• Home
    • About
      • Home
      • About the Site
      • The Authors
      • Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
      • Email me
    • Reviews
      • List of All Reviews
      • Best of Portland by year
        • Reader Survey: Best of Portland Food 2017
        • Best of Portland 2015
      • Steakhouse Roundup
        • Steakhouse Reviews Introduction
        • El Gaucho Steakhouse
        • Morton’s Steakhouse
        • Ringside Steakhouse
        • Ruth’s Chris
        • Steakhouse – Results
      • Product/Business Reviews
        • Retailer Reviews
        • Product Reviews
    • Topics
      • Food Writing
        • Alcohol Related
          • Beer
          • Wine
          • Spirits
        • April Fools Stories For Portland
        • Contests and Competition
        • Food Memories
        • Travel Writing
      • Authors / Book Reviews
      • Cheese information
      • Interviews: Honest dialog with people in the Portland food industry
      • Portland Food and Restaurant News and Discussion
      • Recipes
    • Guides
      • Guide to Portland coffee
        • Portland Coffee Guide
        • A Map of our favorite Portland coffeehouses
        • Reader Survey: Best Coffeehouses in Portland 2017
      • Guide to Local Wine Shops
      • Guide to Portland Bakeries
      • Guide to Portland Distilleries
      • Guide to Portland’s Beer Shops
    • News
    Portland Food and Drink

    Portland Food and Drink

    Restaurant News and Information For Portland Oregon Area Restaurants and Bars

    • Follow me on Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Send me email!

    Coffee Guide: Caffe Umbria

    By PDX Food Dude Last Update August 4, 2016 13 Comments

    Caffé Umbria appeared on the scene a few months ago, with all the flash and glamour you’d expect for a major restaurant opening. Getting through the door and fighting my way through the mob, it was hard to believe all of this fuss was for yet another coffeehouse.

    This new cafe is in the Casey Building, at the corner of NW 12th and Everett St (Across from Everett St. Bistro). They put a lot of thought into the design and it shows; black granite counters, new glass display cases, both stand up and sit down tables, and high quality fixtures throughout. According to one of the employees, many of the design elements were shipped over from Italy. Every detail has a slick “planned” feel. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It fits the neighborhood, and is the only coffee house I can think of in the Pearl District that has a modern feel but isn’t part of a huge corporate conglomerate. I can’t imagine how much money they spent on the build-out, but rumor on the street, is they are paying upwards of $38 dollars a square foot.

    Caffè Umbria roasts their beans in-house in Seattle. You’ve probably had their brew at various restaurants around town. I’m certainly no expert on coffee, but to me it’s rather unremarkable; smooth, without a whole lot of depth. Still, it is a huge step up from Starbucks, and I know a lot of people that will love the space.

    Drinks are as well made as you might expect; certainly better than the chain shops. Orders to be consumed on premise are in a nice ceramic cup, accompanied by a small chocolate. On busy days the employees behind the counter are frequently talking back in Italian. Made me all misty eyed, wishing I was back in Italy. They also play a selection of music that fits the Pearl District vibe, but it’s never too loud. A large plasma TV is in a nook around the corner, that I’m told will be used to show Italian soccer.

    Along with traditional coffee drinks, they serve various scones, pastries, pannini, and cold sandwiches, as well as gelato. I’m not sure where they get the gelato from, but the over saturated colors put me off a bit. Beer and wine are also available.

    If a smooth cup of coffee in a modern, slick environment is your thing, Caffè Umbria may be what you are looking for. For best results, I’d suggest you stay with simple drinks. My only complaint, no free internet. I was going to try to sneak some pictures, but the website is pretty thorough. Check it out through the link below.

    • Phone: (503) 241-5300
    • Address: 303 NW 12th Ave, Portland OR. 97209
    • Hours: Mon – Wed 7am – 9pm, Thurs -Sat 7am – 10pm, Sunday 7am – 7pm
    • Website: CaffeUmbria.com/PDXCafe

    Related

    Category: Coffee, Portland Coffeehouse Guide. Filed Under: Breakfast, Coffee, Wheelchair-Accessible

    Previous Post: « Review: Dove Vivi
    Next Post: Review: Sahagun Chocolates »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. kdaphoto says

      January 31, 2008 at 7:47 am

      Food Dude,
      Caffe Umbria is not the only coffee shop in the Pearl that isn’t owned by a huge conglomerate. Urban Grind, World Cup, Cafe Allora, Sip & Kranz, and Acorn all are either independents or very small family owned chains. I believe there are more independents or small family owned chains than Peet’s, Starbucks, or Boyd’s shops in the ‘hood.

      Caffe Umbria is owned the same family (Bizzarri) that had the Torrefazione chain before they sold it to Starbucks. At present the company has a list of 400 clients for its wholesale roasting business. So in reality, they are much bigger than the other coffee shops I mentioned above, but they only have a couple retail shops.

      I think we have a good variety of coffee shops that serve great coffee in a wide variety of atmospheres. You can find what you want here, and avoid the conglomerates.

      Reply
    2. PestoGal says

      January 31, 2008 at 8:48 am

      Hey FD, The link to the website isn’t working. It directs me to a PFD page that says I’ve had too much to drink. Which is not the case (right now).

      Reply
    3. Food Dude says

      January 31, 2008 at 9:57 am

      kdaphoto, welcome to the site. You are, of course, correct. I reworded the line to what I meant to say “It fits the neighborhood, and is the only coffee house I can think of in the Pearl District that has a modern feel but isn’t part of a huge corporate conglomerate”. Personally, I tend toward the family owned shops, because I dislike the corporate vibe, however I think Umbria will do well (It’s frequently very busy)

      MyNextMeal, I go to Costello’s now and then, but think their coffee drinks, ie. espresso, cappuccinos are less than stellar. However, I like the vibe.

      PestoGal, fixed the link. Thanks!

      Reply
    4. MyNextMeal says

      January 31, 2008 at 9:08 am

      Costello’s Travel Caffe (on NE Broadway) uses Caffe Umbria beans. I really like their coffee/espressos. I work near this establishment in the Pearl, and I’ve been there twice. The coffee is fine but Costello’s coffee tastes better, IMHO.

      (However, I do like the way the Caffe Umbria is dressed up in a nattily European way. A refreshing change from the “typical” PDX slacker hipster barista look. But ultimately I just want good coffee, not good costuming.)

      Reply
    5. dmwelch says

      January 31, 2008 at 9:20 am

      I was going to leave a “ahem” comment on the

      “It fits the neighborhood, and is the only coffee house I can think of in the Pearl District, that isn’t part of a huge corporate conglomerate”

      but kdaphoto beat me to it. Welcome to the Pearl Cafe Umbria. Looking forward to a gelato with espresso chaser.

      Reply
    6. Joisey says

      January 31, 2008 at 12:43 pm

      Pasquale is a truly great person, a rarity in this business. I wish them nothing but the best and hope to get down there soon.

      Reply
    7. patrickinpdx says

      January 31, 2008 at 3:16 pm

      You’d never find someone sitting with their laptop in Italy. Perhaps this is the reason for no WiFi. Maybe they are going for that vibe.

      Remember in Italy there is very little dawdling for your caffe’. You hit it at the bar and move on.

      Reply
    8. Marshall Manning says

      February 1, 2008 at 11:06 pm

      I haven’t been to their cafe, but Caffe Umbria definitely has the best beans for espresso at home. We’ve tried everything that the local Market of Choice carries (Stumptown, ZBeans, Mudd, etc.), and the Caffe Umbria Gusto Crema blend outperforms everything else for espresso in terms of taste (it’s not overroasted), complexity, and overall Italian-style espresso.

      Reply
    9. teamsplashi says

      January 22, 2009 at 4:31 pm

      Caffe Umbria’s coffee is far superior to Stumptown, imho. Very well done. Their food is also excellent, as is their love for futbol – go in on the weekends and you’re bound to find a match or two being played. Their coverage of Euro 2008 was fantastic with Pasquale being a very welcome host. Very highly recommended!

      Reply
    10. Bruce Hollcroft says

      May 12, 2009 at 8:49 pm

      I wouldn’t recommend it on a week night unless you want to deal with the family’s own personal Kindercare. Their kid was running wild and it ruinned our night there.

      Reply
    11. Mike says

      May 13, 2009 at 9:17 am

      I don’t think Umbria’s coffee drinks are near as good as nearby Barista or any of the Stumptown shops. Still, I like it because its look and feel is unlike any place in Portland, where many coffee shops feel remarkably alike. The majority of them plays the same music, sells the same products, and attracts the same clique of tatooed anglos on lap-tops. Now, I still love these places, but it’s nice to have variety. Umbria feels pretty urban and authentic, like a place you’d actually find on a busy corner in Zurich or Milan. That said, the chocolate they serve with their espresso drinks could be much better.

      Reply
    12. Pearl District Condos says

      May 30, 2010 at 9:58 am

      I buy my coffee from here and am very pleased

      Reply
    13. Brucee says

      October 1, 2018 at 12:30 pm

      Their coffee is great. After spending so much time at Starbucks it was a good reminder of what a good cup should taste like.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    © 2022 · PortlandFoodandDrink.com • See Terms of Service and Privacy Policy