Photos courtesy of Christine Burney
What do you do when your world is grey and you wake up cold? I like to think about warm, steamy things; then, I may even go out and get some of them. Of course, I am talking about coffee (or Chai, tea, hot chocolate, for you non-caffeinated peeps). And since we just made a comprehensive Savannah list of coffee shops and I was going to make this list anyway, I figured what better time to publish than now?? So, I have compiled a list of my favorite unique coffee shops around Atlanta (well, the one’s I have been to, at least). Hope you can discover them for yourself!
So, here are my top 12 favorite coffee places in Atlanta [by proximity to SCAD]:
Land of a Thousand Hills [Atlantic Station]
Photo courtesy of: www.yelp.com
Atlantic Station, 232 19th St NW #7100, Atlanta 30363 (470) 344-0197
- Best part, it’s walkable from SCAD
- It’s in Atlantic Station.
Sweet Hut Bakery and Café [Midtown]
Photo courtesy of: www.ezcater.com
933 Peachtree St Ne, Atlanta · 404 600 4800
Regular Hours: Sun-Thu: 8a-12a, Fri-Sat: 8a-1a
- Walkable from SCAD
- Great place for a date or to sit down and sketch!
- Great lighting.
- Bubble tea
- Korean baked goods and food.
Café Intermezzo [Midtown]
Photo courtesy of: www.yelp.com
1065 Peachtree Street, Suite 2, Atlanta, p 404 355 0411
Regular Hours: Monday-Sunday 7:30AM to 2AM
- Walkable from SCAD
- A lovely place to dress up and feel beautiful.
- Perfect lighting for a chill night in the city.
- Excellent place for a date as well (this + the symphony=perfect night out).
- Entire menu (50+ pages) for drinks alone-alcohol + coffee, etc.
- Premium cheesecake history (let them tell you their story)
- Outdoor covered seating for fresh air.
- Language learning in the restroom.
- 2 Hours of validated parking is available in the parking deck of 1075 Peachtree with entrances on both 11th and 12th street. Ask hostess for a validation ticket.]
Apres Diem [Midtown]
Photo courtesy of crushcrave.com
931 Monroe Dr Ne, Ste C103, Atlanta, p 404 872 3333
- International Feel
- Open late
- Walkable from SCAD
- Very Close to Piedmont Park, next to artsy movie theatre, Midtwon Art Cinema
- Event hosting
OCTANE COFFEE/BAR
Photo courtesy of Christine Burney
Arts Center: [walkable from SCAD] Suite 100-A, 1280 Peachtree St. NE (same block as ACA)
Regular Hours: Mon – Fri 7am – 10p, Sat & Sun 8am – 10p
Grant Park: 437 Memorial Drive Suite A5, Atlanta, p 404 815 9886
Regular Hours: Mon – Fri 7am-10p, Sat & Sun 8am-10p
Westside: 1009-B Marietta St, Atlanta, p 404.815.9886 ext 1
Regular Hours: Mon – Wed 7am-10p, Thu – F 7am-11p, Sat 8am-11p, Sun 8am-10p
Atlanta Tech Village (Buckhead): 3423 Piedmont Rd NE Ste 100, Atlanta, p 404 815 9886 ext 3
Regular Hours: Mon – Fri 7am-7p, Sat & Sun 9am-4p
- High-crafted coffee drinks
- Attached to Little Tart Bakery, the originator of my most favorite waffles and syrup on earth: Cheddar waffles and sorghum, with this wonderful syrup that tastes like honey mixed with molasses (if this is true, this makes me like molasses for the first time in my life).
- Local/seasonal ingredients from local farmers who use sustainable processes [www.littletartatl.com]
- Large sitting area-great place for meeting with friends, sketching, or meeting with friends to sketch.
- Outdoor seating-sitting place/water for dogs as well.
- Eclectic atmosphere-people who come here are anywhere from artists, business peeps,
- Alcohol on tap, sold after 5p
- Beautifully lit at night! Like being at a wedding.
- Barista competitions-fun to watch!
- Across the street from my second favorite beautiful place in Atlanta, Oakland Cemetery (first is the Chattahoochee River).
Amelie’s French Bakery [WestMidtown]
Photo courtesy of Christine Burney
840 Marietta St NW Atlanta 30318, p 404 921 0276
Regular Hours: Sun-Wed 7:00am-8:00pm, Thu-Sat 7:00am-10:00pm
- Games, great music, laid-back atmosphere!
- Great place to meet up for fun with groups
- Pastries!
- Separate room for events.
- Gourmet coffee and wonderful lemonade.
- Weekly yoga Thursday evenings 6-7
Hodgepodge Coffeehouse and Gallery [East Side]
Photo courtesy of Christine Burney
720 Moreland Ave., ATL p: 404-622-8525 Hours: Mon-Sat 7a-9p, Sun 9-9
- Home to Atlanta Zine Library: A Zine (/ˈziːn/ ZEEN; an abbreviation of fanzine, or magazine) is most commonly a small circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images usually reproduced via photocopier (Google defined).
- Coffee drinks! “Organic coffee, shade-grown, bird friendly”
- Interesting used books for sale: great place for the intellectual reader/writer
- Fun gallery areas on walls, featuring local artists-even SCAD students!
- Occasional Ladypreneur League meetups…
- Big round tables to do homework
Regular events:
- Monthly art show with Atlanta artists
- Open Mic – 1st/3rd Thurs of every month at 7.30p. Features singer/songwriters, poets, rappers and spoken word artists.
- The “Hodgepodge Comedy Lodge” – every Wed night (call for info)
- Atlanta Intown Songwriters Showcase – 2nd Thursday of every month.
- Local handmade goods for sale
- “Art Attack Kids” is every Monday
- Story Time is Mondays at 11am
Chattahoochee Coffee Company
Photo courtesy of Christine Burney
River Side: 6640 Akers Mill Rd. SE, Atlanta 30339, p 770 955 0788
Regular Hours: Monday-Friday:7am-8p, Saturday – Sunday [residents only]: 8am-7p
Westside: 790 Huff Rd. NW, ATL, p 470 344 0197
Regular Hours: Monday-Friday:7am-8p, Saturday – Sunday: 8am-7p
- Westside location is in the heart of West Midtown, near Westside Provisions District.
- [Best part] It’s by the river. Yep, a river runs right next to it. (Great place to canoe, etc. in the summer & fall). Feels like you are on a retreat as soon as you come to the coffee shop portion of the complex.
- Great hiking trails right outside of the shop.
- Outdoor seating, large lawn-great for picnics, seating available closer to the river as well.
- Sells jewelry items made by people rescued from human trafficking.
- You can live there! Located in a gated community (Walton on the Chattahoochee apartment complex), has two pools, a nice spacious gym, an on-site vegetable garden for residents to pick from, and much more! Take a sweet tour today or any day.
- Open to non-residents during the week. Dial 101 at the gate and the coffee shop personnel will let you in (if it’s a really nice day, you may want to call ahead to make sure they are accepting people in during that time-everyone wants to go to the river when it’s hot!).
Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party [East Side]
Photo courtesy of: www.onthegrid.city
1645 McLendon Ave NE, Atlanta 30307, p 404 474 1402
Regular Hours: Tues-Fri 11am-9p, Sat-Sun 11-8p, Closed Mondays for private events
- Black and Green Learning tea, sourced directly from partners in Darjeeling
- High Tea-3:30-5:30 daily, call to reserve (tea time for two $35)
- Sweet reading: old-time library style reading area, books inexpensive to purchase from a large selection
- Funds from tea sales, books sold, and events give educational scholarships to young women in impoverished areas of India. Check out TheLearningTea.com.
- Great place for a small event/party
Dancing Goats Coffee Bar [Ponce City Market]
Photo courtesy of: voyageatl.com
650 North Ave. NE, Atlanta 30308, p 404 874 0370
Regular Hours: Mon-Fri: 6:30a-6p, Sat-Sun: 7a-6p
- Single origin coffees.
- Next to the Binders Art Supply @PCM!
- Free Wi-Fi
- First business to open @ Ponce City Market, an amazing restoration of the famous old Sears building on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Midtown Atlanta.
The Goat Farm [West Midtown]
Photo courtesy of: drawchange.org
1200 Foster St NW. Atlanta 30318
- Apparently, there are epic Halloween parties here as well as other events.
- Artist studios can be rented here as well as apartments.
- All drinks are by donation only.
- Great place for pictures!
Henry & June [Virginia Highlands]
Photo courtesy of: www.perfectdailygrind.com
784 N. Highland Ave NE, ATLANTA
Regular Hours: Mon-Tue: 7-6, Wed-Fri: 7-7, Sat: 9-8, Sun: 9-5
- Boutique + coffee shop in one?!!!
- Uniquely designed clean, inspiring space
- Hand-selected beautiful clothing from up and coming designers (unavailable elsewhere in ATL)
- Hand-brewed coffees: partner with CREMA of Nashville and other seasonal providers (all source micro-lots and buy from direct-trade organizations)
- Even have an indie bathroom with tons of polaroids and inspiration strewn about the wall in a high class manner
- Interesting story.
Café Lucia [Downtown]
Photo courtesy of Christine Burney
57 Forsyth St NW, Ste R8, Atlanta, p 404 968 9658
- Small but cute feel
- Has an app and free wifi
For a comprehensive list of other amazing coffee shops to explore during your stay in ATL, check out the Atlanta Eater website.