Corbett Coffee Plant
5911 SW Corbett
Portland, Or
Next Door to Corbett Fish House!!!
503-293-3280
Open 7 – 5 M-Sat, 9 – 3 Sun
I know that I’ve reviewed this place before (in Sep 2007). Nevertheless, this very local and very cool casual Portland coffee shop that just-so-happens to have a small all gluten-free bakery still amazes me every time I go. Since I went in 2007, they’ve got more space (I think) and are selling some pre-made gluten-free supplies like Ener-g Foods gourmet GF crackers, GF pretzels, and alternative milks, as well as some GF certified oats. But the real reason to go remains the amazing baked goods. Last time I was wowed by their gluten-free chocolate chip cookies… Let’s see, how did it go? “Congrats to the brillig baker at Coffee Plant for single handedly creating the PERFECT chocolate chip cookie. Can I give a 10/10 again? Is that bad? It was a darned tasty cookie.” It is still a delicious cookie. This time the DH got into the cookie chomping action and I found him wanting more than his fair half of MY gluten-free cookie! I had to send him back to the front to buy more. According to him, they are indistinguishable from gluten chocolate-chip cookies, and darned fine cookies at that. We also tried a day-old double chocolate chip cookie from them that was just as good two days later. I love the nice, big chocolate chips they use, and the flour mixture is perfect.
One thing that was DIFFERENT this time is that we went earlier and so they hadn’t sold out of anything yet.
They had two main offerings on their menu; a spicy vegetarian black bean soup, and a quiche, along with all the items in their bakery case and things in a small refrigerator case.
I hadn’t had breakfast, so I was ready to do some serious damage. I ordered the soup AND a quiche and figured I’d share with the DH. They heated both up for me, and I was thrilled with both. The soup was complex and rich, with a serious spicy kick, and it tasted deliciously vegetarian and it was perfectly to my taste. It was served with Ener-g Foods GF Gourmet crackers and I couldn’t have been happier with the combination. The quiche had a delicious gluten-free crust that was the perfect thickness, and nicely rich. It also complimented the cheesy quiche filling quite nicely. Both went well with the Coffee Plant’s lovely chai and half of a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie. But then, most things do go well with chocolate chip cookies.
Since we were traveling by gypsy van (RV camper to you) and had a small refrigerator, I decided to purchase their gluten-free vegetarian wrap and gluten-free Cabbage Salad with Gingered Tofu to take with us. We also picked up some cookies and some of their famed gluten-free scones. In this case, I bought the walnut scone and chocolate chip scone.
How was the wrap? Well, first, if you’ll recall, I absolutely loved their gluten-free sandwiches, but alas, they don’t seem to offer them any more. It does seem that you can get a loaf of their bread IF you request it ahead of time, but they don’t seem to keep it on hand. I was excited to see the wrap, and very curious about the mediterranean filling. Unfortunately, when I actually tried it, I was a bit disappointed. The wrap was quite egg-tasting and there was a strangely sweet element that somehow clashed with the savory feta-tomato filling. I only ate half, and the rest went to waste. The cabbage salad with gingered tofu was a bit more to my taste but the tofu had a rather heavy and flat flavor that I didn’t completely love. I would try anything they offered, and love that there are so many vegetarian options, but I really wish they still had their gluten-free sandwiches. Next time I’ll have to order their bread and make some of my own…
The cookies were perfection, as I mentioned, and the scones were also delicious. The DH said they tasted just like gluten scones (seems to be a theme with this place)- all I know is that they are the best gluten-free scones I’ve ever had.
On the Coffee Plant’s website, it states that:
“Currently, in addition to our gluten-free cafe at 5915 SW Corbett Avenue, you can enjoy our gf coffeecakes and granola at The Fresh Pot Hawthorne (3729 SE Hawthorne) and a selection of gf pastries at Coffee Plant Downtown (724 SW Washington Street). And now, Divine Cafe (located in NCNM campus in Southwest Portland) as well as Food Front Hillsdale are selling our gluten-free goodies. Hooray!”
So, if you find yourself at another Coffee Plant location or other coffee shops, you can still enjoy some delicious gluten-free goodies!
My Sep 2007 Post Reviewing Corbett Coffee Plant
News from the Corbett Fish House and its gluten-free cousin the Hawthorne Fish House:They now have gluten-free hamburger buns, as well as a gluten-free locally made vegetarian burger. So even strict vegetarians (non-pescatarians) can enjoy their fries and a burger as well as an extensive gluten-free dessert menu. yeah!
My earlier (pescatarian) post reviewing items at Corbett Fish House and Hawthorne Fish House
Hawthorne Fish House Web Page
Corbett Fish House Web Page
Looking for more gluten-free bakeries in Portland?
I got a hot tip from another Coffee Plant Customer that a new gluten-free baking team is rising on the horizon- New Cascadia Traditional According to their site, their “retail location is in NW Portland on NW Glisan just West of NW 21st Ave, next to Trader Joes and in front of Sammy’s Flowers. We can also be found at the PSU and Eastbank Portland Farmers Markets.” They are a dedicated gluten-free bakery that uses the newer and more nutritional flours to make hand crafted artisan breads, pastries and gourmet cookies. (They don’t use soy or bean flours, however.)
You can reach them by Phone at: 503.887.4392
And their hours as posted on their web site are:
Tuesday – Friday 11:00a.m. to 6:00p.m.
Saturday 9:30a.m. to 5:30p.m.
(I do hear they sell out early, so call to verify that they have the products you are interested in.)
Also, here is my recent review of the Gluten-Free Products available for bulk order through Angeline’s dedicated gf Bakery in Portland
So, there you have it- proof that Portland, Oregon really is the gluten-free mecca of the United States. *Sigh*
The DH who is neither gluten free nor vegetarian in any sense of the word ordered the chicken salad sandwich with homemade pickles. (I had the pickles and let me tell you, those were some FINE and tasty pickles. I wonder if it is possible to order them with the veggie sandwiches…) He was extremely pleased with his sandwich and proclaimed the GF bread EXCELLENT. 
I was intrigued by the extensive dessert menu (those darned pregnancy cravings for sweets!) and ordered a strawberry lemon tart. Unfortunately there was an order mix-up and we very nearly lost our shot at the pie, but they were able to get together a last? piece of the pie for us that while not beautiful, was very, very tasty. Their gluten-free pie crust is a little thick but the filling was superb and exactly what I was hoping for with fresh strawberry slices and swirls of strawberry on a tangy-sweet lemon base.
Since we were going to be on the road for a week and I wanted to make sandwiches (and the DH couldn’t stop raving about the bread), I purchased a beautiful loaf of their gluten-free french bread, swallowing my guilt about certain non-veg ingredients that will remain nameless as well as one of their buns and a gluten-free, casein-free chocolate brownie. I have no excuse for the latter except that I have no defense against chocolate these days. The owner also kindly gave me a trial package of their newest gluten-free panko crumbs to try at home. The DH very much enjoyed these panko crumbs on the crab cake sandwich he had last time. They are made from their gluten-free breads so do contain you-know-what, but how could I possibly resist gluten-free panko crumbs?
If you are close to home or have a great ice chest, you can stock up on frozen gluten-free goods including genuinely vegetarian pizzas (some casein-free), ravioli, blueberry muffins, and more. They have a wide variety of (room temperature) dried homemade pastas that I should probably purchase- but due to the time consuming nature of pasta, they are a bit pricey for my budget at $12/lb. I’m sure they’re worth every penny, but since I can and do occasionally make my own (and I’m usually feeling guilty about how much I’ve spent on other things) I haven’t tried them yet. 
