<p>Tammy von Payens whips up a latte at Coffee Girl.</p>

The North Coast is blessed with some of the best choices for coffee hangouts in the West. Whether you want a traditional ’60s coffeehouse feel, a place with an uptown choice of blends, or just a quiet spot with Wi-Fi, you can’t beat the coast for coffee.

Astoria Coffee House and Bistro

James Defeo and Anthony Danton are “two Italian guys who saw the need” and opened an old-fashioned place to get a good brew. The results? Astoria Coffee House and Bistro. 

“We came and fell in love with the community and said, Let’s open a coffee house that’s also a gathering place with light fare and quality pastries,'” said Defeo, who had run several restaurants and coffee houses before.

They took a site on 11th Street between Marine Drive and Commercial Street that had had dramatic turnovers in the past and established the grounding business (punster alert) in what is becoming a hipster ghetto, including the Columbian Cafe, Cargo, Lunar Boy Gallery and LightBox Photographic Gallery.

“Our specialties are really traditional coffee mochas, lattes, espressos and Americanos,” said Defeo, “though we make seasonal drinks when the cruise ships dock, like a Lavender Vanilla Latte or a Violet Latte with White Chocolate.”

What Danton has added to the simple charm of the coffee house and bistro is amazing baked goods. He brought out two enormous chocolate cakes in glass cake stands while everyone oohed and ahhed. They also serve scones, cookies and other sweet delights.

The whole front wall is open to the street on good weather days, and this inspired pair has added live music on weekends, sometimes with a benefit thrown in.

Coffee Girl

For the best views in town, nothing beats Coffee Girl on the dock at Pier 39.

Sitting with your favorite coffee drink, you can look out over the Columbia River and watch the cormorants land, the seals surface, or muse over the enormous cargo tanker anchored (say that three times!) just out the window.

For breakfast or lunch, an all-time customer favorite is the toasted ham and cheddar cheese bagel. Sounds simple, but get ready for tasty ingredients perfectly prepared that will bring you back time and time again.

Owner Debbi Blissett is a wizard in her miniscule kitchen. “I dream up recipes,” she said, and she means that literally. “One day I bought a bag of limes because they were cheaper that way and I went to sleep thinking about those limes. When I woke up the next morning, I dreamed of a Key lime bread. So then I start my R and D [research and development].”

The result is an original you’ll find nowhere else. Coconut Key Lime Bread is just as its name implies a zesty bread both chewy and crispy with Key lime flavor and toasted coconut. It’s based on her Grandma Lil’s poppyseed batter, and there’s no doubt that Grandma Lil would be proud.

Everything in Blissett’s bakery case is extraordinary.

The carrot cake has too tame a name. It boasts toasted coconut, raisins, walnuts and carrots with cinnamon, cloves and freshly ground nutmeg. And you’ll always come out even with the thick layer of creamy frosting.

Blissett is just as creative in the coffee department. Try her Salted Caramel Latte and you’ll know you’ve found an instant classic.

Washington’s Coffee Stands

One short article can’t begin to capture all the amazing coffee-coolness of the North Coast. But worth a mention are a few of the coffee stands on the Washington side of the river.

Captain’s Coffee, named for one-time tugboat captain and owner Phil Martin and run by business partner Justin Campbell, uses Columbia River Coffee Roaster coffee. They’ve adopted a special process called “Toddy,” a filtering procedure which takes the bitterness out of coffee and delivers a dense flavor to iced drinks. Their Captain’s Special is a white chocolate mocha with caramel.

Diamond Espresso, in Long Beach, Wash., run by owner-manager Jeff Woods and co-owned by Jim and Trina Goulter and Sue Anne Woods, touts a Butterscotch Carmel Mocha that you can order either with dark or white chocolate. “We also serve three blended drinks Oreo Cookie, Butterfinger and Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, all made with real candy,” said Woods.

Mary Wilkins, owner of the Kiss of Mist in Ocean Park, Wash., serves Lewis and Clark Coffee Roasters products out of Vancouver, Wash. “Our specialty is the Hot Blonde white chocolate with shortbread and brown cinnamon sugar syrups, usually served as a 16-ounce double shot.” Whoa! Lest you think this is a girly drink, Wilkins adds, “There are lots of dudes who order this.”

Kathy Colvin, owner of Chinook Coffee, serves Longbottom Coffee out of Hillsboro and often has hot soups and sandwiches for folks on the move.

Other places are infested with a Starbucks on every corner. But you don’t need a compass to find a unique spot for coffee on the North Coast.