While there are plenty of coffee shops on every block, not all bean pushers are made the same. If you want something more than a quick conversation at the counter or drive-thru window, then it’s worth your while to check out a coffee shop with a little more culture and cool factor surrounding the menu. If you’re in Iowa, these comfortable coffee shops can be found throughout the state, and to help you find the perfect blend of coffee drinks and hip atmosphere, check out these 5 coolest coffee shops in Iowa.
With a comprehensive menu featuring specialty drinks, ice cream varieties and more lunch and dinner options than you can count, plus the self-reported best coffee in town, it’s not just the ordering options that make Smoky Row such a popular coffee shop. It’s the ambiance that really adds to your experience here, and when you’re sitting in the modern 1950s-inspired booths next to the all brick walls holding weight to a high ceiling, you’ll feel for yourself why Smokey Row could be your next favorite place to be.
Listed as one of the “Best Coffee Shops in America” by the Food Network, the Lantern Coffeehouse and Roastery labels itself as a next-gen ma & pa coffee shop and aspires to provide Sibley and the state of Iowa with not only a safe space to gather, but an awareness of taste and best coffee practices with their small-batch, specialty coffee they roast in house. Whether you’re looking for a well-crafted cup of coffee, or an aromatic area to hang out in, perhaps even an open-mike night, then the Lantern Coffeehouse and Roastery is the next coffee stop for you.
Take a trip to Mars in Des Moines and you won’t be disappointed. While there is no anti-gravity amongst the many seats in Mars Café, with a full breakfast and lunch menu available, plus an array of pour options for their Kickapoo Coffee blends, you can at least begin to breach the atmosphere of daily life at the Mars Café. With a comfortable floor space, Mars Café is popular with the students of Drake University who share the same neighborhood, and soon could be your next favorite coffee shop station.
With a colorful flair and comfortable atmosphere, the Cup of Joe Coffee Shop and Espresso Bar offers a lot more than the fair-trade, organic and shade grown coffee on their menu. Alongside the locally-sourced, homemade baked goods for sale, and the long list of specialty drinks including items like a “Screaming Chicken Latte,” Cup of Joe also strives to remain a cultural hub in Cedar Falls, featuring local music events on the floor space and regional art on the walls.
Forget the grounds floors in Iowa Falls, the Book Cellar and Coffee Attic provides the perfect place to enlighten your mind and treat your taste buds. Built with a passion and love for gathering people, the Book Cellar and Coffee Attic came to be in 2001, and since then has been providing just that for the Iowa Falls community, a great place to gather and appreciate some of the finer things in life.