After gaining a following with her pop-up run inside of Stein’s Deli, local barista Lauren Fink opened the Cherry Coffee shop on Laurel in 2016, now an Uptown favorite, and a second shop two years later. She’s also since launched her own local roasting operation, but still sometimes features guest roasters.

This Mid City joint is easy to spot from the street with its unusual architecture, but it's what's inside that makes it a must-try. Sweet and savory baked goods made in-house accompany a robust coffee menu, with espresso drinks, Chemex and V60 pourovers. Everything's made with high quality products in house, so you can't go wrong.

Church Alley is a charming community-driven cafe in Mid City, one that consistently shows up in a big way for its neighborhood. It’s also vastly expanded its food offerings, which include beet and apple salad, tahini avocado toast, and smoked ham and cheddar scones, as well as monthly drink specials.

This Mid City newcomer was founded by local couple Christopher and Adam Ford during the pandemic as a coffee brand. Now up and running as a coffee shop, breakfast, and brunch spot on Canal Street, it’s dazzling Mid City with its New Orleans-style breakfasts, but has stayed close to its roots with an emphasis on excellent coffee.

The Bean Gallery is a longtime Mid City favorite serving Turkish coffee and specialty teas, outlasting many of the shops that have come and gone and over the years. It’s open early and closes late, and there’s lots of seating indoor and out to enjoy drinks and the relatively large food menu of paninis, bagel sandwiches, avocado toast, and sweets.

New Orleans coffee vet Tom Oliver opened Coffee Science on S. Broad near the courthouse at the beginning of 2018, joining a growing number of new businesses in the area. While primarily about world-class coffee, the shop also serves pastries, sandwiches, and salads, as well as a revival of a few of Kaldi’s most popular iced coffee drinks. Coffee Science consistently hosts the best pop-ups in the city on Sundays.

This Uptown shop had to close its Magazine Street shop during the pandemic, but the beloved coffee outlet also has a home on the Lafitte Greenway — and it’s open late (til 8 p.m., a rarity in New Orleans). Hey! expertly roasts and brews coffee manually, boasting a “temperature profiling system,” and serves bagels, pastries,  and breakfast tacos.  

Park Island Brew is one of the most exciting new coffee shops in New Orleans, opened in 2020 on Gentilly Boulevard by Kevin Davis and business partner Chachera Brantley. The lovely corner building has become a neighborhood gathering place for its intricate espresso drinks — like the new rosemary lavender shakerato — and sweet treats.

This LGD coffee shop is a great spot to do work fueled by an array of breakfast/lunch items (including vegan and gluten-free). Everything — drinks and a substantial food menu — is made fresh to order. Plus, it may be the most stylish coffee shop around with its art deco design and mid-century decor.

Treme’s Old Road Coffee always has something new to offer, from kombucha tastings to Honduran breakfasts to art markets showcasing some extremely talented local vendors. Serving coffee from Congregation Roasters and Mojo, Old Road also serves fresh pastries and breakfast sandwiches made by a local mother-daughter team daily.

With three locations (Magazine St., Freret St., and inside the Saint Hotel on Canal), plus a successful foray into roasting, this LGD shop is still innovating in the New Orleans coffee world. Check out the coffee cocktails like the espresso gimlet, a double shot of espresso layered on top of a combination of lemon, lime, and simple syrup. Visit any of Mojo’s locations for a wide variety of locally-roasted signature beans, a four pack of 32-ounce cold brews, and even milked oats. Bonus: the location on Magazine is open late.

French Truck is one of the city’s most well-known brands, thanks in part to the identifiable shops and trucks. The charming LGD location fronts French Truck's roasting facility, which provides beans for its own cold and hot coffee drinks as well as a thriving wholesale operation.

Treme Coffeehouse is a gem; bright, cheery, full of local art, free wifi, tasty savories and sweets, excellent java (yes, including cold brew) small and community minded — all reasons to visit again and again.

A Marigny longtimer beloved by its neighborhood, Orange Couch is a bright, modern spot that attracts a mix of artists, students, retirees, tourists, and writers (it’s a favorite of hometown hero and famed author Maurice Carlos Ruffin). There’s a handful of sidewalk tables and a takeout window on Royal Street, making it a great option for a coffee with friends or grabbing something for a stroll in the pretty Marigny.

This corner shop is a longtime locals favorite in the Marigny; fondly heralded for its friendly and funky atmosphere and for serving an excellent hot breakfast in addition to quality coffee and espresso drinks. Sit in one of three cozy rooms inside or on the raised sidewalk seating — all offer a pleasant setting. Love that this shop also serves mimosas and other drinks, if you’re done with coffee for the day.

Congregation Coffee is the brainchild of a New Orleans native and a Seattle transplant who met while working at Cochon Butcher. As one of the newest roasteries in town it’s quickly gained a following, with a cafe and retail shop in Algiers Point serving espresso drinks daily and sometimes hosting weekend brunch pop ups. These beans are the ones to use if you have a fancy espresso machine.

This neighborhood coffee shop with a mission (it raises money for Bethel Family House, a faith-based addiction recovery center), serves kolaches — nola-ches — pastries, breakfast sandwiches, frappes, and coffee drinks. As a major bonus, it’s open late, until 9 p.m. daily.

Formerly called Solo Espresso, Lowpoint on Poland Avenue might just be the Upper Ninth Ward’s favorite coffee shop. A bit of a hidden gem, some would be surprised to learn the grab-and-go spot tucked away on a jungly corner lot is serving some of the city’s best coffee and espresso drinks.