Buzz Buzz Buzz

Every week Ashley (friend and fellow blogger) and I check out a new café in Portland. We call these gatherings our “writing sessions”, and our objectives are to write a little, talk a lot and get to know Portland on a more personal level. These meetings have been going on since late winter, and we’ve probably frequented at least 10 places (NO STARBUCKS). So without further ado, here are the first three of many reviews to come, plus links to their Yelp! pages:

Three Friends Coffee House
201 Southeast 12th Avenue

This place was by far my favorite. Maybe it was the fact that I hadn’t seen Ashley in awhile and we had some great catch-up convo. Maybe it was the high ceilings and long bar of jarred loose teas lined up by the register. Maybe it was the sunny weather, allowing the place to be flooded with natural light (SIDENOTE: Get your act together Portland weather, it’s LATE MAY). It was probably a mixture of all these things that made the experience enjoyable and memorable. The coffee was decent, the regulars a little smelly, the owner a little off-kilter, but all in all a great place to sit and read or write (or talk for several hours).

Common Grounds Coffee House
4321 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

I was a little leery about visiting this place at first; the name was shared with an on-campus coffee joint that I worked at my freshman year at UO. Horrible experience. Then again, any place on campus open until 2am that offered paninis, smoothies and other stoner-fare is not a good place to be. Anyways, once I got over the gross stigma attached to the name I found the place to be quite enjoyable. If I ever owned a bakery or coffee shop, I’d want the layout and size to be quite similar. Not only did they have coffee, but they also offered pastries and a small menu that included bites like caprese salad and vegan cookies. Great atmosphere, a must-see.

Papaccino’s
4411 SE Woodstock Blvd.

Had way too much of a corporate feel for me (it had a kid’s play area for god sakes) but there was a lot seating and comfy chairs for reading. There were limited outlets as one of the walls was all glass and most of the seats were in the middle of the room, but I did see a power strip for those sitting on the side of the room with a wall. The glass did make for good natural lighting and a nice view of Woodstock. One great thing about this place is their Happy Hour on weekdays starting at 5pm. $1.00 bottomless house coffee!!! Woooooooooo - that caffeine buzz will make anyone looking to cram for finals happy.