Top 10 Coffee Shops 2020
In a year with an insane amount of unpredictability, one thing remained: we drank a lot of coffee. We compiled our top 10 list of best coffee shops in America for 2020. While we weren't able to "dine in" many of these establishments, we still accounted for the vibe in our scoring method. That said, as it should, the actual coffee took precedent! We did a majority of our travel this year in January and February with hopes of escaping winter. Thank goodness we did! Additionally, in the spirit of never double dipping, coffee shops listed in our 2019 and 2018 top 10 coffee shop posts have not been included.
10. Blue Boat Coffee- Leland, Michigan
This smaller than a button coffee spot is tucked in an equally charming and small town in northern Michigan. Blue Boat brews Madcap coffee and is just the fuel one needs to start their day before heading to peruse the shops of Leland, spend a day on the beach, or explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
9. Toast- Big Sky, Montana
Big Sky doesn’t have too much to offer in terms of coffee--but thankfully they do have one great "go to" spot. TOAST is located in Big Sky Village attached to an epic outdoors store called Montana Supply. We went to Toast on three occasions and had a great breakfast and coffee to get us going for our Montanan adventures!
8. Katy Coffee Lab- Dallas, Texas
Another location where we have struggled to deviate from our favorite spots is Dallas (Houndstooth & Merit). However, Katy Coffee Lab, which sits just off the Katy trails downtown Dallas is a modern oasis, which just so happens to have excellent coffee. It is sprawling and peaceful, designed well with large seating areas to hang out for extended periods of time. We will definitely be adding this is our list of Dallas mainstays!
7. Bird Rock- San Diego, California
Bird Rock has perhaps the best location in all of America. Situated just a mile from Torrey Pines, the views are supreme and the coffee is equally delightful. We have guzzled down quite a few cold brews and walked the beach with ocean waves on one side, and enormous and amazing cliffs on the other. Hard to beat!
6. Mundo's -Traverse City & Suttons Bay, Michigan
We began looking for a new coffee spot up north--and found a gem in Mundo’s. To our delight, the coffee and environment are both spectacular at Mundo's. They recently added another location in nearby Sutton’s Bay, so you can get the good stuff if you’re up north!
Photo Credit: https://mynorth.com/2019/05/try-mundos-roasting-co-a-family-run-coffee-shop-in-northern-michigan/
5. Prevail Union- Montgomery, Alabama
This Montgomery, Alabama coffee spot has become a staple of our road trips to Florida. Each time we near Montgomery, we can’t wait to get a fantastic cup of cold brew or nitro from Prevail before finishing the last few hours of our drive to the beach. The environment inside and off the back patio is aesthetically pleasing and offers ample seating. Too, they are opening a second location in ATL. So ATL friends, please check out this up-and-comer that brings a great cup to the table and rallies around the sentiment "together, we will prevail."
4. Steadfast Coffee- Nashville, Tennessee
My brother in law, Dave, showed us this spot right before covid began. The environment is so cool--very spacious and open--and had fantastic coffee. Just another one of Nashville’s gems in a growing, and extremely competent coffee culture.
Photo credit: http://nashvilleguru.com/businesses/steadfast-coffee
3. Copa Vida- San Diego, California
Tucked near Torrey Pines, we found this spot particularly inviting. We often frequent Bird Rock Coffee (listed above) nearby, and as such, had never given Copa a chance. Well when we did, the avocado toast and the coffee brought their A game. The natural light that flooded the place made it cozy and warm, and all of the California feels ruminated around the space.
2. PRESS Coffee- Dayton, Ohio
This Dayton, Ohio coffee shop provides excellent coffee in a quaint environment. We stopped here on a roadtrip and picked it based on it’s cool IG flavor. The coffee lived up to the expectation and then some. If you find yourself in or near Dayton, this place is a MUST. This coffee shop also made an appearance in the Minimalist’s new documentary, Less is Now.
Photo credit: https://www.daytoncvb.com/listings/press-coffee-bar-downtown/807/
1. Ferris Coffee- Holland & Grand Rapids, Michigan
Who doesn’t love a hometown hero? I must personally apologize for sleeping on Ferris. They have literally gotten us through 2020, and with locations in Holland and GR, they are wherever we are. Their nitro cold brew is iconic, and the staff is knowledgeable and friendly. This place really is underrated, even locally, and deserves all of the love and this year’s #1 spot.
There are so many others that could have made the list...but these were our consensus top 10. We have officially (with a somewhat obsessive compulsion) made it 175 coffee shops since we started tabulating in 2016. We are so excited to hopefully cross off #200 sometime during 2021!
Happy coffee drinking, friends! Remember supporting local doesn't just mean your local home shop, but supporting and ordering beans and products from these other local market entrepreneurs and helping to sustain their dreams!
-Ty