Happy Sparrow

Happy Sparrow on S.E. Belmont is indeed a happy place, with happy people, serving happy snacks! I'm quite happy myself, since I discovered kolaches today!

What are koh-la-cheeeees, you ask? They're bun-like pastries filled with various fruits, meats and/or cheeses (think Eastern European hot pocket)! The Czechs and Slovaks invented them, but Texans (arguably) have made them famous in the U.S. (due to the large Czech population there) and more recently, right here in Portland!

Natives of Houston & Austin Texas, owners Danny & Mary Quach fell in love with Portland (no big surprise there - GO Ptown!!!) and moved here just a few months ago to set up shop, quickly and successfully making Happy Sparrow the warmest, most welcoming coffee shop on the Eastside, specializing in none other than kolaches!

Their kolaches range from $1.75 to $2.50 - cheap and cheerful enough for you to try all their flavors (I hear they're always experimenting with new fillings) but hurry, word is spreading fast so don't be surprised if they run out of your favorite kind (they also close by 2pm). I tried their Tillamook cheddar & sausage kolache, but I'm not going to post a picture of it in this entry since I didn't get a good shot, but I will be back soon to try their nutella filled kolache and rasberry & cream cheese kolache (they ran out when I went because another customer went in just before me and bought a few dozen)!

Danny and Mary are the sweetest, friendliest and most enthusiastic people in the entire world (ok, S.E. PDX world)! Still, I felt like I was visiting their home and had known them for years! They make an effort to get to know all their customers, so go visit them and support our small and local businesses (you'll rarely find me blogging about chains - not that I have anything against them but they don't need the publicity)! The only thing they might be missing is a couch :) but they make up for it with a huge bay window (great for people watching), board games, wi-fi, a nook-and-cranny back room, a sparrow mural (painted by Mary herself) and of course, their one and only, kolaches!!! <--- I feel like doing a song and dance when I say that word :)