A Downtown The Dalles Coffee Walk Along 2nd Street, Block by Block

Thomas Garner

Oct 7

10 min read

Brick storefronts and parked cars line East 2nd Street in downtown The Dalles, Oregon

Photo: Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Downtown The Dalles is small enough to do on foot, and its coffee is laid out along one street. Caesura Coffeehouse sits at 112 W 2nd St, at the Rayland Hotel next to the lobby. The Coffee Shop sits at 116 E 2nd St, on the east side of the same street. Grinders Coffee has run a drive thru at 502 E 3rd St, a block south, since 2008. Park once, and all three are within a short walk of the car.

I like towns where the coffee and the old buildings share the same blocks, and downtown The Dalles is one of them. The 2nd Street cafes sit inside The Dalles Commercial Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 4, 1986, and a coffee walk here doubles as a walk through some of the oldest commercial blocks in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.

This guide covers the practical parts: where to leave the car, which way to walk, when each room posts its hours, and how the first Friday of the month changes the evening. It sticks to addresses, posted hours and published sources, and it stays in The Dalles, a city of 15,973 in the 2023 American Community Survey, rather than borrowing Hood River's streets.

The Historic District Around the Coffee

The Wikipedia entry for The Dalles Commercial Historic District describes it as roughly bounded by Interstate 84 and Laughlin, 5th and Union Streets, with 46 historic buildings and other features built between 1860 and 1938. That is the grid a coffee walk moves through. The freeway sits to the north, and the old commercial blocks run south of it.

One of the named landmarks is the Edward C. Pease Department Store building, from 1911, at the corner of 2nd and Federal Streets. The Rayland Hotel, home to Caesura, was built in 1909 as the Hotel Dalles, according to a Columbia Gorge News feature from March 31, 2026, and later operated as The Dalles Inn before its current name.

The wider city story fits the walk too. The Wikipedia article on The Dalles describes a city incorporated in 1857, grown from the Fort Dalles Army post of 1850, and known as the place where the overland Oregon Trail ended. Its downtown keeps architecture from the 1880s era, and The Dalles Art Center occupies a former Carnegie library building.

Where to Leave the Car

Parking is the easy part. Columbia Gorge News reported on March 26, 2025, when the city council adopted a downtown parking plan, that 98 to 99 percent of the downtown parking system was unregulated, with no timed limits except a few ADA spaces and reserved spots at the courthouse. Weekday surveys found more than 800 empty spaces in off street lots during peak hours.

The same report noted four city owned lots along East First Street that often sit largely empty, even at busy times. For a walker, a lot near First Street puts the car one block north of 2nd Street, which is about as convenient as downtown parking gets.

The busiest area, which the plan calls a high occupancy node, runs along Second and Third Streets between Federal and Jefferson Streets, and the weekday peak hour is 11 a.m. to noon. The plan suggests three hour limits in that core someday, once other parking options are in place. For now, the practical advice is to leave the best curb spots on 2nd Street for quick errands and park a block off.

Start on West 2nd at the Rayland

A morning walk starts best on the west side, because Caesura Coffeehouse posts daily hours of 7 a.m. to noon. Its own page places it at the Rayland Hotel, adjacent to the lobby, at 112 W 2nd St, and lists craft espresso, house made specialties and freshly baked pastries. Its phone is 541 296 3002.

The room itself is worth a few minutes. Columbia Gorge News described the coffeehouse, a few weeks after it opened, as a place with many windows, walls of green foliage and a glass fireplace that can be enjoyed inside or from the outdoor patio, with a mural called Passage that honors women who traveled the Oregon Trail. For a walker, that patio is a good place to plan the rest of the route.

Remember the noon line. A walk that starts after twelve skips the Rayland and begins on the east side instead.

Walk East Along 2nd Street

From 112 W 2nd St, the walk heads east along 2nd Street, and the addresses flip from West to East along the way. This is the stretch where the historic district is easiest to read, storefront by storefront, and where the corner of 2nd and Federal holds the 1911 Pease building.

There is no need to hurry. The two cafes sit on the same street, and the walk between them is short. The point of walking rather than driving is to see the blocks in between, which is where downtown's shops, restaurants and First Friday pop ups live.

Along the way, the high occupancy node the parking plan describes is the busy part of the walk, Second and Third Streets between Federal and Jefferson. On a weekday late morning this is where downtown feels most alive, and on foot it is no trouble at all.

Arrive at 116 East 2nd

The Coffee Shop at 116 E 2nd St posts hours of Tuesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Sunday and Monday off. Its own page invites visitors to enjoy a cozy atmosphere and lists coffee, food, pastries and smoothies, so it works as a lunch stop as well as a coffee stop.

It opened on April 5, 2024, and Columbia Gorge News featured it that September under a headline saying the new cafe spreads love in The Dalles. On a walk, it is the afternoon anchor: the room that runs to four o'clock Tuesday through Saturday after the west side of the street has closed for the day.

For daily updates, it posts on Instagram at @thedallescoffeeshop. A walker planning around a specific day can check there before setting out.

A Block South to East 3rd

From the east side of 2nd Street, East 3rd is one block south. Grinders Coffee has served drivers at 502 E 3rd St since 2008, and Travel Oregon points Gorge travelers to it as a The Dalles coffee stop. It is a drive thru, which makes it a different kind of stop from the two sit down cafes on 2nd, but it is part of the same compact downtown grid.

Its own page lists core values that read like a welcome: deliver wow by listening, caring and serving, create fun, and have a positive team and a family spirit. It also offers online ordering and gift cards. For a walking group with one member who stayed with the car, a drive thru a block away is a handy way to bring them a cup.

East 3rd is also inside the busy node the parking plan describes. A walker who parked on First Street and headed south has now crossed the core of downtown and can loop back north toward the car.

Timing the Walk by Day

Tuesday through Friday is the full version of the walk. Start on West 2nd at 7 a.m. or later, and reach East 2nd before 4 p.m. Both cafes are open from 7 a.m. until noon, so a morning walker can do the whole route in either direction.

Saturday shifts slightly. Caesura opens at 7 a.m. and The Coffee Shop at 8 a.m., so a Saturday walk that starts at seven begins on the west side and reaches the east side after eight. Both cafes overlap from 8 a.m. to noon.

Sunday and Monday are shorter. The Coffee Shop takes those two days off under its posted schedule, while Caesura keeps its 7 a.m. to noon hours every day. A Sunday or Monday walk is a morning walk that centers on the Rayland, with the rest of downtown's blocks to explore after the cup.

Three Sample Routes

A weekday morning route: park in one of the East First Street lots, walk to the Rayland at 112 W 2nd St for a cup before noon, then walk east along 2nd Street past the corner of 2nd and Federal to 116 E 2nd St, and step a block south to East 3rd before looping back north to the car. On a Tuesday through Friday morning every stop on that loop is inside its posted hours.

A Saturday route: the same loop, but start at the Rayland at seven if you are early, since the east side of 2nd Street opens at eight on Saturdays. By the time you have walked east through the historic blocks, both cafes are open, and the overlap lasts until noon.

An afternoon route, Tuesday through Saturday: skip the west side, which closes at noon, and start at 116 E 2nd St, which runs until four. Take the cup west along 2nd Street for a slow look at the storefronts, then turn back. It is the same set of blocks in reverse, with the coffee at the start instead of the middle.

Checking Before You Set Out

Posted hours move with seasons and holidays. The Coffee Shop's hours page carries a winter hours heading over its Tuesday through Saturday schedule, and it posts daily on Instagram at @thedallescoffeeshop. Caesura lists a phone number, 541 296 3002, and uses @caesuracoffeehouse on Instagram. A quick look at either before leaving the hotel is enough.

For First Friday, the organizer's own channels, The Dalles Main Street on Facebook and Instagram, carry each month's plan. Checking those the week of a visit tells a walker where the artist market or live music will be, and whether it is worth timing the coffee for later in the afternoon.

First Friday on Foot

The first Friday of the month is the best evening to walk downtown. The Dalles Main Street hosts First Friday, when downtown businesses run specials, live music and sales and local makers pop up inside shops, restaurants and bars. In May 2025 the event set up an artist market at 2nd and Court Streets and coincided with Gorge Artists Open Studios that weekend.

First Friday has a coffee connection of its own. The Coffee Shop marked its first anniversary at the April 4, 2025 First Friday, with a ribbon cutting at 3:15 p.m., according to a Columbia Community Connection preview. The April event also listed activity around 3rd and Kelly Streets and The Landing.

For a walker, the best plan is an afternoon coffee on East 2nd before four, then a slow loop through the blocks as the evening picks up. The cafes keep their posted hours on First Friday, so the cup comes first and the rest of downtown comes after.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you walk between the coffee shops in downtown The Dalles?

Yes. Caesura Coffeehouse at 112 W 2nd St and The Coffee Shop at 116 E 2nd St sit on the same street, a short walk apart, and Grinders Coffee at 502 E 3rd St is one block south. All three sit inside or beside The Dalles Commercial Historic District, so one parking spot covers the whole walk.

Where should I park for a downtown The Dalles coffee walk?

Columbia Gorge News reported on March 26, 2025 that 98 to 99 percent of downtown parking was unregulated, with more than 800 empty off street spaces at weekday peak. Four city owned lots along East First Street often sit largely empty, one block north of 2nd Street, which makes them an easy start for a walk.

Which direction should I walk on 2nd Street?

In the morning, start on the west side at Caesura Coffeehouse, 112 W 2nd St, which posts 7 a.m. to noon daily, then walk east to The Coffee Shop at 116 E 2nd St. After noon, start on the east side instead, since The Coffee Shop posts hours to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday and Monday are its days off.

What historic district is downtown The Dalles coffee in?

The Dalles Commercial Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 4, 1986. It is roughly bounded by Interstate 84 and Laughlin, 5th and Union Streets and holds 46 historic buildings built between 1860 and 1938, including the 1911 Pease building at the corner of 2nd and Federal Streets, right on the coffee walk between the two cafes.

What is the Rayland Hotel where Caesura sits?

The Rayland Hotel at 112 W 2nd St was built in 1909 as the Hotel Dalles and later operated as The Dalles Inn, according to Columbia Gorge News on March 31, 2026. Caesura Coffeehouse sits next to its lobby, with many windows, green foliage walls, a glass fireplace, an outdoor patio and a mural called Passage.

When is downtown The Dalles busiest?

The city's parking plan identifies a high occupancy node on Second and Third Streets between Federal and Jefferson Streets, with a weekday peak hour from 11 a.m. to noon. A walker arriving then may prefer to park a block off, such as in the four city owned East First Street lots, and walk south into the core.

What is First Friday in The Dalles?

First Friday is a monthly downtown evening hosted by The Dalles Main Street, with specials, live music, sales and local makers popping up inside shops and restaurants. In May 2025 it included an artist market at 2nd and Court Streets. The Coffee Shop held its first anniversary ribbon cutting at the April 4, 2025 event.

Is Grinders Coffee part of the downtown walk?

Grinders Coffee at 502 E 3rd St is one block south of 2nd Street and has run as a drive thru since 2008. It is a different kind of stop from the two sit down cafes, but it sits in the same downtown grid, and its own page offers online ordering and gift cards for a quick pickup.

What are the coffee hours for a Sunday walk downtown?

On Sunday and Monday, Caesura Coffeehouse at 112 W 2nd St keeps its posted 7 a.m. to noon hours, while The Coffee Shop at 116 E 2nd St takes both days off under its Tuesday through Saturday schedule. A Sunday walk is a morning walk centered on the Rayland Hotel end of 2nd Street, with the historic blocks to explore after the cup.

Is downtown The Dalles like Hood River's downtown?

No. The Dalles, a city of 15,973, is the Wasco County seat with its own historic commercial district, incorporated in 1857 and known as the end of the overland Oregon Trail. Hood River is a separate city of 8,360 further west with its own streets and shops. This walk stays on The Dalles' 2nd and 3rd Streets.

Work with Hillcane

Park once near East First Street, start at the Rayland on West 2nd before noon, and walk east through a National Register district to a Tuesday through Saturday room at 116 E 2nd.

If you run a coffee shop in downtown The Dalles and want walkers and First Friday visitors to find your address and hours, reach Hillcane at hillcane.co/contact or call (256) 384-2449.