Portland Coffee Shop

This place is great, quiet and slightly off the beaten path. Very friendly and cute barista !

My daughters and I decided to give this recently-​opened shop a try on a late morning one Saturday. There were only a couple of other customers, which is actually a good thing for us, because there is only one table with chairs. A third chair had to be brought in so that we could all sit! In nicer weather, it appears that there is at least one outdoor table, as well, but it seemed odd to me that things are arranged in the shop to maximize employee space and minimize customer space. Clearly they’re expecting people to buy their coffee and go, but I was really hoping for a place with sitting space (there are not many coffee shops in our area with seating, unless you’re okay with Starbucks). It’s a pleasant, cozy space, and with some rearranging could never seat more than 6 – 8 people, probably, but it would be nice to have that option.
Also, they advertise JaCiva cakes and some sort of bakery cookies (I can’t remember what kind), but I didn’t see evidence of either one. There was a small pastry case with some croissants and donuts, but that was it. In addition, the advertised Moonstruck and Godiva chocolates appeared to only be available in a very small selection of boxed items on the shop shelves (in fact, I didn’t actually see the Moonstruck chocolates at all, but I didn’t scrutinize everything).
There was no menu available when we visited, either, outside of a list of specialty coffee drinks on the counter. I think someone was going to re-​list the menu items on the blackboard on the wall, but it was blank while we were there. But it was impossible to tell what all was up for offer or how much it was going to cost, without it.
The barista on duty (just one, in such a small, quiet shop) was friendly and generously offered us free cookies (the sort that’s in a plastic clamshell container like you get at the grocery store) while we decided what to order. Later, she gave us all samples of some sort of vanilla/​caramel concoction that was like a frappuccino without the coffee. And then offered more free cookies! It was pretty great.
The coffee was good, but could have been stronger. The barista left the number of shots of espresso up to me, and the suggested four sounded like an awful lot for a 12 oz. drink. Wrong! I went with two, and three might actually have been just right for me. So, either the coffee is weaker than I think of espresso being, or the shots are smaller? Or something? I don’t know. But go with more than you think is appropriate when you order.
All in all, it was a pleasant experience, and one I’d try again if there was more seating. It’s unlikely I’d return for to-​go coffee, I’m afraid, so I’m hoping they eventually rethink the setup.

Cute little hole in the wall coffee shop. I was pleasantly surprised by the décor and the friendly staff. Very cozy place with seating for two. The gal who served us was talkative and friendly, and made us feel welcomed. The coffee was served at drinking temperature, not scalding hot. It was not too strong for coffee, I would peg it at a nice medium blend. Nice selection for pastries, and variety of drinks, including smoothies. This place has made my list of coffee shops to frequent.

This is a cute shop and the Italian coffee isn’t super strong but has a good flavor. The service was great and the feel was laid back. Would have loved a place to sit and soak in the atmosphere. But a good stop overall.