the day I was there, and when I’ve walked by, it always looks crowded. They don’t appear to have a website…..or Facebook page? Anyway, I do like the place. Not an easy place to park close to at all.
Albina Press
I’ve only been here twice, but I find it a very comfy place to go for some reason. I did enjoy the coffee a lot there, it just isn’t as close to my house as the other places on this list. If it is close to you, I’d go for sure. Sometimes, from what someone told me once, it can get loud in there, but I didn’t notice that either time I was there.
The Either/Or in the Williams area is great. The coffee and food is good, but I really love it for its cocktails and the friendly service. If it wasn’t so LOUD in there, it would be much higher on my list of places to go. I can’t recommend the food and cocktails enough. I personally like to sit at the bar and talk to the employees, but there are tables for groups and some outdoor tables also. Big fan. But more as a bar than a coffee shop (probably because I’ve been there a lot more for bar/food service).