Bipartisan Cafe

I love this place and it’s not because of the food or coffee, which aren’t that different from any other coffee place in Portland.
It’s the easy, friendly atmosphere that sets Bipartisan apart. Absolute best.

Would be great if they didn’t insist on blasting the music at 120 decibels. Is this a night club or a café? Everyone has a pissed off look on their face now, some are covering their ears, one person is yelling on the phone to somebody, a guy and a girl apparently give up on reading. Maybe the staff that like to play the loud music can find jobs at bar or music venue. I will seek out quiter locations.

So happy they now serve Water Avenue Coffee *^_​_​^* and stopped serving Stumptown (who was bought by Peets and then bought again by some giant German entrepreneur who owns huge cosmetics companies (under the name Coty) and also owns Keurig (the ones who produce the landfill filling k-​cups) and many other companies (under the name JAB holding co.). Needless to say Stumptown isn’t local anymore and it’s quality has declined due to different manufacturing processes. It’s great they changed it up here to serve higher quality coffee!
They also have a wide variety of pies and tons of bakery items, including gluten-​free and vegan pies and baked goods.

I have struggled with giving this place my business until today. I used to live 2 blocks away and unfortunately did not find myself here too often. Why? The staff. I’m not looking for over the top greetings. I’m looking for a genuine hello and a smile. I often received blank stares from the person taking my order, and never a kind hello to start. Today was different. Before I even approached the register this short haired brunette in a ball cap said «HELLO. What can I get you?» I was startled. And then thought «YES! Finally!» I didn’t get her name but she wore a «live simply» T-​shirt. So whoever you are, thank you for being a nice person. It seems too often that baristas are there just to serve me coffee when really human connection can be just as awakening as caffeine.

I’m a barista from Oakland so I am pretty particular about my coffee, but this place did not disappoint. Amazing spicy chai, lattes, and cold brew. Friendly enough staff and super cute!

I love the pies and coffee they serve here. The sandwiches are great as well. Always relaxing just to sit and have coffee and read or sketch as I like to do on occasion.

Great place for breakfast bagel and coffee. If you come here before 9am, chances are very good that you’ll get a table. There are also large sofas and communal tables… and lots of costumers! You order/​pay at the counter, pick up your order at the counter and then bus your own table. There is a sizeable selection of pastries, a good selection of bagels and handmade pies to choose from.

I don’t like the music played there. No apologies. I asked them to change it and they changed it to something that was exactly the same. I don’t want to hear trashy lyrics when I’m relaxing

I was put off by the outward appearance of the outside of the building. Both windows are completely covered with different messages that seem to have a liberal political content. Very Portland hippie-​ish. Very ‘if you’re not one of us don’t even come in here.’ I ended up going down the street to get lunch. Not very bipartisan.

It’s really not hard to impress me when coffee is involved. Have good tasting brews, make delicious creative mixtures, and add a little love. Today, we stopped in here (after being here once before in September for quick sandwiches) and got brunch. The cold brew is fantastic (apparently Stumptown according to other Unilocalers) and the lattes are beautiful. They have an array of flavors too which makes things fun. I had a lavender mocha which was basically heaven and looked just so. My boyfriend’s breakfast sandwich on a croissant was delectable and rich, obviously a true croissant. I had the roast beef sandwich which was really crisp and refreshing. Service was quick and polite too. Definitely will be back… Probably regularly!

Friendly staff, free parking, great coffee and food. Hipster hangout, providing great people watching.
Would be a higher rating if not for the screaming obnoxious music! AAAAHHHH. YAAA YAAA OUUUWWWW OUUWWWWW YYAAAA YYAAAA HHHAA… AAAAAHHH AHHHH AAHHHHHHHHH YAH. YAYA… and so on. blegh.

Another coffee shop, another pretty good rendition of hot chocolate and time to kill as I ended up at this Montavilla spot on SE Stark. I was also seeking some breakfast and a salt bagel with cream cheese and tomatoes seemed to keep my stomach in line as well.
I have passed the Bipartisan Café many, many times as I’ve worked my way through many of the businesses along this span of Stark. I guess it was inevitable that I’d end up in here one day. The place is homey with couches and mismatches tables and chairs. The early retiree crowd on their Macs and tablets. A wide array of food options from sweet to savory that can satisfy any need no matter the time of day. A full staff of women moving around, taking orders, making sandwiches and coffee, cleaning dishes and being friendly in general. Just another weekday.
My hot chocolate was on point and my bagel was open faced with plenty of cream cheese and six pieces of tomato. Not too bad. The place is easy to relax in and read a book, which is exactly what I did. No rush.
I’ll have to make it a point to come back here soon, thankfully I’m not moving too far into the northeast that this place is out of reach. I’ll get back here shortly, I hope.
Enjoy.

Excellent café, very portlandish feel to it with lots of local posters on the walls and a wide array of comfy seats and couches. I got a latte (water avenue, pretty nice) and the excellent dragonfly chai (the sweet one). Very impressed with the dragonfly chai, great flavors and spices in it. Free wifi, good place to get work done.

Bipartisan Café is the epitome of a Portland coffee shop. It is covered in posters and ads for local events and community initiatives, and I always see a mix of all types of people when I come in here (families with kids, solo people working on their laptops or reading a book, others just grabbing a quick breakfast and running out the door, etc.).
I don’t think I’ve come in a single time where there’s not a line (admittedly I always come in on weekend mornings), but the service is decently quick and always friendly. They have some economically priced options, but things start adding up if you veer toward their fancier menu items (and oh my laaawd, those bagel sandwiches are good). If you are a regular, check out their gift card options; you can get a few bonus dollars on the card if you purchase over a certain amount.
I frequented Bipartisan when I lived in the neighborhood, but have now moved on to slightly spendy coffee shops in my new part of town. Definitely worth a try if you’re nearby!

Really great vibe in an expansive space with character.
Water Avenue Coffee.
Cheerful clerk. Busy space.
I felt welcome here and would like to return soon to indulge in more goodness, ie. food and coffee.
I just had the one coffee to go — $ 3, 16 ounce, self serve.

Love this place! Whenever i’m in Portland I always try and stop here. Very cozy. They have a wide variety menu so there’s something for everyone and they have the most amazing freshly baked pies! Nice Portland Vibe and friendly people.

This place has a decent cup of coffee but for me what makes this place awesome is there pie. It is soooooo good. I had the strawberry rhubarb strudel amazing. They have some nice lounging areas as well if you are wanting to get some work done and they have plenty of power plugs as well.

This place makes the best Americano I’ve ever tasted. Great atmosphere, friendly employees. I love that I can walk here, grab a coffee and piece of pie, which are also delicious, or even a sandwich! Some places in Portland have snobby, unfriendly employees which totally ruins the vibe but everyone here is really nice-​in a genuine way. 5 stars!

Love this café. The bagel breakfast sandwiches are my go to on weekend mornings. The veggie on an everything bagel is my personal favorite. They are a bit pricey, but really hit the spot after a night of drinking. Staff is friendly and attentive, but the place can get pretty crowded. I sometimes get annoyed at people with kids taking a sweet old time to order, but that’s not the cafes fault:) The area to wait in line by the front door can get kinda congested. Coffee is good, and parking on Stark is usually not a problem when I go…

I had the lox bagel and fell in love great hot chocolate too. A lot of people on laptops with headphones doing there thing nice quiet spot.

Bipartisan is a cool coffee shop with a very Portland vibe. There is plenty of seating to lounge and enjoy some coffee and pie. The couches and armchairs look like they might have been curbside cast offs, but they’re comfortable and seem clean enough.
The coffee is nice and strong, and the selection of cookies and pies is always fresh and delicious.
This is one of my favorite spots to hang out with a good book.

Went here to grab coffee with a friend, her recommendation! And I say I will definitely go back. Silly me forgot my debt call so I couldn’t try what I wanted food wise (vegan bagel) but I had enough. Cash on me to get the intended item and that was the Spicy Black Dragonfly Chai Tea. It was pretty good. I’m not always a fan of chai but this was good. It is a cozy place. Parking is alittle crazy in the area because it pretty «hoppin» with the theater and eateries around, plus it on a one way street. Once inside the atmosphere was cozy! The tables were political themed and so was the place, fine by me! The baristas were nice and helpful. Drinks came quick and they were even willing to hear my friends mocha back up after we had sat and chatted and let it get cold :)

What a fun little café to visit for either saturday/​sunday morning coffee. The breakfast sandwiches there are incredible and the atmosphere is just fun. I enjoyed my breakfast with friends from out of town surrounded by political memorabilia.
In this unique setting nestled in the Montavilla neighborhood, the café’s location is quite convenient to get to and you just cannot miss it. The coffee is good, the space is definitely awesome and the food is fulfilling for either a hungover saturday morning or just want to meet your friend up for coffee sunday morning. I love it and if I didn’t live so far away I would visit almost everyday!

They serve Water Ave coffee and they play Kate Bush.
On top of that, it’s a super chill spot with great space and super cool baristas/​staff. Don’t start come here because I don’t want it to get crowded. K thx bai

Bipartisan has been a part of my coffee shop experience since moving to Portland 9 years ago. First it was novel to have good coffee and a welcoming vibe that wasn’t common in my home town. Then it was where I did my homework when I was in college. I moved out of the neighborhood for a bit but still used it to meet up with friends on occasion. Then I had a baby and knew I could breast feed while I sipped my tea if I was so inclined. Now my toddler can give you directions to the shop and tell you what to order and the toys that are available. We were already fans of the shop. This morning that same toddler was too tired to keep it together when another kiddo wanted to play with the Legos too. She started to melt down and we went to leave. Two beautiful things happened 1) the other parents smiled a knowing smile and asked if they could help by offering other toys etc. 2) we were followed out the door and told (paraphrased) that bipartisan knows kids are fussy sometimes, of course leaving is up to me but to know that the shop knows kids are kids and to never feel judged if the kid is having a hard day, we are welcomed to stay through the fit if that’s right for us.
Thanks bipartisan for turning a «my toddler is having a hard time morning» into a positive moment and thank you Montavilla for reminding me why you are always my favorite neighborhood.

Great spot! Awesome staff, private bathrooms, good wifi, lots of places to sit. Good pies and great coffee. Very nice neighborhood with other things to see/​do.

The café is just like any small café that’s good for studying, reading newspaper, or getting together with friends. My friends and I ordered the marionberry and the strawberry rhubarb pies along with two steamed milks. After a day of eating, the steamed milk hit the spot. The latter was my favorite, but both were still too sweet for everyone at the table. The staff is friendly the atmosphere was quiet. This was a good way to end the night.

This place is just what I needed! The only quality breakfast joint open at 6:30am within a 5 mile radius or more it seems! AND finally A delicious breakfast sandwich/​croissant that is meant to be ordered without egg! Coffee is great too!

Their baristas are artists. And they have great pie. Love the atmosphere, really has a neighborhood feel.
Seating can be a challenge — we were there at 10:00 on a Saturday and barely managed to find a spot to sit.

I got dropped off here while the girls decided to go to have a spa day. I’m writing this right now!
The atmosphere is very lively. It’s busy full of people going in and out. People are on their laptops in the back wall. Families are eating at the bigger tables getting their coffee fix and a handful of people reading the Portland Mercury.
I had an Americano and a egg croissant with ham. The coffee was okay. I’m not much of a coffee drinker because it makes me poop immediately, but it tasted a bit sour. The egg croissant with ham was really delicious though. Everything about it was really fresh.
Cool café located in a busy street. I’m getting a lot of pending Unilocal reviews done here. Woo!

Decent coffee shop. I wouldn’t really call it a breakfast place — unless a bagel sandwich is your idea of breakfast. I think it’s a «break» place, and it’s pretty «fast», but don’t expect a giant full breakfast.
That said, coffee is good, pastries look tasty and for what it’s worth the bagel with egg and chevre was actually pretty good as well. Free Wi-​Fi, almost every table is taken throughout most of the morning — but some tables actually clear. Outside seating as well.

This café is great! Great selection of food, fresh pastries, and drinks, there’s something for everyone here. They have 8 types of baked pies to choose from and it’s so fresh there was even a pit in my cherry slice! The music was just a tad loud but otherwise the café meets my strict standards of soft seating options for my tush and hard backed chairs with tables for 2 – 4 for those practicing good posture.

So sometimes, when you go in the evenings, they have live music. I showed up one night to a woman playing the banjo and a dude dueting with her on a violin, or whatever string instrument people play with country music. It.Was.Ohsome.
Café has good mixture of baked nummies, coffee drinks and teas. I only ever get mochas here, but I hear the pies are on point! I will try it one day.
It’s a great spot to sip a hot beverage and take a book or a board game. Lots of cool historical décor on presidential campaign posters and propaganda that I never get tired of looking at.
The only drawback is the bathrooms. There are two, and they’re identified with an elephant on one door and a donkey on the other door. I never know which one i’m supposed to go in because I’m a Green party member, and is it only Dem’s in one stall and GOP’s in the other, or is it split between men and women? And if so, which one is which?!

I usually only have coffee at this little neighborhood café and it’s always on point. The Stumptown Coffee lattes have just the right ratio of syrup, milk and espresso. Today I tried the fried egg croissant sandwich with added ham. It was really good with the lettuce and tomato on a flaky croissant withy gooey cheese holding it all together.
The dining area has plenty of space and places to sit, including a little, kitchen side bar and outside tables to belly up to. That being said, it’s almost always packed so be flexible on dining in or taking out. The service is friendly and all the workers seem to move like a well oiled machine in the tight space behind the counter.
It’s a comfortable and casual atmosphere with a completely open deli/​kitchen area. Lots of pastries and pies are in the display cases for your viewing pleasure and you’ll notice that almost every table has a slice of pie or two being enjoyed by the patrons. My next visit will include a slice of one of the very popular pies.

The most amazing lox and bagels, with my most amazing coffee.
This small café, has the intimacy one wants in this neighborhood setting. Bi-​Partisain, I doubt it, but the people who work here are characters unto themselves, but all are sweet and diligent workers, for the proletariat.
I would love to place a camera on a tripod in the corner of this business and film it on high speed video. I think that it would be as interesting as the employees and the guests they serve.
But, back to my lox and bagel, it was so rich so toasty and warm, even after all these days I’, getting hungry. I know next time where you’ll find me, at Bi-​Partisan.