Best Locally-owned Coffee Shops In Baltimore
By Joel Furches
Hot or cold weather, everyone needs a good coffee fix. While pricey coffee chains are never further than a stone's throw, few things are as exciting as discovering a local coffee stop that delivers the goods in a way that a chain never could.
As eclectic and business-driven as the city of Baltimore is, you may be sure that it is brimming with locations eager to serve up a cup of fine brew to win your patronage. For those who don't have the time to go snooping all over Baltimore in order to find a hidden treasure of caffeinated goodness, consider the locations on this list. You may just find your new favorite coffee spot.
Artifact Coffee
1500 Union Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21211
(410) 235-1881
www.artifactcoffee.com
You can't go wrong setting up shop in a reclaimed factory building. Artifact comes off as rustic and charming in its location, and it proves itself to be the same in its service and menu items.
Come in to Artifact solo and try something from its stunning menu of hot drinks and hot bites, or bring a group and arrange to have AC host and cater your event with an on-site Woodberry Kitchen chef.
Zeke's Coffee
4719 Harford Road
Baltimore, MD 21214
(410) 254-0122
www.zekescoffee.com
If you're looking for a hot brew in a chill atmosphere, Zeke's has got you covered. A family-owned cafe, the key word for Zeke's is "freshness." All of its coffees are roasted and ground on-site, using the unique fluid bed coffee roaster. This device uses hot air and roasts to temperature, being more thoroughly roasted and sporting less debris than most other roasting techniques. It also offers a distinct regional flavoring to the various coffees.
Its pride in its preparation and roasting techniques makes Zeke's a fine place to purchase coffee by the pound as well as by the cup.
Koba Cafe
644 E. Fort Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 986-0366
www.facebook.com/KOBACAFEBaltimore
Koba Cafe has a coffee-house vibe with its brick wall interior and the art that decorates the inside. And like any good coffee shop, Koba serves up its espresso side by side with some tasty light lunch fair. This makes it a perfect midday stop: fuel up for the rest of the day with your favorite brew and use that coffee to wash down some of the food you will end up craving again the next day, come noon. Koba also has a variety of breakfast sandwiches, so if you crave its coffee in the morning, you still have options.
Related: Best Places For Iced Coffee In Baltimore
Koffee Therapy Cafe
6 E. Franklin St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
(877) 764-5241
www.koffeetherapy.com
A cross between a hipster cafe and the hangout in the show Friends, Koffee Therapy sports couches for lounging around on while you are enjoying one of its many organic coffees to go right along with its organic food.
The cafe is fairly eclectic, aiming to offer the broadest service to the broadest demographic, ranging from housewives to businessmen to college kids. The cafe succeeds in this mission reasonably well, too, offering a very comfortable setting with a variety of coffee big enough to suit most palettes. The sandwiches and wraps are almost deli quality, which makes for good eating as well as good sips.
Ceremony Coffee Roasters
520 Park Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21201
(443) 835-1659
www.ceremonycoffee.com
While a lot of coffee joints try to appeal to the hipster demographic, Ceremony has a much more modern and fashionable feel to it. With style in its looks, Ceremony also adds style to its brews, marching out a long line of experimental drinks, like its Colombia Los Mangos - a coffee that somehow manages to seamlessly blend the rich taste of coffee bean with the sweet taste of caramel and the tangy taste of fruit. This is just one in Ceremony's "rare and experimental" series of coffees. But don't worry, Ceremony also serves up all of the old favorites in addition to its distinctly original flavors. Ceremony also has some tasty finger foods if you like to chew and sip at the same time.
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