Portland features numerous coffee shops, but discovering the genuinely remarkable ones among bustling cafes can feel overwhelming when you’re navigating the historic Old Port district, East Bayside’s roastery row, or the West End’s neighborhood spots.
This guide explores 11 exceptional coffee destinations throughout Portland, from Tandem Coffee’s celebrated roastery with visible Loring equipment and signature malt iced coffee to Speckled Ax’s unique wood-fired roasting using kiln-dried local wood, plus standout finds like Bread & Friends featuring on-site flour milling with smoked maple rosemary lattes in a charming brick building. You’ll discover precise locations, signature beverages, ambiance descriptions, neighborhood insights, and what makes each spot distinctive – helping you uncover Portland’s finest independent coffee experiences.
Short Answer
The best coffee shops in Portland, Maine are Tandem Coffee, Speckled Ax, Coffee by Design, Bard Coffee, Bread & Friends, and The Proper Cup. Most are situated in the Old Port, East Bayside, Congress Street corridor, and the West End.
10 Best Coffee Shops in Portland, Maine
Tandem Coffee
Where: 742 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04102 (Congress Street location) | 122 Anderson Street, Portland, ME 04101 (Roastery & Café)
Tandem Coffee Roasters operates two beloved Portland locations, with the Anderson Street roastery in East Bayside featuring an open roasting space where visitors watch beans transform on their Loring 35kg roaster. Food & Wine crowned them Best Coffee in Maine, while Bon Appétit praised their dedication to craft.
The Congress Street location occupies a converted gas station with outdoor picnic tables and serves their famous malt iced coffee alongside Time & Temperature espresso blend and West End Blues batch brew. Briana Holt’s pastries, pies, and loaded biscuits with strawberry jam complement single-origin pour-overs through SP9, V60, or Chemex. Expect weekend lines at this hipster paradise (no wifi by design), reminiscent of popular coffee shops in San Francisco, but the everything seeded scones make waiting worthwhile.
Speckled Ax
Where: 567 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101 (Congress Street) | 27 Thames Street, Portland, ME 04101 (Thames Street) | 585 Walton Street, Portland, ME 04103 (Walton Street Roastery)
Speckled Ax stands out as one of America’s rare wood-fired coffee roasters, using a refurbished 1970s Petroncini 20kg roaster fueled by kiln-dried local wood to create bourbon-barrel-aged flavor notes through uniform heat distribution. Originally Matt’s Wood Roasted Organic Coffee (founded 2007), they now operate three distinct Portland locations.
The cozy Congress Street flagship features tree stump coffee tables and window seating. Thames Street offers modern waterfront café vibes near the harbor. Walton Street houses their roastery with a grab and go espresso bar in Back Cove. Try the Bird Dog wood-roasted espresso or cold drip Tower Shot concentrate. Each location showcases sustainable environmental efficiency with state-of-art equipment and their acclaimed coolest bean packaging design.
Bard Coffee
Where: 185 Middle Street, Portland, ME 04101
Bard Coffee occupies a prime downtown location beside Tommy’s Park green space, roasting all their own beans on-site with state-of-art equipment emphasizing environmental efficiency. Since 2009, they’ve offered High Tide seasonal espresso blend and Lo-Fi decaf, alongside five single-origins plus decaf available through Kalita Wave or Chemex brewing methods. Two daily coffees rotate between light and dark roasts.
The bright, Instagram-ready space with interesting decorations attracts remote workers, though it gets packed mid-afternoon. While some praise their smooth roast house syrups and oat milk cappuccinos with lovely latte art (despite plant-based milk challenges), others report underwhelming maple cappuccinos. Operating Monday-Saturday 7am-5pm, Sunday 8am-5pm at 185 Middle Street.
Coffee by Design
Where: 67 India Street, Portland, ME 04101 | 620 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101 | 1 Diamond Street, Portland, ME 04101 | 84 Exchange Street, Portland, ME 04101
Coffee by Design, founded by Mary Allen Lindemann and Alan Spear in July 1994, earned Roast magazine’s 2020 Roaster of the Year distinction and operates as one of Maine’s 10 certified B Corps. Their impressive 45,000 square-foot Diamond Street roastery in East Bayside creates over 100 blends across seven roasting levels, with unwavering commitment to community sustainability and traceability-every bag sources back to specific farmers.
Known for Portland’s best cold-brew, they maintain four locations opening as early as 6:30am with reliable wifi throughout. The Diamond Street home base features visible roasting operations through glass. Nearly 30 years of fair-trade organic sourcing, best-practice purchasing relationships, and active community involvement established them as Portland’s closest approximation to a coffee empire.
The Proper Cup
Where: 1075 Forest Avenue, Portland, ME 04103
The Proper Cup opened in 2018 on busy Forest Avenue, serving the neighborhood west of Back Cove with accessibility via the No. 2 bus route or a small Dartmouth Street diversion from Baxter Boulevard. After extensive takeaway-only periods during the COVID-19 pandemic, they reopened with a complete makeover revealing a bright, uncluttered space: counter right, window seating front, tables and sofa left.
Flight Coffee Co. from New Hampshire provides Liftoff blend and Ground Control decaf, pulled on a lovely Slayer espresso machine. Tanzania Zanzibar Peaberry shines on batch brew. Creative lattes include cinnamon brown sugar and maple smoked sea salt options. Sweet and savory products from local bakeries, plus vegan avocado toast, complete this warm community gathering space.
Bread & Friends
Where: 505 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101
Bread & Friends opened in April on Fore Street between Monument Square and the waterfront, transforming from a farmers’ market artisan bread popup into an extraordinary downtown destination. Four friends mill their own flour and bake bread, pastries, and cakes fresh daily in this lovely old brick building. Two rooms wrap around the on-site bakery, with outdoor tables on Fore Street.
Bolt Coffee from Providence supplies Seven Hills blend for espresso and Mass Appeal for batch-brew. The brunch menu earned perfection acclaim, complemented by specialty drinks like smoked maple rosemary latte and brown butter latte served in handleless mugs. Hipster-y vibes with fun bright colors attract weekend crowds (expect waits). Bakery operates 8am-1pm weekdays, 8am-3pm weekends; brunch 8:30am-1pm weekdays.
Arabica
Where: 2 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101 | 608 Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101
Arabica operates two Portland locations, each offering distinct experiences while maintaining consistent quality. The Free Street spot provides compact intimate vibes, while the Commercial Street location boasts expansive space with cooler atmosphere and waterfront proximity-super close to Ocean Gateway cruise ship terminal, making it convenient for tourists and locals alike.
As a Portland staple, Arabica delivers reliable caffeine fixes through standard espresso drinks and various coffee brewing methods in comfortable settings. The Commercial Street location particularly benefits from maritime proximity in the Old Port district with potential harbor views. Both year-round neighborhood destinations participate actively in Portland’s coffee culture community, contributing to the city’s independent local operation scene. You can’t go wrong at either location.
Smalls
Where: 128 Brackett Street, Portland, ME 04102
Smalls opened in January on steep Brackett Street in Portland’s West End, a stone’s throw from Casco Bay Bridge and 15-minute walk from Old Port. This chance Google Maps discovery exemplifies Portland’s speciality coffee scene diversity where no two places replicate each other.
The front combines coffee shop, restaurant, and bar with modern welcoming vibes, while the back features a lovely little store selling groceries, gifts, candles, and personal care products emphasizing reuse and local produce. Variety Coffee Roasters from Brooklyn supplies Lucky Shot seasonal blend for espresso, plus decaf and batch brew filter. Retail boxes offer variety single-origins. The smallsisgood.com menu showcases their takeout-dining hybrid model serving this neighborhood with sustainable reuse philosophy.
Salt Yard Café
Where: 285 Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101
Salt Yard Café resides inside the Canopy by Hilton in Old Port, offering a higher-end polished industrial look that distinguishes it from Portland’s more casual coffee spots. The 285 Commercial Street location features sit-down tables and comfortable lounge seating areas, accommodating mood-dependent preferences whether grabbing coffee or planning a full meal.
Their Salt Yard Latte earned justified social media buzz-caramel coffee lovers should run to experience this signature drink. Pastries complement breakfast and brunch menu items available throughout their daily 7am-2pm hours. The waterfront corridor positioning attracts mixed tourist-local clientele, while the upscale hotel café hybrid model provides convenient access for Canopy guests and Old Port visitors seeking premium atmosphere with specialty latte offerings in this relaxed yet refined waterfront setting.
Novel
Where: 643 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
Novel operates as a unique bookstore-all-day-bar hybrid on 643 Congress Street in the West End, serving coffee mornings and cocktails evenings (Sunday-Wednesday 10am-10pm, Thursday-Saturday 10am-12am). The literary café concept features a bookstore atmosphere that transforms for evening cocktail service.
However, the space shows wear with missing ceiling tiles-aesthetics work better at nighttime when darkness conceals smaller details. Brown sugar cinnamon shaken espresso with oat milk proves decent but not memorable. Service can be slow and haphazard, though during one visit a new employee working solo deserved understanding. While nice for killing time in the area proximity, Novel wouldn’t rank as a first choice among Portland’s coffee options. The all-day operating model extends through late-night weekend hours.
Other Contenders
Portland’s coffee landscape extends beyond the flagship roasters. Little Woodfords earned Food & Wine’s Best Coffee in Maine recognition despite its itty bitty size-the milky white building with bubblegum pink trim on Congress Street serves AsTrO dRiNkS rotating with astrological seasons.
Burundi Star specializes in 100% Burundian coffee, with owner Jocelyne Kamikazi (whose father farmed coffee in Ngozi province) supporting farmers while serving the best Sambusa in town. Moonday operates from a converted shipping container on Washington Avenue, where barista David shares coffee knowledge alongside precise espresso. Another Round combines board games with co-ferment pour-over innovation and Smoky Orange Lattes. Eighty8 Donuts won 2023’s best iced-coffee with warm potato-based mini donuts. Higher Grounds, Coveside Coffee, Double Great, and Night Moves round out the thriving scene.
