Top 10 Coffee Shops We Visited in 2019
One of our greatest pleasures is waking up while on the road and finding a local cup of coffee. It's about so much more than the jolt of caffeine to get us up and going. It's the experience that makes one feel as if they are living amongst a new city, with new people--immersed fully into another's scope and experience. We love a great cold brew or americano with oat milk, don't get me wrong--and that's mostly what this list is about. However, a coffee shop that offers a welcoming aesthetic that is customer centric and people-forward helps it climb the ranks in our books.
Since 2017, we've visited 140 coffee shops. We made a top 10 post in January of 2019 that covered our top 10 shops from our first two years of searching. This new list adds an additional 10 coffee shops, all of which we visited in 2019.
Believe it or not, in first place, we had a tie. We couldn't decide which was first.
1. Honor Coffee (now Herst Coffee)
Herst is a bright and airy (and very aesthetically pleasing) coffee shop located in one of the most attractive neighborhoods of Newport Beach, CA--Lido. An absolute must. Fantastically smooth cold brew, and great pastries, to boot. (OC travel guide here)
1. (tie) Captain + Stoker- Monterey, CA
This idyllic Monterey coffee shop has lots of natural light, an incredible environment, and roasts their own beans on site. Their avocado toast introduced us to micro greens (yes, we are behind the times) and their cold coffee was everything one could ask for. Amazing, knowledgeable staff as well.
2. Bandit Coffee- St. Petersburg, FL
One of our favorite Florida coffee shops, which was co-founded by the Minimalists, this window laden space was packed and for good reason. Amazing beans, and environment, we sat and took in the Historic Kenwood neighborhood and felt immersed into the growing hipster culture in Saint Pete. (We drove here all the way from Naples!)
3. Houndstooth Coffee- Dallas, TX
This Dallas chain has a handful of locations and serves up a menu filled with flare. Hannah tried their Japanese iced coffee and swears it is "the best iced coffee in the game." We will all but certainly be heading back on our upcoming Dallas trip.
4. Black Bear Bread Co. - Grayton Beach, FL
Located in the coastal town of Grayton Beach, this petite, but mighty, coffee and breakfast spot in charming, quaint and provides AMAZING pastries, toasts (called tartines), and serve up a delicious Stumptown Coffee! (More on 30a here)
5. Communal Coffee- San Diego, CA
A trendy downtown coffee shop, this spacious coffee shop offers flowers, coffee, and local products, such as earrings, plants, vases, tumblers and coffee mugs. A great way to start your day next time you're in SD. We go to SD annually to visit family and have tried 11 shops in SD. While there are other great options as well, Communal would be our top for SD!
6. Fox in the Snow- Columbus, OH
The best thing to happen to Ohio since LeBron's return, Fox in the Snow has a VIBE. Located in the Italian Village, FitS is open, vibrant, and has no shortage of pastry options. A must for those in the Columbus area! (Our Columbus Travel Guide here!)
7. Handlebar Coffee- Santa Barbara, CA
An outdoor haven, Santa Barbara's handlebar has seating galore and is located right across from the Mission in Santa Barbara (More on SB in this travel guide!) Terrific coffee in a cool environment in an area with some of the best weather in America CERTAINLY deserves to be on this year's top 10!
8. Mill House Roasting- Maui, HI
This shop was recommended to us and it did not disappoint a bit! Situated on the Plantation near Iao Valley, this tiny coffee shops has a killer location with picturesque Hawaiian views and excellent brew! (More on Maui here)
9. Valor Coffee- Alpharetta, GA
A suburban Atlanta coffee shop, Valor is located in downtown Alpharetta. Not only in downtown particularly cute, but this coffee shop was filled with friendly staff that went the extra mile to deliver amazing coffee for the long road trip home! (A guide for the city of ATL here)
10. Quill Coffee Co. - Louisville, KY
A speciality roaster with one of the coolest outdoor spaces around, Quill has multiple locations to serve its customers in Louisville. We stopped in the NuLu location, and despite the downpour of rain, we enjoyed a short walk around the property to admire how doggone cool it is!
We were and always are trying new coffee shops and would love your recommendations, too! We have visited so many amazing shops, and are excited to make this an annual edition on the blog.
Thanks for reading!
-TJ