Nuvrei: the kouign-amann on Harvey Milk Street

Nuvrei has moved from the Pearl to downtown, and since the original shop closed, people keep asking how to visit now. The kouign-amann is worth getting every time, but check the address first. Marius Pop's longtime shop at 404 NW 10th closed on December 31, 2025, after more than twenty years there. The bakery inside the Portland Visitor Center at 1122 SW Harvey Milk Street stayed open, and Pop has said he's looking for a bigger space that could end up back in the Pearl, though that hasn't happened yet, so confirm which location is open before you go.

Pop was born in Romania and raised in Portland. He went to culinary school downtown, landed an internship with François Payard in New York, and stayed long enough to learn pastry the hard way. He came back and opened Nuvrei in the mid-2000s, first as a wholesale bakery supplying the city's coffee shops and then as the beloved Pearl shop people lined up at, with an upstairs café and a downstairs Mac Bar for Parisian macarons and warm croissants. The business is smaller now and moves around more, and the approach is the same as ever, with French technique as a starting point for flavors that are a little fashion-runway and a little Portland.

The pastry case is big and crowded, with rows of croissants, canelés in their small dark molds, macarons and fruit danishes. The rose croissant has a pink glaze with sugar crystals on top, and the matcha and sesame versions are flavored in the dough itself as well as on top. The kouign-amann, when it's out, has caramelized corners and a tender center. There's coffee, but never as much seating as the line would like, because this is a pastry shop first and a café second.

If they have the kouign-amann, get it, because it may be gone next time. It's sugar, butter and lamination baked long enough that the corners caramelize while the center stays tender. If it isn't in the case, get a croissant. Nuvrei makes rose, matcha, sesame, almond and chocolate, so pick the one that goes with your coffee, or get two if you're meeting someone who "just wants a taste."

Get canelés if they're in the case. They're crisp outside and custard-soft inside, and Nuvrei has been known for them here for years. Macarons are a good pick too, since Pop once ran a whole downstairs macaron bar. The case is big, so keep it simple, kouign-amann first, a croissant second and one small thing after that, because if you start at the far end and work backward, you'll end up with four things you can't carry.

The pastry case empties out as the day goes on, and seating is limited, so don't plan on camping out with a laptop. If you only have time for one pastry stop downtown, make it this one, and make sure you're going to the right address. Get the kouign-amann if they have it, a rose or sesame croissant, and a canelé if you want something small.

The essentials are on the Nuvrei page.