Reviews of Roasters

ROASTERS VISITED RATINGS/COMMENTS DIST. TO
N- Red E Cafe 1006 N. Killingsworth Visited 2011 3.5 cups- Good sized, well lit, well crafted layout, by a former manager of Albina Press. Lots to recommend with monthly art show, variety of seating, et. al. http://theredecafe.com/ 3.2 mi.
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N- Ristretto Roasters 3808 N. Williams First visited in early 2011, revisited on Oct. 21, 2012 3.5 cups- Our return visit had us question whether there was art on the walls 18 months ago. Otherwise our original impressions still seem true today. Ristretto produces high quality coffee plus pastries by an artisan chef, in a section of a former light industrial building that was tastefully remodeled. The “but” in this highly positive review is the shop can also can get too busy for extended conversation.http://ristrettoroasters.com/ 2.5 mi.
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NE- Caffe D’Arte 1615 NE 15th Visited 7-15-2012 3 cups – With lots of windows and good lighting, this European inspired shop – one TV had on Tour de France, the other English soccer – offers the Lloyd Ctr. area a different vibe. Interior seating is limited, but outdoor patio area, above the sidewalk, is neat. 2 mi.
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NE- Caffe Vita Coffee Roasting Co. 2909 NE Alberta Visited in 2011 3 cups- First PDX outlet of a popular Seattle roaster, we found it still seeking an identity, evolving into the shop it wants to be. It has a nice layout and ordering bar, but there was no variety in seating, and room for adding more homey touches. http://caffevita.com/ index.php?page=portland 1 mi.
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NE- Case Study Coffee 5347 NE Sandy Visited in 2011, Revisited 9-2012 4 cups- Finely rehabbed effort of a challenging space. Offers high quality drinks without pretentiousness, and sponsors some community building activities. http://www.casestudycoffee.com/ 1.5 mi.7 mi. via Rocky Butte
CaseStudy.Outside
NE- Extracto Coffeehouse & Roastery 2912 NE Killingsworth Visited in 2010, revisited in 2011 3 cups- Popular hangout for laptoppers with tasty drinks and pastries. Could benefit by increasing variety of seating options.http://extractocoffeehouse.com/ 1.2 mi.
NE -Extracto Coffeehouse & Roastery 1465 NE Prescott Visited in 2011, revisited in 2012 3 cups– Even without much inside seating for hanging, there’s still a good buzz. When it’s dry, outdoor tables help.http://extractocoffeehouse.com/ 1.5 mi.
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NE- Heart Roasters 2211 E. Burnside Visited in 2011, Revisited April20, 2014
 3 cups- Heart offers tasty drinks and pastries plus a roaster that’s part of the seating area. Still the limited seating area is not ideal for long talks.http://heartroasters.com/ 3 mi.
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NE- Ristretto Roasters Visited in 2010   SLATED TO CLOSE 4-2013    3520 NE 42nd 3 cups- Tasty pastries and drinks, but setting is too small and narrow for extended talks. http://ristrettoroasters.com/ .3 mi.
NE- Spunky Monkey Coffee Roasters 35 NE 20th Visited in 2011 2.5 cups- Tiny cozy place that also is too small to hang out when it rains, but improves with the weather due to outside seating. http://www.monkeyroasters.com/ 3 mi.
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NW -Coffee House NW 1951 W. Burnside Visited in 2011 3 cups- Though narrow, shop has comfortable layout/windows/ambiance, with friendly staff and customers. ://sterlingcoffeeroasters.com/ 5 mi.
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NW- Ristretto Roasters 2181 NW Nicolai St. Visited 11-11-2012 3.5 cups- An out-of-the-way discovery in the NW industrial district, whose delightful layout made us question some of our hang out assumptions. No, there’s not many seating options, nor reading material, nor a bike corral, et.al. Still, the perfect siting of the shop in the atrium of the historic Electric Schoolhouse Building, plus the juxtaposition of modern coffee equipment and a black-shirted barista with the room’s huge beams, provoked a great discussion. http://ristrettoroasters.com/ 5.5 mi.
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NW- Sisters Coffee Co.1235 NW Marshall Visited in spring, 2012 Interesting/successful melding of Central Oregon features – big wood, fireplace, et.al., into the Pearl’s clean line look. – 3 cups http://www.sisterscoffee.com/pearl.html 4.2 mi.
 Sisters
NW- Urban Grind Coffeehouse/Roasters 911 NW 14th Visited 4-22-12 In a triangular space in a former light industrial building, the space has the ingredients – seating options, good lighting, odd angles – to be a community meeting place. Our morning, however, it didn’t feel very lively. -2.5 cups urbangrindcoffee.com/ 4.5 mi.
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NW- World Cup Coffee & Tea 1740 NW Glisan Visited 12-23-12 3.5 cups- World Cup is a fine neighborhood residential shop two blocks from I-405 and the commercial Pearl District. Books and games, a TV to watch soccer, big corner windows to watch the streetscape, and a mixture of chairs are all quite inviting. http://worldcupcoffee.com/cafes/glisan 4.7 mi.
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SE- Blue Kangaroo Coffee Roasters7901 SE 13th Visited in 2011, revisited in Feb., 2013 4 cups- Captures the homey feel of Sellwood, plus is an exhilarating ride to/from NE. via downtown, Esplande and Springwater Corridor extension. http://bluekangaroocoffee.com/ 8.5 mi.
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SE- Cellar Door Coffee Roasters 2001 SE 11th Visited in 2011 4 cups- Retains a comfortable laid back ambiance, reminded us of being in someone’s living room. It helps that it retains elements of a remodeled cobbler shop even though it was in a mostly residential neighborhood. http://www.cellardoorcoffee.com/ 4.5 mi.
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SE- Coava Coffee Roasters 1300 SE Grand Ave. Visited in 2011, revisited Sept. 23, 2012 3 cups- Returned to Coava 9-23-12 to commemorate the new East side streetcar, and found little changed over the past 18 months. Coava still shares Bamboo Revolution’s hip showroom space and still brews artisan coffee, but from a hangout viewpoint it still doesn’t offer tea or have homey touches that convey it wants its customers to stay and chat for a while. http://coavacoffee.com/coffee/ 4.5 mi.
 Cooava.outside
SE- K&F/Clinton St. Coffeehouse 2706 SE Clinton Visited 8-19-2012 3 cups- Interestingly, though K&F has been roasting organic, sustainable coffee for almost 30 years in coffee-mad, progressive Portland, their coffeeshop felt a little dated. Though locals were obviously comfortable there, the layout and colors felt a bit dated other than the splash of color right behind the counter. http://kfcoffee.com/locations/clinton_street_coffeehouse 4.8 mi.
SE- Oblique Roasters3039 SE Stark Visited in 2010, revisited in 2011 4 cups- Ambiance in this once Victorian mercantile shop is relaxed and ideal for an extended conversation. With a piano, books to read, and situated in a 100+ year-old building, it feels very homey. http://obliquecoffeeroasters.com/ 3. mi.
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SE- Spielman Coffee Roaster (and bagelmaker) 2128 SE Division Visited 2-10 and 2-14- 2013 Though Spielman is a small roaster, and though their small space doesn’t allow for leisurely hanging out, the draw for us is the love they put into making high quality bagels. Every style of bagel we’ve chosen seems to have an interesting surprise in its recipe, which the owner/baker is glad to share. Truly a DIY operation. 6 mi. via 53rd and Linclon
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SE- Stumptown Coffee Roasters 4525 SE Division Visited 11-18-2012 3.5 cups- We agree with Stumptown’s claim that this shop – opened in the fall of 1999 – started a coffee revolution in Portland. And that in turn accelerated the neighborhood hangout craze that was in its infancy. We found this shop to be buzzing with a diverse clientele. Because of its popularity and limited size, however, hanging out for a long time will be a challenge. http://stumptowncoffee.com/location/division/ 4 mi.
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SE- Water Coffee Roasters 1028 SE Water Visited in 2011, revisted in 2012 3.5 cups- Nice remodel of a light industrial building in SE industrial sanctuary, produces a good vibe for conversation. http://www.wateravenuecoffee.com/ 4.5 mi.
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SW- Case Study Coffee 802 SW 10th Visited Dec. 16, 2012 4 cups- The recently opened downtown branch of Case Study is laid out almost perfectly for its downtown location across from the library. Full length corner windows for great streetscape views, warm toned wood finishes, a central mobile-like chandelier augmented by stylish other styles, a seating mixture of stools at the counter and small tables around the edge, and the open layout all invite patrons to sit and socialize. It’s now our favorite downtown hangout shop. http://www.casestudycoffee.com/ 4.5 mi.
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Public Domain, 603 SW Broadway       Not sure if Public Domain had much of a roastery business when it first opened, so our initial review was in the Neighborhood Shops section.  But upon seeing coffee sales being dominant over the retail outlet on their website, and our coffee drinkers really appreciating what they were served, we’ve added our 3.5 cups review in the Roastery section as well.  Briefly, the 2011 shop had mostly tall stools and tall tiny tables, limiting conversations to two people and making it uninviting groups wanting to hang out.  Now with a variety of seating options plus great window space, lighting, and clean design, we’re fans.   publicdomain.com

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