Pittsburgh’s Coolest Coffee Spots
So the boyfriend and I are obsessed with coffee. Trying out new coffee spots around our beloved city of Pittsburgh has been something we’ve incorporated into our weekend mornings.
This little adventure started out when we were trying out a new restaurant (I have no idea which one) and Mike picked up the “Urbanist”. The Urbanist is a pamphlet thing that are free to pick up and lists awesome restaurants, bars, shops, and general things to do around the city. We decided to check off all the coffee spots on their list. Once we crossed off a few, we then expanded our search to places not on the list that we’d heard of or just had driven by.
Here is some info on the few we’ve checked out thus far....
Big Dog Coffee: Sarah St. Southside, Pittsburgh
Big Dog was the first on our list. The atmosphere of the coffee shop was pretty cool. The walls were exposed brick and adorned with local artist’s work. It was also fairly packed, although we were able to snag a little table near the door. Yes, dogs are allowed inside the shop, we got to pet a few while their owners waited for their coffee. Mike has decided to only get straight up coffee to test who in the city has the best, I have decided to try cappuccinos. My cap and his coffee were alright. Not my favorite, I think we liked the vibe of the shop more than the actual beverages. We are thinking of going back and giving it another shot since this was first on the list, maybe we’ll try something different.
#bigdogcoffee #southside #pittsburgh #coffee
Commonplace at Voluto: Penn Ave, East Liberty
One snowy Saturday morning, Mike and I set out to try Zeke’s coffee. We punched in the address and set out for the East Liberty area of Pittsburgh. Upon arriving, we realized that the address we found online took us to a closed down coffee shop. So we rode around trying to figure out where we wanted to go and happened to pass Commonplace. We made a U-turn and parked. It was a small storefront with large, bright windows and a cozy atmosphere. I had a cappuccino while Mike ordered a regular coffee and we each had giant chocolate chip cookie. The drinks were delicious, my cap even had some foam art on top. The guys behind the counter were very nice and we ended up hanging out for almost an hour, just watching the snow fall. We want to check out the other Commonplace locations around Pittsburgh to rank which one is the best. I would definitely recommend Commonplace at Voluto if you’re ever in that neck of the woods.
#commonplaceatvoluto #eastliberty #pittsburgh #coffee
Cup-ka Joe: 27th & Sarah, Southside, Pittsburgh
Next up was Cup-ka Joe’s. This was not on the Urbanist list, but I had driven past it for years and always wanted to check it out. So we drove down one Sunday morning to give it a go. We not only ordered coffee, but also breakfast sandwiches, which I must say, were pretty delicious. Mike did not get straight up coffee, he ordered some wacky thing with chocolate, but loved it. I ordered a gingerbread flavored coffee, not the best, but that was a poor decision on my part, I just wanted to try something new. Fail. The building is pretty cool, it has these giant garage doors that open up into the little parking area for the summer months, we went in the fall/winter so we snagged 2 comfy chairs and a table and parked it for over an hour. We actually liked Cup-ka Joe so much, we recently went back. This time we brought my dog Milo and got straight up coffees. Milo and I picked a table in the sun while Mike ordered us our drinks. We got breakfast sandwiches again, Milo even got a little taste. I think we will be repeat customers. The coffee was pretty good. We both enjoyed not only the atmosphere but also the plain ole coffee.
#cupkajoe #southside #pittsburgh #coffee
Espresso a Mano: Butler St., Pittsburgh
Espresso a Mano was next on our list. So we set out for trendy Lawrenceville, since apparently that’s where all the cool kids go now. Boy were we pleasantly surprised! Mike got a regular coffee and chocolate chip cookie, I got a (very pretty) cappuccino and a cinnamon/currant scone. This place was pretty busy, we got to do some people watching and made some silly faces at some kids who sat at the table behind us. I actually liked my cap so much, I got a second to go! The vibe of this place was really cool. Very hipster, but cozy too. Espresso a Mano has exposed brick walls covered with local art and a simple coffee/espresso bar area, the rest of the fairly large shop was filled with tables and couches for patrons to sit back and relax. We will definitely be returning to this coffee spot.
#espressoamano #lawrenceville #pittsburgh #coffee
21st Street Coffee: Smallman St., Strip District, Pittsburgh
This past weekend we decided to cross of our very last coffee spot from our Urbanist list. We packed up Milo and headed to the Strip. I had a cappuccino, of course while Mike tried a regular coffee. However, at 21st street, a regular coffee isn’t brewed like any ‘ole coffee, they use a cone filter and pour water over the ground up beans and into the cup for 4 minutes. I wasn’t a fan, I thought his coffee tasted more like tea, but my cappuccino was delicious! The atmosphere was very hip and trendy with its exposed brick, wood and metal railings. Milo and I snagged a table outside while Mike went in to get the drinks. It was a perfect morning in Pittsburgh. Good coffee, great weather and my favorite boys.
After our coffees, we walked a down a few store fronts to Peace, Love and Little Donuts. Even Milo got to enjoy a little donut treat. We would rank PL&LD a 10 outta 10. I had the chocolate glaze donut while Mike enjoyed the Oreo crunch (which basically looked more like dessert than a breakfast pastry). The smell alone was intoxicating. We walked by on our way to coffee and immediately said as soon as they opened at 9, we had to come back. Not on the Urbanist list, but most definitely worth a try.
#21stcoffee #peacelove&littledonuts #stripdistrict #pittsburgh #coffee #donuts
More about our coffee adventures to come!! Stay tuned :)
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