Coffee in Grand Rapids

Madcap Coffee

Named one of the nation’s best coffee roasters by Epicurious, Men’s Journal, Thrillist and more, Madcap distributes to locations across the U.S. But only in Grand Rapids can you experience the full Madcap effect, complete with award-winning barista service – at the company’s Downtown and Uptown locations.

Rowster Coffee

You pronounce the “row” in Rowster like “row your boat” – a nod to both the clean, fresh waters of West Michigan and the waters of each global region from which Rowster sources beans. The company distributes its small-batch coffee blends to its Uptown café – once named Michigan’s best coffee shop by Business Insider – as well as to restaurants and grocery stores.

Ferris Coffee & Nut Co.

This family-owned company has roasted and distributed specialty coffees (and gourmet nuts) since 1924. The company serves up a wide variety of coffee drinks in a retail café at its West Side headquarters and supplies products to many local grocery stores, restaurants and businesses.

Grand Rapids Coffee Roasters

This wholesale micro-batch roaster supplies 30+ local businesses and hundreds of retail customers – and it opens to the public every Saturday for a unique education and tasting experience.

Schuil Coffee Co

One of the first Michigan companies to roast, package and sell specialty coffees continues to wholesale coffee and tea from around the world to Midwest retailers, coffee shops and restaurants. It operates a retail coffee shop at its Kentwood roasting facility.

Herman's Boy

Carrying on the legacy of The Coffee Ranch, a coffee roaster founded in Grand Rapids in 1901, Herman’s Boy roasts the highest grade coffees from around the world on premises – and serves them at its Rockford coffee shop, along with baked goods, deli items, candy, fudge and kitchen gadgets. Named Michigan’s “Best Hidden Gem Restaurant” by Taste of Home in 2024.

Littlefoot Coffee Roasters

Named 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Michigan State University Product Center, Littlefoot roasts a variety of seasonal single-origin and blend varieties, both whole bean and ground, at its Grandville headquarters. You can order their coffees online for shipping or curbside pickup.

Lantern Coffee Bar and Lounge

Opened in downtown’s historic Heartside district in 2013, Lantern Coffee Bar and Lounge started roasting its own coffees a decade later for greater control over its product and more transparency in its processes. You can enjoy a variety of coffee drinks (and snacks) in Lantern’s cozy split-level space, which is lined with a mix of tables and lounge-style seating.

Last Mile Café

This Black- and woman-owned operation is committed to “making coffee better” by sourcing ethically grown and sustainable beans, collaborating with other community businesses and donating 10% of all revenue to locally selected causes. Located in the Ottawa Hills neighborhood on the city’s southeast side, Last Mile serves numerous styles of coffee, plus tea and snacks, in its warn and airy cafe.

Wildroast Coffee Co.

Wildroast opened a coffee shop in a historic Grandville building in 2018 before beginning to roast its own coffee in 2022. Their partnerships with farmers, producers, baristas, roasters and fellow businesses have helped them grow and nurture a shared coffee culture and experience.

Jam’nBean Coffee Company

Jam’nBean roasts coffee fresh daily and serves it up hot and delicious at its Ada and Cascade cafés. Organic loose leaf teas and crafted-in-house gourmet popcorn are also available. You can order their coffees online or stop by their Grandville “Cabin Room” Saturdays from 9am-3pm.

MudPenny

MudPenny roasts coffee daily and serves it up at its Boston Square neighborhood tasting room, Monday-Wednesday from 8am-2pm, along with coffee beans and specialty drinks. Their baristas use house-made sauces and syrups, Mooville creamline milk and milk substitutes like organic almond and oat milks to craft top-quality coffee drinks. The coffee is also available at MudPenny restaurant locations in downtown GR and Ada.

Morningsong Coffee Roasters

This Grand Rapids business specializes in high-grade coffees meticulously roasted for clean, distinct taste and unique flavor. Morningsong coffees are served in downtown’s Field & Fire Café and at Sweetland Candies in Grand Rapids and Rockford. Its blends are also available for online purchase.

Quickwater Coffee Roasters

This roastery is located on the Rogue River in Rockford, 20 minutes from downtown Grand Rapids. Quickwater uses its roasts to create great pourovers and other drinks, which you can enjoy inside or outside on the riverside patio in Rockford, and at Quickwater Coffee & Bake Shop in Cedar Springs. Quickwater will also be the main commercial tenant in a new apartment complex set to open in GR’s Creston neighborhood in 2024.

The Grand Rapids area is also home to an abundance of locally owned coffee shops featuring selections from the companies profiled above and other master roasters. Popular gathering spots include:

• Bagel Beanery , located along downtown GR’s Medical Mile, has been one of the area’s favorite spots for coffee and quick breakfasts and lunches since 1995.
• Bitter End Coffee House, a 24/7 coffee café on the city’s West Side, just a few blocks from downtown.
• The Bradbury Café is a European-inspired coffee café nestled inside Uptown GR’s Stoffer Home, a beautifully curated home décor shop.
•  Brody’s Be Café in Ada and its sister shop, Liam’s Be Café in Lowell, provide meaningful employment to individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities in addition to serving great coffee.
• Chateau Grand Rapids is an Uptown coffee and wine bar featuring coffee bean selections shipped fresh from SEY Coffee in Brooklyn, NY.
• Chartreuse Sisters, also in Uptown, offers a selection of signature lattes and coffees to complement its delectable French pastries.
• Common Ground, an Uptown favorite with a menu of locally roasted fair-trade organic coffees plus a wide variety of specialty drinks.
• The Eden Café, serves up coffee, smoothies and more in its intentionally inclusive and welcoming location on Bridge Street. 
• EverPlay Café is a full-service coffee bar for adults and a creative play space for kids, located in Cascade Township.
• Foxtail Coffee Co. in Ada is the first Michigan location of a Florida-based purveyor of responsibly sourced beans and artisanal coffee beverages.
• Haggerty’s is a cozy, sustainability-minded coffee house just down the street from Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
• HAS HEART Coffee Shop is run by American military veterans and is in a historic building in downtown GR’s Veterans Memorial Park.
• The Happy Cat Café, serving up coffee, kittens and purr happiness on the edge of downtown.
• Kaffeine Place bar & restaurant in the Medical Mile neighborhood offers a range of specialty coffees, lattes and pour overs worthy of its name.
• Kava Kasa specializes in naturally caffeine-free drinks made with kava root but it also has organic fair trade and genuine Sicilian espresso on its menu.
• Local Mocha, which serves fair and organic direct trade coffees from Grand Rapids Coffee Roasters in its downtown shop.
• Lotus Brew Coffee/Dry Bar is a queer-owned coffee shop welcoming the LGBTQ+ community and allies in the city’s Uptown neighborhood.
• Lyon Street Café, serving locally roasted coffees in the historic Heritage Hill neighborhood adjacent to downtown GR.
• Midnight Express Café, an all-day coffee shop close to Grand Valley State University’s downtown GR campus.
• Moka Roots Coffee House, serving authentic Yemini coffee and tea, Turkish coffee and more inside Kentwood’s Super Green Market.
• Morning Ritual, a West Side shop specializing in handcrafted floral and herbal coffee flavors.
• PaLatté Coffee & Art, a downtown shop offering an ever-changing gallery of local artists’ work along with delectable coffees, teas and pastries.
• Pochis Colombian Restaurant & Café, your go-to for authentic Colombian coffees (and food) in downtown GR.
• Roots Brew Shop, a West Side destination for premium coffee and freshly made food.
• Sakura Bubble Tea & Coffee in Kentwood offers Vietnamese coffee and specialty coffees in addition to flavored teas and energy drinks.
• Sip Coffee & Cocktails in Alger Heights – look for the massive zinnias wall mural outside – serves up coffee and espresso drinks, craft cocktails, mocktails, and artisanal flatbreads.
• Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea, on the north edge of downtown, is known for real ingredient-focused, globally-influenced beverages.
• Downtown’s Social Misfits pairs micro-roasted artisanal coffees with craft cocktails and scratch-made waffle dishes.
• Squibb Coffee maintains a Coffee & Wine Bar in Uptown, Rise + Squibb coffee shop + bakery on the West Side and a Coffee Bar in the Grand Rapids Downtown Market.  
• Stovetop Café in Uptown features coffees freshly roasted two hours down the road in Ann Arbor.
• Wilderness Expressions in Walker offers a cozy space decorated like a rustic cabin in which to enjoy its freshly brewed coffee drinks and cold beverages.

Relax with a cup of coffee, tea or other craft beverage on an outdoor patio at these shops:

• Madcap Coffee on Fulton Street is located in a renovated auto body shop and it opens its garage doors to extend seating into the outdoors in warm weather. 
• Jam’nBean Coffee Company - Cascade provides summer seating on its landscaped front yard and expansive backyard deck. 
• Outside Coffee Co. furnishes its beautiful garden setting with tables, chairs, hammocks and geodomes for serene outdoor sipping in any weather.
• Sparrows Coffee offers a selection of outdoor seating at its Creston location at Kingma’s Market. Enjoy more Sparrows Coffee at Scorpion Hearts Club, which provides a dog-friendly outdoor seating area.
• Lucy’s Café is a coffee bar, bakery and breakfast/lunch destination offering a spacious street-front patio shaded with bright green umbrellas.
• That Early Bird in Uptown serves a hearty cup of joe – plus breakfast and lunch – on a shaded patio for protection from the sun.
• The spacious patio at Rise Authentic Baking Co. + Squibb Coffee is a hidden gem with an array of chairs, tables, umbrellas, Wi-Fi, and charging outlets.
• Sip Coffee & Cocktails in Alger Heights serves coffee, cocktails, spirit-free drinks, and a variety of dips and flatbreads on their wide street-front patio. 
• The Stray opens its dog-friendly coffee garden in warmer weather and hosts live music every Friday and Saturday throughout the year.
• Located on the park grounds of Grand Rapids Veterans Memorial Park, Has Heart Coffee Shop is a veteran-run shop with a spacious outdoor patio.

A number of local breweries use coffee in select beer recipes. Some best bets include Breakfast Stout at Founders Brewing Company , Sabotage Milk Stout at Hudsonville Pike 51 Brewing Co. , the Atomic Sky Nitro at Creston Taproom, Coconut Vanilla Java Porter at Atwater Brewery, and Dragon’s Milk Reserve: Coffee Chocolate, a bourbon barrel-aged stout at New Holland Brewing - The Knickerbocker.

Several local distillers have incorporated rich coffee flavor into their handcrafted spirits. For example: Long Road Distillers teamed with Madcap Coffee to create Amaro Pazzo, an Italian herbal liqueur blended with coffee. Eastern Kille Distillery uses locally roasted coffee beans in its Coffee Liqueur. Bier Distillery crafts a Hopjes-Coffee Candy Liqueur. Arktos, a local meadery, uses locally roasted and cold-brewed coffee in its Cricket Song Mead.

Try the tiramisu at Amore Trattoria Italiana, cappuccino cake at The Cakabakery, espresso crème brûlée at Gravity Taphouse & Grille, coffee macarons at Le Bon Macaron, mint mocha dark chocolate bon bon at MoKAYA, baklava served with Turkish coffee at Zivio and Madcap Coffee ice cream at Love’s Ice Cream & Chocolate.

Note: Beer, spirit and menu selections may change, please check availability with individual locations before you go.

Get your coffee fix throughout the Grand Rapids area. Search our coffeehouses.