Cup & Bar

Yes it has been said but I would like to make sure my voice is heard too…
The avocado toast MADE MY LIFE! It was perfection. I had to eat it slowly so that I could savor each bite. There was no shortage of avocado which made me want to raise both my hands and give a «WHOOP WHOOP». The lemon drizzle and the crunch of the salt and pepper were tear worthy. This simple dish was one of my favorite dishes during our trip to Portland.
We also got the hot chocolate and drinking chocolate.
The hot chocolate was delicious with lots of magnificent whipped cream. Loved it!
The drinking chocolate came with a cup of whipped cream and seltzer water. My husband seriously enjoyed it. It was too bitter for me but it clearly was rich and very legit.
The location was beautiful. Clean cut and simple. It wasn’t very busy on an early Saturday morning but there was a mix up with our order and it made for a long wait. Luckily I’m forgiving when I’m filled with avocado.
I will continue to have avocado dreams thanks to Cup and Bar!

Awesome coffee, pleasant service, cozy space and great avocado toast. These guys were early pioneers in this rapidly-​developing neighborhood.
Love the indoor space, especially the bike parking and return here often because of it.
Just had to give this great little Portland coffee shop five stars given the ridiculously cranky one-​star reviews «no wi-​fi on weekends»…waaaaah… «put bacon on the avocado toast»…no, please don’t.
Thanks Trailhead!

Favorite café in Portland. They have bike racks, original art (sometimes for sale), nice music, local publications to feed your brain with Portland culture and house made chocolate plus free wifi. If you don’t drink coffee, have a beer. Eat your chocolate!

Goods: Awesome coffee. Great chocolate. Cool atmosphere. Friendly staff. Open space. Cool art. Beautiful wood décor. Beautiful open view of Trailhead Coffee and Ranger Chocolate.
Not as good: Poor wifi. Not much seating. Half of the power outlets didn’t work. Somewhat expensive. Not much parking nearby.
Overall, awesome sauce.

I really just came in here to check out the avocado toast, but I loved everything else — great spot to chill with a latte.
Avocado toast was bigger than my hand!
Fluffy rich bread, lots of flavor from the olive oil, pepper and salt, ricotta and avocado slices. Good to the very last bite.
But back to the establishment — it’s great (and a little dangerous) that they sell bite size pieces of those Ranger chocolates. Great for a friend, or when you want a really fancy snack.
Loved the interior and the vibe.
Seemed like there was lots of open spacing, and I like the interior decoration with the wood.
And odd thing to comment, but the bathroom/​water closet is so cute!

I really wanted to love this coffee shop, but with asinine policies like «No WiFi on the Weekends» I just can’t support Cup & Bar. I’m an entrepreneur that does a lot of work on my laptop at coffee shops, but I spend a lot of money. I’m talking 3 latte’s, food and generous tipping. I’m easily a $ 25+ a day transaction. I’ll be keeping my business with coffee shops that know how to treat customers. Try Water Ave Coffee instead.

Came here for a quick breakfast before my bike tour and I have say, it’s a nice place. It’s a big area, but they have very little tables that are spaced pretty far apart from each other.
As for coffee, my friend got a Dark Chocolate Latte, he said it was good, not strong enough for him though. My other friend and I both ordered a avocado toast (since this place is known for it). It came out to $ 7 flat, yay for no tax! Presentation wise, it’s beautiful, but for taste, it’s lacking. My friend and I both thought it could use a fried egg, bacon or something else to go with it. I also suggest you share that toast too. The both of us could only finish half, and wasted our other half. It’s really REALLY filling, even though there’s no meat on it.
PS: They make their own chocolate here! You can see them making it thru the glass window on the side.

I should have worked here sooner! Fresh roasted coffee and chocolate you say!!! W every espresso a chocolate is served. Coffee refills! Long tables to work at. Hang your bike inside. Chocolate and coffee tastings as well as music on a regular evening basis.

Bright, open and beautiful. Great meeting spot or for getting work done. I know everyone says it, but their avocado toast truly is wonderful! They have a variety of pastries and awesome artisan chocolates.

It’s harsh to judge a coffee shop without drinking the first cup but this (first impression) is exactly where Cup & Bar cheated my trust and assumption of offering dietary choices to well-​paying customers. Whole milk ONLY? Really? No other milk option (skim, 2%, soy, etc.)? «Yeah, that’s all we have and do, and this is the 21^st century, yes». RIGHT about 21^st century, WRONG about your whole milk monopoly overriding a world of customers seeking democratic choices, sir.
There are plenty of coffee shops to please in Portland. And they all see and do the cup half whole too.

They have a parking lot, so that’s a bonus!
There is no WiFi on the weekends. They are a coffee shop with no WiFi… on the weekends.
Similar to others here, I found this out after ordering, pulling out my laptop, etc.
To be honest, this Americano would probably taste better if I wasn’t drinking it in the rain, in search of a reasonable, less pretentious coffee shop.

I could just give more than 5 stars if I could! I went in expecting something coffee and chocolatey and what I got blew my mind! I tasted the affagato with espresso ice cream and the mocha! The affagato was chocolate-​coffee heaven, bitter from the espresso with yummy choc bits in the ice cream! Must must try!
I also tasted their mocha. I was told it was made with the Ranger chocolate and it was the perfect amount of sweet for me. The best mocha I have ever had
The place is bright not too crowded to get work done but the biggest letdown is no wifi on weekend which is a big no-​go! I am taking a star off for that but if you are just looking for coffee, go-​go!

Just like the other million reviews: the avocado toast is unique, intense, and amazing. If you’ve never tried an avocado toast then this is a great time to try it! Don’t be fooled either, this is an incredibly filling meal.
Rather than the dirty charlie, I went with the mocha which was so perfect, it was actually kind of shocking. Subtle chocolate that still feels indulgent and it comes with a small side of chocolate! I plan to return to try a few more beverages because they are done so, so well.
One less star for the seating because as everyone has mentioned, is sparse. I get that it wants to be super cool an open and chill but… it seems like a waste of space. I sat at the window at the bar and that seemed like a great place to people watch and get some work done. As for the other seating, it seemed awkward or not meant for people to sit at for long periods of time. To each their own?

I don’t know how I stumbled upon this place on Unilocal but I decided to give it a try on a weekday. This place is nice and big with not many tables which gives it an airy feel with a beautiful décor. You can see their chocolate factory and coffee roastery in the back through their glass walls.
We decided to get the dirty Charlie which was a perfect combination of coffee and chocolate. Why would anyone even think about a regular mocha after this?
We also got their drinking chocolate which was served with a cardoon scented whipped cream, couple of chocolate pieces and sparkling water as a palate cleanser. I’ve never been served drinking chocolate like this before! You make your own drinking chocolate sweet, less sweet, bitter or anyway you want. If you just want to gobble up the cream, sure! It’s actually that good with the cardamom in there.
And they also have these big barks of chocolate for sale which I resisted myself from buying but man they looked good.
It’s my go to place for taking my out of town friends to show another unique Portland establishment.

Nope.
I ordered my standard 16oz Americano with room.
The lumberdude behind the counter sneered, «We don’t DOOOOO anything bigger than twelve ounces,» and gave me the kind of dirty look that peels paint.
Ok. Jeez. You’d think I’d ordered a behemoth caramel frappucino or something.
So, I ordered two 8oz-er’s and drank them both.
And will I come back? Nope.

Yes, Cup and Bar may seem like just another coffeehouse among a very large pool of Portland coffeehouses. Their simple, sparse warehouse décor; their polished concrete floor and wood furnishings, bike parking, free wifi and hipster baristas with obligatory facial hair — we’ve all seen it time and time again all over the city.
But Cup and Bar does have something to differentiate themselves from others — the «Cup» stands for Trailhead Coffee and the «Bar» stands for Ranger Chocolate. This seems like a match made in heaven and you know what? It sorta is.
First things first, the coffee is top notch — artfully-​roasted and served piping hot with a small bar of chocolate. The chocolate has a dark, rich, and deep flavor that wonderfully compliments the nuttiness of the coffee itself. Very nice.
They do have a nice selection of baked treats and a small menu, along with beer and wine. And of course, you can go home with some of that Ranger Chocolate.
The service is friendly and the space is itself is very inviting.
Good stuff!

I can not begin to tell you how much I loved this place! My first time here today, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
First of all there is 2 hour parking in a lot behind the building, which is great. Kudos for that! Second, I was greeted by a friendly barista when I walked in, and the service was top notch. A second barista patiently answered my questions about the Avocado Toast and even showed me the different kinds of bread I could choose.
I went with a multi grain, and I have to say, not only was this a beautiful display of color and symmetry, but the taste was simply amazing. How could I have not tried this before? It’s a simple piece of toast, topped with ricotta, with an avocado layered on top of that, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with lemon juice, salt and pepper. It was a masterpiece — and even though it was an expensive $ 7.00 it was worth every penny (and incredibly filling). They had another spicier option called Avocado Diablo that I will have to try next time. Basically a spicier version of the one I had.
I also got a latte, and it was superb. It came with two small pieces of dark chocolate that I ended up throwing in my latte, and it was delicious. I contemplated getting a Dirty Charlie (the photos on Unilocal look amazing), but after talking to the barista for his opinion, I went with a simple latte, and was glad I did. It went perfectly with my Avocado Toast.
The atmosphere is also really nice. High ceilings, plenty of seating and a very open feeling –not crowded at all. Lots of light coming through the front windows, and even on a rainy drab day like today, the whole space was filled with light. What a perfect way to spend a few hours on a rainy morning. I can’t wait to go back!

Most gorgeous drinking chocolate I’ve experienced to date. Picture a trio of demitasse cups, one filled with rich hot chocolate, the second with whipped cream, and the third sparkling water. All served on a beautiful wood plank.
The pricing is reminiscent of the Bay Area, but that drinking chocolate is worth a visit.

Yay I found my new favorite coffee shop, especially since it’s still fairly new and hasn’t been invaded by the masses yet. What really keeps me coming back is the lovely ambiance of course Ranger chocolate 73% PERU! Definitely a rare love at first bite experience for me. Tasting notes are listed as well-​balanced flavors of tobacco, raisin, and a hint of cherry but all I know is I’m madly addicted and can’t seem to get enough of it. It’s a little pricey but well worth it for the quality. $ 2 for 0.25 oz, $ 6 for a 1.25 oz, and $ 10 for 2.25 oz. I’ve tried all their flavors but always go back to my first love with the green wrapper.
They have free wi-​fi so it’s a wonderful place to bring your laptop and get a couple hours of productive work in.
CUP OF COFFEE: Mm. Super intense great cup of joe.
DIRTY CHARLIE: I couldn’t resist it after seeing all the Unilocal photos of oozing foam. Tastes amazing too.
DRINKING CHOCOLATE FLIGHT: Perfect to share this sampling of their drinking chocolates for a first visit. It’s made with their Ranger chocolate so of course I loved it. It’s served beautifully on a wooden plank with cups of drinking chocolate, whipped cream, and sparkling water with shaved chocolate all over. I liked to take a sip of chocolate then cleanse my mouth with the whipped cream before moving onto a different chocolate flavor. The sparkling water was a nice touch too because it was a very refreshing change from the rich chocolate and cream.

Another month in Portland, another new «favorite coffee shop in the whole world.» But damn-​it if this city doesn’t keep raising the bar! And this one did it by… adding a bar! GET IT? With great coffee, a fantastic aesthetic and a friendly staff, Cup & Bar has earned a spot in my list of top-​tier PDX coffee stops.
Actually, Cup & Bar is a bunch of things. They’re the home of Trailhead Coffee Roasters and Ranger Chocolate. And even though C&B is born of such lumbersexual parents, the space is surprisingly not all faux woodsman. Nope, it’s clean, spare and modern, with only a few antique/​oldentimey touches. They could fit in twice the number of tables, but I appreciate the airy feel that the limited seating provides. This is even further accented by the huge garage doors that they’re eager to keep open, letting in a breeze. However, all this openness does mean that power outlets are at a premium, so you’ve got to dive on the one accessible table when it’s free. They also play great music, so there’s that.
I almost ALWAYS simply drink black drip coffee (it’s so good in PDX compared to the rest of the country!), and I’ve thus far been happy with what they’ve brewed up at Cup & Bar. However, on one visit I was feeling particularly saucy and ordered a Cold Fashioned, made from cold brew, fennel simple, cherries, orange and bitters. It was a wholly different experience, and I truly felt like I was drinking a cocktail. Fan-​frickin-​tastic.
I haven’t yet just sat down and stuffed myself with chocolate, but I have no reason to think that it’s not awesome. Also, I haven’t been here during an hour at which it’d be socially acceptable to have a glass of wine, but it’s great to know that I can so easily transition from caffeine to booze. As the construction on Grand and MLK nears completion, this place is going to blow up. Get there first. Visit now.