Stratus Coffee

Working from here

2026-05-27T22:46:18.687556522Z

We built Stratus partly because we wanted somewhere to spend a long afternoon with a laptop. So yes — laptops are welcome, and we mean it. Here’s the setup.

Wi-fi

Free, no password — but there’s a captive portal that asks you to acknowledge the rules. SSID: Stratus-Guest.

If your laptop hates the captive portal, ask a barista for the WPA2 network instead.

Outlets

Every seat in the back room has a wall outlet within reach. Most seats along the bar have one too. The front bay window is the exception — it’s a great spot for ten quiet minutes, but not for an afternoon of work.

Quiet hours

Monday through Wednesday after 5pm, the back room becomes a designated quiet zone. No calls, no Zoom, low volume on headphones-only audio. The front of the cafe stays open as normal.

Thursday is open mic from 7pm — the back room is not quiet then. We post a sign.

Calls and Zoom

Voice calls and video calls are fine anywhere except the back room during quiet hours. If you’re going to be on for more than 15 minutes, the small phone booth by the restrooms is yours — just close the door.

Stay-as-long-as-you-want policy

Buy a drink, stay for the afternoon. We don’t time you out. If we get slammed and seats run short on a weekend morning, we may ask folks who’ve been here 3+ hours if they can wrap up — but it’s rare and we’ll always be polite about it.

Larger groups & meetings

The big table in the back room (6–8 people) can be reserved for free between 9am and 4pm Tuesday through Friday. Email hello@stratus.example at least a day in advance.

Visit

2026-05-27T22:46:18.687556522Z

We’re at 412 Cedar Lane in southeast Portland — a five-minute walk from the Belmont commercial strip, two blocks west of the streetcar.

Getting here

Walking: Easiest from Belmont. The cafe is on the south side of Cedar, between 14th and 15th.
Transit: The streetcar’s Belmont stop is two blocks east. The 15 bus stops one block north.
Parking: Free street parking on Cedar, Pine, and the side streets. Small lot behind the building, accessible from Pine Avenue.
Cycling: Bike racks at the front door and a bike corral along the curb in front of the building.

Accessibility

The front entrance is step-free. There’s an accessible restroom on the ground floor and a wheelchair-friendly path through the back room.

Wi-fi & seating

Power outlets at every seat in the back room and most of the bar. Wi-fi password is on the menu board behind the counter — just ask a barista. See Working from here for the full setup.

Tea

2026-05-27T22:46:18.687556522Z

Loose-leaf from Smith Teamaker, brewed to order in a cast-iron pot. All hot teas come with a 12-oz carafe — enough for two cups.

Pour-over

2026-05-27T22:46:18.687556522Z

Two rotating beans on the V60 bar at all times. Ask the barista what’s open today — we usually have one bright/floral and one chocolatey/round on rotation.

Pour-overs take about ten minutes. We’ll bring it to your seat.

Pastries

2026-05-27T22:46:18.687556522Z

Tabor Bread bakes before dawn; we pick up at six. We sell out by mid-afternoon most days — if you’re set on a particular item, come early.

Gluten-free options on the second shelf of the case.

Lunch

2026-05-27T22:46:18.687556522Z

Lunch service is 11 to 2. Most things can be made vegetarian or vegan — ask. Sandwiches come with a small side salad; the grain bowl comes on its own.

Espresso

2026-05-27T22:46:18.687556522Z

Oat / soy / almond at no extra charge. Decaf available — just ask. We pull doubles by default; ask for a single if you want it lighter.

Contact

2026-05-27T22:46:18.687556522Z

General questions

Email: hello@stratus.example
Phone: (503) 555-0142 (during open hours)

Reservations

The big table in the back room is the only thing we reserve. Email at least a day in advance — see Working from here for the details.

Wholesale & catering

We supply a few neighborhood offices with weekly bean deliveries and the occasional catered breakfast. Email wholesale@stratus.example for a price sheet.

We’re hiring

Always looking for baristas who can pull a clean double and don’t mind washing dishes when it’s busy. Send a short note + résumé to jobs@stratus.example.

Instagram: @stratuscoffee
Mastodon: @stratus@coffee.social

We don’t post much, and that’s on purpose.

About

2026-05-27T22:46:18.687556522Z

Stratus Coffee opened in spring 2022 in a cedar-paneled storefront that had been a print shop, then a sandwich place, then empty for two years. Two of us put the menu together over a long winter of experimenting in the kitchen of a friend’s restaurant. The third joined a month before we opened to wire up the espresso machine and build the back-room shelving.

We pour Heart Roasters as our house espresso, rotating in beans from Coava, Sterling, and Push x Pull on the pour-over bar. Pastries come from Tabor Bread next door — they bake before dawn, we pick them up at six.

The “designated working hours” thing wasn’t in the original plan. It showed up after a few months of watching the same handful of regulars spend whole afternoons here trying to focus. We figured: if we’re already a quiet, slightly-out-of-the-way space with reliable wi-fi and outlets, we should make that officially part of what we offer.

We’re not trying to be a coworking space, exactly. We’re a cafe. But we’re a cafe that knows some of the best customers we have are the ones who arrive at 1pm with a laptop and stay until close.

If you want the longer story, come in — the people behind the bar are on the team page and most of us are happy to talk about it.

Pop-up Dinner with Chef Lin

2026-05-30T00:00:00Z

A one-night pop-up with Chef Lin, formerly of Heart of Sichuan, who’s between projects and looking for a small kitchen to play in. Five courses, paired with tea or beer (additional $20).

The menu (subject to last-minute changes):

Cold-poached chicken with chili oil and Sichuan peppercorn.
Wonton soup, hand-folded that morning.
Mapo tofu, traditional preparation, on rice.
Cumin lamb skewers with cucumber salad.
Sweet ginger soup with rice balls.

Two seatings: 7:00 and 9:00. 16 seats per seating. $85 per person.

This event is sold out. To join the waitlist, email hello@stratus.example with the seating you’d prefer — we’ll let you know if anything opens up.

Vegetarian alternative for course 4 (mushroom skewers) available; let us know when you book.

Monthly Cupping Night

2026-05-23T00:00:00Z

A blind cupping of five coffees from a single roaster, with a walk-through afterward — what we tasted, what to look for, why some coffees did what they did. The roaster usually joins us; in May it’s Mike from Sterling.

The shape:

6:30 — settle in, pour the first round.
6:45 — slurp through five cups, take notes.
7:15 — reveal what’s in each cup; talk through them with the roaster.
7:45 — open Q&A; whoever brought beer or wine shares.
8:00 — wrap.

Free, but space is limited to 12. Sign up at the bar or email hello@stratus.example.

Bring a notebook if you take notes. Otherwise just come.

Events

2026-05-03T00:00:00Z

A few photos from the recurring events plus the May pop-up dinner. The pop-up dinners are quarterly; the rest run weekly during their season.

If you want to be on the list for the next pop-up dinner (twenty-four seats, sells out in a day), email Rosa.

Latte art

2026-04-26T00:00:00Z

Mike runs the latte-art class every other Sunday at 11am. Six seats; sign-up at the bar.

The class covers steam-milk technique (it really is most of the work), pitcher-tip placement for the first contact, and the three foundational designs — heart, rosetta, tulip. By the end of an hour everyone gets at least one pour they’re proud of.

From the kitchen

2026-04-19T00:00:00Z

Pastries come from Foursided Bakery in Sellwood — same delivery, every morning, six days a week. Lunch is Andre’s territory: a rotating set of bowls, soups, sandwiches, and a daily plate that changes with what’s at the farmers’ market.

The cookie recipe is from Andre’s grandmother. He won’t share it. Don’t ask.

The room

2026-04-12T00:00:00Z

The room was a print shop until 2021. The bay window and the original wood floor are the only things still here from then. Mike and Andre built the bar themselves over a two-month stretch in the spring of 2022.

If you’re hunting for an outlet: every two-top has one, and the bay window bench has a strip running its full length. The long table at the back has outlet strips underneath both ends.

Tuesday Board Games

2024-10-15T00:00:00Z

A loose, drop-in board-games night. We pull the games shelf out from behind the bar at 6, push the back-room tables together, and people arrive when they arrive.

We have:

Catan, Splendor, Codenames, Dominion, 7 Wonders for the lighter end.
Brass: Birmingham, Wingspan, Ark Nova, Race for the Galaxy for the heavier end.
A shelf of two-player games (Patchwork, Hive, Lost Cities).

Bring your own if there’s something you want to teach. Most weeks 12 to 20 people show up; you’ll always find someone to play with.

The back-room “quiet hours” rule is suspended on Tuesday evenings — we keep volume reasonable but conversation is fine.

Latte Art 101

2024-09-15T00:00:00Z

A 90-minute latte-art workshop, run most Sundays after the morning rush. Aimed at home-espresso folks who can pull a decent shot but can’t get the milk to do what they want.

What we cover:

Stretching and texturing milk by feel — what “wet paint” means and how to know when you’ve gotten there.
The pour: free-pouring a heart, then progressing to a tulip and rosetta if time allows.
Practice on a real bar — about 45 minutes of guided pouring with feedback.

Bring your own pitcher if you have one; we have spares. Six-person max. $25 per person, payable at sign-up. Email hello@stratus.example to reserve a spot — we usually fill up by Friday.

Thursday Open Mic

2024-09-05T00:00:00Z

A weekly low-key open mic in the back room. Acoustic-only — we don’t have a PA loud enough for full bands and the upstairs neighbours are gentle souls.

The format:

Ten-minute slots. Two songs or one long one.
Sign-up sheet on the bar from 6pm. First-come, first-served.
A house guitar is available; bring your own if you’d rather.
Around 8 slots a night; we usually wrap by 9.

Songwriters welcome — we love hearing originals. Covers fine. The crowd is friendly and quiet during sets.

The back-room “quiet hours” rule is suspended for the duration of open mic. Front of cafe stays at normal volume.

Stratus Coffee

Working from here

Wi-fi

Outlets

Quiet hours

Calls and Zoom

Stay-as-long-as-you-want policy

Larger groups & meetings

Visit

Getting here

Accessibility

Wi-fi & seating

Tea

Pour-over

Pastries

Lunch

Espresso

Contact

General questions

Reservations

Wholesale & catering

We’re hiring

Social

About

Pop-up Dinner with Chef Lin

Monthly Cupping Night

Events

Latte art

From the kitchen

The room

Tuesday Board Games

Latte Art 101

Thursday Open Mic