City Cast Portland logo
Advertisement image

Favorite Coffees Spots in Portland, Plus Some Good Lunch Options

Posted on June 23, 2023   |   Updated on September 30, 2025

Rachel Monahan

Cafe Olli, best sandwiches in Portland

On weekdays, Cafe Olli makes extraordinary sandwiches. (Rachel Monahan/City Cast Portland)


🍕 Bella’s pepperoni pizza had sold out yesterday, which was a bummer: I think it’s one of the best in Portland. The thick crust of a Bella’s pie with plenty of pepperoni is memorable. The pepperoni even comes with a dusting of melted cheese on it. (If you don’t like my pick, maybe revisit the advice of a local pizza expert.)

I made do with two other of my favorite treats for lunch yesterday: a sweet roll from Bella’s (made with mascarpone) as consolation — and a vegetable sandwich from Cafe Olli.

Portland's best breakfast sweet roll: Bella’s

My nomination for Portland's best breakfast sweet roll: Bella’s. (Rachel Monahan/City Cast Portland)

We solicited your recommendations for coffee spots over the last week. Here are some recs from your fellow readers:

☕️ “The Living Room Coffeehouse in Sellwood area is a gem I found recently. Great pastries, coffee, and staff. Slow service but worth the wait of the care they take to make my coffee! The space is massive and so cozy. Really is a book reader’s or group meeting dream.” — Miranda Jean

☕️ “Keeper Coffee is very good and a favorite spot but, in all fairness [best coffee] would have to go to Push x Pull and Guilder. Proud Mary coffee is good too!” — Jeff Guenther

☕️ “I just moved to the area and am a coffee lover — single origin only please! I stopped by Coava and really liked their beans too. Great coffee!”

☕️ “My prejudice personal fave is the one in Powell's City Of Books. Clean, stocked w/ reasonable coffee and munchies, comfy chairs...and BOOKS. Covers all my essential needs.” — Theodore Williams

☕️ “I haven't been to all of the coffee shops in Portland, but the best one to me is Jet Black Coffee. I am not a black coffee drinker typically, but their Water Avenue signature roast is so good it doesn't need anything added. The major plus is that they're all-vegan so they're loaded with Shoofly pastries. Jet Black rules!” — Thomas Vanderpol

In other Portland food news, Dave’s Hot Chicken is testing out a cauliflower burger at all its Oregon locations 🍔

Favorite Portland Meals? Email Me.

Share article

Hey Portland

Stay connected to City Cast Portland and get ready to join the local conversation.

Can't subscribe? Turn off your ad blocker and try again.

Food & Drink

See All
Food & DrinkApril 7

Where To Find the Best Deals for Portland Groceries

For the last year, Stumptown Savings’ Bryan M. Vance has been tracking where to find the cheap groceries in Portland. His one-person medi...

A grocery store aisle.
Food & DrinkFebruary 17

Where To Find Portland's Best Dumplings

Dumplings are a comfort food, a Portland favorite, and perfect for the rain. Eater Portland editor Brooke Jackson-Glidden recently shared...

Bamboo basket of xlb dumplings, Portland, Oregon
Food & DrinkJanuary 26

Portland Kids Eat Well and More Restaurant Updates

Portland restaurants offer a foodie take on the kids menu. Kann hosts a Georgia king of barbecue. Rangoon Bistro is moving its original l...

hush puppies and a dip next to a golden colored basket, Parallel Wine Bar, Portland, Oregpn
Food & DrinkJanuary 6

The 5 Portland Restaurants To Try Right Now

January is a quiet month for restaurants and bars, while everyone minds their budgets and their waistlines after the holidays and New Yea...

bar scene at LaVerne's in Portland, Oregon
Food & DrinkDecember 22, 2025

Portland Restaurant and Bar Closings As 2025 Comes to an End

The end of year is filled with celebrations of the best restaurants in town.

a hush puppy from Parallel Wine Bar, Portland, Oregon
Food & DrinkDecember 17, 2025

The Best Things We Ate in Portland in 2026

Portland had an abundance of good restaurants to choose from. As we head into a new year, the City Cast Portland team is sharing a person...

a white table clothed setting with raw shrimp and sauce in one dish and a curry in another, and empty plate
Food & DrinkDecember 15, 2025

December 2025 Updates on Portland Restaurants and Brewers

The Oregonian names the restaurant of the year, as well as the top 10 new restaurants — places like Paper Bridge, Baum's on Oak. And more...

lanterns along the ceiling
Food & DrinkNovember 25, 2025

The Latest Portland Restaurant and Bar Openings

This month, we have a couple of standout additions to the Portland bar scene: Bone Sine and Madame Bar Bar.

red bricked walls line this bar with half a dozen green bar chairs medium brown wood bar

The latest in Portland

The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandJuly 19

Side Quest: Second-Run Stars

Portland’s historic movie theaters are time capsules of cinema-how-it-was, and watching modern films somehow feels less soul-sucking.

Cars are parked on the street outside of Academy Theater in Portland’s Montavilla neighborhood. The blue facade is cylindrical with a marquee lined by blue lights.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandJuly 19

Your Guide to Montavilla

Long a stopover for travelers between Hood River and Portland, Montavilla is a crossroads of cultures and camaraderie, and every summer,...

Crowds of people browse the stalls at the Montavilla Street Fair. Booths can be seen on both sides of the street.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandJuly 12

Side Quest: Drinks with a View? Wine Not

Competition in Willamette Valley is fierce, but Amaterra sets the bar high (on top of the West Hills, in fact). It's 15 minutes from down...

People sit in red adirondack chairs at Amaterra Winery, looking out over the Tualatin Valley and a sloped vineyard. The setting sun peeks through a stand of tall evergreen trees.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandJuly 12

Your Guide to Portland's West Hills

The West Hills are a peaceful place to live with plenty of dining appeal, as restaurants and breweries keep heading to the ‘burbs.

Blueberries, some ripe and some not, weigh a branch down.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandJuly 5

Your Guide to Hosford-Abernethy

The history of this Portland, Oregon, neighborhood is rooted in the railroad industry, so Hosford-Abernethy is a fitting home for the Ore...

Crowds of people explore the exterior of the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, which has criss-crossing tracks and several locomotives, one of which sits on a working turntable.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandJuly 5

Side Quest: Tapas? Heck Yes

Meet vya, the Portland, Oregon, Spanish tapas restaurant that opened earlier this year in the former Palomar space, setting the scene for...

A hand squeezes a roasted lemon on top of a pan of paella with shrimp and mussels.
Portland's BestJuly 1

What To Do in Portland in July 2026

A quarter millennium ago, the U.S. got its start. Since then, we've experienced all the promises and disappointments of our country's rhe...

Parade with people in pink and rainbows.
Portland Life HacksJuly 1

Tips for a Better July 2026 in Portland

Find ways to prepare yourself for July in Portland, including tips on farmers markets, swimming, and fire season.

Pink, purple, and red flowers in a bouquet with pink tissue paper.