Vivace

Vivace is located off of trendy NW 23rd in a quaint, old Victorian house. They usually always have a nice crowd - especially on their awesome pati... more

This place is awesome. I would rate it a 5 hands down in the evening and a 1 in the morning. The guys at night make great crepes and coffee - they're bagels are pretty darn good as well. But I never go to this place in the morning anymore - the last thing I want in the morning is a snotty counter girl/barista who messes up your order and then acts like you are the idiot. This is not a one time thing either - it's an every time thing with her. Anywho, it's a great place to sit outside in the evening or up in one of the tables by a window - perfect people watching. Pros: Coffee, crepes and evening staff Cons: Snotty morning/daytime female counter girl more

Vivace is one of my favorite places to go in all of Portland. And I wish it wasn't so popular. Pros: well made Stumptown coffee, tasty food, big windows, peaceful but fun. Cons: Need bigger signs telling the dumb-dumbs to bus their own tables. more

This is a great place to get together with a small group of a few friends and enjoy Fabulous crepes, expresso drinks and visit. Highly recommended..! Pros: Excellent Crepes & Espresso Drinks, Great Atmosphere Cons: Limited Seating, Order at Counter more

I went here for my first time about a month ago and had an amazing chai tea and a fresh danish. I sat outside which was nice, plus inside was pretty crowded and how they have the front counter set up does not work so well with crowds. Anyways, its crowded because its good food, so I was able to get over that. I went back again for a fresh strawberry crepe which I would highly recommend....all of the crepes looked amazing but the girl behind the counter was so unfriendly and rude I couldn't believe it and might think twice before going back. Maybe she was hungover or mad that people wanted coffee on one of the hottest weekends in Portland but do it with a smile! She didnt look up, say hi, smile, thank us for paying, nada. She kept trying to give people in line the wrong drinks mostly because the people had stepped aside so the next person in line could order and she didn't look up once so she kept pushing drinks out. Then I had to go back up to get a fork and I asked her at the counter if I could please have a fork and she didnt look at me or say anything, got the fork and instead of handing it to me, handed it to the guy next to me in line who did not take it so I had to reach over him to get it, which made me look rude interrupting this guys order. Great crepes and coffee, not great counter girl. Pros: crepes, outside seating, coffee Cons: girl at the counter, counter service more

It should be kept in mind that I am actually employed as a barista. I am therefore probably more likely than the average customer to give doubt benefit when ordering a cup of coffee. Furthermore, this is the first negative review I have ever felt compelled to write. more

My favorite hangout was just voted best Coffee Shop in NW Portland by a reader's poll in the local paper Willamette Weekly! I thought that was a good excuse to herald the fantastic employees that make this spot so special. Contrary to a review that was just posted yesterday, I find the staff to be one of the friendliest and most helpful in Stumptown. That is a large part of why I've coming here for the past 3 years.... The other reason, THE CREPES AND LATTES ARE FABULOUS!!! Pros: Historic Victorian House, Ample outdoor seating Cons: Show up early on weekends, usually crowded by 11am more

I am a part of a group that hosted a international event to benefit the Oregon Food Bank. One of our staff walked the neighborhood with fliers, asking if they could put the fliers in the windows of local businesses. Some said yes, some responded with a polite but firm no, and this was no problem. Java Vivace is the only business that very rudely responded to our staff member and made a specific effort to belittle this person. Although I have been a frequent patron of Java Vivace, I will no longer support this business. In addition, the 150 national and international visitors were told at our first gathering about the behavior of this business, and they made an effort to avoid Java Vivace, even though it was convenient to our hotel and performance venues. We removed the coffeshop from our guidebook for all of the visitors. It's a shame that they couldn't respond with a simple and polite ""no"" like other businesses who didn't care to promote the event, who we did include in our guidebook. Cons: Disrespectful staff more

I've been to vivace about 1000 times, because I love the coffee, and the service is okay. I've never gotten bad service, but I always go when my favorite barista is there, so...maybe I avoid the bad waiters? The crepes are spendy, like $7-8, but that's basically how it is on 23rd. It gets crowded on the weekends, esp around noon, the chairs are wooden but don't bother me at all. There's no air conditioning, but the outside seating is nice. Pros: coffee, you can stay for hours, friendly staff Cons: some of the baristas make bad drinks, it can be crowded, people bring thier bratty little kids alot more

To date Vivace still offers the best white mocha I have ever had. Or well great coffee all around!!! Not only do they use local favorite Stumptown but they do an incredible latte. PERFECT foam. I am in LA now and this is always a place i have to go when I am home. The crepes are also delicious and nutricious. I love wheat crepe with spinach, mushroom and tomato. And for dessert a great light option is cinnamon and sugar with strawberries mmmmm. The ambience is also welcoming and cozy, great for rainy Portland days and people watching or warm outside seating for summer. Pros: BEST coffee, cozy ambience, yummy crepes Cons: occassionally gets crowded on weekends more

Good news about the chairs - they've all been re-stuffed (around March). They kept the old-fashioned, victorian chairs, but made them more comfy for the bum. Vivace is one of my very favorite places. They take pride in their foam, this is why it takes a bit longer than Starbucks, and they serve really good crepes. My favorite crepe is the ""lemon and powdered sugar,"" add strawberries. It's fantrasmical! This is a great Portland coffee shop, worthy of making the top-10 list. Pros: Atmosphere, Foam, Irish Coffee, Lemon & Powdered Sugar (w/ Strawberries) Crepe Cons: ""deliberate & thoughtful"" (ie, slow) service more

This place has the best coffee! I love their espresso; it makes for the best cappucinos and lattes! They are made to perfection, and every one that works there is so nice and friendly. It is a great neighborhood spot, and they make you feel like they are happy to see you again everytime you are there. The downside is that the counter area where you wait for coffee can be crowded sometimes, and they can get backed up. They don't have the efficiency-thing of Starbucks down yet, but their coffee is so much tastier, its worth the wait! On the downside, it can be crowded and difficult to find a table. The owner should also invest in some more comfortable chairs. Although the chairs are antiques and charming, the springs in some of the cushions hurt your bootie! However, I continue to go there all the time because i love their coffee so much and they have free Wifi. Also, if you want to stay outside with your dog, they have covered seating and heat lamps for when its cold. And, when you would rather chill out than get hyped up on caffeine, they have Vino to sip while you're getting your work done! Love that! Pros: Amazing coffee, friendly staff, free wifi, heated/cover seating outside with electric outlets Cons: Crowded at times, uncomfortable seats, no A/C in the summer more

The best thing about Vivace is its coffee, which has alwasy been very good, and I haven't been disappointed by it yet. They also have some excellent biscotti in funky flavors such as Grasshopper Mint and German Chocolate.. Vivace also offer a variety of crepes, which are tasty, but a bit overpriced. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, although they really need to get some new chairs. The ones they have now are a bit threadbare and uncomfortable. Nevertheless, it's still a great place to study or work. Pros: Great coffee, excellent biscotti, warm atmosphere Cons: Uncomfortable chairs, good but overpriced crepes more

This place used to have really mediocre coffee but a cool atmosphere. Now it's the reverse. Stumptown has come in and worked its magic; teaching the somewhat absent-minded employees how to make coffee that is better than any other cafe in NW (including Anna Bananas and St. Honore). But they closed off the upstairs and now the tables are very close together and its usually packed. The chairs are alarmingly uncomfortable and ugly, but the bathroom remodel is great. On more than one occasion I've received less than friendly service from the cashiers/baristas, and sometimes getting your bagel toasted takes 15 minutes. If they didn't serve Stumptown Coffee I would never come here, but, alas, Stumptown in NW is hard to come by. I never order the food here (other than bagels) because it's just spendy enough to make me wonder why I would waste my money. Pros: Stumptown Coffee, good bagels, convenient location Cons: inconsistent service, horrible chairs, overpriced food more

I went on a night when it was about 55 degrees outside. They had all the windows and the back door open where we were sitting. I shut the door that was right by my chair since it was kind of chilly and someone from the back kitchen came out and opened it again. Apparently the staff are more important than the customers here. Also the lighting is horrible and the chairs are lumpy. The crepes are pretty good, but you can get them just as good elsewhere. I would pass on Vivace's. more

Housed in a wonderfully renovated house reminiscent of Rimsky Korsacoffeehouse and Pied Cow, Vivace stands out not only for their great coffee, but also the crepe menu and the fact that they serve beer and wine at affordable prices. The outdoor porch and heated sidewalk seating are nice, but I do miss the upstairs (now home to two other businesses). The servers are great, too! It's a good alternative to Coffee People or whatever-other coffee shop is your routine. They've come a long way from being Java Macabre. Vivace! Pros: Heating outside., Yummy food., Coffee, beer, & wine! Cons: I miss the upstairs., Get's crowded. more