As the last vestiges of summer fade into the familiar chill of the Coloradoan fall, the need for invigoratingly hot drinks grows with each day. Denver coffee shops switch their seasonal menus from nitro cold brews drinks to extra hot espresso and pour-overs, while roasteries create refreshing new blends that are much more winter-appropriate.
Like any state capital, Denver is replete with popular coffee house franchises but what about smaller Colorado-based chains and independent coffee bars? Many of them remain open with adjusted hours and carefully-maintained safety policies, though some operate on a delivery-only basis. But let’s take a look at the best coffee shops open in Denver at the moment as well as those delivering daily.
BLUE SPARROW COFFEE
3070 Blake St Unit 180
Denver, CO 80205
1615 Platte st Suite 135
Denver, CO 80202
720-593-0180
Open daily from 6:30 am to 5:30 pm;
With locations in Denver’s River North Art District and near Lower Highland, the Blue Sparrow Coffee supplies high-quality espresso and specialty drinks for the bustling downtown crowds at rather attractive prices, making it one of the best coffee shops in Denver to work in.
The menu features espresso-based coffee drinks and drip-style coffee, chai and selection of cold drinks on tap such as Upstart Kombucha, Sträva CBD Iced Coffee, and Nitro Cold Brew. There’s also plenty of fresh pastry to choose from, whether you feel like treating yourself to a classic croissant or pain au chocolat on a workday or weekend brunch.
Link Coffee Bar
1100 E 17th Ave
Denver, CO 80218
303-830-3967
Open daily from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm;
Link’s Coffee Bar offers more than just coffee, adding roasting, provisioning, and baking to their main specializations, making it a great alternative to venues like Little Owl Cofee Roasters or Corvus Coffee.
Link’s default house roaster is Californian Dune Coffee, while espresso, French press and pour-over brews are made using carefully selected single-origin roasts and blends.
Link’s beverage options don’t just end with coffee-based drinks — their menu comes with an impressive selection of cold brews and teas, non-alcoholic spritzes, tap wine and beer, and various specialty drinks like Rowdy Mermaid kombucha and turmeric latte.
The food menu does not disorient with overabundance and focuses on well-loved flavors found in Link’s chia puddings, avocado toast, and turkey sandwiches. Fresh pastry and cookies are served all day as an alternative.
Novo Coffee
Glenarm
1600 Glenarm Pl
Denver, CO 80202
303-999-0077
Gilpin
1700 East 6th Ave
Denver, CO 80218
720-524-7732
Highlands
3617 West 32nd Ave
Denver, CO 80211
303-749-0100
Open daily from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm;
Novo Coffee is a chain of boutique coffee bars with premium-grade roasters and a network of professionals providing coffee classes, supporting their status as one of the best coffee roasters in Denver.
With three main coffee shops in downtown Denver and one exclusive roastery, Novo Coffee makes the award-winning coffee experience much more accessible.
As a bar specialising in beverages only, Novo Coffee primarily focuses on quality over quantity, serving coffee made with a variety of methods, including espresso and nitro cold brews, pour-overs, siphon, Chemex, and batch-brewed coffee. Hot & iced tea and chai are also available and can be served with house-made syrup of your choice.
ink! Coffee Corp
Rino
2851 Larimer Street
303-292-7327
Open Monday through Friday from 6:00 am to 4:00 pm;
Cherry Creek North
2415 E 2nd Avenue
303-329-7911
Open Monday – Friday from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm;
Saturday + Sunday from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm;
Bonnie Brae
709 S. University Blvd.
720-476-3801
Open Monday – Friday from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm;
Saturday + Sunday from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm;
One of the best-known Colorado-based coffee shop franchises, ink! Coffee Corp has stores all over Denver for the greater convenience of their customers, specifically working professionals and students.
Apart from espresso-based drinks and blends made using house-roasted coffee, ink! Offers plenty of caf alternatives such as hot & iced tea, smoothies, and alcohol-free cocktails.
Lunch and breakfast menus in ink! shops are fairly rich with choices, serving many favorite breakfast dishes, sandwiches, pastry, salads, and various snacks.
Queen City Collective Coffee
Baker
305 W 1st Ave
Denver, CO 80223
Open daily from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm;
Five Points
2962 Welton St
Denver, CO 80205
Open daily from 7:00 am to 2:30 pm;
With its homey boho-style interior and ethically-sourced ingredients, Denver’s Queen City Collective is a two-store coffee shop operation that offers all your favorite espresso and batched-brewed coffee classics as well as delicious specialty drinks such as iced rosella tea, turmeric latte, kombucha, and Dark Star cold brew.
Apart from the in-house beverage menu, pastry and desserts, Queen City delivers 96-ounce brew boxes and retail bags of the best-selling roasts for your leisurely enjoyment at home.
Steam Espresso Bar
1801 South Pearl Street
Denver, CO 80210
303-952-9716
Open daily from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm;
As an independent establishment, Steam Espresso Bar prides itself in making their service and pricing as accommodating as possible while using only the best of single-origin roasts for their brews.
With its welcoming bright spaces and country-style decor, the coffee shop will brighten even the gloomiest of weekday mornings. In addition to serving all popular coffee drinks (in espresso, pour-over, drip, and cold brew forms), Steam Espresso Bar also provides light breakfasts and soft drinks like juice and kombucha.
The Bardo Coffee House
238 S Broadway
Denver, CO 80209
303-629-8331
Open daily from 6:00 am to midnight;
6150 W 38th Ave,
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
6am to Midnight, Daily
Brewed, espresso and non-espresso hot & iced drinks, classic tea blends with decaf options, a delicious and healthy kid’s menu.
The Bardo’s year-round “the Unusual Normals” specialty menu offers most unique caf and decaf drinks with unusual flavor matches that might just replace your traditional favorites.
The coffeehouse also serves light alcoholic drinks, namely beer and wine, as well as breakfast burritos, fresh pastry from Handcraft Bakery and baked goods from such venues as Rosenberg’s Bagels and Delicatessen, Share Good Foods, and City Bakery.
The Bardo’s eclectic style is supported by regular art exhibits and art shows, allowing any local artist to organize an exhibition or another form of art display.
Pablo’s Coffee
Colfax and Syracuse
7701 E Colfax Ave
303-333-1917
Open daily from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm (temporary);
13th and Pennsylvania
1300 Pennsylvania St #102
303-832-1688
Open daily from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm;
6th and Washington
3806, 630 E 6th Ave
303-744-3323
Open daily from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm (temporary);
Pablo’s Coffee is a chain of organic coffee shops with viable green coffee options and an impressive selection of roasts sourced worldwide.
From Pablo’s signature blends and Indonesian coffee drinks to uniquely prepared African and Arabian coffees such as Kenya Aa gachirago with cabernet sauvignon, apricots, and coriander, the shop’s one-of-a-kind beverage menu is something you’d want to come back to over and over.
A selection of South and Central American coffees and all-purpose decaf beverages are also available, including organic Mexican coffee and floral blends from Brazil. Pablo’s approach to ingredient sourcing, flavor extraction, and coffee delivery makes them one of the best coffee shops in Colorado and Denver on the whole.
Coffee at The Point
710 East 26th Avenue
Denver, CO 80205
303-955-2237
Open Monday through Friday from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm;
Saturday + Sunday from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm;
Specialty drinks menu features almost every familiar espresso and batch-brewed favorite as well as loose leaf teas, both hot and iced, with other options including soft drinks, smoothies, healthy children’s drinks, and kombucha on tap.
As for food options, Coffee at The Point does not disappoint, serving lunchtime soups and salads, made-to-order sandwiches as well as classic breakfast sandwiches, and always-fresh bowls with various quinoa and pesto options.
If you are looking to have a late dinner with a glass of your favorite wine or a pint of beer, Coffee at The Point also provides a collection of craft beers and wines of the domestic and imported variety.
Stella’s Coffee
1476 S. Pearl St.
Denver, CO 80210
303-777-1031
Open Mon through Friday from 6:30 am to 6:00 pm;
Saturday + Sunday from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm;
Stella’s Coffee has been providing downtown Denver with gourmet coffee for nearly thirty years now, serving coffee-based drinks and home-baked pastry and cookies from early morning hours to satisfy the working and student crowds.
Apart from traditional batch-brewed coffee and coffee au lait, Stella’s offers espresso drinks in three classic sizes with 2 or 4-shot espresso portions, plenty of non-caf hot beverages and ice drinks, all of which are available with add-ons of espresso shots, milk alts, and extra syrups for flavor.
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