This past July we spent a week vacationing in Portland and enjoying the scenery around the state of Oregon. Drew planned our outdoor excursions before our trip, while I spent a lot of time browsing blogs and Instagram, making a list of coffee shops and restaurants that I wanted to visit. I’ll be sharing more about our food and sightseeing adventures soon, but today I’m giving you a Portland coffee shop tour!

My main objective was to enjoy a different coffee shop during each of the 5 days of our stay. I placed the same order at each place, a vanilla latte with almond milk, for the fun of comparing them. The shops below all have multiple Portland locations (I’ve noted which location we visited), and most of them locally roast their own coffee! You can click on the name of each coffee shop for more info.

If you’re hungry for more, check out my favorite places to eat in Portland.

Case Study (Alberta St.)

Maybe it’s because this coffee shop is the one that we visited on our first morning in Portland, or maybe it was the fun eclectic vibe, but I absolutely loved the feel of this place and it ended up being my favorite spot.

You can get large lattes to-stay (other places didn’t have mugs for anything bigger than an 8oz) , the espresso was rich and the foam on my latte was so thick and fluffy that it was almost meringue-like. Drew got the mocha and enjoyed it, in spite of not being a coffee fan. The art on my almond milk latte was the saddest of our trip but the flavor made up for its looks! We climbed the stairs to enjoy our coffee in the loft space, overlooking the coffee bar, while making sight-seeing plans for the day. This definitely lived up to my Portland coffee shop experience expectations.

Barista (downtown) 

We visited Barista’s downtown location on Sunday morning before walking to the Saturday market. Located in an old brick building, this shop has a fancier vintage style and was my second favorite space. It wasn’t too crowded on a Sunday morning and, even though the shop is small, we were easily able to find a spot to sit down and enjoy a latte while watching the city’s activity. 

Stumptown (Division St. + Downtown)

The coffee at Stumptown was very good but we visited two different locations and both of them felt more commercial and less warm and welcoming compared to the other coffee shops we visited. I did love their selection of pastries from GEM, a local vegan & gluten-fee bakery. GEM’s blueberry muffin was moist and delicious, probably the best gluten-free thing I’ve ever tasted. Since our trip, GEM has opened up its own retail shop, you can find more info HERE.

Heart (Westside)

Heart was on my list of places to visit because of their house-made walnut almond milk. We stopped in during the afternoon to try an iced latte (the only iced coffee that I had during the trip). Their espresso is strong and their house walnut-almond milk is deliciously creamy!

Coava (Hawthorne Blvd.)

Coava wasn’t originally on my radar, but the barista at Heart recommended that we pay them a visit and we made it happen. Coava’s latte was the most sweet and creamy, with a lighter espresso flavor than others, it was an excellent treat!If you get the chance to visit Portland, I hope you’re able to pay a visit to several of these places. Already have a favorite Portland coffee shop? Share below!