Sacred Grounds Coffee Shop in Portland, Oregon: A Review

If I want to drink coffee and sit down and read or work in the Parkrose neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, my choices are fairly limited. Many of the coffee shops are drive-through or pick-up only. One is a Starbucks...inside a grocery store! There is a sit-down Starbucks nearby, too, but if I really want to get some work done, I head for Sacred Grounds.

Sacred Grounds Coffee Shop, located at NE 97th and Sandy Blvd, is owned and operated by Eastside Foursquare Church as part of its hotel business. And as part of its church. You see, the church is the hotel. They operate the business and hold worship services and study groups there. The church also has an addiction recovery program based in the hotel.

Both coffee shop and hotel are open to the public, though, and no one is pushed to have anything to do with the church (although you may sometimes hear music from the church services going on next door).

Sacred Grounds has a pleasant, serene atmosphere. They have both a living room-style seating area and regular coffee shop tables. The space is small, but never feels crowded. The walls are decorated with signed photos and guitars from contemporary Christian music artists (even including U2), and contemporary Christian music is generally what's playing in the coffee shop. Free wi-fi and wired networking are available for those who want to work or play on the internet. I have occasionally had problems getting on the wi-fi network, but for the most part it's stable and easily accessible.

As for coffee, Sacred Grounds features Tully's coffee, and they offer the usual range of espresso drinks and flavors. I enjoy their vanilla lattes, and their frozen blended drinks make an excellent summer treat. Sacred Grounds has the usual pastries to go with your coffee; the pumpkin bread and other pumpkin-flavored items are especially good. They also serve soups and freshly-made sandwiches, so you can get an entire meal here if you want to.

Staff is friendly and helpful, and service is usually quick. If I'm meeting someone for coffee, need to get away from the family for an hour or two, or really need to get some work done, Sacred Grounds is perfect for my needs.

Sacred Grounds Coffee Shop is open from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit Sacred Grounds Coffee Shop on the web.