Top Spots For Locally Roasted Coffee In Philadelphia
The Philadelphia coffee scene is better than ever. With a number of coffee shops offering locally roasted brews, there are plenty of options for a fresh cup of joe.
Chestnut Hill Coffee Co.
8620 Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19118
(215) 242-8600
www.chestnuthillcoffee.com
Located in charming Chestnut Hill, the rich smell of coffee roasting will welcome you after an afternoon of boutique shopping. Owner and experienced restaurateur Sultan Malikyar and barista John Hornall have created a whole new coffee standard for the area with drip coffees and espresso that are roasted in-house and served fresh. To produce the best roast, each batch is hand-calibrated based on sight and smell and packaged immediately for freshness. After only seven years in the business, Chestnut Hill Coffee Co. already has quite the following, and its fine products can be found in several other cafes and restaurants in the area.
Rival Bros. Coffee
Drexel University
N. 33rd St. and Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
www.rivalbros.com
Jonathan Adams and Damien Pileggi transformed an old delivery truck into a deluxe mobile coffee and espresso shop. The two Philadelphia natives roast their own coffee and work on the truck themselves, using the best coffee and espresso machines available. Rival Bros. serves and sells the self-roasted coffee by the 12-ounce bag from the truck and also from the Rival Bros. website. If you're looking for a quick caffeine fix, the truck is typically located at 33rd and Arch between 7:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., where you can enjoy tunes over a top-notch sound system while you wait. To stay up to date on the whereabouts of Rival Bros. Coffee, follow its Twitter page.
Plenty Café
1710 E. Passyunk Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19148
(267) 909-8033
www.plentyphiladelphia.com
Plenty Café is a gourmet café on East Passyunk Avenue which recently made Food & Wine Magazine's list for "best foodie streets." This unique spot offers salads, internationally-inspired sandwiches and exceptional coffee. The coffee is sourced from some of the area's best artisan roasters, such as ReAnimator, La Colombe Torrefaction and Rival Bros. Coffee. The beans are ground on site and brewed using top techniques, so you know the coffee is going to taste the way it's meant to.
HubBub Coffee Bar
1717 Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 665-1982
www.hubbubcoffee.com
HubBub Coffee Owner Drew Crockett got the original idea for his Philadelphia coffee concept in a unique way…while studying abroad in Australia. There, coffee shops served drinks called "flat whites," which were similar to a cappuccino but prepared with a double shot. After returning to Philadelphia, Crockett opened The HubBub Truck down the street from The University of Pennsylvania. The fully-stocked coffee truck offered an extensive menu of specialty drinks, all prepared as doubles in the flat white style. Later, HubBub expanded to a store in Logan Square, serving great brews from a variety of renowned roasters such as Stumptown Coffee Roasters based in Portland, Oregon and local Philadelphia favorites including Fishtown's ReAnimator. Stay tuned for plans to open a second HubBub location this fall on Spruce Street.
Related: Top Hot Drinks In Philadelphia
Old City Coffee
Reading Terminal Market
221 Church St.
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 629-9292
www.oldcitycoffee.com
Founded in 1984, Old City Coffee Inc. has a long history of serving Philadelphians fresh-roasted java. The former one-person operation run by Ruth Isaac expanded to include homemade baked goods and then found a home in the Reading Terminal Market in 1988. Since then, Old City Coffee has become the 25-seat European-style café that you visit today. With a dedication to the quality and the community, everything is roasted in-house in small batches to keep prices down and to guarantee the best quality possible.
Michelle Hein is a copy editor for a women's fashion company in Bucks County by day and a self-proclaimed food and drink fanatic by night and weekend. She enjoys attending wine classes, trying new recipes in the kitchen and going to old favorites and new restaurants alike in the Bucks County and Philadelphia area. If the writing gig doesn't pan out, she constantly dreams of owning her own bakery...perhaps connected to the restaurant/bar that her lawyer boyfriend would love to open.
