Kobos Coffee

Located in the black box building on Market Street, this is a small shop. The décor is rather sterile, but okay for the business crowd they serve.
I found the staff to be way above average in their speed of preparation, joy in serving customers, and knowledge of their drink and food offerings.
The coffee is above average, and the prices are fair.

Good coffee and friendly staff. Not the kind of coffee shop where you’d want to setup camp and read. It’s more of a office worker refueling station. But in that respect, it’s wonderful. I get coffee here every single day.

coffee coffee coffee yay coffee… I love coffee, I love it hot, I love it cold, I love it with vanilla, I love it large I do not love it small lol. They have great coffee that does not taste burnt or over roasted. I love them I do I do I do! lol and no I am not on caffeine right now… though I am considering getting some lol. In the mornings they have bagels and other such pastries to enjoy with your coffee. They have a small section to weird little trinkets that I occasionally find something I did not know I had to have and they even have some cards for that D’oh moment when you realize you have forgotten something that is card worthy lol.

I wish I could give this store a makeover.
It feels like a mix between a Baskin Robbins and a Johnny Rockets. The tables are too small. They take your order and then instead of serving it at the other side of the bar where there’s more space, they put your food and drink right next to the cash register and just let it sit there without letting you know it’s ready. With all the other orders, so you don’t know which one is yours.
The cashier thought it was funny to try to make eye contact with me and follow my face as I looked at the pastry and food options in the glass case. Sorry, not funny.
The bagel was fine and the coffee was blah. It’s the type of place where people get coffees with multiple shots of flavor because its not good on its own.
I hate to say it but Starbucks is even a better experience

We tried this small and busy coffeeshop in downtown Portland. Service was excellent and the coffee was wonderful.
Definitely better than Starbucks!

Consistently good cup of coffee at reasonable prices. Bring your own cup to get your coffee for a dollar! I also usually get a lb of their beans to bring to the office. I always take my drinks to go because the space is small and not that inviting.

If all you require of a coffee shop is a good cup of coffee at a reasonable price from a friendly person, Kobos fits the bill. Stumptown definitely has better coffee, but this coffee is palatable for sure, and much better than Starbucks. The «Dollar fills your cup» thing is very cool, especially if you have a big cup. I would agree with other reviewers that the setting lacks character. Maybe some local art would help. Or hip hop. Certainly skimpy outfits would do the trick.

What can I say about it really? The atmosphere is sterile, but the staff is different and they are very friendly. When I’m thirsty and I just want to get away from my desk, this is really the only option available so it’s what I do. They have a pretty good deal, too. If you have your own cup, 1^st cup of the day is $ 1. After that it’s $.50. Not bad for all you Regence coffee hounds!

Hey man… A buck fills your cup. That’s what the sign says and so my cup is full. Their coffee brewed is good and the selection is varied. I don’t often get anything more fancy than that. The crew there get my humor and join in. Good place.

I think reviewing this is silly because I’m pretty sure no one but the office workers in my building bother to even come here.
This location of Kobos is literally hidden on the ground floor of the building affectionately dubbed «The Big Black Box» in the corporate hell section of SW Portland.
I prefer going here to Starbucks simply because it is not Starbucks.
The coffee is meh. I’m not going to write home about it.
The service is nothing spectacular, I feel uncomfortable around the staff most of the time.
They are not overly friendly bunch, but I’m not necessarily picking up any major ‘tude either. They work hard on keeping it clean, you can tell.
There are a lot of cool little tchotckes for sale, but they seem out of place. None are coffee related and often go on clearance due to lack of interest.
The baked goods are admittedly delicious, but I am sad that there doesn’t seem to be any healthy options like fruit or protein bars.
The interior is forgettable and stark. I would never ever ever not get a coffee ‘to go’ here.
I’d cut someone for their soy chai latte though. On the real.

I love Kobos, and I don’t even drink coffee. They make a great hot chocolate, or in the summer months don’t miss the mocha freeze. The staff is usually super friendly and they have a great taste in music (more than once I have wandered in to find them playing an entire Kinks album). One star lost because it is year-​round too darn cold in there. And those chairs do not encourage lingering.

Uh, it’s 1985 calling — it wants its color palette back.
Alright, full disclosure: I worked for Kobos back in those days when MTV played music videos. Unfortunately back then we were not nearly hip enough to have this whole magenta and teal thing going on like they have at the 200 Market store. We were all coffee– and earth-​tones, which –ironically enough– would be very fashionable in the 00s.
What matters to you? Quality, fresh roast coffee varietals from around the world? A well trained and super friendly staff? Well then, you are in luck! How about we throw in a couple nice non-​smoking outdoor tables under a glass canopy and some free wi-​fi? Done.
While you’re at it you might check out the pastry case — I think their stuff comes from Marsee so it’s a few notches up from the dreaded Costco muffin. And keep your eye out for the coffee of the week: some kinda screamin’ deal on beans by the pound.
But if you were looking for a charming and cozy coffee shop to while away a couple hours, working the VPN, then man is your ass going to get cold and numb on those steel chairs indoors. It may look like Miami Vice in there but it damn sure does not feel like Florida.

I give Kobos 3.5 stars overall. I’d say 4 stars for convenience and friendly people. They are located downtown at the base of the «Black Box» building on 1^st/​Market. For me, that places them right next door to work, and I drink coffee and tea there practically every weekday, so I ought to be a fair reviewer.
The goods: decent service and selection, nice pastry and bagel selection
The oks:
The environment is rather sterile and small, not a quiet place that you would want to hang out in for hours.
I don’t personally agree that they have the best coffee in town (I like Stumptown beans much better) but without a doubt a step up from Starbucks.

Good coffee. BAD cups.
Ok, I work at right beside Kobos on Market so it is a great place to grab a quick coffee drink in the late afternoon. I love their coffee and the staff is always helpful and friendly. The only reason Kobos doesn’t get a 5 star rating is their terrible cups. The cups have a seam down one side. Fill it with a lava hot Americano and it literally melts burping coffee all over you. Sadly, if only their could switch their cup vendor, it would be pure heaven.
Oh, the FREE WIFI is not all bad either.