Carnelian Coffee — Restaurant in Portland

Bad attitude and rude owner undermine everything else this place has to offer. My partner and I were excited to discover this place when we moved to the neighborhood. Great vegan options, delicious coffee, nice space. But the person who I think is the owner is dismissive and stand-offish at best, and occasionally -- like today -- aggressively rude. It's a long narrow space, and my partner and I were sitting at the very back. Like most coffee shops, there was some noise going on, and I thought I had heard them call our order. I went up to check and asked if the drinks sitting on the counter were ours. There was no perceptible response, so I asked the person in question, "Are these the oat milk lattes." He acted like I had just thrown something at him. He looked up and, glaring at me, said slowly and condescendingly, "YESSS..." We had gone there to hang out, read, and enjoy our breakfast sandwiches and coffee, but it was hard to do that with that kind of vibe right as we were arriving. We thought maybe he was just having a bad day again, but then noticed that he was friendly and chatty with all the young hipsters who came in after us. So not sure if he just doesn't like how we look? Not going to guess what kind of bias could be at play, but it is honestly as disappointing as it is odd. I would love to keep going, but it is hard to want to give someone your money who treats...

A friend of mine told me about this place and I happened to be passing through on a rainy noontime, so I thought I'd drop in.

My programs. You have not LIVED until you've had a mocha with their house-made lapsang and cardamom syrups.

I wasn't able to stay long (pandemic means no seating inside, and I had to get home anyway _

Edit: I wanted to leave the old review up, because I appreciate what Carnelian has done, but nothing that was true of the old location is true of the current one. The roasts are inconsistent, the drinks have declined to the point of wondering if they've been trained to pull shots, and the new location leaves much to be desired even after multiple visits.

It's worth noting that almost all of the photos are, as of this post, still from the old location and provide a pretty deceptive look at the business. Be sure to check streetview for the actual storefront, for example.

Sadly, we don't visit Carnelian any more. If you're in FoPo, try Kainos, Refuge, Pieper, or Speedboat instead.

Old review:

Great beans, friendly baristas, and excellent cortados. Also, the Thunder Egg is a delicious treat worth dropping in to taste.

Inside, it's extremely chill with a warm, welcoming vibe. There's an amazing rock collection on the wall, a nice selection of geological books, and, of course, delicious coffee.

They also stock Fellow kettles and other coffee gear, so you can get the latest equipment from a...