International flavor

If you like to travel and you like to eat, it’s easy to find a combination of the two at Costello’s Travel Caffe. With a European menu and worldly flair this little café in North Portland is a delightful spot where travelers and foodies can unite over a fresh artisan pizza, pasta or homemade soup.

With many loyal customers, and daily events with a multicultural theme, Costello’s is certainly a place to lounge, catch a foreign film and, of course, eat.

Run entirely by the Costello family, the café feels inviting, approachable and full of excitement. The decor is world-travel themed, as well as the large TV screens, which show beautiful footage of the family’s travels. Every day shows a different country, just like every day there is a different travel-related event.

On Monday there may be footage of Croatia, and in the evening a foreign conversation night.

The foreign conversation nights began with just Italian but were so popular they have grown to include everything from Dutch to Mandarin. As the week continues live music, soccer matches and comedy are all featured.

Along with its fun-filled environment, Costello’s also happens to have excellent food. After all, you need refreshment before you begin to Flamenco. Mornings begin with sweet and savory crepes, quiche, frittatas and Café Umbria coffee.

But breakfast is not all Costello’s offers. They also have a lunch menu and a dinner menu. Both come with the soup of the day, as well as a fine selection of salads and cold sandwiches.

Lunch includes a light menu of salads, soups and paninis. The dinner menu hosts many selections, including paninis, pastas, pizzas and more. Appetizers include hummus, baguette baskets, cheese plates and caprese salad.

On my visit, I had the Mykonos panini (all paninis are named after famous cities), which was filled with roasted red peppers, sundried tomato pesto, cucumber, olive tapenade, red onion and feta cheese. The strong flavors all complemented each other very well, and the fresh cucumbers and red onion were deliciously crunchy.

All sandwiches are made using Pearl Bakery bread and come with salad garnish. The Big Ben sandwich has lean roast beef, havarti cheese, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and light horseradish. For vegetarians, the baguette sandwich has fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil leaves and olive oil, with a dash of salt and pepper. They can serve up baked pasta dishes, as well as ravioli and simple mac and cheese.

In short, the menu samples plates from all over Europe, which happily fits in with the theme of the cafe. Costello’s is open seven days a week for your dining pleasure, and is always busy with its daily events. So, if you have a hankering for panini, a love of travel and the need to spend time with like-minded people, then Costello’s is a Portland area must.

Costello’s Travel Caffe2222 N.E. BroadwayDamage: $6