A bowl of cereal from Kamasouptra. photo/Dan Zarin

I used to love the Portland Public Market. When my daughter was just a baby, my wife and I would often spend weekend mornings there, drinking coffee and grazing on whatever suited the mood — pastries, snacks, sandwiches, burritos — while leisurely reading the paper and planning our day. When the market closed in 2006, we mourned its loss and feared it could never be replaced.

Then, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, came the Public Market House. Located in the former Army/Navy Surplus Store in Monument Square, the new location was small, crowded, and had no parking to speak of. But at least some of the main Public Market vendors — K. Horton Specialty Foods, Big Sky Bread, and Maine Beer & Beverage — lived on in the new space. I wasn’t a regular, but recently heard some buzz about several new vendors on the Market House’s newly opened second floor, so we decided to revive the old tradition.

My wife, five-year-old daughter and I headed over on a Saturday morning. It took us a moment to find the stairs — the building’s in the final stages of a major renovation — then up we went.

Whereas the first floor is cramped and busy, the second floor is expansive and airy. Exposed brick, colorful artwork and large windows overlooking the square make the space feel homey and welcoming. There are plenty of tables, a cluster of couches, and free Wi-Fi encourages visitors to camp out. We picked a table, dropped our jackets, and spread out to forage for food.

The first stop on our journey was Market House Coffee. Portland has no shortage of good coffee, but I can honestly say the cup I drank on this particular morning was among the best I’ve ever had in this city. The beans came from Rockland’s Rock City Coffee Roasters, which, legend has it, was the first company to bring an espresso machine to Maine. In addition to standard drip coffee and Italian-style espresso drinks, MHC offers Latin-style beverages like café cubano (Cuban-style espresso), cortado (kind of like a small latté) and submarino (Argentine hot chocolate). We reluctantly passed up the still-warm Tony’s Donuts sitting on the counter. This time.

Skipping past Pie in the Sky Pizza (it was, after all, 9:30 in the morning), we moved down the row to Peanut Butter Jelly Time. The premise of this place is deceptively simple: new and traditional takes on basic comfort foods, at reasonable prices.

The eatery’s namesake is available in a dizzying array of varieties, starting at just $3.25 apiece or two for $5. First there are the breads, ranging from plain to gourmet, including several from Portland’s Borealis Bakery. Next choice: smooth, crunchy or cinnamon peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or daily specials like dark chocolate almond butter. Last comes a veritable rainbow of jellies, from grape to blueberry to prickly pear. The menu lists about 50 other ways to dress up a sandwich. There are breakfast options like silver dollar pancakes and a cold cereal bar that’s perfect for anyone nostalgic for his or her college dining-hall days.

I stared vacantly at the menu board for about 10 minutes before deciding on a sandwich of two “bread-sized” pancakes spread with cashew butter and raspberry jam. It was pure, unadulterated bliss, and cost less than $4. In fact, one of my pancakes was slightly broken, so the owner discounted my sandwich to just $3.25, including tax. Bonus!

My wife and daughter both fell under the spell of PBJ Time’s neighbor, Kamasouptra. My wife’s choice, stewed apples with granola, was the most expensive item we bought that morning — $4.50! It was an entire meal, and well worth every penny. Warm, chunky and not too sweet, the rustic apples meshed perfectly with the crunchy topping. My daughter, citing her love of literature and bears, ordered a bowl of porridge. For $2.50, this enormous bowl of chewy, nutty, hot cereal would have been hearty enough for an adult (or, indeed, a papa bear). She asked for a sprinkling of brown sugar on top, though she could have chosen fresh berries, bananas, granola or a number of other toppings.

Dear reader, here are your marching orders: Go to the Public Market House and go upstairs. Go now. Go often. Eat. Drink. Tell your friends. If we, the food-and-leisure enthusiasts of Portland, lose this space, we may never see another like it again.

— Dan Zarin

The Public Market House is open Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. PBJ Time and Market House Coffee serve the same menu all day; Kamasouptra stops serving breakfast at 10:30 a.m.