Portland’s coffee scene is easily one of the best in the country.
This, combined with a strong local emphasis on trendy design, means that the city offers some incredible cafes well-geared for wifi use which also providing comfortable seating arrangements and intriguing furnishings. Though more and more available work spaces for rent are being made available for freelancers, often nothing beats posting up in a sociable café where you can catch a chance conversation, network or just purely enjoy the comfortable surroundings that someone has put so much effort into. Making a top ten list for Portland is challenging: this city has more quality coffee houses than you can shake a biodegradable stirrer at. In compiling this list, we were on the look for the type of places that represent and innovate on Portland’s famous coffee culture, with particular emphasis on finding places that function well and provide an inspiring atmosphere to give your work an edge.
10. Ava Roasteria
Ava Roasteria, 24-hour coffee hangout in a handy suburban location, has got your back when you need wifi and a tasty caffeine hit the most. Think you might end up having to work an extra few hours and don’t wish to be disturbed at closing time? Maybe you just operate on midnight oil and this is your most creative time of the day? This place provides an unrivaled level of complete convenience for your most demanding wifi needs.
9. Marco’s Cafe & Espresso Bar
This popular neighbourhood spot is lauded for its breakfast and is typically packed with customers savouring heavenly eggs and the cafe’s neat, quirky furnishings, like an umbrella-covered ceiling. This place puts a lot of effort into both its coffee and food options; a perfect place for a wholesome meal framed by long sessions of work.
8. Glyph Café & Arts Space
Head to Glyph and hang out in a chic cafe with a strong commitment to the arts, not to mention reliable wifi, plenty of space, well-placed power outlets and sumptuous coffee presented with a smile. This place is a great local resource for the arts, it hosts events and its site promotes featured writers and publishes reviews. Glyph is a great place to draw inspiration from!
7. Tiny’s Coffee South East
A cosy cafe not too far from the city centre. Pop in and escape the busy counter area by taking refuge in the back patio and getting down to some work. Tiny’s sandwiches are a huge hit too, so make sure to pick one up before they run out later on in the day.
6. Stumptown Coffee at The Ace Hotel
One of the nationally-famous Stumptown Coffee Roaster’s outlets housed in the trendy Ace Hotel. This cafe offers stunning decor – exposed red brick, a central tiled table, a vintage hotel sign, wood-paneled walls – which provides a very warm atmosphere. Take the opportunity to relax and work in a true Portland institution.
5. The Ugly Mug
This dainty neighbouhood hangout is bursting with charm and friendly patrons. On weekends this spot is rammed with chatty locals but on weekdays it makes for a very pleasant place to plug in and work for a few hours. The local area boasts some beautiful tree-lined streets to walk around; ideal for clearing your head and letting your imagination go for a walk.
4. TILT
TILT is a very spacious, tastefully decorated cafe with a great location. It’s sleek minimalist design makes for a very attractive entrance as well as a nice perch to work and look out from. TILT isn’t the biggest and attracts a steady crowd, but still manages not to be cramped during the day. Stick out a day of work until the evening and congratulate yourself with one of the best burgers in the city, or, you know, indulge in well-earned happy hour drinks.
3. Coava Coffee Roasters
Coava boasts an intriguing industrial aesthetic with very warm staff. This is a pretty open plan design indeed. This leaves plenty of space for you to roam around and stretch your legs during stints of working on a laptop, quite a luxury compared to the typical nestled together
2. Dapper & Wise Coffee Roasters
D&W is located in the suburban area of Beaverton to the west of the city and is an ideal spot to treat your taste buds to delicious blends of coffee while getting work done in a quiet, friendly place. The giant front window is the standout feature of this high-ceilinged space; perfect for gazing out of during breaks from your online tasks. This coffee house can be a surprisingly inspiring place to knuckle down.
1. Urban Grind
Close enough to Downtown without being in the thick of it, hip staff without being ostentatious, stocked with plenty of seats without arranging them on top of one another – this place is an ideal cafe to hole up and work with the fastest cafe wifi around. With bottomless coffee for $3, whats not to love about this place? UG is a Portland favourite for freelance and online workers.