In 2020, Willamette Week Shannon Gormley said, "In the era of white-walled third wave coffee shops, Southeast Grind retained a well-worn charm, complete with slouching armchairs and worn couches, and served as a living room of sorts for college students and addled patrons working on their laptops late into the night." Eater Portland Brooke Jackson-Glidden called the coffeehouse "a respite for everyone from college students to dancers at local strip clubs, as well as homeless residents around Portland", and a "home to Reedies, industry workers, and other night owls looking for a caffeine buzz and a place to work or relax".
