Grinds & Vines, a Black-Owned Coffee + Wine Bar, is Coming to East Portland

Back in October 2021 I caught wind of Grinds & Vines, a Black-owned coffee and wine bar, opening up in the Hazelwood/Parkrose Heights area in east Portland. The good folks from Rocky Butte Coffee Roasters were helping them out with a coffee tasting, and it sounded like a lot of fun. It’s going to be run by Donna and Leroy Barber (of Black Santa fame) at 10632 NE Halsey Street.

As you can see, it’s been a while since Grinds & Vines popped up in my editorial field of vision, but I noticed their liquor license application was finally processed this month, so I wanted to look back into this new business. It sounds like they have had to deal with a number of hiccups—plumbing, design, inspections—contributing to the delay in opening. Plus, you can see that something as basic as a liquor license permit can get caught up in the slow permit pace that has plagued the city. It has definitely been a challenge to the patience of Portland business owners.

But Leroy and his crew are determined and optimistic, and it’s possible that we will see Grinds & Vines open later this summer They are bringing a lot of good stuff to the neighborhood—great coffee and great wines, food and music. They also want to host events later this year. From what I can tell their desire for Grinds & Vines to become a community gathering place is strong.

Look for espresso drinks, pour overs, and coffee made with a vacuum pot/siphon (which looks pretty cool), among others. Looks like they’ll have pastries, too, and I look forward to see what other kinds of food they may offer. I have reached out to them for more details and will update this when/if I hear back.

They also have a community-building aspect, as explained in their Kickstarter from last year:

“We want to create a social enterprise that is an incubator for upcoming Black leaders. 25% of all our profits will go toward The Voices Project, an organization that provides insight on how to be effective in leadership within one’s respective area of cultural influence in a way that is rooted in the history and experience of people of color.”

Leroy and Donna Barber are founders of The Voices Project.

Grinds & Vines is located in a space that was home to a cell phone store years ago, so this is a major upgrade. Also, they are just around the corner from Gateway Discovery Park and Playground, and the new Nick Fish apartments, too. As an aside, I like shopping at the nearby Namaste Indian Market and the excellent Lily Market (Thai, Lao, Asian) is not far, either. There are a number of gems in that little area of town.

Grinds & Vines will be open daily starting at 7am (except for Sunday, when they’ll open at noon) and will close at 7pm on Sundays, 9pm Monday-Thursday, and 11pm Friday and Saturday. They’ll have indoor (30 seats) and outdoor (10 seats) spaces to enjoy coffee, wine, and food. They also plan to have music on Fridays and Saturdays from 8pm to 10pm in the evenings.

I wish Leroy and his team the best as they make their way toward opening Grinds & Vines. It should be a great addition to the neighborhood!

Grinds & Vines
10632 NE Halsey Street, Portland
grindsandvinespdx.com | Instagram