Guilder Coffee Company - Alameda Neighborhood — Restaurant in Portland

Short review: Who buys a thriving, beloved, deeply themed neighborhood coffee shop and GETS RID OF THE THEME? The new owners of Guilder do. And not to replace it with something better. To replace it with forgettable, standard coffee shop fare.

Long review: This used to be the best coffee shop in town. Why? 1)A short but unforgettable menu of Princess Bride themed gourmet vegan breakfast items unlike anything you could get anywhere else, and 2)Cost of Production coffee; the owners where actually buying the coffee directly from the farmers. In a word, they were incredibly unique and full of care at every level. I've literally dreamed about the roasted tomato veggie sausage sandwich, have had extended conversations with other foodies about how great the food was here, and have asked for sauce recipes from the chef.

Apparently Guilder sold and the new owners had the bright idea to replace the menu with the blandest and most forgettable standard coffee shop breakfast you could not imagine. "A breakfast burrito." "A Lox Bagel." Both utterly bland and forgettiable, and now...with REAL MEAT! Um... what. This doesn't suggest to me that the deeper, equally important second thing that made this place great is not being changed as well. I won't be surprised if they paint over Andre next.

Dear new owners: what are you thinking?! I'll walk buy again and see if you came to your senses but... otherwise, Guilder is dead, and we should all mourn it. It was a really special place, and I have deep gratitude to the original owners for bringing it to this...

I had high hopes for this place! But unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. When my friends and I were ordering, the cashier looked annoyed and irritated that we did not know what we wanted. It is hard to know what you want when there is only one physical menu available and multiple people in line. It also felt like we were unwelcome and rushed.

We were excited to try the food as well but were told that the kitchen closed early. Instead, we tried their coffee and baked goods. The coffee was pretty good. My friends tried their tea drinks and said they tasted like water and was expensive. The baked goods were mediocre and quite spendy. They were small in size and ranged from $5-8. My friend had a small savory croissant that was $7 and could be finished in 3-4 bites. They didn't display the prices for the pastries for a reason. Not worth.

I would say though that the location and area is nice. They have an upstairs location, window seating, and outdoor seating. A great place to study or catch up with friends. But overall, our experience was disappointing and is not worth coming back due to the rude...

Edit to put up front, that the staff were fantastic! Original review: While I knew Guilder was sold. I didn't realize they were completely leaving behind all that made Guilder its specific charm. Re-branding is common. Expecting Guilder's awesome food menu--maybe renamed--I was very disappointed in the options. And what I had: avocado toast, is poorly balanced flavors. Overall bitter and difficult to eat. The rose-pomegranate syrup in a steamer was awesome. The staff fantastic!! It feels like false-advertising using the recognizable name of Guilder instead of transitioning to the lesser known--but obviously more the ethos and aesthetic guiding the place--of Junior's Roasted Coffee--or another brand new name. This is like if Nike rebranded to stilettos. Still shoes, but confusing. This is still a cafe/coffee shop, but it's confusing. The specific charm gone....