Maya G.
Yelp
I went to 10 cafes in Portland and decided to write about 5.
Rankings:
1. The Red Gate (5/5)
2. Tiny's Coffee Southeast (5/5)
3. Coffee Time (4/5)
4. Ovation Coffee And Tea (4/5)
5. Coffee Beer (2/5)
I travel the world and review cafes! I've been to 29 countries and an infinite amount of cities and I try to find the most welcoming cafes where I can comfortably work from for hours!
Coffee Beer is the least friendly café for remote workers on a budget but it operates so particularly, it could be a dream café for a specific customer. Unfortunately, that customer wasn't me.
WORK
Can you effectively work from this place for hours?
No... but also... maybe?
WiFi - WiFi is NOT free and the password will remind you that you need to buy something every two hours. This isn't the end of the world, nor is it unreasonable as folks can loiter for hours making it hard for small businesses to operate. However, this means this café caters to an audience that is willing and able to pay rather than being accessible to everyone. If you're in a tough situation (lost your job, low paying job, unexpected hardship) or if you're a bootstrapping entrepreneur, I would recommend finding another café that fits your situation. Docked points for this because yes.... it's hard to straddle the line of generating enough revenue to stay in business while not excluding certain demographics, but overall it doesn't sit well with me.
Outlets - Outlets are sparse, again, it's not really a place to loiter. If you plan to make this your office for a day, you may need to reconsider.
Noise - this is a tricky one. Phone calls are not allowed in the café which is a bummer for remote workers but meant to keep the noise to a minimum. That being said, the café definitely is buzzing with conversations and children. So, don't expect a silent café as conversations in-person are allowed and plentiful. Some people may find it difficult to work with ongoing conversations and the occasional screaming child. It just depends on your preference.
Seats - I struggled to find a seat here. One thing I always worry about is can I find a seat and be comfortable or will I have to turn around once I arrive and try another café. This is a small place and, like I said, not built for people to work from. If you are looking to set up shop or if you have a date, you may want to find another café but could be an okay place to risk it if you want to find a spot for a quick coffee chat.
FOOD
Food is important for me because I need to know I can order a small tea and hang out or have food with actual sustenance (e.g. not just pasteries).
The food here isn't super healthy or delicious. The "healthy" thing is something that shouldn't deter most customers, but not everyone is in the mood for greasy and heavy food.
However, when I asked "are your pizzas phenomenal", the reply was "what a strange question!?"
Since I travel the world reviewing cafes and food, to me, it was not a strange question since I try to get the house specialty before writing a review. I always ask a similar question and often times, a worker or owner will rave about their favorite dish or a specific dish that they're proud of.
So what does this mean?
There are no food specialties here and it's not something the café itself is really proud of, passionate about, nor is it a pillar of their service. My guess is because most people don't come here for the food so... don't come here for the food! Maybe just stick to the coffee and the beer
ATMOSPHERE
As mentioned before, the atmosphere is really particular. For me, the turn-off was that customers have to keep in mind some rules while they are within the vicinity.
Examples: I pulled a chair out and didn't push it in all the way, so the staff had to rush over and push the chair in. I should have pushed the chair in but didn't think about it.
Buy something every two hours / No phone calls in the café / Etc.
All of these rules are supposed to enhance the experience for other customers so it could be a benefit, but I find it hard to think about all these rules while also working, so I would opt for a place which is more lax. SOME people really really value a place where people need to follow the rules and it's so hard to find a place like that this if you are this person, this place is exactly for you.
SERVICE
The service here was mediocre. I didn't feel like anyone would have made an effort to get to know me if I kept coming back nor did I think they were striving for me to be a return customer. I didn't see passion in describing their food. At Ovation Coffee, for example, the cashier was so excited to talk about the Moroccan flavors and his favorite tastes. You won't get that at Coffee Beer. It seemed like simply just a job for them and once they're off the clock, they're off the clock.
I tried to take pictures as I normally do but it wasn't allowed so I don't have any pictures! I'm sorry!