Best Coffee Shops in St. Augustine

Coffee. We can’t live without it. On your busy days going from one historic attraction to the other, you need a little pit stop to relax and rejuvenate.

Fortunately, you can find a fantastic coffee spot in every major area of St. Augustine. From the brick-lined blocks of downtown to beachside, we take a look at the coolest coffee in the city.

Brief History of Coffee

Firstly, St. Augustine’s knack for a great cup of joe is not accidental. The city has formulated a close connection with coffee throughout the generations. Some say it all began with the Boston Tea Party revolt. 

The “party” was a game-changer for coffee, bringing the bean in favor of the very popular alternative drink of choice- tea. The revolt against King George III caused a sharp increase in demand for coffee. The dutch, ever a lover of the coffee bean, secured a trade route to bring coffee far outside Arabia in the late 1600s. This route, and the new cultural focus on coffee in England, ultimately brought the demand for coffee to the states in full force.

Coffee consumption increased dramatically after the American Civil War. In the years following, Folger, Maxwell House, and Hills Brothers all sought to secure coffee bean trades, selling the highly touted beans to cowboys all across the country

Where to Get Coffee 

This enthusiasm for coffee carried right over to the ancient city, where mid-18^th century settlers drank it constantly. When you review the local St. Augustine beach rentals, remember the importance of coffee and the beach- they go perfect together! Just imagine groups of people, hundreds of years ago, drinking coffee over the water just as they would today! Of course, you need to go get yourself a cup. Fortunately, St. Augustine coffee is plentiful- and amazing. Below are five excellent places to grab a cup.

City Bistro

Coffee deserves to be treated well, and City Bistro delivers. City Bistro is a vegetarian-friendly café on US-1, just a few short miles from downtown St. George St. The café has all the main staples, simplified, including lattes and espresso. 

Kookaburra

Kookaburra is the definitive coffee spot in town. With four locations- beachside, downtown, US-1, and south side, you can grab a cup from just about anywhere you are in the city. The coffee is exceptional. Using its own syrups, you can get caramel, honey, vanilla, and other favorites. Kookaburra also has special pies, usually filled with egg, a meat, and plenty of cheese. The pies are sealed shut at the top and the perfect portion for lunch. 

Growers Alliance

Growers Alliance is special. Relying exclusively on natural fair trade coffee directly from Kenya, the shop supports the local communities and bean growers of the region. Growers Alliance is a cultural shift, away from big American corporate brands to acid and pesticide-free flagship coffee from the source. 

Growers Alliance also offers nice apparel and Kenyan-made items, like baskets and jewelry. The shop is located on A1A between St. George St downtown and St. Augustine Beach. 

Cuban Coffee

Cuban Coffee and Bakery is a much-loved café in the heart of downtown. While more known for empanadas and the dazzling homemade flan, you can also nab a lovely cup of joe for your downtown exploration. The café con leche is a highlight, as is an authentic Café Cubano, a Cuban-styled coffee with an extra splash of sweetness.

Coffee + Wine

Coffee + Wine merges two favorite drinks together for the perfect union. The ethos is simple- we are better together. You can come to buy wine to bring back to the condos for rent in St. Augustine, FL, or just sit and sip the evening away. The café is adorned with local art, and the artists often provide workshops and chats to the public on special weekend nights. 

Here are 5 of the Best Breakfast Spots in St. Augustine to Pair with Your Coffee:

Whether you’re in the mood for pancakes and waffles or Southern-style biscuits and sandwiches, there are plenty of restaurants for you to try when you want to start the day off on a high note.

Any one of these breakfast restaurants located near our beach-side St. Augustine resort will surely satisfy the whole family.

Maple Street Biscuit Company

Location: 39 Cordova St
Morning Hours: 7:00 am; closed Sundays

It doesn’t get any more Southern than biscuits and gravy or eggs and grits for brunch or breakfast. Maple Street Biscuit Company offers up inventive, flavorful farm-to-table interpretations of this and other classic dishes.

These include biscuit sandwiches, like The Sticky Maple with fried chicken breast and pecan-wood smoked bacon topped with maple syrup, the Ralphie Deluxe which includes a biscuit topped with sausage gravy and a fried egg, and The Squawking Goat with fried chicken breast topped with a fried goat cheese medallion and house-made pepper jelly. They also have vegetarian options.

Maple Street Biscuit Company also uses the freshest and highest quality ingredients. All of the flaky, delicious, buttermilk biscuits are made right in house and the locally roasted coffee will have you coming back for more.

Café Eleven

Location: 501 A1A Beach Boulevard
Morning Hours: 7:00 am

This American-style restaurant features a smorgasbord of breakfast and lunch staples, such as meaty huevos rancheros, refreshing acai bowls, hearty breakfast burritos and lunch wraps, savory omelets, Cuban sandwiches, delicious eggs benedicts, and scrumptious paninis.

Here, you can detect a bit of a fusion crossover between American, Mexican, and Spanish cuisine that reflects the storied history of St. Augustine itself. They even offer a weekend breakfast buffet on Saturdays and Sundays. There are also many vegetarian and vegan options.

Café Eleven opened its doors in 2001, and the owners renovated the pace from a broken down convenience store. Now, the café is filled with modern décor and is known for bringing in world-class musical acts.

Cousteau’s Waffle and Milkshake Bar

Location: 15 Hypolita Street
Morning Hours: Sunday-Friday 10:00 am, Saturday 9:00 am

Who’s up for some waffles? At Cousteau’s Waffle and Milkshake Bar, it’s never too early for a milkshake or too late for a waffle. Intriguing menu options and nearly limitless customizability make Cousteau’s a hit for breakfast connoisseurs.

The Jaguar Shark is a highly recommended waffle that is sure to warm your taste buds, as it is topped with maple syrup, pecan and bourbon whipped cream, and candied bacon. For a coconut-coffee concoction, try the Life on Mars, a Belgian waffle garnished with coconut ice cream, espresso whipped cream, and a chocolate drizzle.

The Blue Hen Café

Location: 117 Martin Luther King Ave
Morning Hours: 8:00 am Tuesday to Sunday

This cozy breakfast and lunch café makes you feel as if you’ve sat down to eat with your next-door neighbor—the epitome of Southern cooking and hospitality.

Try the fresh catch tacos that feature the catch of the day, the delicious shrimp and grits with collard greens, the scrumptious pumpkin pancakes, the blue crab quiche, and the buttermilk chicken biscuit.

As soon as you walk in you are surrounded by the typical southern diner culture. Leather seating, checkered tablecloths, and the delicious smell of breakfast being fried up will immediately make you feel right at home.

Metro Diner

Location: 100 South Ponce de Leon Boulevard
Morning Hours: 6:30 am

As the name implies, Metro Diner serves traditional American diner food with a mostly Southern twist. You can’t go wrong with classic options like fried chicken and waffles, Charleston shrimp and grits, huevos rancheros, lox and bagels, creamed chipped beef, Monte Cristo sandwiches, and steak and eggs.

There is also the uniquely named “Yo Hala on the Square,” which consists of two slices of thick challah bread French toast topped with bananas, brown sugar, cream cheese, hazelnut syrup, and a blueberry-strawberry compote.

Featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, this is a spot you won’t soon forget after eating here. The comfort food they cook up is always served with a bit of flair. Metro Diner consistently wins awards for the best breakfast in several areas.