Cafeography
Portland · Northwest & NW 23rd

Cafés in Northwest & NW 23rd

Suited baristas at Sterling on NW 21st, Smith Teamaker and Portal Tea on NW 23rd, and coffee on NW Thurman before Forest Park.

Photo: James Wilson, Pexels License

The Northwest District is a dense retail and residential neighborhood whose streets run in alphabetical order, a naming scheme that dates to 1865; not every name honors a pioneer, since Roosevelt Street is named for Theodore Roosevelt. NW 23rd Avenue, nicknamed Trendy-third, is its main shopping street, lined with boutiques, cafés and pubs.1 The Portland Streetcar's NS Line starts at NW 23rd and Marshall and runs through the Pearl District and downtown to South Waterfront.2

To the west the district meets Forest Park, more than 5,100 acres of mostly second-growth forest, dedicated in 1948. Leif Erikson Drive, closed to motor traffic, begins at the end of NW Thurman Street and runs about 11 miles to NW Germantown Road.3

Local tip: Before a Forest Park walk, pick up coffee on NW Thurman: Haven Coffee at 2772 opens at 07:00, and Leif Erikson Drive starts where Thurman ends.

At a glance

29Cafés listed
16With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
21:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: The Great North, from 06:00 (Mon–Fri 06:00–18:00 · Sat–Sun 07:00–18:00).
  • Closes latest: Portal Tea, until 21:00 (Daily 10:00–21:00).
  • Most listed streets: Northwest Thurman Street (3), Northwest Front Avenue (2), Northwest Quimby Street (2).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (31%), outdoor seating (28%), card payment (21%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Portland.

Coffee chains in Northwest & NW 23rd

Sterling and NW 21st Avenue

Aric Miller and Adam McGovern opened Sterling Coffee in 2010 as an espresso stand in an alley next to Trader Joe's on NW 21st Avenue. Their café at 518 NW 21st is nearly ten times the size of their earlier room across the street, and the baristas work in suits, vests and ties.4 It opens at 06:30 on weekdays and 07:30 at weekends.

Coffee Time at 712 NW 21st opens daily 07:00–18:00, Prince Coffee at 915 NW 19th Avenue stays open until 20:00, and The Great North at 1951 W Burnside opens at 06:00 on weekdays and 07:00 at weekends. Sunny Day Coffee at 2310 NW Everett Street opens Wednesday to Sunday, 09:00–15:00.

Tea on NW 23rd

Steven Smith, who started Tazo and sold it to Starbucks, returned with his own tea brand in Northwest Portland in 2009.56 In May 2021 Smith Teamaker opened its first café with food at 500 NW 23rd Avenue: about 30 hot teas, including gaiwan service for oolongs, tea lattes made on an espresso machine, and 18 seats inside plus 18 on a covered patio.6 It opens daily 10:00–18:00.

Portal Tea at 734 NW 23rd stays open until 21:00 every day, and Kirari West at 1668 NW 23rd serves 09:00–18:00. For coffee on the same street, Case Study Coffee Roasters at 1400 NW 23rd is open daily 07:00–16:00, and Barista has a bar at 823 NW 23rd.

NW Thurman Street and Forest Park

Thurman Street leads west to the park. Cycle Town Coffee Roasters at 1626 NW Thurman opens daily 07:00–16:00, The Dragonfly Coffee House at 2381 NW Thurman serves 07:00–17:00, and Haven Coffee Co. at 2772 NW Thurman, the closest of the three to Leif Erikson Drive, opens 07:00–16:00.

The Wildwood Trail runs 30.2 miles, about 27 of them inside Forest Park.3 Memento Mori Cafe at 1533 NW 24th Avenue opens at 08:00 from Monday to Saturday, Electrica at 2181 NW Nicolai Street from Tuesday to Sunday, and Good Coffee at 2175 NW Raleigh at 07:00 on weekdays. Toward the river, Brewline Cafe & Bar at 2010 NW Front Avenue is open daily 07:00–20:00.

Sources

  1. Northwest District, Portland, Oregon, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Portland Streetcar, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Forest Park (Portland, Oregon), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. At Portland's Sterling Coffee, The Space Is Bigger But The Intimacy Remains, Sprudge (July 12, 2018), accessed October 2026
  5. Steven Smith, Portland's Iconic Teamaker, Died Monday, Willamette Week (March 24, 2015), accessed October 2026
  6. Smith Teamaker Is Opening Its First Café With Food in Northwest Portland, Willamette Week (May 25, 2021), accessed October 2026
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In Northwest & NW 23rd, also browse: Specialty coffee Wi-Fi Outdoor seating Bakery cafés Open by 6am

FAQ

Northwest & NW 23rd cafés: questions

Where can you drink tea on NW 23rd Avenue in Portland?

Smith Teamaker opened its first café with food at 500 NW 23rd Avenue in May 2021, with about 30 hot teas, gaiwan service for oolongs and tea lattes; it seats 18 inside and 18 on a covered patio and opens daily 10:00–18:00. Portal Tea at 734 NW 23rd stays open until 21:00, and Kirari West at 1668 NW 23rd serves 09:00–18:00.

What is Sterling Coffee on NW 21st Avenue in Portland?

Sterling Coffee began in 2010 as an espresso stand in an alley next to Trader Joe's on NW 21st Avenue, run by Aric Miller and Adam McGovern. Its café at 518 NW 21st, where the baristas wear suits, vests and ties, opens at 06:30 on weekdays and 07:30 at weekends.

Which cafés are near Forest Park in Northwest Portland?

NW Thurman Street leads to Leif Erikson Drive, a car-free road into Forest Park that starts where Thurman ends. Haven Coffee Co. at 2772 NW Thurman opens 07:00–16:00, The Dragonfly Coffee House at 2381 serves 07:00–17:00 and Cycle Town Coffee Roasters at 1626 opens daily at 07:00. Forest Park covers more than 5,100 acres.

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