Eyesore Coffee Is Planted In a Sunroom in Northeast Portland

The other day a Bridgetown Bites tipster messaged me about something called “Eyesore” that I should know about: “So this opened right by me and it’s so cute and perfect.” Color me curious. So I reached out to Eyesore’s owner and barista, Beck, to learn more about this little coffee cart she runs out of her Irvington sunroom.

I originally envisioned Eyesore’s setup to be like the one I’ve encountered with the COTTA cart in the Southwest Portland Hills neighborhood, which operates legally as a food cart. I asked Beck if she had seen it before, and if it was an inspiration for her business. “Yeah, for sure.” she said. “When we were first starting it, I went over to talk to them to get advice. They were so sweet and so helpful with everything.” I love this kind of Portland collegiality—community not competition, as the folks at Pip’s say.

Eyesore: What’s in a Name?

One of the first things I wanted to know was the story behind the name. “So when we first moved into the space that we’re at now—we’d only been living in Portland for a few months at that point—-we had a little 14th Avenue block party. And we quickly found out that our neighbors don’t really like our house.” Note: They are renting this house.

She continued, “I mean, it was renovated when we first moved in, so we just got the feeling that everyone thought we were the eyesore. And so when we were thinking about names, that was one of the ones that I was really excited about it. I thought it was cheeky.”

I asked, “What in their opinion makes the house an eyesore?”

“I think from the little bits and pieces that I got, I guess nobody took care of the property before we came here,” she explained. “I think the sunroom was truly never used. And I think it’s crazy because it’s the most beautiful sunroom.”

She added, “I think the last person just boarded up their sunroom—you couldn’t even see inside!” Clearly, that has changed.

About Beck

Beck is the owner and operator of Eyesore, and her partner helps out in various ways. For instance, he helped build the cart and has supported operations on the back end. But as far as who you see at the cart, it’s Beck all the way.

She hails originally from Southern California. “Orange County and LA,” she said. “I’ve kind of moved around Southern California. I primarily lived in Fullerton for most of my life.”

I wondered if she had done anything with food before this. “I’ve worked at different mom and pop coffee shops for over 10 years now,” said Beck. “It’s just something I’ve always loved being around.”

Being Creative

Beck is a creative person by nature. She went to school for creative writing. “It’s not what I do now, but I love to write on my free time,” she said. “I also love to do graphic design and different arts. Honestly, I just love anything artistic.”

Where Is the Eyesore Cart?

You’ll find Eyesore in the Irvington neighborhood, but specifically in the front of the house in the sunroom, which customers can enter when ordering their coffee drinks, “It’s very similar to COTTA, where it is on wheels, as well,” she said. “So if I ever wanted to take it to like a farmer’s market or anything, I could. But for now, it’s planted in our sunroom.”

To clarify: Like with COTTA, Eyesore operates as a single mobile unit and complies with all regulations and laws appropriate to it.

Brewing Coffee

Beck is using a commercial espresso machine, not an elevated home machine. She purchased it at Clive Coffee on SE Hawthorne, which has a great selection of coffee machines. “It was really cool because we were able to test everything out and look at what would make sense for us.”

She continued, “We bought a Luca A53, and it’s a really good one. It’s definitely a smaller-end commercial machine, but I didn’t want to get a home machine. I wanted to make sure if I was spending the money, that it would be a sustainable option.”

Choices

So why a coffee cart? Beck could have opened in a food cart pod, a brick & mortar, or even be a vendor at a farmers market. I wanted to know why she wanted to do this kind of setup from the home.

“Honestly, I think the space really just inspired me,” she explained. “When we first moved in, there was just … well, I’ve never had a sunroom before. In Southern California, there’s nothing really like this.”

She continued, “I mean, I’m still playing around with if I want it to be planted here for the long term. I’ve really been enjoying the way that it’s going—it feels very comfortable. The people that I’ve met in the community community are so sweet and so supportive. It feels right.”

Eyesore: Coffee and Food

I asked her what kind of coffee beans she’s using. “I’m using Heart Roaster,” she explained. “I was really excited about it because when we were visiting Portland, they were one of my favorite coffee shops.”

She added, “So when I reached out to them, I was super excited that they wanted to partner with me! I use their Stereo blend.”

Drinking Coffee

She offers a small menu of coffee drinks: espresso, cortado, cappuccino, latte, spanish latte, mocha, americano, and an espresso tonic. She’s got lavender, vanilla, and hazelnut syrups and dairy, oat, and almond for milk choices.

You can show up and order, or order ahead.

Food

I also asked about who is sourcing her pastries and she said she is not offering them at this point in time. “Eventually I would like to,” said Beck. I was hoping to have somebody in the community be able to provide them. I like the idea of being fully community-driven.”

I added, “There might be like a covert baker in your neighborhood.” She replied, “That’s what I’m hoping for!”

If you’re a baker in the neighborhood and want to collab on the pastry front, send Beck a message.

Beck’s Go-To Coffee Drink

I asked her when she goes to a coffee shop or cafe, what’s her go-to coffee drink. “My favorite is probably not the most favorite around,” she said. “It’s a very polarizing drink.”

“I love espresso tonics,” she revealed. “It’s one of my things that I kind of specialize in. I know that it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but if I ever go anywhere, that’s usually what I’ll get.” An espresso tonic is espresso and tonic water and then she adds some syrup to it.

And I had to ask her if she’s been to Slow Haste, which is known to make a cascara soda. Cascara is a tea made from the dried fruit (husks) of coffee cherries. At the writing of this article they are offering a cascara and grapefruit espresso soda.

She was definitely aware of Slow Haste’s work. “That cascara soda that they’re doing, which I love—that’s interesting,” she said, “It’s different from, of course, espresso. It’s a little bitter, but I definitely think it’s worth a try. They make a really good one.”

Hours at Eyesore

Right now, they are open Monday through Thursday, 7:30am to 3pm. She may adjust those hours after she moves out of the soft opening phase. At this point, they’ve been open over a month.

“I definitely see myself expanding [the hours]. I wanted to work out the kinks before fully committing to a more open schedule,” she said.

Beck says that when she started out she didn’t know if anyone would show up for the first few weeks. “But now seeing the people who have come by has made me very excited,” she said. “I love meeting everybody. And it’s just like such a fun, fun job— fun to talk to everybody in the community.”

Wishing Beck only the best as she continues caffeinating this little corner of Northeast Portland.

Eyesore [soft opened February 25, 2026]
2206 NE 14th Avenue, Portland
Eyesore website | Instagram

Updated March 17, 2026 to clarify that Eyesore operates legally as a single mobile unit.