Tandem Coffee and Bakery

Biscuits and house-roasted coffee are the two things to plan around at Tandem Coffee and Bakery, Tandem Coffee Roasters’ West End outpost in Portland. It opened in 2014 in a former mid-century gas station, run by Will and Kathleen Pratt with baker Briana Holt, and it works differently from the original East Bayside roastery: pastry leads, coffee follows close behind, and the counter moves fast.

Briana Holt’s bakery in Portland

Holt is head baker and owner here, and her background runs through Martha’s Vineyard and New York City, including M. Wells and Brooklyn’s Pies ’n’ Thighs. A long friendship with the Pratts turned Tandem’s second Portland location into a bakery-focused destination rather than a second coffee bar.

Her style is specific. Biscuits are tall, crusty, cat-head in scale, salt-flecked and tender inside, the cheddar jalapeno version favors pepper flavor over heat, and the loaded biscuit with butter and jam is the one the reputation rests on. Sticky buns come with orange zest and cinnamon, and the pies run to Maine blueberry under a buttery almond crumb.

The case can also hold banana sesame seed bread with frangipane, olive oil, salt and pepper; raspberry scones with pistachio frangipane; ginger chocolate scones; chocolate bread with juniper; plum rosemary scones; black sesame banana cake; spicy ginger molasses cookies; and ham and cheese croissants.

A counter built for the morning

The room is casual and counter-style, built for morning and early-day eating rather than meals. The old gas station, later a laundry, was repurposed for coffee and pastry traffic: the pumps became bike racks, and cyclists, runners, commuters, parents and regulars all pass through.

Service is quick and product-driven. Lines form when the popular pastries move, but the format suits grab-and-go. Breakfast sandwiches sit ready in a steamer so the biscuit, baked egg, white cheddar and spicy mayo meld before serving. Outdoor picnic tables and covered benches match the plain setting.

Coffee carries equal weight. Tandem roasts at its East Bayside roastery, working with single-origin lots, seasonal blends, small growers and specialty importers. The drink list runs from drip, espresso and lattes to pour-overs, cold brew, iced coffee and tea, chai, mocha, a maple cappuccino and a malted iced coffee, with house-made almond milk on hand.

Order the biscuit first, then build around it

The loaded biscuit is the natural first order. For the savory side, take the jalapeno chive or cheddar jalapeno version, or the breakfast sandwich if it is on the counter.

Then follow the season. Sticky buns bring orange zest and cinnamon against a fruitier coffee, and in summer the blueberry pie with Maine berries and almond crumb shows Holt’s local fruit work. Scones, banana sesame bread, chocolate juniper cake and black sesame banana cake fill out the rest. Match the drink to the bake: a pour-over or single-origin drip for the pie, a maple cappuccino for richer pastry, malted iced coffee when you want the sweeter end.