MN Coffee Shop Lovers, You Can Thank Me Later

You've clicked on this one because you like adventures too! This edition will be a shoutout to Minnesota's finest coffee shops. I've spent my fair share of time hunting down the best places to grab liquid in a cup so I owe it to myself to post about it.

I'm dedicating this post to all of the coffee shops I've been to so far in the the little blue frosting heart on that cookie in the picture (which I got at Sarah Jane's Bakery in Northeast Minneapolis - go there).

My to-do list never ends and I've found myself spending less time on social media sites like Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, and more time writing, applying for jobs, and discovering new things. Oh, and I'm frequently on LinkedIn too. Never thought I'd actually form that sentence in my lifetime, but there it is.

So this will be a slight review of some of the places I've been between Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Some have been good and some have been great. None are in any particular order.

1. The Coffee Shop NE

(Northeast Minneapolis)

http://www.thecoffeeshopne.com/

I spent a lot of time in this one considering I worked across from it for my entire summer. Their lunch menu is overpriced but they have wonderful homemade veggie cream cheese for all the bagels I consumed!

2. Anelace Coffee

(Northeast Minneapolis)

http://www.anelacecoffee.com/

The picture in this post was taken at Anelace. I loved it here! I really like coffee shops that have window seating where you can just people watch everyone passing by. I got this specialty lemonade espresso drink. Sounds weird, but it was so refreshing.

3. Empire Coffee

(Stinson Blvd - Northeast Minneapolis)

http://empireminneapolis.com/

100% recommend this place. Especially in the summer. They open up a huge garage door so you feel like your basically outside. There are other locations, but I think this one takes the cake. The interior is really unique and modern. You feel like you're really secluded from the city too.

4. Spyhouse

(Northeast Minneapolis)

https://spyhousecoffee.com/

There are four Spyhouse Cofees and another one coming soon in Saint Paul. I absolutely could have spent my entire day at the one in Northeast and I plan to visit the rest of them. All I have to say is go.

5. The Purple Onion Cafe

(Near U of M Campus)

http://www.thepurpleonioncafe.com/

This was a large cafe with tons of seating and lots of good people watching. I bought a huge rice crispy bar that lasted me two whole days. If you cross the street from here, there's a walking bridge with incredible views of the Minneapolis skyline (perfect for the sunset).

6. Peace Coffee

(Minnehaha Avenue)

https://www.peacecoffee.com/

Peace Coffee has three different locations. I visited the one on Minnehaha Ave a few times already because it's on my route home. I bought a giant peanut butter cookie from there the other day and ate in about .5 seconds. It always seems busy in there so it's hard to find a spot, but they do serve local ice cream and it's right next to a really cool book store.

7. Espresso Royale

(Saint Paul - Near St. Kate's Campus)

http://www.espressoroyale.com/

I really don't know if there's a time limit to sit in coffee shops, but if there is, I definitely exceeded it here. This was the beginning of my unemployed life so I was going HAM with my to-do list. I purchased a latte and it was amazing! They roast their own coffee so I guess it makes sense? I don't know I'm not an expert. There's a patio and a really nice seating arrangement inside. There were lots of food options too and the people working there were really nice.

8. Quixotic Coffee

(Saint Paul - Highland Park)

http://www.quixoticcoffee.com/

Seriously loved this coffee shop! It's small, but they have so much to offer. I asked what kind of tea they have and the barista was like "you can try one we have on tap!" She gave me a sample and it was pretty good! It tasted a bit like sparkling water but I had no idea you could even have tea on tap, so she sold me. Anyways, the only downfall of this one is the area. It was a really busy street so it was kind of overwhelming to find parking.

9. Black Sheep Coffee

https://blacksheepcoffee.com/

Like always, I go to coffee shops to eye up the baked goods. I saw online they bake a different batch of muffins every morning so I was PUMPED. Sadly I was disappointed when I got there because they only had double chocolate chip. One of the more boring flavors in my opinion. I stuck with tea. It definitely seemed like a popular place with many regular customers, but I wasn't in love with the atmosphere there - maybe because I was sitting next to this lady who was taking calls ever 5 minutes (c'mon people, don't do that).

10. Swede Hollow Cafe

(Saint Paul)

http://www.swedehollowcafe.com/

I was weary about this one because the pictures online seemed like it was small and crowded. Low and behold, I think I found one of my favorites! It's on a hill so you get an amazing view of Saint Paul. It has an upstairs as well as an outdoor area that is super peaceful. I ordered half of a sandwich, which came with a bag of chips and a pickle for 5 bucks. It was SO good too! Everyone was friendly here and there is tons of cozy places to sit. -lots of art on the walls too!

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Well there you have it folks. A nice list of the places to do your thing. You bet I'm going to keep this up, so I will have to let you know the next time I get my next 10 coffee shops in.

If you have a favorite place, let me know! I'd love to check it out.

*Don't forget to tip your baristas :)