After a big weekend that likely culminated with you dancing around The Lower Deck until 2am, the only proper way to dive into this week is with a piping hot cup of black coffee and an unshakable attitude. Forego the double-double at Tim’s, and mix up your routine with a fair trade, organic mocha-cappa-frappa-ccino from one of these awesome Halifax cafés. Lots of the places listed below also serve amazing food, and many make for great study spots!
1. Smiling Goat // 1475 Lower Water Street
Located right in downtown Halifax, Smiling Goat Café is the perfect place to head downtown if you’re looking for a genuinely amazing espresso. Their shop is right on the boardwalk, with an incredible view of the harbor and some delicious sandwiches on the menu. It’s the perfect place to relax after spending a day on the waterfront! There’s also a location on South Park Street if that’s closer to you.
2. Uncommon Ground // 1030 South Park Street
Uncommon Ground is part of a chain of establishments called the Uncommon Group which all strive to sell local products at an affordable price. Their sister organizations sell Rum Cake and Ice Cream, while Uncommon Ground specializes in high quality coffee, espresso drinks and amazing baked goods!
3. Coburg Coffee // 6085 Coburg Road
A popular student hang out located basically on campus at Coburg and Henry Street, Coburg Coffee sells high quality coffee in addition to sandwiches bagels and desserts. There’s usually local art hanging on the walls, making the spacious and brightly lit Coburg Coffee a popular place to hang out and study.
4. Steve-O-Reno’s // 1536 Brunswick Street
This tiny spot on the side of Brunswick street is easy to miss if you’re not looking for it, but keep an eye out for their awesome patio and great breakfast deals next time you’re in the area! Food is served until 3pm, and drinks are super affordable
5. The Wired Monk // 5147 Morris Street
Another amazing spot to grab an espresso in Halifax, The Wired Monk serves some of the finest coffee in the city. With a great location right down town, The Wired Monk has an old fashioned ambiance that makes it a great café to hang out and have dessert.
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6. The Nook On Gottingen // 2118 Gottingen Street
This classy north end café is not only a great spot to get high quality coffee, but they also serve some delicious cocktails and craft beer. Go for the coffee, but stay for the incredible entrees and baked goods – The Nook is taking Halifax café standards to the next level with their incredible menu!
7. Just Us! Coffee & Tea House // 5896 Spring Garden Road
Another student staple, Just Us! has a huge selection of espresso drinks, coffee beans, teas, cups, cupcakes, they really have it all – even cold brew! All the products they sell in the store are fair trade and organic, making the quality that much more remarkable. Their second floor is also a great spot to hang out and get some work done.
8. Lion and Bright // 2534 Agricola Street
This north end hangout is really a bar/bistro/café highbred, all lumped into one beautifully renovated space. Head over during the day for a delicious espresso drink and some food, made in house using local ingredients. Stick around pretending to get work done until five when the bar opens, then be sure to try some of their wild artisanal cocktails - the cantaloupe mojito is a personal favorite!
9. Cabin Coffee // 1554 Hollis Street
True to its name, hanging out at Cabin Coffee feels like you’re grabbing coffee at a chalet or a lodge in the country. The big stone fireplace and leather couches in Cabin Coffee make this a really comfortable place to go for drinks and dessert next time you’re downtown.
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10. Humani-T Café // 1451 South Part Street
With an affordable food menu and awesome espresso drinks available, Humani-T is one of our favorite spots to coffee and get some work done. The store places emphasis on using local ingredients in all their food and drink products, while also promoting local artists with the work they put on display to customers.
11. Pavia Espresso Bar & Café // 5440 Spring Garden Rd
Located in the incredible Halifax Public Library, Pavia serves some really high quality espresso drinks, perfectly complimented by their ever changing selection of baked goods, panini’s and soups. Grab coffee and lunch before hanging out in the stacks!
12. Altergos Coffee House // 2193 Gottingen Street
Alteregos is another awesome spot to check out next time you’re in the north end. Not only does this place have awesome coffee, desserts and beer, but if you’re SUPER zonked and caffeine just won’t do the trick feel free to crash here for the night! Alteregos has a hostel above it, where travellers hang out when they visit Halifax.
13. Le French Fix Patisserie // 5233 Prince Street
In addition to their wide selection of French coffee brands, Le French Fix Patisserie sells artisanal, hand crafted pastries, created by French pastry chef Geoggroy Chevallier. Next time you’re looking for something fancy to blow away brunch guests, pick up some of their desserts along with a cappuccino!
14. Narrow Espresso // 5570 Fenwick Street
Narrow Espresso is a little place on Fenwick that serves really high quality coffee and espresso drinks. They only serve drinks made with premium quality, organic, fair trade & locally roasted coffee beans, which are delivered fresh weekly. In addition to the traditional coffee menu they also serve seasonal drinks, tea and smoothies!
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15. Java Blend // 6027 North Street
In 1938, Java Blend was founded on the tradition of bringing coffee “direct from the roaster to your cup,” and 80 years later they continue to uphold that philosophy by making the highest quality fair trade coffee beans from all over the world available to their customers in Halifax.
16. Seven Bays // 2019 Gottingen St
Not only is Seven Bays a great place to grab coffee and beers, but they also have a climbing wall that patrons can traverse and work out on! Monthly membership is super affordable, only $64 for students, providing Haligonians with a very cool way to workout indoors during the winter. They also have an unreal patio space!
17. The Daily Grind // 1479 Birmingham Street
The Daily Grind is a cozy place right off Spring Garden Road to grab coffee, relax and escape the daily…wait…They also serve really delicious homemade sandwiches, baked goods, smoothies and soups!
18. Dilly Dally Eats // 6100 Quinpool Road
Right on the corner of Quinpool and Vernon, Dilly Dally is committed to serving local, small batch, market to table coffee, food, wine and beer. The quality of their ingredients is apparent in the delicious espresso based drinks and yummy comfort food they serve.
19. The Other Bean // 6220 Quinpool Road
Also on Quinpool Road, The Other Bean replaced Ireland 32 in 2014, with a renewed commitment to serving local business’s. New owner Steve Maly sources the best baked good from places all over Halifax, including Jane’s Next Door, Café Cempoal and Local Source Bakery. The sandwiches here go perfectly with an espresso or cappuccino!