One of my favorite past times since entering university is discovering new, local places to hang out alone or with friends, read, or study. On top of my 2018 bucket list was to discover 15 new coffee places. I thought I would put together a list of some of my favourite shops in the area. If you are a coffee lover, have no fear, for there is a (hopefully) never-ending supply of coffee (and tea!) in the Tampa Bay Area for you.
· Bandit Coffee Co.
Located in St. Petersburg, Florida, Bandit first opened its doors a couple of years ago downtown, during my freshman year of college. I remember one day riding the trolley around downtown with a good friend of mine, and we stumbled upon this cute coffee shop that had just opened, and to this day, it is still one of our favorite places to visit together. It has great vibes to study, meet friends, attend their events (such as night markets, coffee competitions, and anniversary celebrations), or just hang out and talk to the baristas. It has become such a cultural staple in the coffee community, the owners seem to have a vast reach of connections, and I am always excited to try their new seasonal selections of lattes.
· Buddy Brew Coffee
Buddy Brew is based in Tampa and has several locations across the area. They now offer selections of ground coffee in local Publix’s if you don’t have the time to stop by a shop and grab some coffee. The three locations that I frequent are the stand alone shop on Kennedy (which is ALWAYS busy, and you may have to park a bit far in the neighborhood and walk to it), the smaller shop in Hyde Park (my favorite location), and the Buddy Brew bar at the Oxford Exchange. Buddy Brew is another well-known brand among the coffee community, and you can find them at many events in the Tampa Bay area, such as local markets. I love the atmosphere that Buddy Brew provides, and I think that it greatly contributes to the local culture of Tampa.
· Black Crow Coffee Shop
Located in the Historic Old Northeast of St. Petersburg Florida, Black Crow has a unique atmosphere that blends love for coffee and the arts into one place. By day, they are a very busy and bustling shop to hang out at, but by evening, they have often open-mic events for poetry and music and have frequent guest speakers. They also have a variety of gluten-free and vegan pastry options in addition to their regular coffee menu. If you’re ever in the area, you should definitely stop by and grab a treat from them, and check out their bulletin board on all of the local events coming up!
· Mojo Books & Records
I know what you are thinking- “Hayley, why is this on the list? The word coffee is not in the title!” You would be right, but Mojo, located on Fowler in Tampa by USF, is a place that you can’t miss. They are a book and record store with their own coffee shop inside! They have all my favorite things- books, music and coffee! Mojo is a funky little place with its own local atmosphere, and if you haven’t checked it out, I recommend adding it to your list.
· Kahwa Coffee
I believe Kahwa is local to the Tampa Bay area and St. Petersburg, but there may be some stray Kahwa’s across the state at this point. The one I frequent the most is in downtown St. Pete (there are actually two in DTSP*, on opposite ends of downtown). I enjoy the atmosphere that Kahwa provides, and of course, how photogenic the interior is. They switch out flavors depending on the seasons, and if you aren’t a coffee person, different brewed teas are also something that they do well.
If any of these places are new to you, I highly recommend checking them out! They are great hang-out spots that add to the local flavour of the community!
Original blog post can be found here.
HCXOXO,
Hayley Garron