Brunch at Proud Mary

They have only been open since May this year, but the secret was quickly out about Brunch at Proud Mary Coffee. This Melbourne based coffee roaster local chain (well, local in Australia) has selected Portland for its first location outside Australia. At first you may not think that a cafe that so proudly extolls the virtue of coffee and working directly with farmers for 8 years and counting, would put so much effort into the food accompanying its star beverage. But, they have – working with local NW farmers for ingredients just like they work with local farmers for their beans, to offer an impressive food menu in addition to their fine coffee.
Brunch at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St Brunch at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St

They are even offering table service, none of this casual “order yourself at the counter and take a number” that has been a cost saving measure for many PDX restaurants. Check out how they have designed their espresso machines to be built in and sunken into the bar. But don’t be fooled- this is not an alcohol bar, this is centered around coffee for your beverage.
Proud Mary's Interior Proud Mary's Interior

The coffee, as you would expect, is outstanding. Check out their board or special menus on the table for their Coffee Showcase, which features a special origin and goes into depth about specific beans. It is high end coffee – you can expect cups of coffee drinks that are around the expected $4-6 range, but that’s per cup, and the specialty beans are single sourced premium that can range from $15-$30.
Proud Mary's coffee showcase is all about celebrating the farmer and the natural qualities of the coffees, they roast all coffee on-site and have been working direct for coffee farmers for over 8 years now

But I found it worth it, at least for me – I often find a lot of coffee bitter, but not here, it is smooth and can vary from chocolatey to buttery and more. One not to miss drink if you do drink coffee is the flat white, a coffee beverage of creamy milk over espresso This was my first time trying it, and it’s like a variation of a latte but instead of being foamy on top with the milk, it feels more smooth and creamy with the milk mixture. I would order this every time I come and I would come a lot more often if this was more in my neighborhood.
Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St, One not to miss drink if you do drink coffee is the flat white, a coffee beverage of creamy milk over espresso

I also enjoyed their piccolo (house blend)
Piccolo (house blend) coffee at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St Piccolo (house blend) coffee at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St

If you are a coffee person, you will enjoy Proud Mary – you can really taste the quality in their beans and roasting and how they carefully craft a coffee drink. If you aren’t a coffee person, you still have plenty of options. Look at how big just the beverage side of the menu is! The beverage menu boasts more then coffee options: you’ll also find lots of teas, seasonal juices and smoothies and milkshakes.
Proud Mary's Beverage Menu Proud Mary's Beverage Menu

For instance, there’s this Tumeric Chai, or try their regular hot chocolate or for a dollar more, ‘kali’ 60% dark chocolate by ‘somage’ (made from real cacao, served with unrefined coconut blossom sugar).
Brunch at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St, Tumeric Chai Brunch at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St, ‘kali’ 60% dark chocolate by ‘somage’ (made from real cacao, served with unrefined coconut blossom sugar)

Or try something cold like this refreshing seasonal juice of Pink Crush with watermelon, strawberry, apple, and lemon.
Brunch at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St, seasonal juice combo Pink Crush with watermelon, strawberry, apple, lemon

You can really taste how fresh the ingredients are in their food. Here’s a look from a recent Brunch at Proud Mary I enjoyed

Asparagus and Parmesan Pudding with grilled asparagus, soft parmesan pudding, grilled corn bread, poached free-range egg
Asparagus and Parmesan Pudding with grilled asparagus, soft parmesan pudding, grilled corn bread, poached free-range egg from Brunch at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St Asparagus and Parmesan Pudding with grilled asparagus, soft parmesan pudding, grilled corn bread, poached free-range egg from Brunch at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St

Granary Avenue Salad (vegan) with toasted freekeh, grains and walnuts, sprouted almonds, cucumber, kale, salsa verde
Granary Avenue Salad (vegan) with toasted freekeh, grains and walnuts, sprouted almonds, cucumber, kale, salsa verde from Brunch at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St Granary Avenue Salad (vegan) with toasted freekeh, grains and walnuts, sprouted almonds, cucumber, kale, salsa verde from Brunch at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St

Green Tomatoes (vegan) featuring green tomato salad, marinated avocado, sprouted almonds, blackened peppers, herbs, grain sourdough toast
Green Tomatoes (vegan) featuring green tomato salad, marinated avocado, sprouted almonds, blackened peppers, herbs, grain sourdough toast from Brunch at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St Green Tomatoes (vegan) featuring green tomato salad, marinated avocado, sprouted almonds, blackened peppers, herbs, grain sourdough toast from Brunch at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St

Cauli-town (vegan), with warm spiced cauliflower, dahl puree, pickled onions, tahini, toasted sesame, cilantro
Cauli-town (vegan), with warm spiced cauliflower, dahl puree, pickled onions, tahini, toasted sesame, cilantro from Brunch at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St Cauli-town (vegan), with warm spiced cauliflower, dahl puree, pickled onions, tahini, toasted sesame, cilantro from Brunch at Proud Mary Coffee in Portland, at 2012 NE Alberta St

They offer breakfast, lunch, and brunch, and are open from 7 AM to 4 PM weekdays and Saturday and Sundays 8 AM – 4 PM, although their kitchen closes at 3 PM limited food to what is in their pastry and sandwich display cases, which you see still looks pretty enticing…
Proud Mary's Pastry and Sandwich Display Case Proud Mary's Pastry and Sandwich Display Case Proud Mary's Pastry and Sandwich Display Case

Have you heard of Proud Mary before? Have you ever heard of a flat white coffee? What would you order? And one little detail that came with the check – these adorable business cards!
Proud Mary's Business Card Proud Mary's Business Card

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Comments

  1. Thanks for the writeup, Pech! I had heard about them and wandered in during the Alberta Street Fair; the space was bigger than I expected. I didn’t have time to stop and get anything to eat or drink but your description of the coffee with words like smooth, chocolatey, and buttery makes me wish I had! The Asparagus and Parmesan Pudding is particularly appealing to me on the food side. I hope at some point they decide to make caramel slices – one of my favorite sweets from Australia. I like the flat white, too (I first tried it at an Australian restaurant in my old neighborhood, The Thirsty Koala). Again thanks for the writeup – I’m eager to spend some time there!

  2. This sounds so delicious and looks so vibrantly plated! I can’t wait to try now that I’ve seen your pictures!

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