Best 8 Coffee Shops in Minneapolis

Every self-respecting Minneapolitan knows a handful of top-class coffee spots off the top of their head, especially in the advent of notoriously cold Minnesotan winters.

Unfortunately, it’s quite common for independent and family-owned shops to fly under the radar when faced with global franchises. So if you prefer your coffee shops to, above all, be comfortable and promote ethical consumption, below is a brief guide to the best spots in the Twin Cities that serve organic coffee and home-made style food.

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Spyhouse Coffee Roasters

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Spyhouse Coffee Roasters currently operate from six shops throughout Minneapolis with coffee shops in St Paul, Uptown, and Downtown, Whittier, North Loop and Northeast. As a retailer, Spyhouse keeps their operations sustainable and environmentally-conscious on the whole.

Spyhouse Coffee offers retail and wholesale premium coffee roasts and blends while making excellent-quality coffee in-house and on-the-go. Spyhouse menus are pretty extensive when it comes to classic espresso and unique coffee flavors, tea beverages, and even appetizers.

If you choose to have your breakfast or lunch at a Spyhouse shop, be sure to try some of their fresh pastries with one of the roasters’ favorite coffee specials like Tokyo Rose or Mojave Mocha.

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In The Loop Coffee

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Getting its name from its convenient location in the North Loop neighborhood, In The Loop Coffee Company is one of the old-school coffee shops with a cosy atmosphere, vintage decor harking back to the classic diner days of coffee, and more than accessible prices.

In The Loop serve all popular varieties of espresso and brewers coffee drinks as well as pour-overs, French press coffee, and even ‘puppuccino’ for your little canine friends. The shop’s specialty tea & coffee drinks feature deliciously sweet options like Tribune Coffee Crunch or Comedy Caramel Roll, while the kid’s menu offers beverages for children of ten and under.

And if you are looking to share a quick breakfast or lunch in a more homey setting, In The Loop will be an ideal choice with its breakfast and lunch options of pastry, sandwiches and coffee shop classics like Italian and Turkey subs, soups, and salads.

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Peace Coffee

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With nearly 25 years worth of experience in the sustainable coffee sourcing and service, Peace Coffee have carved out a permanent place in the business with its ethical approach to coffee roasting and retail, making it a worthy alternative to other franchises like Five Watt Coffee or local favorites like Quixotic coffee.

In addition to the three Minneapolis-based coffee shops, Peace Coffee also runs a roastery and a mobile coffee truck while also providing catering services.

The menu is what you would expect of a classic coffee shop, featuring hot and cold coffee drinks, teas and soft beverages, seasonal specials, and a selection of fresh pastry. You can also purchase their retail coffee blends, all of them organic and fair trade.

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Sip Coffeebar

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One of the more affordable and welcoming independently-owned coffee shops in Northeast Minneapolis, SIP Coffeebar offers easy prices and convenient Keg Houe location. SIP is a small but bright venue with well-lit space, clean simple lines, tall ceilings, and plenty of room for work, studying, or sharing lunch in a group setting.

SIP’s coffee of the day option allows you to choose between dark, medium or light roasts for ordering each coffee-based drink on the beverage menu, including espresso, americano, cold press coffee, and various creamy drinks. The shop also offers drip coffee in boxed for when you need to restock as well as retail coffee beans.

If you are a new visitor, be sure to try out SIP’s specials like Salted Caramel Latté, Minty Mocha, or the in-house coffee cake baked fresh every day. The food menu also includes a wide selection of pastry and sweets, sweet and savory breakfast options like quiche or veg burritos, and classic lunch soups, salads, and sandwiches. 

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Black Coffee and Waffle Bar

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Available in three locations in Como, Marshall, and Fargo, Black Coffee & Waffle Bar is one of the few coffeehouses that focus on the classic coffee and waffle combo who also use locally-sourced roasts and produce, serving organic coffee with hormone and antibiotic-free dairy add-ons with non-dairy alternatives while also offering in-house made toppings, syrups, and waffle batter.

Black Coffee uses specialized batch brew blends from and Dogwood Coffee Co and Vitality, both espresso and decaf, that rotate on a weekly basis as well as rotating single-origin pour-overs from both roasteries available at the Marshall location. These are also available in retail.

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The Cafe Meow

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You might have heard of cat cafes as a cute gimmick before which, admittedly, is not for everyone, but the Cafe Meow is much more than that. The cafe is divided into the coffee shop and cat lounge sections, the latter designed to give visitors space to meet the cat staff consisting of no-kill rescue shelters and consider possible adoption.

The coffee shop offers cat-themed coffee and tea drinks as well as baked goods and sweet treats, while the cat lounge welcomes walk-ins and is also available through reservations for up to 6 people per session. Longue time varies from 10 to 15 minutes at the start of each working hour.

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Up Cafe and Up Coffee Roasters

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Up and Up primarily focuses on delivery and take-away, selling single-origin coffee, in-house made blends for espresso, frappe and decaf, as well as rosé and whiskey spirited beans. UP cafe is a quaint little venue for tasting the roastery’s best coffee drinks and teas, though there is plenty of pastries to choose from, plus a seasonal gelato selection.

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Folly Coffee

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Minnesota’s very own award-winning roast retailer, Folly Coffee supplies small-batch coffee to coffeehouses in the state capital and nearby towns where you can taste locally-roasted unique coffee blends in all classic coffee drink forms.

Some of the best old and new coffee shops in Minneapolis choose Folly Coffee for their daily brews, including Lunds & Byerlys, Kowalski’s Market, Angel Food Bakery & Coffee Bar, and many more. The Folly roastery itself provides convenient tasting hours on workdays at the St. Louis Park facility.