Walking down the streets of Portland, Oregon, there's most likely a coffee shop on every corner. While Starbucks Coffee has a firm hold on the country, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people with a cup of joe from their favorite local shop walking down the streets. Since I stayed with a friend who attends Portland State University and lives in the city, I had a special insider knowledge of what the good coffee shops were throughout town.
1. Little River Cafe
This was a cafe is located right on the waterfront of the Willamette River and has a very picturesque view. I tried their Oregon Chai latte, which turned out to be one of the best chai lattes I have ever had. It was a lightly sweetened drink, with cinnamon and nutmeg on top. Even better, it had the perfect amount of foam on top as well. This is a definite must on the coffee shop list.
2. Caffe Vita
I cannot even begin to explain how hip this place was. I felt like as soon as I walked through the door, I gained at least thirty points in the hipster department. The shop has a chill and laidback vibe, and they roast their own coffee beans in store, so it smelt amazing too. I tried the Pacnor, which the barista said was like a latte, but smaller and was made with half 2% milk and the rest was half and half. The half and half added a sweet taste that was contrasted by the strong espresso taste right off the bat. I definitely recommend stopping by and grabbing one, as I've never had anything quite like it.
3. Barista
This coffee shop has multiple locations across town, and they all seemed to have about the same menu. We went to the Alberta Ave location which has an old western saloon kind of vibe. It was super eclectic and hip, somewhere I could imagine catching up with a friend for hours at. I tried their special Orange Brandy Butter Latte, which was ah-mazing. It wasn't too sweet and had a nice pop of orange zest at the end of each sip. The brandy flavor added a smoothness to the drink that I hadn't had before. Overall, I would definitely suggest stopping here.
4. The Roxy
The Roxy is technically a diner with espresso drinks, but I am still going to include it on here because of how cool it was. First of all, it's a 24-hour place, which automatically makes it super cool. Beyond that, it had a similar vibe to what I would imagine Seb's jazz club from "La La Land" would have, with the low lighting and neon signs. I tried their Art Rag, which was a mix of mocha and vanilla with whip cream and chocolate drizzle and sprinkles. Sounds good, right? It was amazing. This definitely deserves a spot on everyone's list of things to do while in Portland.
5. Case Study Coffee
This is definitely the coffee place to go, as it took us a while to find seats. It was worth it though because the atmosphere is super unique and laid back. It has tons of windows, which makes it a perfect people watching spot, or an awesome place to sit and watch the rain come down. I had their iced Fleur De Sel Caramel Latte, which had a very smooth taste and a slight spice at the end of each sip. Overall, I would definitely put this one on a must go to list.
6. Park Avenue Cafe
Little cafes are pretty common across Portland, but this was one of my favorites. It was near the library of Portland State University, and was an awesome place to people watch and just hang out for a while. The breakfast was fast and delicious, and the coffee was wesome too. I grabbed a cappuccino from this cafe, and the foam was perfect. I would definitely put this on a list of places to go in Portland.
