The Acorn

I love this place when the servers are happy and pleasant, which is most of the time these days. Awesome coffee drinks, but be willing to wait as they make everything the old-​fashioned way — no shortcuts here and it shows in the quality and taste. Their ‘drip’ coffee is actually french pressed, and they make their hot chocolate from scratch and it’s fabulous. Acorn is also decidedly un-​Pearl, which is a nice change in the ‘hood, and you gotta love that the locally roasted coffee beans and most of the edible goodies are delivered by bicycle.

lessee.
you could click your brain right off and walk down the street and worship at the bitter alter of starbucks with the rest of the followers, or…
you could use your brain and support this nutty little (and i do mean little) local coffee shop that serves up courier coffee and fantastic loose leaf teas, inventive sandwiches (the charlton heston has turkey, chevre and strawberries), scrummy sweets (fritters, fresh berry muffins and scones and freakishly good cookies), homemade pies and quiches, simple and satisfying soups, fruit/​yogurt/​granola parfaits… the sheer volume of quality eats from these humble confines astounds.
the kids who serve it up are as quirky, creative and just plain real as the food — don’t expect forced smiles and false enthusiasm. do expect random, intelligent, funny conversation.
and homemade business cards.

Sasha is right, the music is dead on.
Jeff Buckley on the PA as the rain turns to sun.
and not to mention that i have not had a bad espresso since coming here, and by here I mean PDX.

What is it about getting served by hip art students that makes your coffee taste so much sweeter? I’m not really sure, but I totally love going to Acorn for a quick bite in the am or early pm. The staff is SUPER friendly, the music is ALWAYS cool, and the food is yummy.
You really can’t loose.

Its one of the hipster indie coffee joint in the Pearl district. The food is okay, I got a salad and the guy was nice enough to offer me some free bread. They have egg salad sandwich that looks pretty good. Their coffee smells nice but I got the tea and it was decent. Its sort of a safe haven for cheap lunch eats amongst the expensive restaurants. And of course, really cute indie guys! …and girls. ahem.

Half and Half goes Pearl?
I wouldn’t have believed it myself until I actually saw Joel Domries, the courier himself, delivering his backyard brew. He came in Tasmanian Devil style — a whirlwind of spokes and beans. Delicious, amazing, home roasted beans. And just like that, he was gone… he scattered his bean blessings upon the acorn, and rode off in the same roasting racket as when he arrived. Urban legend goes that Joel began his back yard roasting using an open propane flame and a tin the size of an English muffin… and we’ve all been the better since.
As the small exposed brick and beam location died down from the lunch rush, the two barristas practiced. Yes — they tasted and practiced pulling the beans. They oooed and aawed about which method provided the most flavor, and how to keep the bitter out of the brew.
Then they began talking about how they could make the C and the O in the name «Acorn» look like the channel logo… and suddenly I realized: I’m IN THE PEARL! Drinking courier coffee!
And then I died happy. The end.

Acorn is the new kid sister of downtown favorite coffee shop Half and Half. Acorn borrows much of its charming asthetic from the older sib – woodland cuteness and birch bark sign, but in a different locale. Despite the mere seven blocks of distance between the two shops, there’s a world of difference between the Pearl district and the Oak Street Triangle Block. Consequently, the clientele is appropriately Pearl district-​y.

LOVE IT! I just grabbed lunch here for the 3^rd time in the last two weeks and I cannot describe how fabulous their sandwiches are! I just had a spectacular turkey, cranberry, mango chutney and havarti grilled panini! Yum, yum, yum! All their sandwiches are extremely creative (hello– has anyone ever had a turkey, kumquat and thinly shaved fennel sandwich before last week???) and tasty! Also, they have killer home-​made oreos! And last, but not least– the staff is always friendly, knowledgeable and honest about their offerings. Three cheers for Acorn, my new best (sandwich) friend!

I agree with Carissa’s assessment that this place employs a rather odd use of space, but I sort of enjoyed its departure from the typical coffee house setup.
Also, interestingly enough, the «loose teas» are really served loose — no tea ball, no mesh strainer, just leaves in the bottom of your cup. I found this a little strange — I’m a green tea drinker primarily and like to remove the leaves before they start to get weird and bitter. That said, the tea itself was tasty, the prices were good and the baristas were friendly and polite.

The newest restaurant from the owners of the Half & Half, the Acorn has the same staff and the same offerings. The ham sandwich is yummy, as everything is always yummy there. The Acorn unfortunately lacks the zine rack of the Half & Half, and the desserts. Because of the setup, there is bar seating inside and the rest of the tables occupy the hall of the recently renovated building. It’s a quiet building, but still feels a little strange to be sitting in a hall.
The space is gorgeous though, with old wood beams, rough wood plank floors, and red brick walls. This location saves the walk through the Pearl, but doesn’t have the same indie vibe as the Half & Half.