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Arabica Coffee Co
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
32 reviews for Arabica Coffee Co
Review Highlights
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"Toast is made fresh everyday from some dude named Dave." In 7 reviews -
"Espresso drinks are expertly poured by smart, friendly..." In 3 reviews -
"Excellent coffee (got a latte), friendly and knowledgeable..." In 6 reviews
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32 reviews in English
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Review from Colin C.
Wells, ME
2/13/2012
A perfect cup, great staff, and great atmosphere.
Short review on this one. Great coffee. I had a machiato, which is not always something you can find on the menu. (No, the 'bucks caramel variant is not a machiato!) There is wi-fi, of course, both the overall decor is laid back and well done within the confines of the old building in which the shop resides.
Definitely a great stop. -
Review from tasha j.
Portland, ME
2/8/2012 4 Check-ins Here
Definitely my favorite coffee shop in Portland. The baristas are great (gotta love a smiling Doug taking your order, or my favorite lovely metal lady serving your latte), the coffee is spectacular, and I LOVE that they make their own chai concentrate for chai lattes, as opposed to using other super sugary like Oregon or similar. The also serve loose leaf teas, while most other coffee shops seem to think that tea drinkers don't deserve as much love as those who down coffee.
Praises being sung, I have to say that it is not always the best option if you are in a rush- orders always seem to take a bit longer, because your beverage is being made with love I'm sure.
Oh, I almost forgot! Arabica has a "toast of the day", made by local baker and incredibly nice guy Doug ( not be confused with the aforementioned barista Doug, also of the incredibly nice guy persuasion). Doug's toast is bomb, and I believe the cookies are made by him as well. Lots of butter, lots of delicious. -
Review from Tricia C.
Portland, ME
5/16/2012
Listen, Arabica! Please just listen. I really like you, I do but...
I'm a Mocha Latte Connoisseur, if you will. I got the Mocha "to stay" one time and then it was all over. The bagels are excellent. They are from the Bagel Guy from the next time over- superb but the mocha was godawful.
The chocolate tasted cheap, like Hershey's syrup. I like what I like and I say the espresso is a tad too bitter. The Batista's are sweet but there's always one that talks so the whole place can hear her and laughs so ferociously that my cup begins to shake. One last thing- the cups. "Yeah I want that for here." No can do. As if the lady doesn't hear me she gives the Joe to me in a to-go. This happens every time I don't order a Moo or espresso drink. It's just not the same in paper!
It's all so very unfortunate and I just hope this place improves the details for sure. -
Review from Vanessa H.
Portland, ME
4/12/2012
I tried. I really did. First soy chai latte tasted like water. Got a regular latte (they were out of vanilla and every other kind of fun for flavoring). The wait for the second latte was so long it was pointless, as I was trying to meet a business contact. We sat towards the back which smelled like smoke the whole time. Burnt toast maybe? Smiling, very slow staff. WiFi that kept dropping. I REALLY wanted to like this place and hope it was just an off day. Between the slow, mediocre drinks and the unreliable wifi, I got a nice parking ticket because everything took to long. arg.
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Review from Nicolas H.
San Francisco, CA
12/28/2011
You can't find better tasting espresso in Portland or Maine for that matter. I used to live in the West End, and would walk down to this spot every day. Usually plenty of seating options if you have to stay or kill a few minutes before your appointment. The coffee tastes clean and fresh and usually served with a smile. A bit pricey for Portland at over $5 for a quad Americano, but worth it if you know what good coffee is suppose to taste like. Skip Bards and Starbucks and give it a try.
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Review from Mark R.
12/9/2011
I came here to work for a bit and had a latte. It was EXCELLENT! One of the best I've had.
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Review from m s.
Portland, OR
1/21/2012
Scene is nice, lots of comfortable brick and weathered wood. This is a prototypical space for a nice, warm cozy coffee shop. Super friendly baristas, doing their best; no complaints there.
But guys, c'mon. A cappuccino is not a latte; there needs to be a difference. Most notably, a cap shouldn't come in any size bigger than 5.5oz, and it should visibly have a bit more of a head to it than a latte.
I'll totally be back, but I'll be sticking to black coffee from here on out. Bummer. -
Review from Mike P.
San Diego, CA
8/2/2011
Good experience overall; fine coffee, just a few bakery goods but excellent quality, nice comfortable seating & atmosphere, free wifi, clean bathrooms.
Too bad that this is more of a morning/afternoon place (closed by 6pm), but that's the reality of Portland. -
Review from Marsha M.
South Portland, ME
12/29/2011
I must be missing something here because I had the exact opposite experience of many others that came before. They messed up our fairly simple order, even after reading it back to me. The double espresso was incredibly bitter. The soy chai latte was so watered down I ended up dumping it out. And the regular latte was merely mediocre. Yeah, the interior is cool and laid back and the location is great, but that doesn't really make up for our experience here.
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Review from Elizabeth D.
Tampa, FL
11/9/2010 1 Check-in Here
Popped in on a cold and very windy day for a latte. Ordered a skim maple latte right after my friend ordered the same thing. Apparently, the barista did not notice this and made them separately, so my friend received hers before I did. OK, that's fine, but if I ordered next after her, why did it take about 7 minutes to get mine?
The space is really large with plenty of seating, so if I lived in the area, I'd probably return to give them another shot. -
Review from Tim W.
NO, sorry its just not up to snuff...yes they have latte art and yes they have the vibe and yes they have the machine, but their servings are WAY too big. Espresso, or cappuccino or latte should NEVER be in a mug as big as the one I received. The mug I received must have been nearly 40 ounces and it just destroyed the flavor of the espresso/milk combo. Maybe i should have sent it back, but the other people drinking latte's had similar sized "bowls". This is a caffe au lait...not a latte...eek!!
I will say 3 stars for the "toast", but minus one for charging extra for a spoonful of jelly! WTH? -
Review from Natalia J.
New York, NY
5/25/2009
Falling asleep.... Starbucks or that coffee shop we just passed? Duh.
Good lattes, friendly staff....... Wanted to try a moo but needed caffeine asap. -
Review from Frankachino T.
East Stroudsburg, PA
Looking for a full bodied, strong-ass cup of delicious coffee? You'll find it here are Arabica. This is the type of place Starbucks tries so desperately to emulate. Artsy and hip, yet with an adult contemporary vibe.
Great coffee, friendly female barista's (one of which hit on my girlfriend, which was kinda hot), and a chill vibe...what more is there in a coffee experience? -
Review from Mike T.
Portland, ME
7/16/2009 1 photo
Sometimes it's not the coffee, or the tea; the rich hot chocolate or the various yummy pastry and things.
Sometimes it's just about friendly staff, warm environment and great vibes.
Arabica has all that. What more would you want? -
Review from Sam M.
Cambridge, MA
10/8/2010
Arabica Coffee is a fabulous coffeeshop. I've been working in Ogunquit, ME for a couple of months and whenever I have time for a daytrip I'll trek up to Portland and go straight here.
The coffee is fresh and delicious. Espresso drinks are expertly poured by smart, friendly baristas. These aren't irritating hipster teenagers we're talking about - they're coffee professionals who care about customer service and quality products.
Pastries are good - not excellent - but again, the coffee is superb and is the main reason to stop by. Bonus points for fast wifi and a bright, clean, comfortable seating area.
Oh and the toast is cheap and great! -
Review from Oldbrass O.
Portland, ME
3/13/2010
I went there to meet with someone to discuss business and arrived early. I waited in line to get a coffee and a munchie and was literally left standing at the counter with money in hand while the people behind the counter ignored me to chat with each other and clean the espresso machine. I must have stood there for at least two or three minutes before the person I was waiting for arrived and we sat down to have our meeting. I tried one more time to get something to eat and drink but this time was thwarted by the barista's friend who had just stopped by and was monopolizing all the attention. I never even got any eye contact.
Luckily for me I had packed a banana in my bag or I would have left hungry. In the end, I used their wifi and took up a table with out ever getting the chance to buy anything. It might be great tasting coffee, but having spent an hour there, I never got to find out. -
Review from Nick M.
Franklin, MA
8/23/2010
I am a coffee snob. This is the only place in Portland that has a La Marzocco and Mazzer grinders. Excellent barista. My double espresso was not bitter at all.
Coffee was Papa New Guinea. Not the best beans made me think twice about giving this place a higher score.
The coffee itself could be higher quality. I'd love to have these baristas in Boston. They actually know what they're doing, which is both an honor and rare treat.
Wasn't the best cup in town, but parking was easier to find. -
Review from JP T.
San Francisco, CA
12/24/2009
exceptionally clean, delightfully inexpensive, beautiful expresso.
Usually i down americano's like a champ, but when i saw the maple latte, i had to break my rule of never ordering sweet-coffee beverages. The latte was bomb. A big upside was that it wasn't served tongue-searing, starbucks-hot.
loved how the menu was so simple, and how the shop itself was large and clean. -
Review from Alana P.
San Diego, CA
9/27/2007
By far, the best espresso in Portland. I mean: not bitter, or burned-up tasting, or stale. It requires no dilution to be enjoyed. This is rare! Every other joint in town has espresso that moonlights as battery acid.
Homemade toast and friendly/knowledgeable baristi also serve to make it my favorite cafe. It can be crowded, but is so convenient to downtown that taking your drink to go is definitely NO BIG~ -
Review from Christopher M.
New York, NY
1/5/2011
Nice drinks, ambiance, crowd, sweets, and prices. They had free wifi when I was there. And the staff were really friendly. I loved the few hours I spent shacked up on the ledge by the window checking my email and taking in the energy.
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Review from Matthew H.
Savannah, GA
Pretty coffee shop right in Downtown. Found it using Yelp, closest coffee to my parking spot with good ratings, and it did not disappoint. The service was friendly, the shop looks great, and the coffee drink that came tasted great and was beautifully prepared visually. This place is a winner.
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Review from Larissa S.
Philadelphia, PA
9/9/2010
The coffee is very good, but not as great as some of the places we have in Philadelphia. But the location can't be beat and they make a really good cappucino. Parking is easy and they offer other options if you don't want coffee or you're in the mood for something to eat.
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Review from Joe R.
Portland, ME
6/8/2010
Best Coffee in town (regular cup of Joe). But that only gets Arabica a 4. The toast is what gives it a 5 star. Toast is made fresh everyday from some dude named Dave. Never met the guy but I take my hat off to him. Yes, just toast and the perfect amount of butter. No jam. No peanut butter. Just butter. It is so delicious. Coffee is dark, darkest in Portland. Arabica is on my top five list of recommendations to go to in Portland for the coffee but more importantly the toast.
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Review from Andrew S.
Binghamton, NY
12/12/2010 1 Check-in Here
Great coffee and cappuccinos. Was skeptical at first that the toast could be as good as everyone says, but I'm now a believer. Thick cut slices toasted perfectly. Delicious
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Review from Stephen J.
Portland, ME
1/14/2011
The atmosphere is very nice. The staff are good, knowledgeable and friendly. The coffee is fresh and delicious.
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Review from Erik S.
Cambridge, MA
7/4/2009
This is a really nice spot with a comfortable feel that just doesn't quite bring the 5 star latte. The espresso was just ok. It wasn't burned, over-roasted or acidic or anything, I just felt that the flavor wasn't that deep and the texture could have been better. It might be the best around but I'm a snob about espresso drinks so I can't give them 5 stars.
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Review from K C.
San Francisco, CA
1/10/2010
Absolute lunacy -they have TOAST!
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Review from Liz H.
Somerville, MA
6/15/2010
I fail to understand why people are praising this place. The reviewers who had positive experiences must have gone on different days than me- It's close to my work, so I've stopped in several times, and received mediocre to subpar beverages served by rude baristas each and every time. With other excellent options nearby, I have no desire to return anytime soon.
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Review from Johnny B.
Arlington, MA
2/16/2009
Great coffee and tea, and even better desserts. They now occupy a big, bright new space on the corner of Free Street. Nice staff, and a comfortable, relaxing vibe. Be sure to support this great local business when you're up in Portland.
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Review from Ari M.
Portland, ME
8/17/2007
Arabica is the coolest place in the city. Great espresso drinks, great atmosphere, free wireless, and the best toast in three states.
If you live here or are visiting, you should come on down and have a drink to stay, and two pieces of toast. Cappuccinos and lattes come with a beautiful design in the milk.
I do most of my work here, and there are several others who do as well. It is a center of commerce, a place to chill out, and the staff kicks butt. -
Review from laney d.
Denville, NJ
11/20/2011
on par with cbd
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Review from John G.
Salt Lake City, UT
7/29/2008
While visiting Portland with the idea in mind to move there, I stopped in at this local specialty coffee shop. I'd heard from a competitor in the city that this was where to get the best of the best. And although I didn't have time to perform a proper sweep of the area for better coffee, I doubt it exists. Excellent coffee (got a latte), friendly and knowledgeable staff. Being a barista, myself, I knew what I was looking for and definitely found it here.
