I have a general rule: stick to only one cup of coffee a day (for my heart and nervous system’s sake). Since I was only in Portland, Maine for a short time, I made an exception so I could try as many coffee shops as I could in 48 hours. Portland’s coffee scene is on the smaller side, much like the city, but it makes up for it in variety. Every spot seems to offer something a little different than the last.

Reminder: I don’t give stars or number ratings to any of the coffee shops I visit. In my experience, those kind of reviews tend to be subjective and not always super helpful. We all have different tastes, and a coffee shop I loved could be one that someone else can’t stand! So instead I provide details like: the vibes, thoughts on what I ordered, recommendations/tips, and overall if I liked the shop or not. This way you can decide for yourself if you want to give it a shot. Want to see where else I’ve tried? Check out the rest of my Will Travel for Coffee series!

Wake Up. Drink Coffee. Travel. Repeat.

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Planning a trip to Portland? Check out my 2-Day Spring Itinerary.
Hungry? Check out my favorite places to eat & drink in Portland!

Salt Yard Café

Up first was a stop at Salt Yard Cafe & Bar, located inside the Canopy by Hilton in Old Port. It’s definitely got a higher end look than the other coffee shops I visited in the area. Think polished industrial. They have a mix of sit-down tables as well as more casual lounge-y seating areas, depending on your mood or if you’re planning to also grab a meal with your coffee.

The Salt Yard Latte is raved about online, so of course that had to be the order and it’s safe to say the social media buzz is justified. Caramel coffee lovers should RUN and get one if they’re in the Portland area. Besides coffee they also have pastries and breakfast/brunch items on the menu.

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Bread & Friends

This popular area bakery and restaurant, with it’s hipster-y vibes and fun bright colors, is known for their breads, pastries, and shared brunch plates. They get pretty busy, especially on the weekends, so expect a little bit of a wait. But it’s definitely worth it! I honestly never really expect much when it comes to restaurant coffee, even at places known for brunch, because it’s usually just not as much of a focus as the food. I was happy to be proven wrong in this particular case.

Now I’m normally not super adventurous at new coffee shops, but I figured we had to try some of the house specialty drinks. I got the smoked maple rosemary latte while my friend went with the brown butter latte. I never would’ve thought rosemary and maple went together, but it was a surprisingly good combination. I’d definitely order it again. The only thing that honestly threw me off was the mugs they were served in not having a handle! Until I’d had a few sips I was worried I’d spill it on myself. The coffees and all of our brunch dishes were perfection.

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Bard Coffee

While researching where to get coffee in Portland, Bard Coffee came up on a lot of lists as one of the best coffee shops in the city – so I went in with high expectations. There’s plenty of seating inside and it looks to be a very popular spot for remote work. Even though it was mid-afternoon on the day we stopped in, it was packed which felt promising. Unfortunately it was just a bit of a letdown. The maple cappuccino I ordered was very underwhelming and had an almost chemically taste to it. I personally wouldn’t go here again.

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Tandem Coffee + Bakery

Tandem is unique in that it’s housed inside of a converted gas station! It’s popular with both locals and tourists alike, with lines out the door even during the offseason. It was pretty crowded inside during our visit, which wasn’t super conductive to inside photos, but thankfully the line moved quickly. While there is some seating inside, the majority of it is the picnic tables out front. Only some of the outside tables are covered, so if the weather is bad then be prepared to take your goodies home with you. They also have a second location on Anderson Street which is the home of their roastery.

My friend and I both opted for maple iced coffees with oat milk. And while we enjoyed them, they weren’t anything special or overly memorable. Breakfast wise, I ordered the everything seeded scone with cream cheese, she went with one of their specialty loaded biscuits with strawberry jam and butter. I’d say that the baked goods are the main draw here for me, as opposed to the coffee.

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Novel

Novel is a bit different than the other coffee spots I checked out in Portland – a mix between a bookstore and an all-day bar. Coffee in the morning and cocktails in the evenings. To be completely honest it looks like they’ve seen better days – with missing ceiling tiles. The aesthetics feel like they’d do better at night when they’re serving cocktails and you’re less likely to notice smaller details in the dark.

The coffee I ended up ordering, a brown sugar cinnamon shaken espresso with oat milk, wasn’t bad but it also wasn’t really something that would convince me I need to come back. Stopping in at Novel was a nice way to kill some time while we were in the area, but it wouldn’t be my first choice for coffee in Portland. Service was a little slow/haphazard, but the employee was new and the only one making drinks so I’ll give them a pass.

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Have coffee spot in Portland you think I should try next? Let me know in the comments!
See the button to your right? You could buy me my next coffee!