Novel — Restaurant in Portland

It was just okay. We didn't get any kind of welcome when we arrived. We wandered in, slightly confused as to what exactly we should do... seat ourselves? Were there menus? Food? Do we order at the bar? No one behind the bar acknowledged us when it would be pretty apparent that we had no idea what we were doing. We walked all the way to the back, trying to figure out where to sit. There was a small section roped off for a book club which seemed like a neat idea. We noticed that there seemed to be basement seating as well but didn't wander downstairs. I think at that point someone let us know that movie night would be starting soon but they didn't say which movie was going to be playing. There was a large, comfortable looking couch with other chairs and an ottoman or table by the entrance but a party of two was in that space. We hovered a little to see if they were leaving soon but they seemed to settle in so we eventually sat at a small table for 4 but had to pull a chair over from another section since there were 5 of us. Again, no idea if someone would come over to take our orders or what we were supposed to do. There were no menus on the table. We eventually figured out that there were menus at the bar and that we'd need to order and pay at the bar and that the drinks would be served from the bar. The whole experience was lacking in cozy comfort. I love books, I love reading, I was there with my small book club and we thought this would be the perfect place for us, but it...

Are you looking for a new cafe to enjoy your favorite coffee beverage while working on your laptop? Are you looking for a spot to meet up with friends and/or go to with co-workers to enjoy a cocktail or beer? Are you a fan of books and want to find a new book to read alongside a drink? Well you are in luck because Novel just opened up today! This place is if you mixed a cafe, bar, and a library/book store. They are open from 8am until 10pm so if you want an early morning or late coffee and same with cocktail then do as you please here with their full menu offered all day. Besides drinks they offer a flatbread of the day and some other small bites. I will need to return to try their food at another time. We couldn't decide between a cocktail or their coffee/cafe drinks so we tried out their Espresso Martini and Raspberry Cordial cocktails while sitting on one of their comfy couches. After wrapping up before leaving we got iced chai lattes to go which was a very solid offering of a chai latte. I was impressed with that and their cocktails! So do yourself a favor and put this on your list of spots to check out and support a new local business. The staff were friendly and opening day was busy but the staff were handling it well. Enjoy a coffee or cocktail (maybe stay long enough to try both) along with a great book in a warm and welcoming spot. A perfect new addition to the Portland area that is a...

First impression, the vibes were great. Staff was friendly and had a great drink selection. It’s awesome that they partnered with green handbooks and it’s great that you can choose a book from a variety of genres.

We ordered an Oatmilk latte and it was very good.

Keep in mind this is their second day open but we wanted to provide some feedback since it’s a great spot and we look forward to coming again.

The ambiance could use some improvements. For example, more comfy seating options. Dimmer/softer lighting is needed. It was too bright and very distracting lighting. It needs to have a more cozy vibe overall.

Cocktails were fine.

Ordering drinks/food was easy but they need to come up with a better system for orders. For example, when an order is complete they just shout your name until you come up and then there was no designated place to pick up your order. We ended up reaching over other patrons to get our drinks/food.

We recommend a table number system so there’s no shouting/awkward delivery of food.

We also ordered soda water and it was terrible. It tasted like chlorinated hose water.

In conclusion, they just opened and still have some things to work but think it will be a great spot for readers to have a place to hangout just need...