True Brew

Cavernous coffee shops have never appealed to me, they are the opposite of cozy. And like this one, usually empty.
There was something off-​putting and uncomfortable about the young gal behind the counter. She wasn’t rude, but exuded a borderline «live or die, I don’t care» vibe. A little impatient too. The breakfast burritos are overpriced and incredibly bland. They have a menu option where you can make any of their breakfast items into a burrito for an extra $ 2. Basically, $ 2 for a non-​grilled tortilla.
The Espresso drink I had was better than average. The bookcases are a nice touch. Parking is ample and owner seems like he cares. However, he called out my order for pick-​up, but delivered to table for another customer. Odd.

Darah always knows what we want and makes an excellent cup of coffee and I’m a coffee snob

I disagree that the prices are high– to me they’re on par with any other coffee shop in Portland. They also do $ 2 16oz mochas on Monday which is pretty much unbeatable. Great fresh bagel selection, and it’s quiet with lots of seating and cool décor. Parking is somewhat limited so I would recommend walking if you have the time.

Coffee is decent, nothing special though, and super overpriced. Mocha Mondays are the only time to visit this shop if you want an affordable drink. Sandwiches are also super overpriced and I have even gotten sick after eating one, I don’t know why I went back. The hours suck, I have been turned away ten minutes before close, when they totally had time to make stuff. They were crippled by the recent «icepocalypse». Worst thing is the guy who runs it, he is the snootiest dude who ever opened a coffee shop. Every time I’ve been in there as an average everyday customer I’ve been looked at like a waste of space. It’s just not a chill spot and there are way better coffee shops in Portland.

Stopped in at this Brooklyn neighborhood joint recently, a bit off the beaten track for me. A nice big, open space, lots of room and windows to let in the light, looked clean and welcoming. The guy at the counter (I’m assuming the owner) was nice and really helpful. Great vibe just to stop and have a coffee and read or to meet up with a friend. Keep in mind they close at 4 pm on weekdays and 1 pm on weekends.

This place is so close that I really, really want it to be good but it just continues to disappoint. We had sworn it off in favor of Southeast Grind, but then I heard True Brew now had Spielman’s bagels, so we gave it another try, since Spielman’s SE location’s re-​opening is still TBD. Important to note: True brew only has the bagels not the cream cheese concoctions that pair perfectly with these bagels. We ordered with high hopes for delicious quick breakfast, but my latte tasted burnt, my smoked salmon cream cheese was missing most of the smoked salmon, and my husbands sausage egg and cheese was just kinda meh.
Stars are for the people who work there, because there are 2 of them, they work hard and are appropriately friendly! I’m sure in a year I’ll give TB another shot, when I hear something else has changed, but if you are just visiting the neighborhood and looking for coffee, I can’t recommend it.

There get right every time. They have good coffee and reasonable food options.
It feels good to support a local business like this.
The parking is a bit limited but there is parking available on the street most days.

I have been here several times wanting to like this place, but it just seams to fail. I originally went here when i moved into the area, i ordered a mocha and it was very disappointing. few months later came back to a sad drink again.
And now more recently they have added pizza and beer. Me and the friends went here thinking ok this should be good. But sadly no the pizza was awful the beer was good, and so was the service.
Im not to sure i will go back unless they do some major changes, i very much wanted this to be a great local coffee shop but sadly its not.

New favorite coffee shop. Love the old school vibe with the digital juke box. I played notorious b.i.g ‘s «juicy“while sipping my custom latte the bar tendor slash barista made me. Overall great experience I will be back.

Went in on a whim on my way to work. Huge mistake.
Service was terrible. Waitress was rude. I was standing back to look at the menu before I approached with my order. She «ahem“ed me several times before I tried to make my order.
I asked for the, «special» breakfast sandwich and she asked which one… There was only one on the board.
I got my coffee and breakfast sandwich, which was $ 12 (ridiculous). Coffee was watery and the soy milk they used was old. My sandwich tasted like it was something they scraped together from crap in the back of the fridge. There were eggshells on my sandwich.
I could get a better (and cheaper!!) breakfast and coffee combo at Starbucks.

Stopped in for a quick coffee and was very pleasantly surprised. A big airy space, really tasty decaf, and the $ 5 breakfast burrito was hot, fresh, and amazingly fast.

When this place first opened I wasn’t sold on it. The warehouse feel, felt cold and empty, especially with no one to fill it. Now, everytime I got in I see people I know, neighbors, friends… It’s a really cool feeling. There’s always tables of older people having coffee talk, it’s become a much more welcoming environment.
As far as the food/​beverage service goes, I’d give it about 3 stars. My problem is mainly the price… $ 9 for a bagel & cream cheese and a soy latte?!? And the bagel never has the cheese spread all the way to the sides so you get that annoying couple bites of a plain bagel with no cream cheese. That kinda thing flies for some crappy chain donut shop, but not when I’m spending what I am and it’s not even busy.
And that’s all I have to say about that.

Another underwhelming breakfast spot. I popped in for a quick bite before heading to the office and was actually quite surprised at the extensive menu. I went with The Common on a bagel.
Since we have excellent coffee at work, the breakfast sandwich was all I got. It came out fairly quickly, I jumped in the car and off to work I went. The sandwich was still piping hot by the time I unwrapped it.
However, it was just okay. I’m not sure if the sausage was fake, but there was a slightly odd taste with it. Not bad, just slightly odd. At $ 5 I thought it was a decent price for a big olé’ handful of breakfast especially with the speed delivered (McDonald’s could take a lesson).
I «might» go back and try something different. But with all the other breakfast spots in the area, it might be a while before it gets back into the rotation.

Based on one visit: drip coffee was excellent, dark & rich without being over roasted. They use Broadway Bagels, which are adequate. (It’s hard to find a GREAT bagel in this town.) Great music stream this morning, full of a mix of contemporary indie pop. Will be coming back.

Really delicious espresso at True Brew! I got an Americano today and it was smooth, dark, and rich, just like I like it! I don’t know what changed between when I first reviewed the coffee and now, but it’s delicious!!!
Update:
We now go to True Brew every day, and have even bought their Decaf Sumatra beans for night time, and each cup of coffee or espresso is perfect: smooth, rich and delicious!

Love this place. I work from home most days and this place is where I go after rolling out of bed for some coffee and sometimes an awesome breakfast sandwich. I gotta tell you, the breakfast sandwiches are awesome. My favorite is «The California». Egg avocado, cheese on a bagel. Simple yum. And the pastries? Oh man. They just started offering these amazing maraschino cherry scones and a few others. Warm out of the oven or microwaved it’s like a dance party in my mouth. The also have a bacon cheese pastry thing too — I can’t wait to try that one! I feel like this place is like the town square of Brooklyn neighborhood. I run into my neighbors all the time and everyone is usually talking or working with their head down in the ample seating.
The playlist on most days is trip-​hop and Sade and every once in a while they play some light jazz. I’m usually in my headphones if I’m there for extended periods of time, but only because headphones and tasty coffee are cozy together.

I have been going here A LOT lately with a friend of mine who lives in the area. We take our laptops and do work in the early mornings.
Mocha Mondays are fantastic because you get a 16 oz size for 2 bucks. For another fifty cents, they will totally give you a coffee refill in that mocha cup. Can’t beat that!
There are also plenty of big tables and electrical outlets, and free internet.
But the complaints, everybody’s got them. I have two about this otherwise good spot:
1) The music. Oh the music. So hit or miss. Well, not really hit. OK or miss, would be more accurate. One day we were in here and they were literally blasting elevator music, like John Tesh or something. It was a whole cd of re-​mixed pop songs from Yanni-​flavored hell. I think more than anything else though, if they just TURNED IT DOWN, it wouldn’t be so damn awful when something lame is playing.
2) We go in the mornings, and I always order coffee. This means I always have to use their bathroom about an hour in to my work session. 80% of the time, the bathroom smells like a stinky poo. Another very easy fix, just invest in a can of air freshener for people to use…
3) Their pastry selection is weak. Nothing really breakfast oriented, just like dessert pastry things like maple donuts, brownies and cookies. Meh. This is Portland. There is an amazing bakery on every block, so there is no excuse. Call up Delphina’s and get some scones up in there, to start.
These are kind of serious problems, yes. But they are also funny problems that somehow don’t make us want to stop going. They are also easy to fix, so if you guys are reading, get on it!
The positives do outweigh the negatives at the end of the day.

I’m a fan of TB. Not Tuberculosis. True Brew.
Located in Brooklyn neighborhood, across from Brooklyn Park, True Brew is a spacious café with plentiful seating, free Wi-​Fi & pretty decent service. They brew Panache organic coffee, serve donuts from Acme Donuts, bagels from Kettleman Bagel Company & tea from Oregon Chai & Dragonfly Chai.
I’ve tried a cake donut & a blueberry pastry at previous visits & they weren’t the freshest but were still edible. Their breakfast & lunch sandwiches are $ 8+ which seem a bit high. I haven’t tried them so maybe they’re worth that. They no longer have the self-​serve bar for free refills of drip coffee; it’s now $ 0.50 cents. Their coffee menu is extensive which includes a menu board of just mochas. Speaking of mochas, all day Mondays any 16 oz mocha is just $ 2.
True Brew doesn’t have the best hours. They don’t open until 7:00am which is inconvenient on days we need to be at work by 7am, or earlier. They close pretty early as well; 1:00pm. Private lot parking is shared with the convenience store & furniture store on either side of it so it’s limited & can get crowded quick.
What I enjoy most about True Brew is their coffee so if you’re ever passing through just stop by & order one. It’s good stuff.

Hands down my favorite coffee shop in Portland. The shortened hours just make it extra exciting.
Clean, spacious, tasteful space with huge windows that look to the park across the street. The sweet baristas make my day better, and the owner really cares about quality.
Cheap coffee/​iced coffee refills. Daily specials are fun, and they keeps my punch card on file so that I can earn a free (awesome) mocha every so often.
They also serve the best (giant) chocolate chip cookie in town.

I really, really like what they are doing with this place. They are slowly but surely transforming into a totally rad, hip little spot that will definitely become a Brooklyn anchor.
Out with the old, in with the new! All of the old shelving, random merch, and books are gone, with a few remnants of the old-​timey stuff left but rearranged. The somewhat musty (not that it bothered me) old furniture has been replaced with sleek, black tables and chairs, new art up on the walls, and the menu seems a little longer, too, with lots of breakfast and lunch sandwiches.
I’ll keep checking in on this place for sure, even if it is right next door to the Most Terrifying Convenience Store in the World (
).