Best Coffee Shops in Portland Maine You’ll Love

There are so many amazing coffee shops in Portland Maine to visit. When I travel to a place, I’m always seeking the best coffee. In fact, hopping from cafe to cafe is one of the best things to do in Portland, Maine. I always like to highlight the best independently owned and local coffee shops wherever possible.

The coffee tastes better, there’s a more personalized level of service and pride in the product, it’s often fair trade and properly sourced from farmers, many times it can be roasted on site, and it’s a great way to support local businesses.

Coffee is a beloved beverage almost everywhere you go, and it’s always great fun to delve into various coffee traditions around the world. In some situations, it is necessary to plan to make your own coffee on the road. Thankfully, there are so many amazing coffee shops in Portland Maine, so that was definitely not an issue.

Map of Coffee Shops in Portland Maine

To make your job of tracking down these Portland Maine coffee shops, I’ve compiled them all on this handy map. You can see which coffee shops are closest to your location and how to get to all of them.

To save this map to your own Google Maps for future reference, click the little star next to the map’s title. That way you can see it anytime you need. Without further ado, here’s my list of the best coffee shops in Portland, Maine, described in more detail.

Tandem Coffee Roasters

Tandem Coffee has two coffee shop locations in Portland, and they’re one of the top coffee roasters in Maine. If you’re a coffee nerd like myself, I recommend checking out their location in East Bayside (122 Anderson St).

Their roasting space is open to the public, so you can watch the magic happen before your eyes. While I wasn’t fortunate enough to witness the coffee beans being roasted, I did savor a delicious cup of coffee while I was there. If you go to Tandem Coffee Roasters on a Friday at noon, you can partake in a free coffee cupping event.

The room where you order your coffee is cozy with limited seating, but there’s a second room that’s shared with the coffee roasting equipment where you might have a better chance of finding a place to sit. I loved this bright and open space, adorned with potted plants. If you’re a fan of the coffee, you can purchase a bag of coffee beans to enjoy it from your own home.

Tandem Coffee Roasters has some of the best coffee in Portland Maine. I highly recommend checking them out if you’re interested in visiting coffee roasters in Maine. Even if you aren’t from the area or don’t have any plans to go, you can taste their brews through their coffee subscription program. Simply put, they’re one of the top coffee shops in Portland Maine and it was a treat to visit in person.

Top Coffee Shops in Portland Maine: Yordprom Coffee Co

Yordprom Coffee Co is a bit of a hidden gem in Portland among locals. This cozy cafe offers a quaint indoor seating area, as well as a little outdoor patio during the warmer months. While the inside of the cafe is nice, the outdoor seating space reminds me of a secret garden, so check it out if you can.

When it comes to beverages, Yordprom Coffee offers your favorite coffee and espresso beverages both hot and iced. What sets Yordprom Coffee aside from other cafes in the area are its unique offerings: the hot Vietnamese latte (Vietnamese coffee shots with condensed milk and steamed half and half) which also comes iced.

For tea lovers, they offer a hot or iced Thai tea latte, made with Thai orange tea and condensed milk. There are also matcha lattes, chai lattes and hot cocoa if you love warm beverages but aren’t in the mood for a coffee or tea.

Best Coffee Shops in Portland Maine: Coffee By Design

Coffee By Design is an institution in Portland – they’ve been around since 1994! And they’ve been recognized as Roast Magazine’s 2020 Roaster of the Year for the entire country.

Coffee By Design has four coffee houses, including its own roastery in the city (that’s also its newest coffee house). Clearly, they are also one of the top coffee roasters in Maine and the USA, and you can sample their rich brews when you travel to Portland.

Coffee By Design is also a certified B Corp (one of 10 in Maine) where they only consider the best practices for their purchasing relationships, hiring processes, roasting, shipping, packaging, and community involvement. You can definitely feel good about supporting their coffee shops in Portland Maine.

If you’re looking for downtown Portland coffee shops, they have two locations downtown, and their roastery is in East Bayside (their fourth location is inside an L.L. Bean in Freeport). I went to their coffee shop on Congress Street and loved the vibes. It’s a very warm cafe that feels like home. There’s a beautiful mural splashed on one of the walls and local art displayed around the cafe. The coffee is super tasty, too!

Buzz Coffee

Buzz Coffee started as a mobile coffee concept. Owner Corey Koch developed a pushcart built by hand to serve his specialties from, like cold brew coffee topped with cold foam made with maple syrup or blueberry syrup.

Nowadays, Buzz Coffee has its own brick and mortar location in Portland, which is always a reliable source of caffeine. The menu is simple but full of classic favorites: a rotating drip coffee, espresso, Americano, latte, matcha latte, chai, cappuccino, and of course, the cold brew.

Best Coffee Shops in Portland Maine: Bard Coffee

Bard Coffee is definitely one of the coolest coffee shops in Portland Maine, and it’s Instagram ready! There are interesting decorations, beautiful walls, and bright spaces to savor a coffee, latte, or a snack. Bard Coffee was pretty busy when I visited, but there are lots of places to sit so I didn’t have any trouble finding a seat.

Bard only considers the best practices when sourcing, roasting, and brewing their coffee. They’re another one of the best coffee roasters in Maine because they develop great tasting coffee while practicing environmental efficiency with state of the art equipment.

While I didn’t sample my typical cup of coffee or Americano here, I opted for an oat milk cappuccino that was such a treat. I know it’s more difficult for baristas to create latte designs with plant-based milk, so I definitely appreciate the lovely little heart here.

Coveside Coffee

Coveside Coffee is a little off the main tourist track in the Back Cove / Woodfords Corner neighborhood. They’re a neighborhood coffee shop and gathering place mostly for those living in the area, but I urge you to check them out if you’re looking for a new cafe to try in Portland.

They serve coffee made from beans by 44 North Coffee and support other local businesses in the area by serving their pastries and croissants. Try any hot espresso drinks or iced drinks on the menu, like their cold brew or unique flavors of lattes (Nutella, maple and others).

Plus, Coveside Coffee is located in the cutest looking cottage that is beautifully painted and designed. The exterior very Instagram-worthy, artfully covered in flowers and leaves.

Best Coffee Shops in Portland Maine: Speckled Ax

Speckled Ax is one of the must visit coffee shops in Portland Maine for its innovative practices and its quirks. They roast their coffee using a vintage Italian Petroncini that’s wood roasted. Though their processes are traditional and manual, sometimes the old practices are the best way – their coffee tastes great!

They also purchase exceptional coffee from farmers at prices far above the fair trade minimum. They roast their beans in ways that highlight the unique attributes to each particular variety.

At the coffee shop, they had some really interesting brewing equipment that looked straight out of a science lab more than a cafe. I appreciate the innovation and interesting gear, indicating that the owner and staff have such a coffee obsession.

I ordered an Americano (from a typical espresso machine, not the funky drip coffee machine, unfortunately), but it tasted rich and flavorful. I’d go back to the Speckled Ax in a heartbeat.

Moonday Coffee

Moonday Coffee describes themselves as “a micro coffee offering”. Much like Buzz Coffee, Moonday Coffee originated as a mobile espresso cart. Nowadays, this cute cafe is located inside a repurposed shipping container with Thicket Jewelry.

They source their coffee from Speckled Ax just down the road, and their masala chai is made in-house from scratch and served in a traditional manner, much like you would find in India. In fact, the owner learned the recipe while traveling in India.

Moonday Coffee also serves locally made pastries and desserts that use local ingredients that are in season. They are such an awesome addition to the coffee scene in Portland. Their space is quaint and cozy, but it’s quite charming. Go check them out!

Arabica Coffee House

If you’d like to try more downtown Portland coffee shops, consider Arabica Coffee House with two locations in the city center. They opened their first location back in 1995, and Arabica Coffee also has an online subscription program if you’d like to order their beans.

Like many of the other cafes I’ve listed above, they also roast their coffee in house at their Commercial Street location. Arabica Coffee’s ultimate goal is to have their customers feeling “safe, comfortable, and caffeinated”.

That’s exactly how I can sum up my experience at Arabica Coffee House. I felt right at home in their cozy cafe, and the coffee is super yummy. Arabica is one of the top coffee shops in Portland Maine, so I urge you to get cozy and caffeinated there, too.

Rwanda Bean

Rwanda Bean was founded in 2013 by owner, Michael Mwenedata, and it’s one of the best coffee shops in Portland, Maine. They have an amazing mission to support the community of coffee farmers in Rwanda. Every cup of coffee helps someone in need and helps create sustainable livelihoods, better healthcare and more opportunities for education throughout communities in Rwanda.

Their website shows some incredible details about how they’re assisting: over 1100 farmers have health insurance, they raised $20,000 to build a daycare in Rwanda, and they’ve helped a Rwandan woman who worked for 60 years in the coffee industry to retire comfortably.

You can visit their coffee shop to try their espresso drinks, including Red Eye and Vietnamese iced coffee. They also have some tempting lattes, like vanilla truffle latte, caramello latte and raspberry truffle latte. This cafe also offers breakfast sandwiches, bagels (I love that there’s hummus!), smoothies and more.

Burundi Star Coffee

Burundi Star Coffee is an amazing coffee shop with such an incredible story behind it. Owner Jocelyne Kamikazi is the daughter of a coffee farmer from the Ngozi province of Burundi. When she was 15, she joined the family business and learned so much about the growing and production of coffee.

In 2006, Jocelyne and her family (husband and four-year-old son) moved to Maine from Burundi as asylum seekers. More than a decade later, she traveled back to Burundi and discovered the dire situation that coffee farmers now faced there. Back in Maine, she met with the owner of Rwanda Bean. Much like he has helped coffee farmers in Rwanda, Jocelyne decided to start a business that would help communities in Burundi.

The coffee at Burundi Star Coffee is sourced directly from Burundi. In turn, she has helped many people in Burundi to have stable and sustainable businesses, education, healthcare, and a positive future. Jocelyne shares her culture with the people of Portland through every cup of coffee.

In addition to delicious hot and cold beverages, you can also try some light bites from a small menu of offerings, including avocado toast, sandwiches, salads, and locally made pastries. Burundi Star Coffee also recently won the People’s Choice Award for Best Iced Coffee in Portland at Portland Food Fights 2020.

The Proper Cup

Situated in Portland’s Oakdale neighborhood, The Proper Cup is an inviting cafe and communal space in the city that serves up an excellent cup of coffee. The owners strive to foster a welcoming gathering space for all members of the community.

As for their beverages, The Proper Cup offers a wide variety for every taste. You’ll find drip coffee and all the typical espresso drinks, both hot and iced. There are seasonal specialties; right now, you’ll find a cinnamon brown sugar latte, maple smoked sea salt latte and pillow mint tea on the menu.

While there is a small food and pastry menu, I’m excited to see a vegan avocado toast available, which will always be my go-to choice. With their creative lattes and warm community space, The Proper Cup is certainly one you’ll want to seek out on your next trip to Portland.

Honorable Mention: The Holy Donut

So, it isn’t a Portland Maine coffee shop, but you simply must visit The Holy Donut when you’re in the city. These aren’t your average donuts: they’re made from potatoes!

And even if you follow a special diet, the Holy Donut has got you covered: they make lots of vegan donuts and gluten-free donuts. You can grab a coffee and a donut while you’re there…or two…or more.