Christopher David

Since I moved to Portland almost 3 years ago, I’ve been searching for a coffee shop with an inviting ambiance, decent food options, and great coffee. Because this is Portland and we’re spoiled in the caffeination department, many places have 2 out of 3, but Christopher David happens to have all the above (plus lots of power outlets) and is a interior design/​décor shop to boot.
The place is beautiful, as you would expect, with lots of indoor AND natural lighting, a large table for big groups or shared coworking, many side tables, stools/​bar seating, and comfy armchairs on the café side. On the shop side, it’s a magazine spread of home décor, artwork, and terrariums. If I ever strike it rich, I know where I’m blowing money.
I enjoyed a wonderfully flakey and sweet piece of apple cinnamon pie (recommended by the friendly barista) and latte as I worked through the afternoon. And, I’m already excited for my next visit!

I don’t want to gush too much, but my zeus do I love this business. I’ve had the opportunity to visit a dozen or so times, and consistently they serve up top notch coffee and snacks (think sandwiches, salads, pastries) in a friendly, clean environment that is conducive for both working solo or hosting small meetings. If I’m going to be working in The Pearl, I want to be working at Christopher David.
The interior of the café is unique, as in the furnishings are all rather industrial and elemental, but the space still feels soft. It probably helps that they have such fantastic natural light, high ceilings and music that perfectly sets a zen tone. The coffee is from Water Avenue, which is another of my Portland favorites, so they sure seem to know how to pick partners.
One thing I find kind of funny is that a lot of people know CD (that’s what cool kids — or lazy typists — call it) as a florist/​designer that happens to sell coffee. I, on the other hand, know CD as a really great coffee shop/​café that shares a space with a really lovely florist and boutique. Those that haven’t gotten to know the business from all angles really are doing themselves a disservice. Because while it might at first seem odd that they’re combining three different elements into one business, the simple fact is they excel at all three, and the sum is decidedly greater than its parts.

Beautiful flowers for my recent wedding! This was a really last-​minute order, but they were incredible! I wanted a small bouquet for our courthouse ceremony and it was perfect.

Wait, what? Did I just magically step into a photo shoot for some posh home décor magazine, complete with a gorgeous coffee and pastry bar? Somebody pinch me. This place has a serious case of awesomeness and I love it.
I’ve visited several times and each visit is an experience that will engage all of your five senses. First, just open your eyes and take it all in. It’s beautiful in here with exotic floral arrangements, imaginative terrariums, unique home décor items and furniture.
You’ll notice the pleasing aromas. Fragrance fills the air from the above mentioned flowers, freshly prepared coffee and aromatic candles. If you are one of those annoying people that complains about things that smell good, and bitch about folks wearing perfume in the office, go someplace sterile. This place is sensory overload in the best way possible. It’s subtle, it intrigues.
Pick up stuff. There are little dinosaurs you can put in a terrarium that you can make with your own two hands — just the feeling of getting your hands dirty and crafting something to care for is so rewarding. They offer varying workshops to assist you with getting in touch with your inner creativity. There are coffee table books, gag-​gift books, fluffy pillows to caress. Just don’t jizz all over the place because you can’t contain yourself.
Let the sound of the fresh coffee percolating lure you over to the café side. It’s fresh, it’s delicious it’s from Water Avenue Coffee Roasters. I recently had the Shakeuccino because it was a warm day and paired it with the nutella macaron. That was one of my best decisions ever. They also have beer, wine, breakfast and lunch; even mimosas. Mimosas!
This is how I imagine heaven. My version of heaven definitely will have bottomless mimosas resting upon a fluffy little clouds. Until I get to heaven, I’ll just have to come back to Christopher David.
2015 — Review # 63

Of all the incarnations of this seemingly haunted space, Christopher David may be the one to break the curse. How, you say? A combination that just gets it right.
From the outside, this joint doesn’t look like a place that caters to me. What the heck is it, anyway? It’s a coffee shop and interior design studio, wrapped into one. It should go without saying that the décor is top notch, and very well thought out. That part of the business is something I may never use other than to gaze longingly at some of the cool bric-​à-​brac sprinkled around the joint.
The part I dig is the coffeehouse side, with friendly baristas, really tasty coffee made from high quality beans, and a variety of indoor and outdoor seating. From tables to comfy chairs, to barstools, you can pick your poison. Fast wifi is abundant. The times I’ve been in, it seems pretty mellow here. The laptop brigade may not have discovered it yet. What ties it all together is the overall vibe. It’s less kitchy coffeehouse and more stylish hangout den.
Good style, good people, great coffee. About as far from the corporate Sbux and janky neighborhood coffeehouse as you can get. What more could I ask for?

Shakeccino w/​one shot espresso (normally has two) was just the right amount of coffee and sweetness I needed. Picked a beautiful succulent while I was in there too!

Fantastic place! I’ve been there twice and both times it was so relaxing and enjoyable. The café makes great food (I got a breakfast sandwich and chamomile tea at my visits) and the décor is very inviting.
While the food is tasty, I think the best part is the great service. The people there did everything to make sure I felt comfortable and cared for during my visit. Definitely a must visit when I’m in the Pearl!

We happened in here on a beautiful morning looking for breakfast. The ambiance and décor are super inviting and seem to promise delivery of equally well thought out food.
Our food was great, If i could rate on just food taste i’d probably give them around 3.5−4 stars. I was mostly caught off-​guard by how inappropriately their items are priced. Living in a foody city, one gets used to paying a premium for great food and in most cases trendy Portland cafes deliver. Not so Christopher David.
Their breakfast menu reads well but herein lies the issue: when one orders and pays $ 6.00 for what appears to be a breakfast entrée only to receive 1 slice of tiny toast, cut in half with a slight smearing of peanut butter and some honey, then on the same menu you can order a breakfast sandwich for $ 5.00– both sides of an english muffin, an egg and sausage it begs the question– How did a side order of toast get priced as an entrée?
I did ask and was told apologetically by the polite staff– «I know, but that is the right price.»
Maybe I should have known better. That said it was still very unsatisfying. Most likely we’ll never go back and just make the extra half block walk for appropriately priced delicious food that isn’t apparently subsidizing an interior design store front.

How can you go wrong when you get grab a bite to eat, an amazing cup of joe and shop?! Christopher David is a great stop while visiting the Pearl District whether you need a pick-​me-​up in the form of their house specialty Café di Nini or to grab something for the house you didn’t even know you needed, but trust me, you need it.

What a cutesy place with furniture I would probably never be able to afford.
I went to get coffee and it is adorable! Of course, I went for the Café Dini? — which was prepped with so much care. I think it had soymilk, syrup, shot of espresso…
It’d be a nice to stop by if I am around the area again.

I’ve been wanting to come here for the longest time and FINALLY I got the privilege to take my younger sister out for coffee and spend some quality time strolling around in the Pearl District. Our barista was very quick with our order. Bumped into some old friends while ordering, so that was nice to catch up. Definitely want to come back and study in this beautiful coffee shop.

I am absolutely obsessed with this place, and I only went in once while visiting from Seattle. This place is wonderfully curated. Everything is executed beautifully. The products are in line with a clean and modern aesthetic with just the right amount of whimsy. It’s laid back and friendly.
This place could easily go toward posh and inaccessible, but it is, instead, the perfect place to spend a couple of hours on a rainy afternoon.
I’ll be back. And when I return, I’ll have more money in hand.

This place is gorgeous! The first time I went was for an event, but that was enough to get me hooked. This is now my go-​to place for all my terrarium needs, a hobby I blame on them anyway.
It’s a beautiful spot to grab some coffee, and if I needed an arrangement of tastefully done flowers I would absolutely check here first. They’re a little bit of a lot of things, and you know what? It works.
I stopped by recently to grab another plant for my next terrarium and to get information about the classes they offer. Turns out I only need a group of 5 to have a private terrarium building class, so guess what I’m going to be doing! I saw some other fun looking classes on their site, but at $ 50/​class I don’t think I’ll be taking too many. However, if you have some extra cash laying around and want to learn how to do espresso art this is your place!
Oh, and the staff isn’t too bad to look at. ;)

Love the vibes here — boutique store full of knick knacks mixed in with a hip coffee shop & safe. What I love most is their outdoor patio area, which will be the perfect place to grab a cup of coffee with friends in the summer.
Their coffee selection is good and their food is also fresh and delicious. Their gluten free waffles are to die for and oh-​so buttery!
Looking forward to going back this summer!

Situated on the northern edge of Jamison Park, a quaint and welcoming place to grab a very good latte. Also an interesting place to browse home décor pieces, or buy some flowers.

This was such a great little coffee shop. I’m glad I knew it was in there because I may have passed it by. Great tea, great coffee and the pastries are to die for. We got a cookie and they even heated it up for us. I also they have a cinnamon roll, so headed back to try that soon as they said it was really good.

Trendy boutique shopping without the boutique prices. Sure, they weren’t giving anything away, but I was pleasantly surprised to find reasonable prices for a change in the Pearl.
Christopher David carries a fairly small assortment of decorations, including floral (terrariums), candles, diffusers, etc. Their prices were all as good or better than most of the other boutiques in the Pearl, so if you’re in the neighborhood and decorating, this is a good place to take a look.
Also, the café on sight looked really tempting so if you don’t get something for your home, you can always grab something for your appetite.

Great coffee, interesting environment and they have flowers!
I wouldn’t call myself a coffee aficionado but I understand what a good cup of coffee should taste like and they nail it. One of the best triple shot, almond milk, short pour lattes I have ever had. Staff was exceptional and speedy!
Just generally a cool place and a must visit in the pearl district.

While walking in the area I stopped to check out the flower cart outside the door. An artful mix of premade bouquets and stems for arrangements, succulents and other things of beauty.
It was poetry in motion to watch someone from the shop come out to gather provisions for an arrangement. She quickly pulled a stem or two from here and there — and within minutes a lovely bouquet was fashioned.
That was enough to pull me inside for a look around the hip store with home décor items, gifts, coffee, snacks and so much more.
Of course, I purchased a bouquet. Who could resist.

A spendid shop of many pieces. Part interior design store with lovely things for sale from furniture to accessories to wall art. Part espresso coffee bar with skilled barista and scrumptious Nuvrei pastries and tables and chairs inside to sit and sip and nosh. Part florist with gorgeous flowers to buy as stems or which they will arrange for you. Very friendly owners and staff. Great location right off of Jamison Square. And the aroma as you walk in with the smell of good coffee mingled with fresh flowers is intoxicating in the best possible way.
I’m a fan but a worried one. Because this newish business must be paying a hefty rent for this prime Pearl District space and they face still competition from others in the neighborhood, like Sammy’s flowers or scores of coffee houses with pastries and a bevy of other interior décor shops. They’re going to need to sell quite a lot more than coffee and flowers to meet the rent, I’d think, and I hope they attract the loyal customer base to their lovely interior design shop to help them flourish.
Pay Christopher David a visit. I bet you find something you like here.
THIS N THAT:
1) PARKING: On street and tough to find.
2) ACCESSIBILITY: One step down from Jamison Square entry. Level in from main, NW 10^th, entry. All on one level inside and mostly ample space in between displays.
3) TRANSIT: Right on streetcar line.
4) NEIGHBORS: Lovejoy Bakers at end of block. Perch furniture next door.