Barista

Love every other Barista in the city but this one. Really wish I could give this place zero stars. The worst service you will find in Portland. Cheers to you Barista for being pretentious assholes.

Came to this location to try Salt and Straw ice cream but unfortunately they were closed– but Barista helped and made it wasn’t a disaster.
It was packed in Friday morning (duh) so it might be hard for group of friends to have tables. Smells good from the door, tastes better from the mug. I got the mocha, the bitterness was just enough for a coffee lover like me. The art they did for my mug was amazing too, it helped increasing the flavor of the coffee. Perhaps the taste might not good, the art on the cup could totally make it better, am I right? and they surely did a great job at it.
It was a great experience for me. Now I have a second reason to come up to 23^rd area beside Salt and Straw: D

. Super noisy and there was no where to sit. Which is okay I guess, but the coffee was watery, not tasty. Staff were really friendly though. Very hipster

So now I’ve been here a few times, I wanted to elaborate on their iced coffee. Not sure how they brew it but it tastes kinda watery, like coffee that’s brewed and then iced. My favorite iced coffees are rich and smooth with no bitter or rough edges. This isn’t it. It just tastes watery and thin, despite only having a small scoop of ice. It’s not awful or undrinkable but it is not rich or full or bold. It goes beyond mellow to almost tea. It isn’t transparent but it’s not a full coffee flavor.
The people are sweet and friendly to me every time (maybe because I’m spending $ 5 on coffee) but yeah quality of iced coffee isn’t top notch for me. It’s better than some places. Next time I’ll try a latte or some espresso based bev.

Good service, great mochas. But $ 4.75 for a small (8 oz) mocha seems a bit much!

Well, my coffee is awesome but I wish I’d seen there’s no wifi before I ordered it for here and sat down to get some work done. To add to the no wifi, there are also no outlets so if you were planning on a pit stop for coffee and to recharge (literally, your phone), make a different plan.
Mixed feels — kinda dig no wifi places for social reasons, but the other barista nearby has it (but has much less comfortable seating options) and for the sake of consistency and lack of confusion it’d be nice if this one did, too.
This one otherwise wins for atmosphere, comfort, and coffee.

Very good coffee! Had their americano and it was amazing. My mom had their vanilla latte and I normally don’t like sweet drinks, but they use a home made vanilla and it was to die for!

Nice music and good coffee /​location but no wifi… Really? Alyssa is not impressed.

Pretty descent hot chocolate (bittersweet). Still a tad bit on a sweeter side. Ambience is nice and their savory pumpkin croissant was very good.

Love that there is now a barista in the NW district and not just on Alberta. They have the same atmosphere, same friendly quirky staff and same service.
Because you are on NW 23^rd you have a different crowd that may frequent here. I would not suggest staying at studying or holding a deep conversation or bible study here. This location feels more like the hip up beat grab, chat for a bit and go coffee shop. Linger if you wish, but the house gets packed and loud pretty quick!

Trying out a new coffee shop is always fun. I found myself on 23^rd and Unilocaled for my choices. Barista? Sure. I’ll try it.
First impressions. I like the look of big windows and dark wood, leather seats and metal tables.
The music is played too loud. I can’t hear myself think. Everyone is talking louder so that they can hear each other over the music. Turn. It. Down.
Not a lot of seating. If you are a single, there are 6 tables. Then there are 3 giant booths. Right now all 3 of those booths are taken by singles, since the small tables are all filled. There are 7 bar seats at the windows, but I hate bar seats. 2 groups who couldn’t find a table are huddled on bar seats. Not optimal at all, the seating. The single tables are so close together that 2 people can’t fit
The coffee is really great. I’m having my vanilla latte and it is highly satisfying. Great flavor. A+. The baristas are knowledgeable and friendly.
So why am I not happy? Because I’m being blasted out by the music and practically have to sit in my neighbor’s lap

A cute little coffee shop with a nice, chill vibe. I liked the touches in the space that embraced the older building, and the large booths were great for cozying up in to read for a few. I got a decaf Americano the first time, and a cider the second time. I love this thing about coffee shops being able to serve booze! It’s brilliant! My Americano was fine, although I did add a touch of milk — most places don’t focus too much on their decaf options so it wasn’t a mindblowing cup of joe.
The staff were really nice both times we went in, although we got a bit confused by the ordering system and overshot the register area initially! Drinks came out fast and were an average price for a fancyish coffee shop. A solid 3.5 in my book — but I’m sticking to 3 because I wasn’t wowed by anything, it was just a fun spot to grab a coffee.

Tried a semi-​sweet mocha and it was pretty awesome. Smooth and silky tasting. You know the coffee is good despite being full you still want to keep drinking it. That was me.

Canned wine on a Friday evening? Yes, please. Not too crowded and I was able to find a booth for my friend and I to sit in. No wifi.
Nothing too exciting about this spot but I also only tried their canned wine.

One word… AMAZING.
The coffee beans are some of the best I’ve encountered.
If you are a coffee guru, ask to smell their beans for the day and pick your pleasure that way. I have epic fourth parallel. It was amazing
Their granola is also delicately irresistible.

Damn this place is pretty great.
Came here on an afternoon after all the browsing on NW 23^rd St. Because I crave good coffee ²⁴⁄₇ ok? The coffee here is pretty great (when you make my latte smooth I like you). The location is convenient. The vibe is smooth.
*cute barista alert*
:)

Quick and dirty:
Great coffee. Nice aesthetic. Friendly staff. So what’s the beef? Basically, they’re just too crowded.
I think your opinion of this Barista is wholly dependent on your personal relationships with coffee shops as a whole. If you’re the kind of person that just needs to order a drink and take it to go, then by all means hit up Barista. But if you’re the type of person that prefers to settle in for a while, this particular location might not be your best bet. The seating is quite limited, and in the areas where it’d be acceptable for just one person to sit alone, you’re sort of packed in like sardines. Often times there are literally zero seating options available. Again, perfect if you want something to go…
Barista is a great concept, and I like their shops across town. In fact, the Barista on NE Alberta is one of my favorite shops in the city. Unfortunately, this location just rarely works out for me.

I give this place a 5 star on most things but the lack of wifi makes it an automatic 4 star over all. Anyone who is there to study will have to move on if needing to use the Internet. Overall, the place is clean, super hipster portlandia… One and one… Miller high life and a shot of espresso. Pass. Very nice baristas behind the counter today.

Someone told me coffee in Portland is nothing short of amazing. I was a skeptic, but I have since then become a convert.
Barista is my introduction to the Portland coffee scene, and my friends chose well. The coffee was roasted well and did not have any of that unpleasant burnt taste I have come to associate with coffee (apparently, I was just deprived of truly great coffee all my life). This is especially noticeable when you are not adding any sugar or cream to your drink (a religious dietary restriction I had when I was in town).
The staff are cheerful and the people watching outside is quite nice as well. I will hang out here when I go back to PDX.

Maybe my expectations were too high?
Maybe it was this location?
I was told this is the best cup I will ever drink. I was also told it would be a 10 minute pour over process. However, they poured a pre-​brewed cup… it was strong, lemony, and hard to palate… but thats likely a personal sentiment?
The cookies they keep by the register however… Delicious. Simple, silver dollar sized chocolate chip cookies baked fresh.
I liked the vibe of the place a lot, if I was a student or creative type in Portland maybe I would sample more things on the menu just to get to spend time here.