10/06/09

nice place, love the patio

by MatadordePescar

The Americano was good.

• Pros: ambiance is quite nice
• Cons: service was so-so

06/28/09

Terrible Service and Extremely Slow

by casnyder

The products are average, sometimes above-average, however I can't say the same about the service. The employees are a bunch of young kids, probably their first jobs, and their inexperience shows. Most of them have unrefined skills in customer services, they are easily distracted, they can't handle too many customers, and they are overall very slow. They have no idea how to prioritize orders, can't communicate with one another, and are totally disorganized. Management obviously spent a significant amount of money on the real-estate. If they were smart, they'd budget for higher wages and spring for better people. Ultimately, the weak staff and unbearable wait-time aren't worth the cup of coffee.

01/06/09

FIVE STARS

by nalegak

I don't know what you people are talking about. Ava is a great cafe. The only negative things I have to say about the place is the lack of parking (what can they do, though? It's in a busy location on a small lot) and it's somewhat pricey.

The coffee is always good when I go there. Their employees are great. It may take a while to get your food simply because they are ALWAYS busy. Isn't that a good sign? If you want fast food, head to the Dairy Queen down the street. Ava has great atmosphere. I do all of my homework and papers there, and yes, it is loud sometimes, but that's what headphones are for. If you go on a friday or saturday night, EXPECT it to be busy. But usually during the week (before 6 or so) it's peaceful enough to accomplish a great deal without headphones. The wi-fi is super handy as well.

And also, if you're not up for a big night of partying in town on weekends, like I said, Ava is ALWAYS busy. There's always a lot of people on weekends which is nice if you want some place to hang out that isn't a bar. The downside to that: you usually have to sit outside if you get there too late. The upside to that: there are heaters outside over some of the tables if it's cold.

It's a great place. The coffee is good and so are the people. Since it's my favorite cafe in Portland (that's saying a lot, we have a lot of good ones), I say give it another shot...

PS. I don't know what religious feel anyone is talking about. I don't practice any religion & I don't feel like an outcast when I'm there. There's nothing religious at all about the place? Maybe its just because there are older people who freqent the cafe. Speaking of that, Ava caters to a really diverse crowd. You can find anyone from 15 to 50 there at any given time. That's another thing that's so great about it: it's not a hipster cafe (yet).

• Pros: people, atmophere, coffee, food, the likelihood of meeting someone interesting to talk to
• Cons: a little pricey