Great news: Spella Caffè is opening a location in Woodblock Chocolate, located in NE Portland’s Irvington neighborhood. There, they’ll bring coffee, pastries, and gelato to Woodblock’s chocolate in a “cozy and inviting” cafe space.
A Little Background on the Previous Woodblock Chocolate Cafe
Woodblock closed their cafe back in March 2020, around the start of the COVID pandemic. They posted the following message on social media: “Dear Customers, Woodblock Chocolate is temporarily closing our cafe until further notice. We will be back!”
And back, they are, and I am happy for it. I remember stopping in there in 2019 and enjoying their bicerin. It was also a nice place to take a break on what I remember was quite a warm day, and relax from running errands in the area.
They have maintained their retail shop over the years, where you could buy chocolate bars, and enjoy a variety of treats and novelties. Like the annual arrival of the chocolate baby heads.
The New Spella Caffè Space
I thought something was afoot a few days ago when I saw on Woodblock’s Instagram a sign with a distinctive “S” associated with Spella. Then they announced it for real:
The grand opening of Spella Caffè at Woodblock Chocolate is going to be Saturday, November 2. And before that, they will have a soft launch starting on Wednesday, October 30.
During the few days of the soft launch you’ll get to enjoy Spella’s excellent espresso (with pairings with Woodblock’s chocolate, if you like), gelato from Pronto Gelato, and pastries from Bake Shop. But on grand opening day, there will a huge celebration: espresso, gelato, and pastry tastings, chocolate—but also a ribbon cutting that day. (This the second ribbon cutting I’ve heard about this week!)
Side note: Pronto Gelato’s giandua gelato was one of my favorite tastes of 2024, but it was only on special this past summer. I hope they bring it back and serve it at the new cafe.
On Instagram they describe the cafe as this: “The space is filled with light, rustic and vintage decor, quaint tables, and lots of natural wood. The space is cozy and inviting, and we are all so excited to warmly welcome you into this wonderful new space!”
Excitement From Woodblock
I reached out to Charley Wheelock, one of the founders of Woodblock Chocolate to get an idea of how he’s feeling about the new cafe.
“We are so excited to have Spella Caffè in the front of the Manufactory!” He exclaimed. “We had talked to a bunch of amazing coffee people about running the front and sharing our space. There is so much amazing coffee in this town but Andrea’s effort is most in line with our approach and our company culture.”
He added, “I can’t wait to offer people this killer experience! Our menu is going to evolve into something really special and unique. It will blossom!”
When To Visit Spella Caffè at Woodblock Chocolate
As far as timing goes on November 2, hours will be 8am to 4pm. The party will be from 10am to noon, with the ribbon cutting at 11am.
Regular hours of operation will be Wednesdays to Fridays from 7:30am to 4pm. On the weekends you can stop in on Saturdays from 8am to 4pm, and on Sundays from 9am to 3pm, at least to start.
I’m looking forward to stopping in myself and checking out the new Spella Caffè. And picking up one of those chocolate baby heads (or the darkest of their dark chocolate bars). All the best to the Spella and Woodblock folks as they get the place ready to open next week.
Spella Caffè at Woodblock Chocolate [opening November 2, 2024/soft opening October 30, 2024]
1715 NE 17th Avenue, Portland
Spella Caffè website | Instagram | Facebook
Woodblock Chocolate website | Instagram | Facebook
Updated October 25, 2024.
Meg Cotner
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Thank you for this article! You nailed it. I can’t wait to have Bicerins back on the menu.
That’s very exciting! I also came across this BORGEN article about sourcing/fair trade/labor issues with chocolate and have included that link in the article copy. Loved reading about your efforts in this respect. https://www.borgenmagazine.com/woodblock-chocolate-adopts-triple-bottom-line/