Nuvrei — Restaurant in Portland

My recs: Chewy walnut chocolate cookie any special croissant (not plain)

Baristas recs: pistachio rose croissant (I’d try this next time) rose croissant chocolate croissant (I’d try this next time) canele chewy chocolate walnut cookie

Bad news first —This is NOT the place to get thin, buttery, european, melt in your mouth laminated layers. The croissants are open crumb so although the outsides look beautiful the insides are like an airy brioche (still tasty and airy, but not the point).

4/10 plain butter croissant — this is normally my favorite thing on the menu at any bakery, but their rendition is not much better than a costco croissant. Maybe if it were fresher I’d give it a 6. If you like airy light croissants and don’t care about lamination, this is for you though! I’d probably like it as a breakfast sandwich ingredient but wouldn’t get it again on its own.

6.5/10 rose croissant — my mom gave this at least a 7. This was noticeably fresher than the plain butter croissant and had a delicate sweet but not too sweet, neat to eat, and natural tasting pink rose glaze with small rose sugar crystals on top. Like an elevated floral glazed donut experience due to the brioche texture. If you want an aesthetic visually pleasing pink fairy princess meal this is for you.

7/10 almond croissant — visually squashed and dense which is always a good sign. Generous sliced almonds Tastier and fresher than the butter croissant. Inside is a more of a consistent fluffy moist crumb than a packet of buttery sweet paste which was interesting and pleasant.

9.7/10 chewy chocolate walnut cookie perfected the top layer of the edge brownie experience. Airy crisped up shell that caves in under your fingers TRULY chewy (not dense fudgy or cakey) rich even cocoa middle with that nostalgic mineraly old fashioned baking soda aftertaste Walnuts halves are large but fresh, thin ridged and not overpowering. 4-5 evenly distributed in the middle to let the edges shine. Thank you for that. My mom stopped to comment on it without prompting, “it’s a unique chewy not a general chewy” — so better believe. idea: although this would make a nut hater love walnut cookies, maybe make a toasted smores version without walnuts? That would go AWFFF.

10/10 service — I respect when a cafe staff try to sell their product a little bit before you choose, even if it’s bullshit. He asked if it was my first time, and said something about how this location is new and the bakery has been making croissants for over a decade, and that got me interested. He asked if a bag or a box would be easier (in that situation I was about to go on a long drive so bag was way better and I appreciated that he didnt assume). Doesn’t take much!

8/10 atmosphere: Clean and classy/modern looking space not great for studying or working with a laptop or staying long. The place was small so I didnt really bother to check, but at first glance not much inviting seating or outlets Inconspicuous entrance in a big...

New location, so I’m cutting it some slack. I visit Portland a few times a year and look forward to the croissants at Nuvrei. For two days in a row they had no butter croissants. I had the rose croissants instead. They were quite good, but I prefer my croissants savory. The third day, they were closed despite Google saying they were open. So I headed to their location in The Pearl.

OK, I revisited this location last week. Vast improvement. Their butter croissants are equal to the best in Portland. The other site with great butter croissants is Keith's Artisan bakery. The quality of one over the other is the time from baking. Portland's weather is cruel to croissants -- high humidity. However if youre looking for sweet croissants, Nuvrei is your best choice. They have now added bagels and bagel sandwiches. I didn't have the opportunity to try them, next time.

The problem with Keith's and Nuvrei has been the coffee. Not bad, but if you're eating a great croissant you don't want "not bad" coffee. I was very happy with the coffee at this location. The barista, Dillon, made a great latte. He is clearly a coffee nerd. He's very conversant in the nuances that elevate coffee from OK, to great. That great latte he made me made my croissant taste even better. If you find yourself that Nuvrei and the barista is Dillon, it is...

You need to go try their almond croissant. It is hands down the best almond croissant in Portland. Average priced like most other places at under $5, you get buttery, soft, crunchy, flakey, nutty goodness in this delicious creation. I’ve also tried a few other baked items and every one of them is amazing. Their coffee is from heart coffee roasters and is delicious and pairs well with the goodies. The staff are friendly too and helpful as well. It’s more a grab your baked goods to go sort of bakery, not a...