Samantha J.
Yelp
Filipino-owned coffee shop?! SAY LESS.
As a fellow Filipina who is relatively new to Portland, I'm always on the hunt for anything and everything PHILIPPINES. TBH, it's just another way of me trying to fill an empty void since I'm a longgg way from home.
I learned about Kalesa Coffee from following Magna Kusina on Instagram. My husband and I work remote, so we took our work to Kalesa Coffee for a day. It's a cozy little spot tucked in the corner of the GOTHAM BUILDING. Lots of STREET PARKING available. Fortunately, we got there early enough to snag a few seats (there are 3 small tables with 2 seats each). There are some outdoor seating as well, but we needed plugs for our laptops, so we had to stay inside.
I ordered the MANGO MATCHA and my husband ordered the COCONUT COLD BREW with UBE WHIP. The iced mango matcha was a familiar taste, but a unique one. I can't seem to pinpoint exactly what was in the mango matcha, but it sure brought me back home to the islands. I had a sip of my husband's coconut cold brew with ube whip. I especially loved the ube whip - wish I had more of that! I am curious to try the rest of the drinks on the menu and to also try one of the baked goods. Next time, for sure!
Since we got there early, we had the entire place to ourselves. But just a few minutes later, more and more people started coming in! If you have a bunch of meetings for work, I wouldn't advise working out of here as the noise does echo within the building and it gets a bit loud. We personally didn't mind it because we were just in awe of all of the people who came and supported this local business. Keep 'em coming!
Thank you so much for having us, Tim! See you next time!