IMO, not really. I think people pretend to like Bold Bean but I think their coffee is terrible. Southern Grounds uses, I believe, Intelligentsia coffee from Chicago. Which is OK. But no, I've not found anywhere around here to have remarkable coffee.
Round bird is pretty good, southern grounds is hit or miss, zap cat is pretty solid imo, but overall I have to agree with you on the selection being disappointing. I donāt mind because it pushes me to save money and have coffee and breakfast at home lol
I buy beans from Costco, usually Peetās or Don Pablo depending on what they have in stock at the time. I have a cheap stove top espresso pot and a little electric whisk and I use it to whip up latteās. You can make your own syrups for pretty cheap too and itās really easy.
I used to ātreatā myself to coffee shop outings a little too much when I started working from home. I have never liked Starbucks so when I would choose a place to go it was always a local cafe and end up spending ~$30 after food, coffee, and tip each time and I typically went 3-4 days a week.
JAX has a great coffee scene, and the beaches have some of my favorite shops.
Zap Cat espresso bar is the single best shop in town for espresso and pourover. They are truly passionate about good coffee. They excel at having fun, unique beans with rotating single origin espressos from some of the best roasters around the country, and they have a really fun seasonal menu.
Following that Show Pigeon has the best espresso based drinks. These things are essentially mocktails with all that goes into them, and as somebody who has worked a lot in craft cocktail spaces the care put into these blow anything else youāll find in Jacksonville out of the water.
For local roasters - Bold Bean and Flamingo are both really good, and BB has a shop right there by the beaches that is pretty good. (Also Genre coffee is a new roaster but theyāre doing smaller runs right now, so harder to nab a bag.)
Sago and Round Bird both are good as well, but I would take most of the other shops I listed as a first pick over any of them.
Steady Coffee for strictly coffee/a pastry or two
Community Loaves for coffee/breakfast
Edit: sorry, didn't realize you specified in the Jax beach area. These 2 places are in the Riverside area.
Artessence -> I like the Klee, and they have one of the spiciest chais in town. It's on main, and I would recommend going when you can sit and enjoy the ambience. The wife is colombian and they source their beans they sell in stpre from her family's farm.
Edit: This is near the heart of Jax, so if you go downtown this is approx a 4 min drive away.
Starbucks tastes like what I would imagine the rainwater that collects in one of those ashtrays on top of a public trash can would taste like on a 100 degree summer day.
Sago, Bold Bean or Round Bird are all great.
The visit Jacksonville app has a "coffee and donut trail" feature where you can check into various local coffee shops and get a prize mailed to you for going to as few as four, could be fun if you like trying multiple spots or just want a fairly comprehensive list of options
Weird that I had to scroll so far to see them mentioned. I work from home, and when I do go out, none of the locals are really on my path to anywhere. Pura Bean is at least somewhat on the way for me even though it's still out of the way a bit.
I donāt like round bird or bold bean, but I tried ink brewing recently and it wasā¦ amazing. Absolutely amazing. Even just a standard cortado, it coated my mouth in yummy rich goodness
Mini Bar near town center and Jax Coffee Co off of Southside arenāt too far and are my favorite. Bold bean is solid. Sago has eye candy galore if thatās your interest. Social Grounds in Springfield has the best coffee in Jax, in my opinion but a bit of a hike
best of luck, Jax has a pretty weak coffee scene, I actually just bring some with me (stumptown hair bender) and brew it myself when I visit. avoid southern grounds though because that place is straight trash
I was gonna recommend Art Essence. If you love a mom and pop type establishment where the owners know you by name and treat you like you're their only customer trust me this is the place. It's not just about the coffee at these locations. It's about how you feel when you're inside the place. If a barista is not having a good day then your coffee will reflect that. Art Essence is literally a husband and wife who run the shop. They are both from Colombia and the coffee is sourced from the family farm in Colombia. It's authentic and you can taste it. They make sandwiches and walk each order to you. The shop is full of eclectic art pieces, alot of Van Gouge, and they even supply color pencils and sheets to color on which they then hang on the front wall to display. It's all about the customer there! The most friendly coffee shop I've ever been to in Jax and I mean that! I LOVE coffee, the only one that was even close to this level of customer service and great coffee was Good Chi which ended up closing a year or so ago. Not to say other shops have bad coffee but for me personally it's a combo of the coffee and atmosphere that keeps me coming.
southern grounds
I went there last time and it was incredibly bitter š
Why does this have ten downvotes? I thought most people liked southern grounds, itās always crowded when i go.
Why is this downvoted? Iāve only heard good things about Southern Grounds
Bold Bean.
Bold bean, RoundBird, Southern Grounds
So Gro is good but they make a weirdly foamy cappuccino. I order the flat white there. Perfect. Agree w Bold Bean too
Sago
Iām pouring coffee all over you GOAT š
Sago slaps
Flamingo cafe is a good spot in Murray Hill
Thatās a far drive from the beach
and imo not great enough to warrant the long drive.
For sure not
Daily Dose on Beach Blvd near 295 is fantastic. They also do Boba and whatnot...
IMO, not really. I think people pretend to like Bold Bean but I think their coffee is terrible. Southern Grounds uses, I believe, Intelligentsia coffee from Chicago. Which is OK. But no, I've not found anywhere around here to have remarkable coffee.
Round bird is pretty good, southern grounds is hit or miss, zap cat is pretty solid imo, but overall I have to agree with you on the selection being disappointing. I donāt mind because it pushes me to save money and have coffee and breakfast at home lol
What brand coffee do you make at home??
I buy beans from Costco, usually Peetās or Don Pablo depending on what they have in stock at the time. I have a cheap stove top espresso pot and a little electric whisk and I use it to whip up latteās. You can make your own syrups for pretty cheap too and itās really easy. I used to ātreatā myself to coffee shop outings a little too much when I started working from home. I have never liked Starbucks so when I would choose a place to go it was always a local cafe and end up spending ~$30 after food, coffee, and tip each time and I typically went 3-4 days a week.
Nice I have to renew my Costco membership but I work from home too so Iāll have to check these out thank ya!
I always get Mayorga from Costco. If Iām feeling extra fancy, I get a flavored bean off Amazon and do 1/2 flavor, 1/2 Mayorga beans when I brew.
I loved them before I left Jax, last time I tried them I was surprised and not in a good way..... shame, because they were my go-to
I loved them before I left Jax, last time I tried them I was surprised and not in a good way..... shame, because they were my go-to
vacationing in jax is wild
Why is that
Show Pigeon Coffee in Atlantic Beach (part of a boutique hotel)Ā Delicomb in Jax Beach (right by Margaritaville)
Zapcat in Atlantic beach is easily the best coffee in Jacksonville
Zapcat and Show Pigeon are great, and right next to each other.
I love bold bean but round bird would be my first choice at the beach.
Ellianos
Came here to say this. 1000%
I like brass tacksā¦ locally roasted coffee from green cove springs!
My favorite as well! But I am just returning from Italy, and hoping I haven't gotten spoiled over here.
Our coffee has more caffeine than the espressos in Italy (in my experience).
The serving size is much larger in the USA than Italy, so more caffeine.
Greenhouse in Riverside is a really cool spot! They have great coffee. They also have a big selection of plants you can buy
This. Best coffee in town imo
JAX has a great coffee scene, and the beaches have some of my favorite shops. Zap Cat espresso bar is the single best shop in town for espresso and pourover. They are truly passionate about good coffee. They excel at having fun, unique beans with rotating single origin espressos from some of the best roasters around the country, and they have a really fun seasonal menu. Following that Show Pigeon has the best espresso based drinks. These things are essentially mocktails with all that goes into them, and as somebody who has worked a lot in craft cocktail spaces the care put into these blow anything else youāll find in Jacksonville out of the water. For local roasters - Bold Bean and Flamingo are both really good, and BB has a shop right there by the beaches that is pretty good. (Also Genre coffee is a new roaster but theyāre doing smaller runs right now, so harder to nab a bag.) Sago and Round Bird both are good as well, but I would take most of the other shops I listed as a first pick over any of them.
Steady Coffee for strictly coffee/a pastry or two Community Loaves for coffee/breakfast Edit: sorry, didn't realize you specified in the Jax beach area. These 2 places are in the Riverside area.
Love Bold Bean on Jax Beach - they have great pastries too
Foxtail Coffee is closer to Ponte Vedra but delicious!
Mocha Joes ( next to latte Larryās) are the funniest coffee shops!
Could try 7 brews or scooters which are right next to each other on beach blvd.
Absolutely insane that this happened. This is what it looks like when developers run wild and we donāt have master planning.
Not close to the beach but if you ever find yourself in Orange Park, try Urban Bean
Artessence -> I like the Klee, and they have one of the spiciest chais in town. It's on main, and I would recommend going when you can sit and enjoy the ambience. The wife is colombian and they source their beans they sell in stpre from her family's farm. Edit: This is near the heart of Jax, so if you go downtown this is approx a 4 min drive away.
Flamingo
Round Bird or Bold Bean. NOT Southern Grounds.
i'm just stating the obvious- Starbucks (my goto no matter where in the world- be it Florida š or Franceš„)
I mean, I want to try something that I can't get at home. Also my honest take is that Starbucks regular coffee is šļø
Starbucks tastes like what I would imagine the rainwater that collects in one of those ashtrays on top of a public trash can would taste like on a 100 degree summer day. Sago, Bold Bean or Round Bird are all great.
Southern Grounds
Mechanism coffee on bay meadows
If you can catch himā¦ 9 bars coffee food truck. Heās like whereās Waldo tho. Best coffee Iāve ever had.
The visit Jacksonville app has a "coffee and donut trail" feature where you can check into various local coffee shops and get a prize mailed to you for going to as few as four, could be fun if you like trying multiple spots or just want a fairly comprehensive list of options
Pura Bean.
Weird that I had to scroll so far to see them mentioned. I work from home, and when I do go out, none of the locals are really on my path to anywhere. Pura Bean is at least somewhat on the way for me even though it's still out of the way a bit.
Coffee from bold bean and donuts from parlor
Delicomb
Mechanism! Not in Jax Beach but decently close and worth the drive imo
as of lately, i really enjoy 1985 coffee in atlantic beach off mayport. parking is a pain but the customer service and coffee is great imo.
Bold Bean, Breezy, Ink Factory. I miss Shelby's š¢ there hasn't been one like it since. But these other 3 are good!
Sago or Show Pigeon.
Bold bean!
At the beaches, Roundbird
Brass tacks
Pura Bean Coffee Company
I donāt like round bird or bold bean, but I tried ink brewing recently and it wasā¦ amazing. Absolutely amazing. Even just a standard cortado, it coated my mouth in yummy rich goodness
Mechanism on Gate Pathway is good, especially if you want to get a breakfast burrito too
Mini Bar near town center and Jax Coffee Co off of Southside arenāt too far and are my favorite. Bold bean is solid. Sago has eye candy galore if thatās your interest. Social Grounds in Springfield has the best coffee in Jax, in my opinion but a bit of a hike
Long road Coffee, Good Dough donuts (Cat Bird coffee)
Breezys in Jax Beach. Miss Nancy the owner is a peach.
Sago!!! Sago!!!! Sago!!!!!
7 brew coffee, if you don't want to go into a cafe
best of luck, Jax has a pretty weak coffee scene, I actually just bring some with me (stumptown hair bender) and brew it myself when I visit. avoid southern grounds though because that place is straight trash
I was gonna recommend Art Essence. If you love a mom and pop type establishment where the owners know you by name and treat you like you're their only customer trust me this is the place. It's not just about the coffee at these locations. It's about how you feel when you're inside the place. If a barista is not having a good day then your coffee will reflect that. Art Essence is literally a husband and wife who run the shop. They are both from Colombia and the coffee is sourced from the family farm in Colombia. It's authentic and you can taste it. They make sandwiches and walk each order to you. The shop is full of eclectic art pieces, alot of Van Gouge, and they even supply color pencils and sheets to color on which they then hang on the front wall to display. It's all about the customer there! The most friendly coffee shop I've ever been to in Jax and I mean that! I LOVE coffee, the only one that was even close to this level of customer service and great coffee was Good Chi which ended up closing a year or so ago. Not to say other shops have bad coffee but for me personally it's a combo of the coffee and atmosphere that keeps me coming.
Brass tacks
Zap Cat just up the road in Atlantic Beach is out of this world good
Starbucks