Food & Drink

The 40 Best Coffee Shops in the U.S.

Kona Haven 27 / 40

by Tyler Coates

Kona Haven, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

This Hawaii-based shop is located right in the heart of Kona, situated on Alii Drive, where the famous Kona Ironman Triathlon passes by during the marathon portion. Kona Haven has four overseas locations, as well as another location in Houston, TX, but this one has the fortune of being just 12.75 miles from the farm where the coffee beans are hand picked. The aroma inside is excellent, and the coffee is even better.

Eric Kim runs Kona Haven, and one reason why he thinks Kona coffee is some of the best in the world is due to the weather, climate, and care that people show. “Our farm is located at 2,000-feet above sea level, right in the Kona Golden Belt,” Kim says. “We have just over seven acres. Everything with our Kona coffee is hand-picked. It shows how much we care and how much work we put into it. We have 12 different coffees we roast, and three are 100 percent Kona coffee.” The shop also offers smoothies, special coffee blends, tea, lattes, and beans you can buy by the bag. [Kona Haven]

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28 / 40

Carabello Coffee, Newport, KY

Just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati lies Newport, a Kentucky city that serves as part of the greater Cincinnati area. But the folks in Newport don’t let its nearby neighbor take all of the coffee cred. Carabello serves artisanal brews, and even has a philanthropic bent — giving back to the local and global communities.

29 / 40

Spyhouse Coffee, Minneapolis

With four locations across the city, Spyhouse adds a hip, rustic feel to the Midwestern city’s coffee culture — and its locations’ design reflects the first cafe’s close proximity to Minneapolis College of Art and Design and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

30 / 40

Collective Espresso, Cincinnati

With an all-natural approach — and an effort to avoid pretense and affectation — the folks behind Collective Espresso took elements from the country’s best coffee houses, simplified them, and brought Cincinnati its own impeccably designed cafes (in three locations), boasting rich and flavorful brews.

31 / 40

Uptown Roasters, New York City

This compact spot is an unpretentious hidden gem located in East Harlem. Providing a haven to those who live beyond the artisanal-obsessed Brooklyn, Uptown Roasters also offers their own beans by way of their roastery located in the Bronx. And for those not in the neighborhood, the company also offers a Coffee of the Month Club.

32 / 40

Little Amps Coffee Roasters, Harrisburg, PA

Harmony is an important word for Little Amps Coffee Roasters. It’s a figurative concept, with the cultivation, processing, and roasting of beans all employed to create the most perfect flavors possible. But the two locations’ sales of new and used vinyl alongside espresso proves this cafe keeps a chill and musical vibe alongside the bank of the Susquehanna.

33 / 40

Phoenix Coffee Company, Cleveland

With four cafes — and its coffee served at over 100 places within the city — Phoenix Coffee Company has a hold on the city’s coffee culture. And they’ve proven themselves well, with Travel + Leisure naming Cleveland one of the best coffee cities in 2014.

34 / 40

Parlor Coffee, Brooklyn

What’s more Brooklyn than a pop-up coffee shop within a salon? While Parlor might not have the most boastful location (it’s currently serving in Williamsburg’s Persons of Interest barbershop), the coffee is astonishing — and you can visit their roastery in Fort Greene for regular tastings on Sunday afternoons (in the event you want a cup free of hair clippings).

35 / 40

Maui Coffee Roasters, Maui

A lot of the coffee we drink here on the main land originates in Hawaii, so there’s no better place to visit during a Hawaiian getaway than Maui Coffee Roasters, which brings “locally sourced” to the coffee world with their massive selection of Hawaiian roasts and brews.

36 / 40

Oak City Coffee Roasters, Raleigh

With Raleigh beginning to rival Asheville as the artsy, creative capital of the Carolinas, it’s no wonder that they’re taking coffee roasting very seriously. Naturally, Oak City Coffee’s mission is to bring fine-crafted coffee to their community, doing so with a focus on supporting business opportunities in underserved parts of the city.

37 / 40

Crema Coffee Roasters, Nashville

Crema brings the best farm-to-cup options to the country music capital — and over a dozen coffeehouses serve their brew (at locations as far away as Madison, Wisconsin, and Atlanta, Georgia). This is no backwoods Southern sludge in your cup, but rather a nuanced offering with a globally focused mentality.

38 / 40

Olympia Coffee Roasting Company, Olympia

Much like its musical output, Seattle often unfairly overshadows nearby Olympia when it comes to coffee. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some better options miles away from the city that put American coffeehouses on the map. With three locations across the city, Olympia Coffee Roasting Company brings quality beans and service to an unexpected city.

39 / 40

Drip Coffee, University Park, TX

Coffeehouse veteran Steve Thatcher returned to his roots in the Lonestar State after taking his Amarillo-based Roasters Coffee & Tea Company up north to Boston. He opened Drip Coffee in 2005, and it’s a sleek, modern space that offers Suburban Dallas some big-city coffee culture.

40 / 40

Cocoa Cinnamon, Durham, NC

This nationally recognized coffee shop brings some industrial chic to the North Carolina city, and, like many coffee houses on this list, has a socially conscious bent. (Cocoa Cinnamon guarantees a living wage for all its employees.) But one thing that sets this spot apart from the other coffee houses on this list? Co-owner Arieli Barrera de Grodski moonlights as a luchadora (but keeps her identity a secret).

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