Nob Hill Old Pharmacy Cafe

This is a great place to witness the progress of human societal breakdown and the disintegration of the real-​world community.
Through the large plate-​glass windows lining NW Glisan you can see a few people scattered about, and even sitting next to one another at busier times, with their faces lit up from the business side of an iridescent apple and their ears plugged-​up with white wires. They won’t look back, nor up from the screen, nor at one-​another.

Welcome to the new café life, where a congress of zombies type anything interesting they have to say into a device, sealed off from the world around them.
But then again one can’t blame them after experiencing the place from the inside. Just the act alone of stepping to the counter can trigger an episode of mild depression.
There are random products scattered around the counter from horrible looking cookies under scrunched layers of plastic film, to bagged chips and candies. You feel like you’re waiting in line at an independent gas station. Dark, filthy, and dank. The music blaring forth is usually loud and industrial.
You’ll wait at the counter for 5 minutes before someone appears. They are always working in the back. Always. Moving supplies, or fixing something or other. Then they will make you a terrificly bland coffee-​drink.
The dessert counter is terrifying. It seems that their desserts are end of the day donations from the lunch pails of local children.
What appears to be half-​eaten apple pies, squished brownies, and a smattering of other foods only made unpalatable by their close association in this fluorescent death chamber will make you feel cheap, dirty, and tainted.
This place lacks a purpose, vision, or point. They don’t take food, drink, nor coffee seriously. They do take trying to sell anything seriously. Coffee? We got it! Beer? That too! Heck, we’ll even try to force an impulse purchase at check-​out.
Gas? Where’s the gas? Coming soon!
Only then, after experiencing this little piece of hell, will you understand why the poor souls inside are so intent with distracting themselves from the here-​and-​now.

It’s a shame this place sucks given its great location and fundamentally awesome space. Unfortunately, it’s drafty, dirty, and has one of the most unappealing food counters I’ve ever seen. Also, metal was blaring over the speakers which just didn’t make for a relaxing time reading our books. It didn’t help that the overhead lights were flickering eerily too, making me feel like I was having a stroke.

Plenty of seating with the bar and a counter in addition to tables, it looked like there were plenty of outlets although I wouldn’t bank on that if it were full.
Big glasses of pop are $ 1.75, I don’t know how much anything else cost. The dude seemed a bit inattentive, I was lucky enough that he was behind the bar when I arrived so I got served quickly enough. But the place was mostly empty, so he had a lot of slack time. Which he partially filled with the worst freaking acid trip experimental pop shit I’ve ever heard in my life.
No password on the wifi, but it seemed to hang a few times over the course of the two or so hours I was there.

woah, wait… whaahappn?
It’s like I’ve slipped and fallen into a rotten fermenting eggplant.
What once was once a tawdry yellow-​walled internet café is now a dark purple 24-hour…internet pub? Yes, indeed. Complete with beer on tap, a large tv, free wi-​fi, and blaring music.
I noticed that the small amount of light that emanates through the pharm comes from two competing sources: buzzing beer signs signifying the transformation, and glaring laptops for those who are still confused about what on Earth to do with this venue.
Internet den? Can we call it that?

They get 4 stars only because they are the only damn place in Portland with a good bagel. If I’m wrong, somebody let me know. Every other place I’ve been to just serves bread with a hole. Oh, and they let me sit there for hours on Sunday morning and play around on the free «interwebz» when all I’ve purchased is a coffee and the above mentioned bagel. Decent coffee too. And it’s not a Starbucks. Enough said.

It’s a 24 hour WI-​fied coffee place. Hence to say I wouldn’t suggest the food. However, now that I’ve typed that I do know they have just undergone a remodel, and they now have burgers, fries and other fare, that I haven’t had the opportunity to sample. They also just received their liquor license, which basically means that you can actually have a drink, hang out on your computer, eat some mheh food, anytime of any day; and it isn’t immersed in smoke. It’s good when you need it, but you generally will not make it your first option.
Update: I originally had the pharmacy at four stars, however, today when I came in AGAIN my wi-​fi did not connect. I don’t hang out here for the cold temperatures and bad food, I come here to check my mail. Period. And everytime this happens, the person working always tells me, sorry to many people are on the network. Umm, all six of us? What?

I’m torn on rating this place. It definitely lacks in atmosphere, however they now have a full bar, which means I can hangout with my laptop for hours on end and have a beer or whiskey and not feel out of place or be surrounded by drunk people. I was only here once or twice before the remodel so I can’t compare, but honestly the whole liquor license thing makes it a winner for me. They also have a full menu now with the typical burgers and fries and such. I haven’t tried any of it yet, but I suspect it’s fairly average.

As a college student, I have to give props to anyone brave enough to be open 24 hours… and to have free wi-​fi on top of it? Sign me up!
I didn’t get food when I went tonight, and I don’t really remember the milkshake I had months ago, so I’ll just comment on the atmosphere… amazing peoplewatching. I half-​listened to an incredibly intellectual conversation between a 20-​something young man and an elderly homeless man for half an hour. Lots of eclectic Portlanders flowing in and out constantly can’t be beat. The walls are rosy-​pinkish and it looks like they’ve done some recent remodeling that’s not quite picked up yet. Nonetheless, I’ll be spending more time here as the semester wears on.
A nice friendly atmosphere in my favorite Portland neighborhood. I like it!

Since I live few blocks away and I don’t have internet at home, I spent a lot of time at the Old Pharmacy. Sometimes I bring my work there on a Saturday or Sunday morning, that’s when its really quiet and nice. My friend also works there so it definitely adds on to my comfort zone. They recently built a bar stool U-​shape area, so that’s perfect for chatting it up with the barista. The food is lame and smelly, not the good bakery you can get just down the street from Ken’s or Trader Joe’s. I get really angry when someone order a hot sandwich. It stinks up the entire café. Aside from that, people are friendly, sometimes too friendly (a meat market!). I’ve met the most interesting people there.

When a 24-​hour coffee shop/​deli/​ice cream parlor/​café can cater to a crowd constituted by college kids in sweats, bearded faux-​intellectuals, run-​of-​the-​mill hipsters, aging couples, and a 22-​year-​old out-​of-​town visitor while playing the latest Of Montréal album over the sound system, you have to give it some credit.
This is the type of place I always wished I had in my neighborhood growing up. Alas, all we got was a dozen Starbucks. Anyway, this place reaches back to the era of pop and poodle skirts, infuses it with dozens of outlets to please the macbook crowd, and offers plenty of healthy treats to put itself in a position above reproach.
How bittersweet it was for me to spend some time in the Old Pharmacy. Seriously, all I got was a dozen Starbucks in my four-​square-​mile hometown.

This is a great 24 hour spot. I agree with Rick M. in that, for the most part, its healthy fare which is difficult to find round the clock.
Its also tasty, healthy fare.
A tad pricey for juice drinks etc, but good selection and very friendly staff.
The interior is a bit hapless, but the outside seating is fantastic.