A New, Long Awaited Croissant Shop Has Landed on NE Broadway

Twisted Croissant, Portland’s newest bakery, has its grand opening today on NE 21st and Broadway, with a subway-tile lined space, Upper Left Roasters coffee and espresso, and rows and rows of buttery, flaky pastries with a heavy emphasis on a variety of croissants, from plain to chocolate and fruit filled.

While owner and head baker Kurt Goddard has been selling his pastries at Portland and Hillsboro farmers markets since 2017, his brick and mortar location is nearly a year overdue — originally intended to open in November of 2018, the development ran into issues with historical reviews from the city that delayed its opening. Now, Goddard is excited to have a shop where guests can come in for coffee and pastries throughout the year. Along with the buttery plain and chocolate croissants, which will always be on the menu, Twisted Croissant sells rotating, seasonal fruit pastries — whose ingredients Goddard sources from the many connections he built at the farmers markets — as well as savory meat and cheese pastries and other sundries based on season and whim.

Originally a corporate pastry chef for Salty’s in Seattle, Goddard became obsessed with creating the perfect croissant and decided to open a bakery focused on that goal. “It’s super challenging, and that’s what drives me, to try to do better and better and get that perfect lamination,” he says of the rigorous process of folding butter into paper thin layers of dough, known as laminating.

The brick and mortar space is almost entirely devoted to production — out of the 1,800 square feet available, only 600 is used for retail, with a few stools inside and some benches looking out the windows. Next summer the team plans on setting up some outdoor seating, but for now it’s more of a grab-and-go set up. Besides the cafe, Goddard will continue to sell his pastries at farmers markets around town, with a focus on the East Side.

Twisted Croissant is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 2129 NE Broadway Street.

• Twisted Croissant [Official]
• Upper Left Roasters [Official]
• All Previous Upper Left Roasters Coverage [EPDX]
• Croissant Doughnuts and Cruffins Are Coming to Portland [EPDX]