The Dalles Coffee Hours for a Gorge Day, Street by Street

Thomas Garner

Oct 7

11 min read

The Dalles Bridge spanning the blue Columbia River below golden Gorge hills near The Dalles

Photo: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Coffee in The Dalles runs on a short clock, and the clock matters more than the count. Caesura Coffeehouse at 112 W 2nd St posts daily hours of 7 a.m. to noon. The Coffee Shop at 116 E 2nd St posts Tuesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Grinders Coffee has served drivers from 502 E 3rd St since 2008, and the one Dutch Bros stand in town sits out at 1342 W 6th St. That is the working map for a day in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.

I put this guide together because a Gorge day tends to be planned around daylight, wind and the drive, and coffee gets squeezed into whatever window is left. In a city of 15,973 people, counted in the 2023 American Community Survey, a wrong guess about hours can mean the difference between a proper morning cup downtown and a gas station pot. So this piece does one job. It lays the posted hours and street addresses side by side, by time of day and by day of the week, so a traveler or a new resident can plan without guessing.

Everything here comes from what the shops post themselves, as of late September 2026, plus the addresses the city's coffee shops list for their own doors. Hours change with seasons, so the last section covers how to check the morning of a visit.

The Four Addresses, and Which Street Each Sits On

Start with the streets, because in The Dalles the street tells you what kind of stop you are making. Downtown 2nd Street holds the two sit down cafes. Caesura Coffeehouse is at 112 W 2nd St, on the west side of downtown, inside the Rayland Hotel next to the lobby. The Coffee Shop is at 116 E 2nd St, on the east side of the same street. The two addresses are close enough to walk between in a few minutes.

East 3rd Street, a block south, is where Grinders Coffee has run a drive thru at 502 E 3rd St since 2008, a stop Travel Oregon points Gorge travelers toward. West 6th Street, out on the west side of town, holds the single Dutch Bros stand at 1342 W 6th St, one of 157 Oregon locations on the chain's state locator in September 2026.

So the map has three moods. Two cafes where you park, walk in and sit. One drive thru downtown for a cup without leaving the car. One chain drive thru on the west edge. Knowing which mood you want is the first half of picking a stop. Knowing the hours is the second half.

Early Morning, 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.

The earliest posted opening downtown is 7 a.m., and on most days two cafes share it. Caesura Coffeehouse posts 7 a.m. every day of the week. The Coffee Shop posts 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On those four weekday mornings a traveler has a choice of two 2nd Street cafes from the first hour.

Saturday shifts by an hour on the east side of the street. The Coffee Shop opens at 8 a.m. on Saturday, so a 7 a.m. Saturday start points to Caesura at the Rayland. That one hour is the kind of detail that decides where a group meets before a morning hike or a drive east toward Dufur on US 197.

For anyone staying at the Rayland itself, the early hour is simply downstairs. Caesura's own page describes the counter as located at the hotel, adjacent to the lobby, which makes it the natural first stop for hotel guests before they have moved the car at all.

It is a pleasant room to spend that first hour in. When Columbia Gorge News wrote about the Rayland on March 31, 2026, a few weeks after the coffeehouse opened, it described a space with many windows, walls of green foliage and a glass fireplace that can be enjoyed inside or from the outdoor patio, along with a mural called Passage honoring women who traveled the Oregon Trail. For an early riser with a map spread out on the table, that is a good place to plan the rest of the day.

Midday, and the Noon Line on West 2nd

Noon is the line to remember. Caesura posts a closing time of 12 p.m. every day, so it is a morning room first. Anyone planning a late lunch coffee on West 2nd Street should get there before twelve.

After noon on a Tuesday through Saturday, the downtown sit down option is The Coffee Shop at 116 E 2nd St, which posts hours until 4 p.m. on each of those days. That afternoon window is where a traveler coming back from a morning out on the river or up at a viewpoint can still find a table downtown.

A simple way to hold it in your head: west side of 2nd Street for mornings, east side of 2nd Street for mornings and afternoons, Tuesday through Saturday. The two cafes are a short walk apart, so a late riser who arrives at 11:45 still has a real choice, and one who arrives at 12:15 still has a real cafe waiting a few blocks east.

Afternoon, Noon to 4 p.m.

The afternoon belongs to East 2nd Street. The Coffee Shop posts hours through 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and through 4 p.m. on Saturday. Its own page describes a cozy room serving coffee, food, pastries and smoothies, which makes it a fair stop for a light afternoon meal as well as a cup.

Four o'clock is the practical last call for a sit down downtown coffee on a posted schedule. A traveler who plans to reach The Dalles in the late afternoon, say after a long drive in from Portland or from the east, should aim to be downtown before four if a table matters.

For a cup after that hour, the drive thru layer is where to look. Grinders takes orders online through its own ordering page, and the Dutch Bros stand on West 6th serves drivers on the west side of town. Neither of those schedules is covered by this guide's posted hours, so check each one before counting on it for an evening cup.

Day by Day: What Is Open When

Tuesday through Friday is the full week for downtown coffee. Both 2nd Street cafes open at 7 a.m. Caesura runs to noon, The Coffee Shop runs to 4 p.m. That is the easiest stretch of the week to plan.

Saturday brings a small shift. Caesura still opens at 7 a.m. and runs to noon. The Coffee Shop opens an hour later, at 8 a.m., and runs to 4 p.m. A Saturday morning group has both cafes from eight until noon.

Sunday and Monday are The Coffee Shop's days off, according to the schedule it posts, which reads Tuesday through Saturday only. Caesura's daily hours cover both days, 7 a.m. to noon. So on a Sunday or Monday morning the downtown sit down cup is at the Rayland on West 2nd, and a Sunday afternoon cup points to the drive thru layer.

That rhythm, a seven day morning room on the west side and a five day morning and afternoon room on the east side, is worth writing down before a weekend trip. A Monday arrival in particular is where a traveler would most want to know it in advance.

Where Each Stop Fits a Gorge Itinerary

The Dalles sits on Interstate 84 along the Columbia River, the Wasco County seat and the eastern anchor of the Gorge towns. It is its own place, a separate city from Hood River, 8,360 people in the 2023 American Community Survey, further west. A coffee plan here is built around The Dalles' own streets, not around Hood River's.

For an early start, a 7 a.m. cup on 2nd Street works for any day of the week at the Rayland, and for Tuesday through Friday on the east side of the street as well. For a day that begins with the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Wasco County Museum, which the interstate exit list places at exit 82 on the west side of town, a stop downtown before or after is only a few exits away.

For a day spent driving, the drive thru on East 3rd sits a block off 2nd Street, and the chain stand on West 6th sits along the US 30 corridor that runs beside the interstate on the west side of town. For a slow afternoon, the east side of 2nd Street is where the posted schedule runs latest.

None of this requires a long list of shops. A short list with clear hours is easier to plan around than a long list with vague ones, and in The Dalles the short list is enough to cover a full morning and most of an afternoon on five days a week.

First Friday Evenings

One evening a month changes the downtown picture. The Dalles Main Street hosts First Friday, when downtown businesses run specials, live music and sales and local makers pop up inside shops and restaurants. In May 2025 the event set up an artist market at 2nd and Court Streets, a short walk from both 2nd Street coffee shops.

The Coffee Shop marked its first anniversary during First Friday on April 4, 2025, with a ribbon cutting at 3:15 p.m., according to a Columbia Community Connection preview of that evening. It opened on April 5, 2024, and Columbia Gorge News featured it that September.

For a visitor, First Friday is a reason to plan an afternoon coffee downtown and stay into the evening. Posted coffee hours still end at 4 p.m. on the east side and at noon on the west side, so treat the coffee as the start of a First Friday visit and the rest of downtown as the evening.

Checking Hours the Morning of a Visit

Posted hours are a schedule, not a promise against weather, holidays or a short staffed day. The Coffee Shop's own hours page carries a winter hours heading over the same Tuesday through Saturday schedule, a reminder that hours can move with the seasons.

The quickest checks are the shops' own channels. The Coffee Shop keeps its daily updates on Instagram at @thedallescoffeeshop, and Caesura's handle is @caesuracoffeehouse. Caesura also posts a phone number, 541 296 3002, on its own page. For the East 3rd drive thru, its online ordering page is the practical place to line up a cup.

A two minute check before leaving the hotel or the highway is worth it in a small city, where two cafes carry most of the downtown sit down schedule. It also keeps a trip from depending on an old screenshot or a third party page that has not caught up with a seasonal change.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time does coffee open in downtown The Dalles?

The earliest posted opening downtown is 7 a.m. Caesura Coffeehouse at 112 W 2nd St posts 7 a.m. every day, and The Coffee Shop at 116 E 2nd St posts 7 a.m. Tuesday through Friday. On Saturday The Coffee Shop opens at 8 a.m., so a 7 a.m. Saturday cup downtown points to Caesura at the Rayland Hotel on West 2nd Street.

Where can I get coffee in The Dalles after noon?

Caesura posts a noon close every day, so an afternoon sit down cup downtown points to The Coffee Shop at 116 E 2nd St, which posts hours to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. After four, the drive thru layer takes over: Grinders at 502 E 3rd St takes online orders, and Dutch Bros runs one stand at 1342 W 6th St.

Is downtown coffee open on Sunday or Monday in The Dalles?

Yes, in the morning. Caesura Coffeehouse at 112 W 2nd St posts daily hours of 7 a.m. to noon, which covers Sunday and Monday. The Coffee Shop at 116 E 2nd St posts a Tuesday through Saturday schedule, so Sunday and Monday are its days off. For a Sunday afternoon cup, look to the drive thru stops on East 3rd or West 6th.

What are Caesura Coffeehouse's hours and phone number?

Caesura Coffeehouse posts hours of 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. daily and lists its phone as 541 296 3002. It sits at 112 W 2nd St in The Dalles, at the Rayland Hotel next to the lobby. Its own page describes craft espresso, house made specialties and freshly baked pastries, and its Instagram handle is @caesuracoffeehouse for day to day updates.

What are The Coffee Shop's hours in The Dalles?

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 hours page carries a winter hours heading over that same schedule. It serves coffee, food, pastries and smoothies, and posts daily updates on Instagram at @thedallescoffeeshop.

Where is Grinders Coffee in The Dalles?

Grinders Coffee is at 502 E 3rd St, a drive thru that has served The Dalles since 2008 and that Travel Oregon points Gorge travelers toward. East 3rd sits one block south of the 2nd Street coffee shops. Its own page offers online ordering, gift cards and coffee to buy, which makes lining up a cup before pulling in simple.

How many Dutch Bros stands are in The Dalles?

One. The Dutch Bros Oregon locator listed 157 locations statewide in September 2026, with a single stand in The Dalles at 1342 W 6th St. West 6th Street runs along the US 30 corridor on the west side of town, away from the downtown 2nd Street cafes, so it serves a different kind of trip than a walk downtown.

What is the best plan for a Saturday coffee in The Dalles?

On Saturday both 2nd Street cafes overlap from 8 a.m. to noon. Caesura at 112 W 2nd St opens at 7 a.m. and closes at noon, while The Coffee Shop at 116 E 2nd St opens at 8 a.m. and runs to 4 p.m. An early group starts at Caesura, and a late group heads to the east side of the street.

Does First Friday change coffee hours downtown?

First Friday, hosted by The Dalles Main Street, fills downtown with specials, live music and pop up makers on one evening each month. The posted coffee schedules still end at noon at Caesura and 4 p.m. at The Coffee Shop, which marked its first anniversary with a 3:15 p.m. ribbon cutting at the April 4, 2025 First Friday.

How should I check coffee hours before visiting The Dalles?

Check the shops' own channels the morning of a visit. The Coffee Shop posts daily on Instagram at @thedallescoffeeshop, and its hours page notes winter hours. Caesura posts a phone number, 541 296 3002, and uses @caesuracoffeehouse on Instagram. Grinders takes online orders through its own ordering page for the East 3rd Street drive thru.

Work with Hillcane

In The Dalles, coffee planning is a clock problem: a 7 a.m. to noon room on West 2nd, a Tuesday through Saturday room on East 2nd that runs to four, and a drive thru on East 3rd.

If you run a coffee shop in The Dalles and want your posted hours and address easy for Gorge travelers to find, reach Hillcane at hillcane.co/contact or call (256) 384-2449.