Despite the ongoing boom in chain coffee-shops, Austin locals prefer to frequent longstanding local cafes with friendly, familiar staff and a good selection of light bites. Discover the best places to relax with a small meal and some good vibes in Texas by visiting one of these best coffee shops in Austin.
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Best Coffee Shops In Austin
Houndstooth Coffee
This espresso-focused coffee bar is heaven for hardcore coffee nerds around town. The rotating selections of beans are highlighted by simple and well-executed preparation. All four locations (downtown, and then boozy editions on East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and in Rock Rose) feature clean and welcoming designs, as well as a great selection of tools to take home-brewing to the next level.
LeverCraft
Located in a vintage trailer on the east side of Austin, LeverCraft has two house creations: an espresso lemonade and the Freddo, which pairs nitro cold brew with a cold-brew cream. There’s also a full menu of espresso drinks, as well as vegan Belgian waffles.
Cosmic Coffee
Cosmic feels like the kind of place your old Austin hippie neighbor might open in their backyard. Think rainwater harvesting, on-site composting, chicken coops, and lush vegetable and herb gardens galore. The only thing they take more seriously than sustainability is their coffee.
Flitch
The dream of East Austin is alive at Flitch. Grab your cuppa or a top notch espresso out of this renovated vintage trailer, and enjoy it in their gravel courtyard filled with mix-and-match furniture, and most likely, some really cute dogs.
Idlewild Coffee Collab
Coffee that is directly sourced from the most opportune climates all over the world, Idlewild Coffee Co shares a space with one of Austin’s best skate shops, right up the street from Graffiti Park. One latte with a side of cute skate boy plz.
Spider House
Spider House is set on The University of Texas at Austin campus and is marked out by its antique, one-of-a-kind décor. Sit on the outdoor patio, which boasts art installations including garden statues, twinkle lights and swings, and enjoy a drink. The Spider House Ballroom also often features upcoming musicians in front of red-velvet curtains. Patrons can stay inside working until 2am, but beware, this hotspot is rumoured to be haunted. In fact, it’s almost scary how many locally-crafted beers the Spider House has on tap, alongside baked goods from Quack’s Bakery and fruit cocktails from JuiceLand. Come out during the 5-8pm happy hour, which features good drink specials.
Cenote Austin
Though Cenote is an East Austin cafe, its namesake refers to the deep wells of the Yucatan Peninsula found in Mayan civilization. Although it does not provide water to the cafe anymore, the local well still sits on the property. The building itself is an amazing treasure; built in 1887, the house appears on Austin’s first hand-drawn map in 1889. The cafe foods are no less impressive; each single-origin coffee is French-pressed and the food is sourced from local farms and an on-site garden. Cenote serves up great sandwiches and salads, gluten-free pastries, and now features Rockstar Bagels for breakfast connoisseurs.
Wright Bros. Brew & Brew
Wright Bros. has a simple, elegant menu of Aeropress, drip, and espresso, featuring beans from local roaster Flat Track among others. The light, warm space and friendly baristas will seduce even those who don’t care about the latest and greatest trends in the coffee world. The promise of fresh Rosen’s Bagels and pastries from sibling cafe Better Half don’t hurt either.
Fleet Coffee Co.
Shake things up with espresso at Fleet, where, along with coffee, espresso, and lattes, the tiny coffee shop specializes in special caffeinated drinks. The Ritual is a churro-flavored cortado served with a cookie. Even better: there are tacos from Veracruz All Natural and pastries from Sour Duck Market.
Greater Goods Coffee Roasting Co.
The Dripping Springs-based coffee roasters opened up a cafe in Austin proper with a charitable bent: the coffee roasts support various local nonprofits like Austin Pets Alive and the Central Texas Food Bank. The airy cafe, complete with Wi-Fi even features a training lab with tastings and classes.
Patika
Come to Patika’s South Lamar cafe for the coffee, stay for the wine, beer, cheese and charcuterie plates, housemade baked goods (think carrot cake s’mores, root beer float cookies, and peach amaretto pecan doughnuts), and hearty breakfast/lunch/brunch dishes.
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