Fireside Coffee Lodge

by tara p.

I love the fireside! As other reviewers have mentioned, it's 24 hrs, which is rare. The internet is free if you spend a couple bucks, there are plenty of tables and outlets, and a variety of seating options including a weird little private-ish gaming room. The food is like what your mom would make in 1984-  little white bread sandwiches, even served with a tiny bag of chips. So cheap, and they will put anything in the sandwich grill for you. The coffee could be a bit better, but when I'm there I usually indulge in sweet drinks which pretty much taste good no matter what. The staff is friendly, usually really young people who will frequently go above and beyond the call of duty to serve you. The general vibe of the place is like a nerd clubhouse- and not the 'hip' nerds at, say, backspace, but real teenage nerds who thought it would be cool to have a restaurant. Personally, I find it a welcome respite from the studied-cool atmospheres of the rest of portland's coffee shops.

by Neal W.nichole s.Chloë W.Tom M.

After more and more visits, I've become jaded with the strange environment of the fireside lounge. It's weird decor and oddly uncomfortable furniture arrangement has been rubbing me the wrong way lately. PLUS I've heard they're not open 24 hours anymore? 12 is still good, but nothing like before! The 24 hours thing was the best thing it had going for it!I guess my previous review had to do with this place being my only refuge when I first moved to portland and didn't know where anything was. I still have some endearing feelings for the tacky nature of the place, but its lack of feng shui is really not working for me anymore.It's still got something going for it though. The Fireside seems prone to visits, sometimes slightly drunk, at all hours of the night. Looking around the place makes you feel like you're trapped in a log cabin and you can't get out! But you can actually get out and you kinda don't want to because it's too much fun wondering why there are so many carved wooden bear statues and old 50's liquor advertisements on the wall. Open 24 hours! I just thought I'd open with that since it's my favorite part. The Fireside Coffee… Don't be fooled they close at midnight now!!!!!!!!WHY no.Uh maybe you aren't as popular anymore because you keep your thermostat at a cozy 79 degrees.Or your pb and j sandwiches lost their flare?Some things we may just never know...I have some seriously questionable pirated internet at my house.  This is probably because I steal it, and thieves can't be choosers (oh wait, that's not right...) So when I have to design a website in the span of a day and my pirate-net isn't working I have to make other arrangements.   Begrudgingly, out of hatred of driving, and necessity of expired bus pass and too-hefty for biking laptop and accessories, I decided to hoof it to the Fireside, since it is mere blocks from my house.  I kind of love/hate this place solely on the basis of its decor, and if you've been here, well, you know why... but that's a little beside the point of this review.  Reasons I am still here (aside from the fact that I am STILL working, after many hours) :1. I got my drink for free... I have no idea why, but momma's not complaining about any free chais, okay? 2. I am sitting in a stuffed rocking chair.  3. I probably still am internetless at home, so I couldn't be procrastinating on my actual work by writing this Yelp review. 4. The Yelp photos of this place are of friend Jesse asleep in a chair... which I didn't notice until right now.  WIN.(in case you were wondering, this is (part of) what I do: http://www.sevendeadly.../  -- aside from pimping myself out on the internet.  You should all come to this party.  No, seriously.  Boobies! Booze! and supporting the pro-choice movement!)Ezra S. below pretty much said it all.  If I could give it a 2.5 I would.  No, I should probably give it a 2.  I just think I'm coming off like too much of a hater lately; I'll leave it at 3.It's just...  It's seems like such a good idea: a coffee shop in Portland with the feel of a cozy cabin!  What a great place to warm up with a book or tool around the internet on some free wifi.It just falls so flat, though.  If you're going to go with a theme, kitsch-y or not, you gotta go all out.  There was no fire.  There are too many windows looking out onto busy Powell Boulevard for it to ever feel like a cabin.It's really bright with fluorescent lights and a cheap tile floor.  It feels more like you're hanging out in a classroom in a poor school.  Instead of actual wood, they're sporting some log-cabin wallpaper on a couple of the walls.I could go on, but I'll save most of it because I already know that I'm not going back unless I really got a jones for a quick coffee at something like 11:30 p.m.The positives were that the green-lemon tea I had was delectable and the guy (the owner?) was really nice.  Then, he started bumming me out when I could overhear an extended conversation he was having about his crazy ex-wife and burdensome alimony payments.  Oh... there I go again back into the negatives...I wasn't using it myself, but the wifi was in and out over the course of my one-hour stay, as noted by the semi-frequent announcements to all assembled computer-users to hang tight and switch their login or whatever blah blah blah...I'm done.

by Kelly M.

Fireside is one of the few local enterprises that occupies the lonely terrain of 24 hour hang-outs, and that is its main draw.The Northwest decor here is neither kitschy (like your grandpa's hunting lodge) or hip (like the Doug Fir), but instead lies somewhere blandly in between.The crowd is what you would expect from a 24 hour coffeeshop--plenty of students hammering out papers in the wee hours, a couple of loners, and a few rebel high school students.I wouldn't go out of your way to go to Fireside during normal business hours, but if you need somewhere to study, play Trivial Pursuit, or sip mochas at 4 in the morning, this might be the only place in town to do it.

by Gina J.

I used to love Fireside -- a year ago it was awesome, whether I wanted to stay a few hours and do homework, or curl up in one of the big chairs with my sketchbook.  Then I moved to Los Angeles, where a non-chain coffee place is even rarer than clean air.  I was really looking forward to visiting Fireside on my vacation home, but was surprised when my friend and I stopped in and saw it had changed hands.Impressions: they were out of a LOT of things.  They were out of the Mexican mix for my Mexican mocha (the girl improvised with nutmeg and cinnamon), Kettle chips for my sandwich, and the flavor of iced tea my friend tried to order.  The carrots that came with my sandwich were dehydrated (note: while I don't care about eating carrots with white lines at my own place, I do like them to be fresh and orange when I have to pay for them).  Service for my sandwich and my friend's bagel was quite a long time -- at least 10 minutes, when there was only one or two patrons who had come in behind us.  My friend ended up being given a totally different flavor of iced tea than what she had asked for.  The tables and chairs were bizarre and looked like they would be at home in a kindergarten classroom.On the plus side, my coffee was pretty tasty, even with the substitute spices.  I was glad to see local art on the walls.  I might come back in a couple of months to see if they've improved things, it very much felt like they were having growing pains.So, two stars for the coffee and art; three stars taken off for being out of *so* many things and being slow.  Hopefully they get their ordering system figured out so that they aren't out of everything all the time.

by Paula W.

Hit this place after a disastrous introduction to the Blue Dragonfly across the street. Talk about Polar opposites. Fireside definitely has figured out their niche and have taken the words customer service to new heights. I thought the feel of the place was way cool and fortunately for us, not busy....though I've driven by at times and it has appeared to be packed.I did deduct one star because they didn't have any gum or mints.

by Ryan H.

The Fireside Coffee Lodge, to my friends known as the BBC (inside joke).I've been here quite a few times to do some late night studying.  The fact that it's open 24 hours is cool.  I've always been able to grab a table, use the wifi, and find a power outlet for my laptop.Why only three stars?I'm not a fan of the coffee.  I don't like the location.  A lot of the clientelle bothers me.  I don't feel safe.  I can't go to the bathroom without packing half my belongings up.Maybe a lot of these points aren't justified, and granted, I feel the same way in respect to my belongings when I'm studying at Stumptown downtown.  But Stumptown has awesome enough coffee to make me forgive - and is a better place to people watch.I've encountered some very weird folks at this joint.  I get it that people like to make conversation while I'm studying, but why is it always the loons?  I don't have time to talk to a stranger about the new edits to their myspace page.  I don't care to talk about why GWB is Satan. If this place had better coffee, less weird people, and was in a slightly better location - I'd frequent more often.

by Ellettra A.

great staff, free wifi, decent coffee.  open 24 hours!

by Neal W.

After more and more visits, I've become jaded with the strange environment of the fireside lounge. It's weird decor and oddly uncomfortable furniture arrangement has been rubbing me the wrong way lately. PLUS I've heard they're not open 24 hours anymore? 12 is still good, but nothing like before! The 24 hours thing was the best thing it had going for it!I guess my previous review had to do with this place being my only refuge when I first moved to portland and didn't know where anything was. I still have some endearing feelings for the tacky nature of the place, but its lack of feng shui is really not working for me anymore.It's still got something going for it though. The Fireside seems prone to visits, sometimes slightly drunk, at all hours of the night. Looking around the place makes you feel like you're trapped in a log cabin and you can't get out! But you can actually get out and you kinda don't want to because it's too much fun wondering why there are so many carved wooden bear statues and old 50's liquor advertisements on the wall. Open 24 hours! I just thought I'd open with that since it's my favorite part. The Fireside Coffee…

by chuck S.

A terrific place to hang out after 9:30 or 10pm.  The rush of Powell during the day kinda kills the peaceful vibe Fireside has.I'm not much of a coffee drinker, so I stick with the 20 oz. Mocha, the only selection I've ever made.  But I keep going back.The employees are always nice, especially for working the graveyard shift.  The Outdoor Seating is a plus, as it's generally clean and fun to watch what happens on Powell when the sun is down.And the fact they have computers there to use is awesome, really helped me out when I was living on my own w/o internet.

by Tom M.

Ezra S. below pretty much said it all.  If I could give it a 2.5 I would.  No, I should probably give it a 2.  I just think I'm coming off like too much of a hater lately; I'll leave it at 3.It's just...  It's seems like such a good idea: a coffee shop in Portland with the feel of a cozy cabin!  What a great place to warm up with a book or tool around the internet on some free wifi.It just falls so flat, though.  If you're going to go with a theme, kitsch-y or not, you gotta go all out.  There was no fire.  There are too many windows looking out onto busy Powell Boulevard for it to ever feel like a cabin.It's really bright with fluorescent lights and a cheap tile floor.  It feels more like you're hanging out in a classroom in a poor school.  Instead of actual wood, they're sporting some log-cabin wallpaper on a couple of the walls.I could go on, but I'll save most of it because I already know that I'm not going back unless I really got a jones for a quick coffee at something like 11:30 p.m.The positives were that the green-lemon tea I had was delectable and the guy (the owner?) was really nice.  Then, he started bumming me out when I could overhear an extended conversation he was having about his crazy ex-wife and burdensome alimony payments.  Oh... there I go again back into the negatives...I wasn't using it myself, but the wifi was in and out over the course of my one-hour stay, as noted by the semi-frequent announcements to all assembled computer-users to hang tight and switch their login or whatever blah blah blah...I'm done.