Mudd Works Roastery

The horchata cold brew is the calling card, and the Mexican-inspired drinks are the menu's organizing principle. Mudd Works is a Portland Glisan Street roastery. They recently moved less than a block down to a bigger space. The previous spot was a literal hole-in-the-wall with one communal six-seat table; the new location is bigger but keeps the same neighborhood-shop intimacy.

Owner Haydian (one regular described them as the best soul out there) is the heart of the place. The roaster is visible inside the shop. Madagascar vanilla is made in house. Beer and wine come on after 4pm. Live music sometimes happens in the evenings.

The drinks lineup is creative and specific. Horchata cold brew is the signature, hot or cold. Chili mex latte. Mexican Mocha. Salted caramel rosemary latte. Heavy Number is the house roast. Drip coffee. Cortado. Hot mocha. Double-shot espresso. Oatley vegan soft serve covers the dairy-free dessert side. Pastries come from Tabor Bread and Farina. Almond croissant. Marionberry pastry. Pear and maple scone. Cherry cream cheese Danish.

The room is slightly darker than your standard Portland cafe. Warm, neighborhood-feeling, with the new bigger space keeping the same intimacy as the original hole-in-the-wall. Communal seating remains. Privacy is not the move here. A customer who wants a private one-on-one should go elsewhere.

One real catch. Pastry quality has occasionally faltered. One customer reported what they thought were hard seeds or rocks in a pastry. Wait times have stretched 20 to 30 minutes per person at peak hours.

Portland regulars on Glisan. Horchata fans. Vegan customers (Oatley soft serve). Evening beer-and-wine crowd. That is the base. The relationship-with-the-owner part of the experience is real. Haydian nurtures regulars, which is why they keep showing up.