Our 5 Favorite Small Coffee Shops in Tampa
We’ve been exploring around the craft coffee shop scene in Tampa for 2 years now trying to find the perfect latte. There is a lot of growth in the coffee scene here in Tampa with some amazing baristas and expanding brands so we compiled a shortlist to help you navigate.
Buddy Brew Coffee
With multiple locations, Buddy Brew has been growing at what seems to be breakneck speed but they haven’t sacrificed quality. The coffee is AMAZING. When we lived in San Francisco the “hippest” coffee place was Blue Bottle coffee and Buddy Brew has captured the same vibe. Roasting beans and making the highest quality cups of coffee we’ve seen in the city. Highly recommend their new location in South Tampa the one-off Kennedy, as well as the one Downtown. All are good and we highly recommend checking this place out!
Spaddy’s Coffee
When we bought our first investment property in Seminole Heights, Spaddy’s was recommended to us. Their location off Florida Avenue is “open-air” wedged between an awesome Cuban bakery and a hip thrift shop. Although their expansion hasn’t been as rapid as Buddy Brew they have made up for that with cool environments at each location and HIGH-quality pours. Their location off Interbay in South Tampa is worth checking out but the hippest spot is their Seminole Heights location worth stopping by. The environment is everything when it comes to a good coffee shop and Spaddy’s has nailed it.
Blind Tiger Coffee
Another great Seminole Heights Staple off Florida Avenue with a hip environment. This was the second coffee shop we checked out in Tampa when first arriving and it was such a breath of fresh air. Seeing the vegan pastry options made us feel welcome and the staff was super nice. Our guess is that Blind Tiger is growing as quickly as Buddy Brew given their new locations. Our favorite locations include the Tampa International Mall, Ybor City, and of course the Seminole Heights shop. Overall a great experience and we love seeing fast-growing high-quality shops like this!
Ginger Beard Coffee
Before the pandemic, we were members of Crunch in Channelside and stopped at Ginger Beard multiple times. It has a fantastic location in the courtyard with Crunch Fitness and right next to Publix for people to stop in. They specialize in Nitro Brewed coffee so you have fresh coffee ON TAP! We’ve been really into cold brew for a few years and Ginger Beard is the best in the bay hands down. It’s always good to see coffee shops focusing on a special niche and cold brew is such a great niche. Check this place out next time you’re in Channelside.
King State Coffee
This place feels like you’ve transported right into Brooklyn, NY. Located in an old car wash and car garage with roll-up doors it has such an amazing vibe. Everyone who works there is really kind and the food IS AMAZING! We’ve had multiple things on the menu and try to visit every time we’re in Seminole Heights to support them. Every time we’ve visited there has always been fellow young people working on their laptops and enjoying great coffee. It’s located minutes from Armature Works off Floribraska and 100% worth checking it out during the day.
Overall the Tampa coffee scene is growing quickly and we’re excited to watch it grow while supporting new shops when we can. Visiting each shop when we’re in the area to support them has become really important to us food wise they have great vegan options for every dietary restriction.
Our plan is to explore more in Saint Pete over the next couple years in Historic Kenwood and Central Ave so a future post will be coming soon. Have fun exploring the great coffee in Tampa bay!
Love,
Scooch and Steve
