Common Grounds

4321 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, 97215

I spent quite a bit of time at Common Grounds this week and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite coffee houses in P-town.

So far I've eaten toasted bagels, a cup of chicken dumpling soup, and a tuna melt here. The bagels were quite satisfactory, the cream cheese lovely and rich. The soup was just okay. The tuna melt was surprising and delicious: in addition to the usual mayo and onions, the tuna salad also contained bits of Granny Smith apple. Oooh!

The espresso drinks have not wowed me, but the house coffee is freakin' amazing. Two cups and I'm as jittery as all get-out. Refills on a 16 oz. are only 65 cents.

I also like that the staff is genuine and seem to really enjoy working there.

But what I like best about this place is that it was designed to invite people to spend many hours there. They offer chess and a great selection of magazines. There are couches and stools at the window in addition to tables. There are plenty of places to plug in computers. The music is mellow and kept at just the right volume. And you can spend half the day there without getting kicked out or asked to buy something else, as I learned from personal experience.

And the bathroom smells like pumpkin spice!

Common Grounds, I think I love you.