Coffee Shops in Greater Tampa Bay: Bold Brews
From quaint to glamorous, Cuban café con leche to golden oat milk lattes, Greater Tampa Bay suits every kind of coffee lover
Visitors and residents alike may find themselves in need of a jolt of caffeine when exploring everything Greater Tampa Bay has to offer. Luckily, the area covers all the bases when it comes to a fresh cup of joe.
Tampa ranks as the fifth best coffee city in America thanks to its immense number of cafes and coffee shops per capita, according to a report by WalletHub. Visiting all of Greater Tampa Bay’s cafés would be a jittery experience, so here are a few to turn to when the coffee cravings hit.
To best appreciate a good cup of Joe, learn what goes into making it. In Ybor City, 22nd Street Coffee takes education to a new level by providing guests with coffee tours. This immersive brings coffee lovers up close and personal with the process, from holding raw coffee beans to studying the tools required to roast, package and ship products. The coffee shop embraces the cultural significance of coffee and its importance in drinkers’ social lives with their friendly sun-soaked café covered in hand-painted murals.
It would not be a Tampa coffee write-up without singing the praises of café con leches. Before grabbing a mocha frappa-blah-blah-blah, pay homage to the cigar rollers and factory workers who worked tirelessly to build the city by ordering this beloved drink. Made with brewed Cuban espresso, steamed milk, sugar and sweetened condensed milk, this saccharine treat is jet fuel in a cup.
Much like the beloved Cuban sandwich, the best café con leche in town is wildly debated among locals. What if coffee enthusiasts could have their pastelito de quayaba y queso and eat it too? Ybor’s La Segunda Bakery has been slinging the best café con leches and baked goods since 1915. For an authentic Cuban breakfast, pair one with pan tostado, or a buttered and pressed slice of La Segunda’s famous Cuban bread.
Tampa is both rich in history and innovators in coffee, stepping up the scene through quality goods and community outreach. Buddy Brew Coffee boasts the motto, “Brew Good and Do Good,” doing just that at its eight locations and a brew truck in the Tampa area. Buddy Brew successfully remains on the minds and in the cups of Tampanians, with a carefully selected collection of beautifully roasted beans and limited-edition specialty drinks made to celebrate local sports teams and events such as Gasparilla.
When it comes to coffee with attitude, few do it better than The Blind Tiger. Another name for a speakeasy, Blind Tiger’s cafes exude coolness and claim their roasts are “so good, it should be illegal.” Blind Tiger has six locations throughout Greater Tampa Bay — so if artists in the trendy art markets of Seminole Heights or a tastemaker in SoHo is spotted sipping a cold or steaming brew, chances are, they got it from Blind Tiger.
Lady and the Mug is a newcomer to Tampa. The coffee shop planted roots within walking distance to the University of Tampa, and it is already making caffeinated waves with their message of empowerment, inclusion and vast menu that aims to please. Owner Aimee’s coffee education comes from Portland, but her mission is all about supporting locals. Guests can appreciate cheeky artwork both throughout the space and even in their lattes, as well as vegan-friendly food and beverage options.
Coffee connoisseurs in need of an elevated roast should find themselves at The Lab Coffee in North Hyde Park. Not only is chatting up the barista supported, it is encouraged. The Lab is all about giving their guests the star treatment and geeking out about the latest technologies and techniques to achieve coffee nirvana.
Folks in Temple Terrace need not worry about making a trek for a good brew in a homey space — they have Felicitous. This quaint and colorful coffee and teahouse is treasured by locals because of its quirky charm, cozy drinks and mind-blowing pastries. Felicitous is also known to host the occasional jazz musician, pop-up boutique or local florist.
When venturing into St. Petersburg, a visit to Black Crow Coffee is a must. The flagship café has served as a safe haven and eclectic gathering space for artists since 2015. It would seem impossible for Black Crow to offer the space to work on a laptop, sip craft coffee, sing to heart’s content at an open mic or have a lazy morning under a canopy of trees, but they manage to do it all at their Grand Central location. Not only is Black Crow filling the local community’s cups, but it is diverting waste from the local landfill. Black Crow Coffee is classified as a zero-waste business. Its second location can be found in Historic Old Northeast.
Café Vino Tinto in downtown Safety Harbor has won the hearts of the locals with exquisite espresso, handmade ingredients and friendly service. Get a taste of Costa Rican coffee, courtesy of their family-owned farm. Save room for a plate of Café Vino Tinto’s glorious waffles.
Downtown Dunedin’s answer to a café with looks and substance is Tükrō Coffee, pronounced “two crow.” Sparked by the passion and longing for good New York City coffee, former firefighter Dominick Briganti put down roots in Dunedin by purchasing an old home and turning it into a bright and welcoming café. Those truly enchanted with the space can rent a room. The upstairs unit is available for rent on Airbnb, so guests can grab a date-syrup sweetened golden oat milk latte to-stay.
For coffee lovers with the insatiable need to share their drinks with the world, look no further than downtown St. Pete’s new kid on the block, Paradeco Coffee Roasters. It is safe to say Paradeco does nothing halfway: They roast the whole coffee bean on a zero-emission roaster. Paradeco looks like a sponsored Instagram post brought to life, with its art-deco and Old Florida-inspired posh pastels, glossy surfaces and glam textures. Make sure phones are charged before heading over to Paradeco, and come prepared with clever coffee captions.
Come for the coffee, stay for the food. Clearwater is blessed with Southie Coffee. Residents and visitors alike can grab coffee drinks made with locally-roasted beans, as well as an extravagant assortment of baked goods, including gluten-free offerings.
Cap off a caffeinated adventure with something special. The Scott can be found in the lobby of downtown St. Pete’s historic Cordova Inn, serving sleek and sexy cocktails, but pay attention to their coffee partnership with Hogg Batch. Twin brothers David and Duane Hogg are roasting coffee and aging it in used spirit barrels to infuse their java with game-changing flavors, such as coffee + bourbon, coffee + gin and coffee + Jamaican rum. Score a cup of their ingenious brew at the Scott or grab a bag of their beans at a pop-up.
