Crema Bakery & Cafe

09/06/07

I travel the world, and this is the best coffee shop, bar none.

by chessie1128 at Citysearch

The bread is made daily, the croissants are the flakiest I have ever had melt in my mouth. They use imported chocolate in the dessets and make the mayonnaise fresh daily. There is a breakfast pastry with mushrooms and cheese and tomatoes that I would fly to Portland to have daily. The bakers change the menu enough to keep it fresh, with out taking the stand bys that the regulars rely on off the menu.

The baristas are all professional, though slower than mass produced coffee houses.

The interior is light and refreshing, airy and clean.

It is in a word, delightful! More than a neighborhood coffee shop.

Cheers to the innovate owner!

• Pros: innovate pasteries
• Cons: lines at busy times

09/05/07

Best pastries in town

by sammi1 at Citysearch

What a delightful find. The pastries are quite possibly some of the best I've ever had. I don't drink coffee, but the wonderful assortment of tea's can fill any need. I've been back for lunch several times, excellent!!

I've not found anything at this little gem that is not simply top notch. A great neighborhood place, but worth the drive if you live in another part of town. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dessert, it's all wonderful. There are waits for tables at times, but that's to be expected in a quality establishment. If it weren't worth it, the people ahead of you wouldn't be there.

• Pros: Delicious food
• Cons: Lines at time, but the quality of the food makes it well worth the time.

08/22/07

portlands slowest coffee shop

by scooter152 at Citysearch

I really want to love this place. I live close, the pastries are good, the coffe is decent. BUT THEY ARE SO SLOW AND INEFFICIENT I WANT TO SHOOT MYSELF. Granted they make sandwiches and such that can complicate things, but on most days I could walk to Stumptown on Belmont and get served by the time they serve all the people in front of me in line. Please someone with retail know how get these folks moving . It is really stupid service if the barista making coffee then goes and delivers it out on the floor and all of a sudden none is making coffee!!!!!

• Pros: good coffee and baked goods
• Cons:  the slowest service in Portland

07/13/07

Good Atmosphere

by oneangryraisin at Citysearch

The airy atmosphere, natural lighting, free wi-fi, and abundance of tables with electrical provided by this establishment make it a prime spot to plug in your laptop and work for a few hours. The pastries and coffee are good. It isn't my favorite coffee house in Portland--that is, I've had better coffee--but I keep going back.

07/05/07

Replace employees and Crema is $

by schuman at Citysearch

I'm not a big service guy and will usually rate a place high if the food is good but the service is sub-par. Crema has such lousy service that i am forced to make an exception. the rudeness alone doesn't bother me that much but the slowness kills (although the rudeness gets old: you are not that cool, you work at a coffee place). the idiots behind the counter spend time talking and joking with each other instead of working despite a 15 min line out the door! even when it is a 2-3 peson line, it never moves quickly. The fat guy with the too-tight shirts and the arm tatoos is the worst -- please fire him and promote the guest worker in the back to barista! that said, the stuptown is great and the AM buns are the bomb, which is why i come back and deal with these jerks.

• Pros: stump-town, AM buns
• Cons: 80% of the employees

Editorial Review by Mary Morley

by Contributor at Citysearch

Contemporary Eastside neighborhood bakery makes fresh muffins, scones and breads daily, plus serves French-pressed Stumptown coffees.

02/12/07

Great paninis, soups, and good stumptown coffee!

by sunflower10 at Citysearch

Crema is generally a great place for coffee( I especially love their lattes). Most of the baristas, customer service staff is pretty friendly. I have seen quite a bit of turnover in the last while though that concerns me as I have grown to adore some of the 'veteran' baristas and wonder if the quality of service will decrease,,, As the rest of the reviews will tell you, they bake/make their sandwiches etc on site which is cool as you can see them baking in the back. I do wonder about the cleanliness at times as I don't think all the staff wash there hands at all times when supposed to.(i.e. touching the garbage and then my sandwich is a no no!) I did only witness this once, but it WAS once too many! As for the reviews that describe the waits...well it does depend when you go in. I work full time also and my time IS valuable. I simply add a bit of time to my lunch when I know I'll be eating here as it's usually packed.

I definitely think it's a place worth visiting.

• Pros: sandwiches, coffee, muffins
• Cons: nowhere to sit at times, cleanliness?

01/31/07

Is it worth It ? Hmmm.

by tberks at Citysearch

I too really want to love this place. Open, airy and a great location. I appreciate the contemporary artwork, Stumptown coffee and delicious pastries. Some of the baristas are pleasant... the ones who aren't are complete tools and ruin the experience. I am often just wanting a simple americano, but the wait (after I place the order) is ridiculous. I support the 50-cent refills to promote my chance to actually get a table. Otherwise, the place should stick to local cost standards and rid itself of a useless barista or two.

• Pros: Ambiance
• Cons: Long waits, rude baristas

12/02/06

Rockin' in house baked goods, great homeade soups, and Stumptown, does it get any better?

by likwiditee at Citysearch

OK, first off, to all the whiny and impatient twits who have "jobs", RELAX and maybe give yourself some more time so you're not so rushed. Remember, the staff @ Crema are people too, not robots. If you want fast coffee, go somewhere else. I don't even live in town and am not a regular but every experience I've had there was exceptional. The coffee is wicked strong and tastefully prepared, the food is top notch,(try some homeade soup!) and the service is friendly and unique. We don't need anymore homogenous chain coffee joints to support, do we? Go Crema, keep on keeping on.

11/13/06

If I didn't have a job like everyone else who sits here all day, maybe I wouldn't mind waiting 7 hours for an americano

by lenaellis at Citysearch

I keep trying to go to Crema, so it's partially my fault. I want to believe or I hope it has changed or I like to get angry. Parking in that neighborhood, once one of my favorites is nearly impossible. The space is large and airy and pretty, yet boring and uninspired. The floral arrangements are frightful. Every uncomfortable, boring chair is taken up by an equally boring uncomfortable someone on their laptop who doesn't have a job, these are the people who have ruined Portland, take a minute and thank them. When you finally get to the front of the line, it looks like a confusing clumsy dance, there are at least 5 (albeit very nice) people behind the counter, all doing a very active looking nothing. The pastries have been consistently disappointing, and taste like they are cheaply made. I always order espresso and hot water, it always takes a better part of the day to get this simple drink. I can not for the life of me understand why. What is going on? I have a job to go to. Really, a job at a place that I have to be at, at a certain time, (9am, pretty standard work time)I know it's unusual, but I work. And I need coffee and I'm addicted and I just want the coffee and I have to go to work. Hurry hurry hurry up! I don't care about valentines they can make with the milk. Maybe they need two people on the machine and some butter in the pastries?

• Pros: Nice staff, prices are fair
• Cons: takes forever, pastries are lackluster