A New Southeast Portland Coffee House Is Hosting All-Ages Shows

Coffee house Honey Latte Cafe helps to fill Portland’s small venue void with its parking lot music and comedy shows.

Chainsaw Girl plays Honey Latte Cafe (Samantha Klopp @endlessnoisephotos)
By Frankie Kerner

While we’re now seeing the cautious reopening of many music and show spaces around Portland, the city’s small venue scene (think Waypost size) has always been on the struggle bus. And dedicated all-ages spaces, in Portland, are virtually nonexistent.

So the addition of coffee shop Honey Latte Cafe to the roster is especially welcome. Located in Portland’s Central Eastside on Southeast Main Street in the old Equal Exchange spot, Honey Latte has hosted more than 50 shows—music, comedy and more—in its cafe parking lot.

During the day—of course— it’s a coffee shop, serving Cave Painter coffee and drinks like the golden maple latte, which comes with stirred in Golden Drops’ turmeric paste. The cafe is plant-based and dairy-free so its alternative milk game is robust.

Honey Latte Productions began in 2016 as a DIY booking agency, headed by then 19-year-old Angelyna Tropets. Opening a cafe/venue under the same name was always integral to Tropets’ plan. In June, that dream became a reality.

While they’re just serving coffee drinks right now, the cafe plans to renew its liquor license soon so they can provide concertgoers with adult beverages.

Alcohol isn’t the primary focus, though, which is something Tropets hopes to make clear.

“The thing I always want to provide is a safe space,” Tropets says. “In most DIY spaces, if people under 21 want to get together and enjoy music, it’s not going to be safe. There’s probably going to be a lot of drugs and alcohol and, unfortunately, people getting hurt in different ways. The biggest passion of it all for me is providing a safe space for people to be able to enjoy music.”

GO: Honey Latte Cafe, 1033 SE Main St., honeylatte.cafe. 8 am-6 pm Monday-Friday, 9 am-6 pm Saturday-Sunday.

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