Capitol Coffeehouse and Bistro

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6446 SW Capital Hwy
Portland, OR 97201

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(503) 297-1445
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Reviews
( 9 )
( 3 )
( 1 )
( 3 )
( 1 )

Best

This place reminds me of a sleepy town cottage in New England. The upstairs was a nice surprise, and has a ""homey"" warm feel to it. A roaring hearth would be perfect here. The m...

Worst

I went there with some girlfriends for dinner and we were expecting to eat cuban food. The service was ok and the food was a far cry cuban!!! I think the chief needs to learn wh...

GOING DOWNHILL 1/6/2010

This was once a wonderful local cafe. Pros: cozy, rustic setting Cons: often unexpectedly closed, poor service more
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New Owners, New Bistro 11/3/2009

I'm liking the changes the new owners (as of summer 2009) are making with this local hang out. It's still the coffeehouse I love to loiter around in with my laptop. But now it's also a great happy hour spot. Great wines, good music. Pros: New happy hour, dinner hours, wine list, live music more
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Cool ambience upstairs, cozy downstairs 1/5/2009

I like the bento and the Earl Gray and the soup. Parking is kind of a problem. I like the support of local artists and musicians. I like the wait staff and the cookies. and the bullet imprint in the downstairs window. Pros: Stained glass, piano Cons: parking more
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Not Cuban. No problem. 10/4/2007

This place reminds me of a sleepy town cottage in New England. The upstairs was a nice surprise, and has a ""homey"" warm feel to it. A roaring hearth would be perfect here. The menu was unapologetically straight forward and simple. Three or four ingredients listed for each item, not being bogged down with too much description. I started with a stellar squash, gorgonzola, and leek tort, along with the aritsan cheeses. Very good, simple, and healthy. The mussels came piping hot in basil/oil broth and were cooked perfectly. I went with the steak and was NOT disappointed. So many places overcook medium rare, here it was divine. My friend went with Oregon trout with a bacon vinegarette of some kind. They even added cornbread. I had to beg a bite away. And just to round out the evening, we split a apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. I wish I would have known what I was getting into. I kick myself for not trying it earlier. I would tout this place as a top quality SW bistro, featuring delicious fresh food and strong Oregon flavors. I will be back. With more friends. Pros: Good Oregonian Food. Smart menu. Nice long evening. Cons: Kinda tucked away on Capitol Highway, be sure you check directions. more
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Not so Cuban!!! 10/4/2006

I went there with some girlfriends for dinner and we were expecting to eat cuban food. The service was ok and the food was a far cry cuban!!! I think the chief needs to learn what true cuban food is before he puts it on the menu!!! more
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Varied menu and great service 7/5/2006

I have been living in the Hillsdale area for a few months and had discovered this wonderful coffee house for walk in coffee while I wait for my bus. Pros: Menu with wide range of dishes, great ambience, romantic Cons: Small dining room, limited seating more
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User review by geetar4525 5/18/2006

I found the coffee house to be a wonderful place to spend an evening. The service was excellent as well as the food served, and I loved sitting at the tables outside and listening the the live music on a thursday night. It was spectacular; the highlight of the evening. I would highly recommend Capitol Coffee House. Pros: service was wonderful, loved the music, air of friendliness more
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Great Place! 2/26/2006

We went there not knowing what to expect because it's a coffee house. But as soon as we walked upstairs to the dinning area it was more than what we expected. The food and service were excellant! Four of went there and all of us were pretty please. You need to try it. Pros: Great food, Quiet more
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European Charm 1/26/2006

Decided to try the dining room upstairs. Can't see it from the street and were we pleasantly surprised. Sat at a table near the window, beautiful stained glass. Ordered a bottle of wine at a nice price and shared crab crepes for an appetizer. Large pieces of crab, very nice presentation. I had the Grouper and my guest had conch fritters. The fritters were light and moist, excellent. The grouper was moist and flaky with a light sauce. We ended the meal sharing a cheese plate, huge selection of imported cheeses. Everything was wonderful, we will be back. Pros: Good Prices, Excellent cheeses more
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Tastes of the world 1/25/2006

This restaurant was highly recommended to me by a friend. My wife and I decided to try it out last Thursday night. The menu was so eclectic. This is a great restaurant to experience new flavors. The romantic ambience was enhanced by a musician playing spanish guitar. I had an asian inspired scallop dish with giant sea scallops in some sort of citrus sauce with crispy wonton strips. My wife had grilled swordfish dish over quinoa with a roasted chile sauce, superb!!! Side veg came family style, a bunch of tiny eggplants that burst in your mouth like cherry tomatoes. This is such a great date spot. We finished our meal with a floral thai creme brulee that was big enough to share. It is not authentic cuban food but it is excellent world cuisine. We went back for cheese and wine. It is our new favorite spot. Pros: good value, great service, excellent food more
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Over-priced! 1/3/2006

The menu, although a far cry from ""cuban"" fare, looked promising. We ordered from the small plates menu and expected the $8 empanadas and a $9 burger-without any frills mind you-to be delicious. We were very disappointed when the waitress sat down two soggy, greasy, flavorless empanadas and a tiny, cremated burger on a bun that was so stale it was a workout to bite through. When we mentioned the staleness of the burger the waitress offered to have it redone. She returned, 10 minutes later, with the same burger (now completely cold) on two slices of the table bread. At this point we decided to just cut our losses went down to pay our bill, leaving the cold, uneaten burger on the table and requesting it to be removed from the bill- a request to which the cook replied, ""you wanted the burger redone?"" We will not be back. Pros: atmosphere Cons: poor value, poor quality more
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Not Very Cuban 10/17/2005

We went there expecting some full blown Cuban affair, but the menu was more typical restaurant with some cuban spicing. We went on a monday night and were the only ones in the restuarant. We chose this cozy little table in a private nook overlooking the stairs. The ambience was great. We enjoyed looking at the stained glass. The food was so rich, I could only eat half my raviolis, they were delicious but too rich. My husband polished off his porkchops though it was a bit marbled with fat and chewy. A better cut of meat would've solved that problem for the orange sauce was wonderful. The vegetable was fennel root and was so buttery, that's all I could taste. The bread pudding was dry and only came with rum sauce drizzled for decoration. Great ambience, but lacks that Cuban cuisine and the dishes need to be finely honed. Pros: Ambience, Service Cons: Overpriced, not Cuban, food more
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A fun place to go for lunch with friends 5/8/2005

The lunch menu is excellent and service is great. The upstairs dining room is a great spot to bring friends for lunch. The soups are so good, all made from scratch and usually vegetarian. The fresh ravioli changes every day and comes with a salad and bread. My favorite sandwich is the carribean chicken. A spicy chicken with mangos, cilantro, and tomato. They slow roast all their meats for their sandwiches daily. The daily grill special is usually salmon or chicken with fresh vegetables and jasmine rice for $6.95. They have a wonderful cuban iced tea, and great wines by the glass. Excellent value and attentive service! Pros: fast service, close to downtown, unique and fun menu more
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average overpriced food 2/4/2005

I love the coffee house downstairs so I decided to try the upstairs restaurant. The service was fine but the food was very mediocre. The flank steak that my friend odered was a very small portion, with no sides, and it was overcooked. He politely asked for a replacement that was cooked medium rare, and they obliged. It was still very small and not very tasty. Especially for the $16 tag. I ordered some baked scallops which were okay, but again, small, overpriced and missing the sides that were mentioned on the menu. Disappointing overall. Pros: interesting decor, nearby Cons: overpriced, not good food more
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the best cheese menu in town 1/17/2005

What a surprise! It looks like a corner coffeeshop, yet upstairs is a romantic, dimly lit dining room. The service is attentive and very helpful. I have had several things on the menu, but my favorite is the nightly fish special, especially the candied pistachio crusted salmon . They have a cheese menu that you can pick from, then pair with wines. Sometimes they have live jazz or latin music, so it can get crowded. I recommend calling ahead. Pros: excellent service, cheese menu, quiet and comfortable more
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The Place To Be 1/23/2004

The Capitol CoffeeHouse and Bistro has been one of my favorite restaurants over the last year. This place is growing faster than they realize and with good reason. The food here is great, many cuban dishes to choose from with daily specials that whet your appetite. The coffee drinks are made with care put into each drink ( no machine-made drinks like StarBucks ) The art displayed on the walls are all from local artists who thrive in what they do. The staff is extremely helpful and very friendly. Overall the experience here is great and I will be coming back again and again. Pros: great food, value priced, friendly staff Cons: not big enough more
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This place is a hidden gem! 2/1/2003

My cell phone rang. It was my wife suggesting that we change our plans. ""Let's go to Capitol Coffehouse and Bistro!"" Downstairs is a coffeehouse. Upstairs is a small intimate bistro where the food has a bit of a cuban flair. A wonderful wine selection gave my wife the opportunity to order locally with a Lang Pinot Gris. I went with a Chilean red. Then came the international cheese appetizer. Magnificat! I started at the top and ordered the staple pork dish. It was a good size portion and extremely flavorful. My wife went for the Jerk Chicken. It was huge and tasty! When asking the server for her favorite, she replied, ""Well, these are all the favorite dishes my husband has made for me for the past ten years."" Thanks for the help! It just means I will have to come back again and again to try them all. Pros: great atmosphere, great food, inexpensive more
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Menu for Capitol Coffeehouse and Bistro


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Editorial

  • In Short
    Half gourmand bistro, half coffee pit stop: the identity of this SW Portland spot is beautifully split. Simply prepared and gorgeously presented Northwest-infused cuisine wows...

  • 1/24/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Mon 7am-7pm Tue-Wed 7am-9pm Thu 7am-10pm Fri-Sat 7am-11pm; Sun 9am-3pm
  • Payments: Visa, American Express, Master Card, Discover
  • Neighborhoods: Southwest Neighborhoods Incorporated, Hillsdale
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