Lovely concept lacking in execution. The wonderful Allium has expanded to open Lark Café just a few doors down. As a local, I was excited to welcome an elegant cafe with the goal of providing 'artisan coffee and handcrafted food' in a more casual setting. The space is modern and spare with nice artwork and light jazz music, although they still have the mail boxes on the wall which has survived the musical chair rotation of coffee shops in the this location for years. I first visited during their soft opening in early August and have returned twice during breakfast and lunch hours to give them a solid try before reviewing. My three visits have been consistent. Of the three main areas I focus on during a visit, food/drink quality, atmosphere, and service, the service is element is off. Not to say that the person at the counter is not doing well, it is just that they are the only employee. A particular challenge when some customers are coming in for a quick coffee and others a sit down meal that is made to order. Really too much to ask of an employee during lunch hours. The coffee is Coava, and the menu is small but interesting. You order at the counter where there are a selection of pastries. Lark Cafe is open from 6:30a - 4:00p daily with a lunch menu offering two soups (French Onion w/Gruyere toast, plus a soup of the week), three salads, and five panini sandwiches. The breakfast offerings are two quiches, a breakfast sandwich, waffles, oatmeal and a fruit parfait. The tables are nicely spaced if you need to work on a laptop and there is some outside seating out front. Once they get the staffing issue sorted, I hope for many happy returns. read more

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The last few times I've been to Lark the service has been meh. I gave it one more try today and sadly have decided it will be my last visit. I waited a really long time for a simple latte and croissant - when I asked if the coffee on the counter was mine the person behind the counter was very short with me and said no. So I waited some more and luckily the lady that they gave my coffee to came up to me and said "I think I have your order." People have bad days and I totally get that, but it seems that it's not one bad day, but now just bad service overall and they seem completely unconcerned about it. Sad as this cute shop is right in our neighborhood. read more

The Chicken Curry Croissant Sandwich is soooooo good. I ate it so fast I didn't take a photo. Just get it read more

Lark Café - Coffee & Tea Near Me - West Linn, Oregon

Based on the spectacular reviews here, perhaps I came on an off day. The space was modern, clean and spacious. They have counter seating alongside the window that comes with outlets so you can charge your laptop while working, even though the counter stools didn't look all that comfortable for long-term sitting. Located off Willamette Drive between 11th and 12th Street in West Linn, parking wasn't all that plentiful for a suburb coffee shop. It's street parking and this coffee shop is located on the bottom suite of a small office building. This cafe has no table service, so you order at the counter and pick up at the counter. Once finished you bus your own table. I wanted the breakfast burrito but they were out that day, so I ordered: - 12-ounce mocha - English muffin breakfast sandwich with bacon My mocha was lacking espresso flavor and the chocolate was missing that good dark chocolate flavor. Instead, it tasted artificially and sickly sweet like a cheap chocolate syrup - ick! The sandwich was flavorless even though there was bacon in it. McDonald's did a better job with their breakfast sandwiches at a cheaper price! I'm all about supporting small businesses but sadly, this is not a place I can get behind. Will not be back. read more

Lark Café - 12-ounce Mocha - meh.... not enough espresso flavor and the chocolate flavor wasn't very good. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - West Linn, Oregon

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Wanted to try a new place so we came here with my parents. Cute little spot with ample seating. Coffee was delicious. I had the bagel with cream cheese & lox and added avocado. My husband got a breakfast sandwich on a croissant. My parents split a breakfast burrito. Three stars for three reasons: 1) When you order a lox bagel it should always be served open faced. They kind of smashed it into a sandwich. If I were to take a bite, all of my toppings would just squish out onto the plate. I opened it back up and layered the contents better myself. The bagel itself was toasted just the right amount. 2) Never put a croissant in a panini press! Croissants are meant to be fluffy and buttery. This sandwich was built and then pressed. The result was a scorched crunchy and not at all flavorful shell that was tough to eat. If anything it should have been just lightly warmed up. 3) Every single thing on the food menu involved grains or bread of some sort. Even the salad had fruit and couscous. I felt like there was no way to get anything totally clean without being a Karen and asking for a side of everything (which I didn't, I got the bagel) Maybe offer a green salad with no grains or fruit. Or some sort of egg meat option that didn't require being a sandwich or saying no bread but being charged for it. 3.5) My mom said the burrito was very bland, even with hot sauce- the eggs weren't seasoned at all! Overall your pastries looked great, the atmosphere was nice, and Coava coffee is great. We will come back for sure but wanted to give this feedback! read more

Coffee has improved! Different roaster? Good local place and food is definitely a cut above the average coffee shop.

No greeting as we entered this establishment. Cashier didn't just get what I was asking for, even though it was on the menus. Ham and Cheddar croissants were burnt, ate anyways. Left with burnt croissant taste in my mouth. Do not recommend that croissant. read more

Lark Café - Burnt ham and cheddar croissant - Coffee & Tea Near Me - West Linn, Oregon

Definitely a perfect place if you're looking for a good coffee and a breakfast meal. Their breakfast sandwiches are completely amazing especially with the Cholula hot sauce! Everything they have on the menu was good, staff is super friendly and very accommodating. Will definitely be back! read more

Coffees are average and on the pricey side. My favorite thing on the menu is their Moroccan chicken salad. The seatings are perfect to study and get some work done as well. read more

Do not come here unless you want to be treated unkindly. The young blonde girl at the cashier had the worst, most unwelcoming attitude I've ever experienced before. Extremely rude and short when taking my order. Judgemental. Rolled her eyes when being politely asked a simple question. It was disgusting to be interacted like that when I'm simply ordering a drink. Girl, if you ever get this feedback please check yourself, you need to be a better person, especially working in the role that you have. There are several other reviews and it seems like we are all talking about similar experiences. She should have corrective action from whoever is managing this poorly performing employee if not fired immediately. There was a brunette girl who was cleaning who seemed to be polite and the only reason why this isn't a 1 star review. The chai I received was decent but nothing special. I will not be coming back here like several other customers that were treated poorly. This cafe had potential because the interior is neat and the location is nice, but that employee needs to GO. I would hate to bring somewhere here for a coffee and get treated like that. There are many other cafe's nea that are more welcoming with better drinks so save yourself the disappointment. read more

Finally a good coffee shop south of i205. Not only is it good, it's really good! Coava does not allow just anyone to serve their beans, so their execution is always top notch. They have a good punch card system which is nice to see done in a top tier coffee shop. I can't speak to the food as I am not the cafe food type. But I am very critical of my coffee and they do a great job. read more

YESSS!!! Third-wave quality coffee in the 'burbs! I had to find this via Google because sadly it doesn't have enough Yelp ratings to rank highly when searching for coffee in the area. Let's change that! My 8oz latte from here made on a La Marzocco and with latte art is every bit as good as Barista's or Stumptown's. read more

Okay food. They request a tip for their service, yet there is the same level of service as at a hamburger joint. You wait in line, have to wait to fetch your order at a pickup counter, and they want you to bus your own table. We ordered to eat on site, yet food came in to-go boxes. First and last visit for us. read more

Updating this review because they seem to have gotten rid of the employees that didn't want to be there. Past few experiences here have been excellent. Please keep it up! read more

Great place if money is no issue. $7.25 for a simple English muffin sandwich. Wow. Feels like gouging to me.

Pretty disappointed today, walked in to order some food and coffee. I noticed that none of the employees were wearing hair nets didn't think much of it. Once I received my burrito which was good at first, after having a few bites, I found two pieces of hair in my burrito which was very disappointing. read more

How this place is rated below 5 stars is a mystery to me. I just popped in for a latte but this is the best dang latte I've had, this side of Portland! read more

Delicious. Beautiful. Perfect. Three words that were used to describe the food at my event! I hired Lark Cafe to cater a baby shower I planned in January 2017 for 20 people. Bridgette was responsive and careful to help me craft a menu that was safe for pregnant ladies to eat and did not require utensils. They also can invoice via e-mail which is a huge time-saver. The mini chicken paninis were finger lickin' good. The caprese skewers were elegant. The fruit platter was perfect and grapes were taken off the vine! The crostini and toppings were perfect! Delivery was an additional charge but so worth it and everything arrived early with clear instructions on how to assemble a few last minute things. They provided sufficient serving utensils as well. Lark Cafe receives my highest recommendation for the catering of your next event! read more

After kayaking nearby we were hungry. One of our party is gluten-free, and we wanted something delicious and filling . Lark Cafe did not disappoint. The chicken curry croissant was amazing! And the gluten free bread was tasty and moist. They forgot to ring up my drink and then insisted it be on the house, despite me trying to insist on paying. The staff goes over and above. The whole place was spic and span clean! Also, I brought home a chocolate scone and ended up sharing. It was so moist, and chocolatey and buttery...amazingly delicious. If you end up in Old West Linn you should go. In fact, if you are anywhere near by it's worth going a bit out of the way. Super yummy. read more

Amazingly cute atmosphere at Lark this time of year! So cozy with a Christmas tree- I had such a pleasant study session here! The only reason for the missing star is that the service was mediocre, not super warm when greeting and taking my order. No complaints aside from that. I had the croissant breakfast sandwich that was a solid 10, loved it. Every table was taken around 10am on a weekday which is a good sign. Hope this place continues to do well! read more

A super cute spot in what seemed to be an old post office. They were very kind to us, and allowed our daughter to roam around choosing her breakfast with glee. The honey Cardamom latte and the lavender lattes were delicious! My husband enjoyed the french onion soup and my daughter and I had the breakfast sandwiches (one on a crossiant and one on a muffin). read more

We are local and have enjoyed this little cafe for years but the last handful of times...we keep saying we are not returning. We were in a few days ago and it was moderately busy but it can be easily loud in there with chatter. The three employees standing behind the bar took our order at the counter. We sat down by the window and literally 10- 15 min went by. We turned to see our coffee drinks just sitting there on the counter while the two employees chatted away. I walked over to get them and I said I didn't know they were done and the gal sternly said "we called your name". Well, normally, that's okay if it's crazy busy and you don't notice who grabbed their drinks or not. However, these two were just standing there while we were sitting only 6 ft away. Obviously unaware we didn't hear the name. But, don't lift an extra pinky to kindly walk over and set the coffee down. Nope, we only tipped you on the iPad at time of purchasing at the counter, I guess no need to be friendly any further. As an employer myself in the service industry, it matters if you go that extra little step in service and if not for the business you work for, then perhaps for simple kindness. read more

Don't go here this place sucks. Always some kind of issue. The guy with a nose ring would not make me a ceaser salad 10 minutes before they close at 4:00. The day time gal is very rude. read more

The blonde that works here with the tats was completely RUDE! We waited for our coffee forever! There were at least 5 people that came in after us, everyone got served except us. We waited for 2 coffees for at least 20 minutes, if not longer. By the time we got the coffee it wasn't what we ordered! And that blonde gave off attitude! If you're gonna work with customers, learn to be kind, and respectful! read more

A single person should not be working during lunchtime. I felt so bad for the employee. He was the cashier, barista, cook and janitor. The food took forever and it wasn't great. Probably won't be back. read more

Good coffee for being in West Linn, but it really needs to step up its food game to its sister cafe Jola in John's Landing. It definitely seems like the food is thrown together as an after thought. read more

Great little spot - coffee is good and there is a nice selection of baked goods. Plenty of seating! Food is good but small portions and salads are expensive. Very friendly staff. read more

Rude staff, food and beverages are sloooooooooow to come out and are not good. Prices are ridiculous. The salads all sound so good on the menu description but have been terrible every single time. I have tried several times to like this place, but every single time it has been a disappointment. Unfortunate because the chef that owns the place is actually a very good chef. But it's not him making the food, it's teenagers. Save yourself money and frustration and skip this place. read more

Had a bit of time to waste and so thought "why not grab a coffee?" And luckily I stumbled upon Lark Cafe! Very cute interior with some nice comfy seats in the back. They also have an AMAZING chai tea latte. I also noticed they also do a mail delivery service which was a funny little quirk! If you're needing a mid day pick me up this is a great place to stop in! read more

Great food selection for breakfast/brunch and amazing coffee!!! Pop in if you're in the area you won't regret it.

The breakfast sandwiches are really good. The egg is super fresh unlike most places that serve breakfast sandwiches. The service was fast and friendly. This is probably the best place to grab and go for breakfast. I didn't have time to get a drink but I will go back again soon. read more

We wanted to have breakfast here but the selection was very limited. We ended having a lemon scone and a bagel with smoked salmon. It was filling. read more

I love the turkey panini and the Moroccan salad.

Great little breakfast spot. Stopped by for a quick snack and was pleasantly surprised at the quality.

The coffee, food, ambience, and location is amazing. The service can be a bit slow at times - if you're wanting a quick latte and breakfast sandwich to-go it can be a bit disappointing. But if you have time to sit and enjoy the space and wait a little longer than you would at Starbucks it's worth it. Most of the staff is incredibly friendly and it is so nice to have a neighborhood spot serving high quality coffee and tasty breakfast food and baked goods. Hoping Lark continues to improve on service and keeps quality up where it is. We love this place! read more

Some of the best coffee I have had in awhile. Nice staff, clean minimalist space, good food. What more can I say? Oh yeah, gluten free bread... I highly recommend. read more

I want to like this place. I've been in before and their food is very good. But the service is hit or miss. And when it misses is Terrible. Just stopped in on a Monday morning and there was one worker in the entire restaurant and they had no butter croissants. I left after 10 minutes standing in line and only two drinks were made. Thumbs down. read more

The salad was thrown together and overdressed. The single server that makes coffee, works the register and the kitchen doesn't have the time to plate appropriately. Ok place for coffee but skip the food. read more

Awesome food, ambience and service. Love this place! If I could eat here everyday I could! Their Rose is phenomenal. Leslie and Allison are the best read more

I've been looking for a good latte in West Linn for several months. Excited to say I found that in Lark. Their espresso is roasted on the lighter side and their milk foam game is spot on. While I didn't get any fancy latte art (who cares?) the consistency and temperature were perfect. Thanks Lark! read more