Caffe Vita

Know of this roaster after a visit to their other locations in Seattle, WA. On the way to the PDX, decided to stop by and pick up some beans and an Americano. This place is no different. Barista pulled excellent shots. Staff friendly and even offered to grind my beans, which I declined. Service was quick. In, out, done — thank you

Solid place on Alberta to grab a bag of coffee or a cup of Joe. You get a free cup of coffee when you buy a bag.

I couldn’t rave enough about this little gem in my neighborhood … the coffee is flipping fantastic and the staff is extraordinarily stellar! Over the years they have become a part of my daily ritual, a «no-​brainer» as far as consciously spending my hard earned dollars — thanks to all of the staff, old and new, for keeping it real!!!

Cute little café with good coffee. I ordered an almond latte and my friend got a tea.

Nice little café near 29^th and Alberta in NE Portland. Has a nice feel to it.
I went a bit late in the day on a Sunday, café was mostly empty so had no trouble finding a place to sit.
Service was polite and pleasant and the coffee was pretty good (I had a cappuccino).
My only complaint (minor) is that the cup was cold and so my cappuccino cooled down too quickly. I wish more cafes heated their cups before serving.
I would definitely consider visiting again when I’m in the area. Unfortunately I live too far away to come here often.

The coffee here is fine, but they’ve remodeled the interior, and it’s so sad! It used to be such a lovely spot, but now it’s cramped and has the feel of a smoothie shop or something. I’m not sure if we’ll be back, honestly.

Updated– Goodbye Dragonfly spicy chai. They got rid of it to be consistent with their other locations, which sell a sweeter brand. I will probably still stop in for the coffee, but not as frequently.

I’ve worked at both Starbucks and local coffee shops and I’ve never given service this slow. The four stars goes to the perfect whole milk latte I got, I would suggest taking all your orders than making them so you don’t waste time.

Best Americano in Portland. Service can be a bit slow at times, but worth the wait for that hot cup-​a-​joe…

The number of stars was brought down because of the service. Not only was our server very slow, but he was not very nice to us. He made us feel like we were being rude for even asking to make an order (after we’d been sitting down for ten minutes. The lack of attention and hospitality was consistent until we left the building. On the other hand, the food wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t spectacular. I appreciated the attempt to make the corn cakes (almond and Thai) different, but they actually tasted kind of weird. And the chèvre sandwich was tasty but had it’s own problems — not enough bread, proportionally, and just too much cheese in general (and that’s coming with someone who is obsessed with cheese). The cakes in the front display cake looked amazing. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this place because of the service.

The coffee here is some of the best on Alberta. However, it is completely overshadowed by their truly terrible service model.
Anytime I go in here, If I see more than two people in line, I say, «nope» and walk ten blocks to barista. Here’s why: they always only have one person working. that in itself isn’t terrible. I understand overhead, the need to keep labor down, etc. What really irks me is that every time I have been in here and there are three people in line with me at the back, this is how it goes:
1^st person: I’ll have a 12 oz cappucino.
Barista: great! goes and makes the drink, rings the person up, next.
2^nd person: I’ll have 2 lattes
Barista: Great! goes and makes the drink, rings up the person, next.
Me: I’ll have a black coffee and a mocha
Barista: Great! goes and makes the drink, rings up the next person, hate stares at everyone while smoking out front.
This whole process takes 20 minutes.
If they perhaps took everyone’s orders, wrote them down, and made everything in sequence, it would take 5 – 7 minutes off of the overall time and everyone would be happier.
I think the best part for me though is that the entire time you are up there, staring at the barista making your drink. They pretend you aren’t there. You aren’t waiting to give them money in exchange for goods and services rendered. you aren’t going to tip them 20−25%. You are nothing more than a wisp of a thought, of a band you have never heard of before. You are not worth a, «hey, be right with you», «hey, how are you?», or «what up chief, how’s the caffeine level bra»
So yeah, coffee, 5 stars. Entirely tainted by terrible service, flow, and understaffing.

Good café Americana and free wifi. They were roasting beans which was cool, but extremely loud. Had to step outside to take a phone call. I’d probably go somewhere else to get work done.

A good quiet hang out spot. The day I was in everyone was to themselves, headphones on and at work on something. I could hear the music, sit and watch out the window, and enjoy a great tasting cup of coffee.

Overall:
The in house roasting operation ensures that the beans are fresh and aromatic, and this leads to a consistently good quality coffee for a reasonable price. Good quick service, and always correct keep me coming back.
Pros:
— The coffee is consistently good. I can be a bit of a snob with my drinks, and I can always count on my order being correct and good when I go to Caffe Vita.
— The staff are always friendly and quick, which means whenever I go in I’m not stressed to get on with my day.
— Great place to work from. I often work from home, and choose Caffe Vita as my second office.
— They roast in house which offers some awesome aromas. See my con for the summertime downside.
Cons:
— The lines can get long as others have pointed out, but I don’t often see that. I think thanksgiving was one such time.
— Working from here does require headphones for me. Sometimes the in house music is eclectic, or the crowds loud. I don’t think any more so than any other coffee shop in the area.
— In house roasting during Summer months can make it a little warm.

Nice and cozy! Last stop of my Portland trip.

Pleasant environment. Pretty good coffee. A nice barista. Local art on the walls. What more is there to ask for?
This is a challenging review. Maybe I’m just not hipster enough for this place. I think some people would love it here. Judging by the number of tables occupied I’m guessing they do. Its just… hmm…it’s not a place to bring a group and talk about your Las Vegas plans. It’s more of a place to come by yourself on a rainy day with your old Macbook and work on your next Harry Potter fan fiction piece. Also, it was pretty cold inside.
Most people would probably like the coffee and some people would love the environment. Maybe you’re one of those people. At very least you’ll leave having enjoyed some good coffee.

I can’t say whether this place has the best crafted cappuccino (it might), but hands down it has the best iced toddy. Perfectly balanced, smooth, and always available. We drive all the way up here from Sellwood when we have the time.
The shop itself has a dark, artsy vibe. The coffee bean roaster sits in the corner where the do use it to roast their beans. Plenty of seating and the music isn’t too loud.
One of my favorite shops in all of Portland.

Coffee is good, and generally the vibe inside is alright, but lately the music has been WAY TOO LOUD! I dunno if they are trying to turn this place into a dance club or what, but its purely miserable to sit in here and have a conversation or do any sort of work… I had to talk over the music to order my coffee just right now, and the freaking music is filtering through my noise canceling headphones big time…
Hope they fix this because I come here often, and right now I’m tempted to not come back… TOO LOUD MUSIC… bummer.

I went here for an afternoon pickup before dinner. Even though it was a warm day, I ended up getting a cappuccino since it sounded good at the time. And it was a pretty good cappuccino. It was nice and smooth. Definitely what I needed after a busy day.
They have a pretty big space with lots of seating, as well as free wifi. They also have outdoor seating. The barista was pretty nice and prompt. Prices were fair.
I definitely wouldn’t mind going back when I’m in the Alberta area.

Darn good coffee. I love how thick their espresso is…
That’s what she said! Sorry. I had to.
But really, this place is chill, and simple. Tasty snacks, great coffee and there are a few seats out front for people watching.
The barista that seems to be there when I go in attempts to be friendly-​ish, but I’m not feeling the love.
Did I mention that the coffee is good? It is. Get it to go and check out Alberta.