La Perlita
Coffee shop · Overlook
5610 N Interstate Ave, Portland, OR 97217
Highlights
Mexican coffee roaster serving award-winning mochas & pastries
Mexican coffee roaster serving award-winning mochas & pastries
"After years as a stop-and-go coffee shop in the Ecotrust building, La Perlita has a location in North Portland where customers can spread out and stay a while. Coffee on the menu comes from owner Angel Medina’s Reforma Coffee Roasters, which ends up in espresso drinks like La Perlita’s lovely spiced Mexican mocha." - Paolo Bicchieri
"A cafe noted for exploring the nuances of Mexican roasts—another example of immigrant-driven coffee narratives in the city." - Dianne de Guzman
"Tucked away in a corner of the Ecotrust Building lobby, La Perlita makes its chocolate beverages using Australia’s Somage Kali premium drinking chocolate. The West African cocoa produces a well-balanced hot chocolate that’s not overly sweet. For a sweet-ish option with a caffeine kick, try the True Mexican mocha with rich chocolate, steamed milk, and freeze-dried raspberries." - Rebecca Roland
"La Perlita founder Angel Medina is responsible for several Portland coffee businesses that launched prior to La Perlita, like Kiosko, Con Leche, and Smalltime Roasters. In early 2020 Medina rebranded Smalltime as Reforma Roasters, which now supplies the coffee for La Perlita. Reforma is the namesake of the Mexico City barrio that Medina once lived in, and many of his coffee beans are sourced from Mexico. Expect beverages like cortaditos, con leches, and the True Mexican, a mocha sprinkled with cayenne, cinnamon, and freeze-dried raspberry crumbles. (Medina notably went on to found the celebrated República and its growing family of restaurants)." - Eater Staff
"I titled my first 2020 film 'La Perlita' after my coffee shop and used the shop as the emotional and titular anchor to share a glimpse into Portland’s restaurant community during the pandemic through the eyes of a first-generation Mexican American immigrant, showing how businesses fought to survive amid lockdowns and social distancing." - Rebecca Roland
