Inside the new Helm Coffee roastery and cafe in Indianapolis. Photo by Rebecca Jacobson, courtesy of Helm Coffee Roasters.
As the long grey lull of winter sets in over the American Midwest, coffee drinkers from Ames to Ypsilanti fortunately have a wealth of colorful new coffee shops in which to warm their bodies and souls.
As part of our ongoing 2022 Year in Review, we’ve put together this list of 10 coffee shops that opened this year in the Midwest, each offering approaches to quality and community that go well beyond standard chain fare:
Photo by Maria Meade, courtesy of Side Practice Coffee.
Side Practice Coffee Puts People Front and Center in Chicago
A multiroaster coffee shop on Chicago’s north side called Side Practice Coffee is designed to fuel the creative and entrepreneurial efforts its owner and the surrounding community.
“Having side projects or small businesses has always been a part of who I am,” Side Practice Coffee Owner Francis Almeda told DCN. “I love coming up with creative ideas, launching and building things, many of which you’ll see around the cafe.”… Read more
Photo by Josh Dobay, courtesy of Edda Coffee Roasters.
In Cleveland, Edda Coffee Roasters Seeks Quality of Mythic Proportions
Designed through a collaboration with the Chicago firm Studio K Creative, the 80-seat Edda space is illuminated by a sweeping fluorescent starburst chandelier and abundant natural light through windows that reach approximately three stories tall.
The bar at the heart of the shop is set up to feature light and bright Nordic-style roasts by well-known Cleveland coffee pro Charlie Eisenstat, who previously founded the roasting company Pour Coffee, and later the Scandinavian-focused multiroaster retail brand Pour Cleveland… Read more
The new Stone Bru Coffee roastery cafe in Sioux City, Iowa. All images courtesy of Stone Bru.
Stone Bru Rolls into Polished Roastery and Coffee Bar in Sioux City, Iowa
Iowa-based Stone Bru Coffee Company is rocking production in an expansive new roastery headquarters in Sioux City.
The 15,000-square-foot facility is roughly three times bigger than the offsite industrial space where Stone Bru’s Diedrich IR12 formerly resided, offering room to spare for professional coffee training and a weekday coffee bar… Read more
Photo by Julian Foglietti, courtesy of Parable Coffee.
Parable Coffee is Rewriting the Story on Coffee Shop Operations in Columbus
The temporary retail pop-up by Parable Coffee inside plant-based Columbus, Ohio restaurant Comune reached a storybook ending this year as the POC-owned multiroaster coffee company opened a brick-and-mortar cafe of its own.
The new chapter for the company involves a 2,800-square-foot space in downtown Columbus with modern chandeliers, exposed brick walls, a curvy concrete bar and other interior elements left over from previous tenants… Read more
Circle Coffee Rolls Into Bakery Cafe in Topeka
“We loved the huge windows and the character of the cinderblock walls and exposed ceiling,” Circle Coffee Co-Owner David Vincent told Daily Coffee News. “We’d go on walks in our neighborhood during covid and always end up strolling by the building to see if a tenant had taken it yet.”
A Ground Control Cyclops generating batch brew and cold brew concentrate overlooks a 2-group La Marzocco Linea PB AV espresso machine, near which a Tone Touch 03 machine automatically handles single-cup pourovers… Read more
Photo by Travis Young Photography, courtesy of Cafe Cà Phê.
Cafe Cà Phê Puts Vietnamese Coffee in the Spotlight in Kansas City
Celebrating the coffees and cultures of Vietnam, a new shop from former Broadway actor Jackie Nguyen called Cafe Cà Phê has taken center stage in Kansas City, Missouri.
Warm colors and cultural symbols depicted in a combination of vintage and modern style come from all directions inside the 1,200-square-foot cafe. Inside and out, artwork by North Carolina-based muralists Love Letter Creative brings to life Nguyen’s vision for a vivacious showcase for the flavors and spirit of Vietnam… Read more
Photo by Rebecca Jacobson, courtesy of Helm Coffee Roasters.
Helm Coffee Roasters Sets Sail in Indianapolis with Colorful Roastery Cafe
As a rising tide lifts all boats, Helm Coffee Roasters is a shining new coffee vessel steering guests towards quality coffee in Indianapolis.
With a recently opened roasting facility a coffee bar, living-roomesque seating and event spaces, the women-owned, LGBTQ+ business is also helping to drive community engagement… Read more
Frgmnt Coffee Features a World of Roasters in the Twin Cities
A multiroaster coffee outfit called Frgmnt Coffee (styled FRGMNT by the company) has added a second location in the Twin Cities, replicating a model in which a relatively small footprint opens to a spacious public area and a whole world of coffees.
In a 450-square-foot space in the corner of the One Southwest Crossing building in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie, the new Frgmnt boasts seating for over 100 people through seamless connection to the lobby… Read more
Photo by Emily Comnick, courtesy of Dream Cloud Coffee.
Roasting and Reverie Meet at Dream Cloud Coffee in Duluth
From its sunlit entryway to the soft, spherical glow of pendant lighting under its vaulted wooden ceilings, the new Dream Cloud Coffee Roasters brews up a mellow getaway for guests in Duluth, Minnesota.
Opened by Charlie and Emily Comnick in May, the 1,500-square-foot roastery, coffee shop and tea bar was designed to offer a moment of repose in the heart of the city… Read more
Photography by Jeff Hage, courtesy of Spkrbox.
Spkrbox Turns Up the Volume with Coffee And DJs in Detroit
The owners of longstanding coffee shop Urban Bean Co. in downtown Detroit have reinvented the location as Spkrbox, a European nightclub-like coffee and cocktail spot with plans to keep the speakers knocking all night and day.
With its mezzanine-level DJ booth fully refurbished and wired into an upgraded sound system for nonstop music upstairs and down, the shop takes particular pride in offering a third space for third-shift workers — people whose after-work happy hour may come with the sunrise… Read more
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