What really makes a coffee shop great? Free wifi is a must. Cheap refills, perhaps? Sufficient table room to spread out your computer and textbook? The availability of “real” food (sandwiches rather than sweet muffins)? In this series we explore shops in SE that most Reed students frequent for social gatherings and focused study time.
1. First Cup
Distance from Reed: 0.3 miles
Food: Best bagels ever including gluten free. Classic baked goods spread, but not much in the way of good hot food choices. There are some cold options in a fridge.
Drink: Tasty coffee for medium price, fun specials, fridge of cold bottled drinks
Study friendly: There are so many outlets. You will not be wanting for outlets. If it is very full you might get stuck at one of the small tables that can only fit one computer, but with patience you can snag a bigger table if you don’t mind moving. It has a covered patio that is super dog friendly.
2. Papaccinos
Distance from Reed: 0.4 miles
Food: A Cereal Bar! Also panini, breakfast bagel sandwiches with eggs, donuts, and a few fruit options.
Drink: Typical coffee shop spread with the addition of very tasty and cool smoothies
Study friendly: A wider variety of chairs and tables, but often difficult to get both a seat with a table and an outlet. Beware of the kid-friendly corner, for there will often be children playing there, sometimes quite loudly.
3. Southeast Grind
Distance from Reed: 1.8 miles
Food: Quite delicious sandwiches and soups that provide good variety.
Drink: Normal coffee shop stuff
Study friendly: Harder to get to, but still quite worth it. Similar atmosphere to Papaccinos: comfy armchairs and couches that sometimes do not come with a table. So long as you stake your claim, you should be able to find a spot, but you might have to wait for it. However, it is OPEN 24 /7. When the Hauser Fun Dome fails you, the Southeast Grind will not. A Reed favorite all-nighter choice.
4. Townshend’s on Division
Distance from Reed: 1.7 miles
Food: Not much
Drink: Great tea selection, and bubble tea!
Study friendly: Hard to get an outlet, but the tables are big enough for a computer plus a book.
5. Tea Chai Te
Distance from Reed: 1.9 miles
Food: scones and bars that are quite pricey
Drink: Good wall of tea to choose from and bubble tea
Study friendly: Wifi, a few big tables that you can patiently wait to take for yourself, and a couple of delightful nooks in the train car. Oh yes, you can see this shop from afar, as it looks like a big red caboose with stairs leading up to it. They had indoor and outdoor seating, but they recently demolished their garden and fountain in the courtyard 🙁
6. The Ugly Mug
Distance from Reed: 1.9 miles
Food: bagels and muffins
Drink: Tasty but quite expensive coffee
Study friendly: Fairly! If you can grab the wonderful window seat at the big table. Though it doesn’t have the best environment for studying, it is far enough away from Reed that you won’t run into your lab partner who you are trying to avoid.
7. Rimsky-Korsakoffee House
Distance from Reed: 2.8 miles
Food: Delicious desserts like the Rasputin’s Vice, a brownie and ice cream mess with raspberries and irish cream. Or the amazing seasonal cobbler. Or a classic, giant banana split.
Drink: Rich and exciting coffee for the late-night craving, like the orange zest mocha. Or split a good pot of tea with the table.
Study friendly: Oh lord no. This is a social place, for when you find yourself tired and unexcited at 1am and want to go see some strange live music and talk with friends who are also too tired to go to sleep. Pro Tips: The big circular table has a motor on it that makes it rotate almost imperceptibly slowly. You may think you friend stole your drink while you weren’t looking, but really it is just a foot further down the table. Other Pro Tip: Use the bathroom. Seriously. If you thought the hallway mural of faces was interesting, you will love the bathroom.
