My husband & I were excited about trying Novel - awesome concept books, late night latte, cocktails , pastries/dessert! Good customer service. Latte was average tasted a bit weak. Scotch was good. Unfortunately, I will not be coming again in the evening it was just Extremely Loud. Although, nice atmosphere I prefer to go to a place I can have an enjoyable conversation without having to yell over other people. I could see going back in the afternoon.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Other
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 3
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 3
I’m always on the lookout for new/good places to write and relax. This seems like it. Mix of coffee drinks, NA drinks, and a full bar with some food options, too. I’m so curious to see what kind of space the downstairs turns into. Good vibes and good first impression.
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Are you looking for a new cafe to enjoy your favorite coffee beverage while working on your laptop? Are you looking for a spot to meet up with friends and/or go to with co-workers to enjoy a cocktail or beer? Are you a fan of books and want to find a new book to read alongside a drink? Well you are in luck because Novel just opened up today! This place is if you mixed a cafe, bar, and a library/book store. They are open from 8am until 10pm so if you want an early morning or late coffee and same with cocktail then do as you please here with their full menu offered all day. Besides drinks they offer a flatbread of the day and some other small bites. I will need to return to try their food at another time. We couldn't decide between a cocktail or their coffee/cafe drinks so we tried out their Espresso Martini and Raspberry Cordial cocktails while sitting on one of their comfy couches. After wrapping up before leaving we got iced chai lattes to go which was a very solid offering of a chai latte. I was impressed with that and their cocktails! So do yourself a favor and put this on your list of spots to check out and support a new local business. The staff were friendly and opening day was busy but the staff were handling it well. Enjoy a coffee or cocktail (maybe stay long enough to try both) along with a great book in a warm and welcoming spot. A perfect new addition to the Portland area that is a must visit spot!
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Very cool place! Loved the vibe and the atmosphere and the drinks, both alcoholic and not, were all amazing. We will definitely return. Great place to read a good book.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Other
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Raspberry Cordial
I've been excited for this place to open, and it lives up to my expectations! It's great timing (as CBD and Starbucks on the next block have both closed those locations), and the coffee and drinks are available all day. Plus, the books (from a local store on the same block) are a cozy touch and it's more than acceptable to read a book or work on a laptop there (they have guest wifi)
The drink prices are on the pricey side - though that's the case with any cafe now. They roast their own coffee which I enjoyed, and the latte milk options are unique.
Novel has more of a bar vibe than a coffee shop vibe, but is still clean and quiet. It's the first book bar in Portland (I believe) so be sure to check it out!
Service
Take out
Meal type
Other
Price per person
$1–10
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Great spot to meet up with friends for both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks! It’s also a great spot to drop in solo and grab a book off the shelves and read while you sip your beverage.
One of the bartenders mentioned they will also be opening up an event space downstairs with an additional bar that I believe can potentially be rented/booked for business or personal parties.
Overall, really great addition to downtown Portland!
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Absolutely loved the atmosphere inside this place. Definitely love the owners Joshua and Nate. Of course Josh is my son! I loved the aroma of fresh roasted and brewed coffee. Let's not forget the lighting and the craftsmanship in the bars and the tables. The service was with many smiles and checking in to make sure food and drinks were fine. I will definitely be visiting again. Thanks guys for letting me share this journey with you.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Other
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
What a unique and fun place. Immaculately crafted woodwork and shelves lined with books, a calm and comfortable space to read and converse and enjoy a warming cup of either coffee or spirits.
The friendly staff made me feel very welcome, and the slice of pumpkin bread I had was delicious.
Definitely a locale I’ll be recommending and returning to whenever I can.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Brunch
Price per person
$1–10
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
First impression, the vibes were great. Staff was friendly and had a great drink selection. It’s awesome that they partnered with green handbooks and it’s great that you can choose a book from a variety of genres.
We ordered an Oatmilk latte and it was very good.
Keep in mind this is their second day open but we wanted to provide some feedback since it’s a great spot and we look forward to coming again.
The ambiance could use some improvements. For example, more comfy seating options. Dimmer/softer lighting is needed. It was too bright and very distracting lighting. It needs to have a more cozy vibe overall.
Cocktails were fine.
Ordering drinks/food was easy but they need to come up with a better system for orders. For example, when an order is complete they just shout your name until you come up and then there was no designated place to pick up your order. We ended up reaching over other patrons to get our drinks/food.
We recommend a table number system so there’s no shouting/awkward delivery of food.
We also ordered soda water and it was terrible. It tasted like chlorinated hose water.
In conclusion, they just opened and still have some things to work but think it will be a great spot for readers to have a place to hangout just need a few tweaks.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Other
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 3
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4
What a great little place. My husband ,my dog & myself went in for a Sunday afternoon cappuccino & chocolate banana bread that was excellent. Highly recommend this place especially to someone who loves books as much as I do it's just 😃👍 friendly staff, fast service& even a kind couple got up so that Steve didn't have to stand up with his walker they gave up their seats to give him a chair very kind.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Other
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
