Bard Coffee

I fell in love with this place. My wife and I ended up going multiple times during our 4 day stay. Very good service, good coffee, and delicious baked goods made this an ideal place to start the day. We also enjoyed the atmosphere so much we just hung around and read for awhile as well. The place has decent amount of seating but was always packed every time we went. We found ourselves standing around for awhile to get a seat, but still doesn’t spoil the place.

Love this place! Brought donuts from up the street at holy donuts and had a great coffee break on a portland getaway. The whole place is clean, modern, fresh and fun. I love the little succulents in old teapots on the high top long table! Would be a great place for a meeting or coffee date. Mocha was delish!

I like the local-​ness of the place, I love the young lady who opened, and the pretty leaf on the top of the latte was beautiful… but the coffee isn’t very good. It’s locally roasted, it’s organic, it’s got all the right new millennium marketing terms, but it’s just weak.
Espresso beans should be nearly black, shiny and sticky. These looked and smelled like Dunkin’ Donuts beans, and the resultant espresso had about the same quality.
I was so hoping that Bard would be as good as the coffee places that I’ve fallen in love with in New York and Montréal, but alas it was not.
I’m sorry. I really am.

Most definitely the best coffee in Portland. The baristas here pull a proper shot of espresso and their espresso drinks are beautifully crafted. The pour over is bloomed and dripped to perfection. The beans are nicely roasted and there usually is someone working who is very knowledgeable about the flavor profiles and origins. There are quite a few sweet options a bite to eat is what you need. The ambiance of the store is perfect for lounging around to read a book or newspaper, or get some work done. There is Wi-​Fi there but parking can be a little bit challenging to Portland standards. I’m from San Francisco so I am used to walking at least a few blocks everywhere. Prices are a little high for coffee, but you pay for what you get. I only wish that they partnered with standard faking it to stock their paper goods.

After hearing so many great things about this place, my husband and I made sure to stop in before we head out of town again. Given that it was New Year’s Day when we visited, I can see why the place was so busy.
On the interior, there are a sizeable number of places to sit, but almost all of them were full when we arrived. The line moved quickly and the prices looked reasonable for the sizes offered. They also had a fun selection of baked goods available — something I’ll be back to try for sure.
My husband ordered a medium coffee and I got a large iced tea of the house tea. You can also choose tea from a nice variety and they’ll ice it for you. While I can’t speak for my husband (I’m not a coffee drinker either), I really enjoyed the iced tea — it was a black tea that had an unexpected blueberry aftertaste that I did like.
This looks like a place that I would enjoy coming to work on my laptop for a few hours once my husband and I move here.

I really liked it here! They have Vietnamese coffee which you can’t always find. Almond or soy milk options. Delicious cranberry orange scone. My boyfriend couldn’t get to the coffee covers because people were in the way so the barista reached around and got us some which was nice we didn’t have to ask. It’s a good size, but was busy so seemed cramp. Good prices. I like that they have regular coffee mugs for people who plan to sit down. Definitely would go here again if I was in the area.

So this place makes an exceptional cappuccino (as according to my daughter = the barista at a national coffee chain. I also had a little jacked up birdie tell me the hot chocolate was tremendous! So all and all very high marks.
Excellent location — right in the middle of things. Really nice atmosphere as well, relaxed and plenty of space and places to sit. Nice big windows right out on the Main Street so it’s a great view of the old port area as well

Awesome independent coffee shop with great lattes and amazing space to spread out. If you’re in the mood for some people watching on the streets of Portland or settle into a cozy corner with a friend. I got the Vietnamese coffee which was STRONG but good, exactly what I needed to get me through the rest of the day.

I ventured out to Bard Coffee early in the morning to escape the hotel room. It was warm and cozy and quiet (though not quiet for long). I ordered my coffee and settled down on a stool at a larger communal table.
The coffees come in 1 size, which I actually find to be nice. It kept things simple and affordable. They certainly weren’t skimpy. Mine, which I had «for here», was a solid full cup of coffee.
I had the vietnamese hot coffee, which featured a spoonful of sweetened condensed milk. It made the coffee less bitter and nicely sweet, though make suer to stir so at the end you don’t end up with a too-​sweet ending.
The baristas seemed to know their customers, if not by name, then by order. One woman had «the usual» and others commented on a new doughnut, which the baristas said was delicious.
Bard Coffee is a perfect compliment to morning, whether you are headed to work or looking for a place to work.

I was in Portland last weekend for the day being a tourist and walking about, and for such activities I usually require a fair amount of caffeine. I will out myself as a pretty heavy coffee drinker: I drink it black, no sweetener, generally prefer South American coffees. I checked out which coffee places to try while in town for the day and Bard seemed to get a solid rating so put it on my «to-​do» list for the day.
The coffee house was bright and spacious, even though they were pretty busy with a mixed crowd. I ordered a double espresso and was plenty happy with the drink. One of my group overheard another guest order their cold brew with almond milk and maple and thought it sounded great and bought one — I hesitantly tried a sip (it’s not exactly the kind of drink I would usually go for…) — I was really impressed, it was delicious. Off we went, about the town, enjoyed the day, milled about the Old Port with countless other tourists and blah blah blah.
On our return trek to the car, I just had to stop in and get another coffee for my drive home — this time I got my own maple/​almond milk cold brew and the friendly barista, who had recognized us and welcomed us back, mentioned «nitro coffee» … Ignorant to such bizarre creations, they permitted me a sample and I was again impressed! (Twice in one day is a lot for someone as cynical as I am, let alone by the same place!) So: two coffees for my drive back to Boston it was! Bard was a great addition to a fun down visiting Portland — thank you!
In summary: great coffees, friendly, personable and welcoming service even though they were busy, cool surroundings
My only «complaints»: the standard issue laptop line-​ups camped out at every comfortable seat and the queue for using the toilet (but hey, neither of these are really something I fee can be held against a coffee house)!

The coffee at Bard was honestly as good if not better than my favorite shops in Seattle or Brooklyn. The space is large and nice and bright and has plenty of seating. The staff is super friendly and pretty quick. The nitro cold brew is smooth, creamy, and delightful. It’s definitely an iced coffee you sip and enjoy rather than suck down. It’s a great place to either sit and enjoy or close enough to downtown and the water to head down to the water for a nice view and relax. And they even have a couple of outdoor tables for nice days and enjoying your drink with your dog.

This coffee house is located on a nice street near the competition, Starbucks. I ordered an iced mocha which turned out to be very delicious. There’s plenty of room inside where you can stretch out and many outlets for your electronics.

By FAR the best coffee in Portland. Pour overs, nitro brews, they take coffee very seriously and it shows in the end result. Beautifully sunlit seating in the front. And the staff is wonderful. :)

I’m a Starbucks junkie. I own it. On our last trip to Portland, my husband wouldn’t let me stop in Starbucks; and made me try a local coffee shop. Sooo glad he did. The nitro cold brewed coffee was awesome– dark, bold and flavorful. The Vietnamese drink was also a winner– sweet and refreshing.

Fantastic coffee and atmosphere in Portland! Myself, husband, and another couple were only in Portland overnight and stopped here on our way out of town for some much needed caffeine. It was an early Sunday morning but the place wasn’t empty by any means, hats off to my fellow morning peeps!
I ordered my usual mocha with soy and it was delightful! In fact, I could really go for it right about now but alas, I am back in Oklahoma and landlocked once again. Le sigh.

Beautifully made coffee. Cold brew and «nitro» coffee on tap (literally), excellent espresso, great decaf (for once) and a tasty chai.
Relaxing environment that invites you to sit and linger a bit.
Restroom requires a key attached to a large kitchen whisk. Hopefully they do not use this whisk as part of food preparation.

Disclaimer: This is a 4-​star venue, but they earn an extra star because one of their baristas has the most perfected mustache of all time.
Bard Coffee is a wonderful joint with terrific coffee, wonderful and welcoming staff, and a great atmosphere. Easily one of the best cups of chai in New England!

I’m sitting in Bard right now, so it seems like it would be treasonous to write a poor review. I wouldn’t anyways.
The coffee was pretty good, I got a cold brew which I should probably just stop getting because I don’t LOVE a cold brew. Sometimes its just too sour for me. But theirs wasn’t bad. There is a decent amount of seating but there are always a lot of people in here, so be prepared to just leave with your coffee. My pastry, an almond croissant, wasn’t bad.
Plusses:
— REALLY friendly staff — even to those of us that aren’t regulars, which is always nice
— Good playlist — I started to put my own headphones in before I realized I could happily jam to their music.
— They’ve got their outlet game figured out — an extension cord with extra outlets provides electricity relief for those of us who cannot pull ourselves away from electronics.
Not my favorite coffee shop in Portland, but a great choice nonetheless.

So, this is a place that I really WANT to love but I think it fell short for the most part. Here were some of the positives:
— The baristas were super friendly and outgoing talking you through all of the options from the chalkboards behind them even though the place was mobbed to the gills with people.
— The regular coffee that I got with basic sweetener and skim milk had a delicious and nutty flavor to it that had me wanting more.
— Even with all of the people packed in there it was very clean and well kept
— The large windows near the main road was great to watch during the lunchtime buzz going on in the Old Port.
Now for the things that I struggled with here at Bard:
— People were literally on top of each other it was so crowded where we could barely making it through the line to get to the counter and then when trying to get to the condiment section it was bombarded with people with nothing better to do then stand there and NOT MOVE. I just wanted my coffee and then we were OUT. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough ;)
— My wife had the Machiatto that is suposed to be a double shot of espresso with some steamed milk to go and they gave something that had espresso with really no steamed milk in a shot glass sized cup with no top. She said her mouth was super dry and the espresso was very bitter and she was in the need of a glass of water.
— Small thing but I wanted to use the restroom and there was a key behind the counter and there was a line to use the restroom in the middle of the day at a coffee shop … say what?
Other than that, I think our experience would have been different here if we had gone during a slower time when we could have enjoyed a sit down cup of coffee after a meal in the Old Port but I guess we will leave that for another day.
There are so many options for coffee downtown and I think we will try another first before coming back!

Stopped in here for a late afternoon caffeine pick-​me-​up!
First time here as it was my first time in Portland! I decided to visit based on the high rating on Unilocal and it’s close proximity to my hotel.
The one thing that was difficult about this coffee shop was finding a place to park. I had to circle around the streets a few times to find a place to park my rental vehicle.
When I got in, a young lady made by beverage — I can’t remember her name, but she was very nice and friendly. I ordered a double shot machiatto to go. She artistically crafted a little heart in the foam for me! I’ve never had anyone do that — so I thanked her for her artistry.
Espresso was strong and tasty! Just what I needed when I was dragging late afternoon!
The place has a cool, inviting vibe to it. Lots of folks were hanging out drinking coffee, working on their iPads and MacBook Airs and Pros.
Cool coffee joint! Highly recommended!