Looking for the best Charlottesville, VA coffee shops and cafes? Don’t worry, you’ve found them all – right here!
Charlottesville residents must really love their coffee. That is the only explanation I have for finding a really great café on every corner. There is no better way to explore this charming city than to visit its coffee shops. Or at least that was my excuse for spending an entire day tasting everything: from ristretto and Americano to affogatos and some powerful espressos.
Many Charlottesville cafes roast their own beans so the smell of freshly roasted coffee is everywhere. Most have a lovely atmosphere, cozy seating, plenty of light and spacious tables for coffee drinkers to work on their laptops, read, and just watch the world go by.
Some coffee shops bake their own pastries, make sandwiches or offer a fine choice of breakfast and lunch items.
Let’s go through the cafes one by one:
Shenandoah Joe Coffee Roasters Cafes
For the true coffee aficionados, a visit to Shenandoah Joe Coffee Roasters’ main shop and roastery on Preston Street is a treat. The smell of freshly roasted coffee will pull you in from the street straight to their espresso bar.
Their review scores are awesome: 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor, 4.9/5 on Facebook.
Shenandoah Joe has been the Charlottesville coffee icon since 2007.
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They make four espressos daily, including decaf. Shenandoah Joe offers high quality beans selected with a lot of love and care from coffee growers from all over the world.
Pick one of the 25 kinds of their specialty coffees, have a look at the roasting process, buy some beans to take home and enjoy the lively atmosphere and the buzz of people sharing our love of good java.
They have multiple locations:
- PRESTON ESPRESSO BAR, 945 Preston Ave, Charlottesville, VA, Number 434.295.4563
- IVY COFFEE BAR, 2214 Ivy Road, Charlottesville, VA, 434.923.4563
- CORNER JOE, 1325 West Main Street Shop C, Charlottesville, VA, 434.817.0456
- ROASTERY, 945 Preston Ave, Charlottesville, VA, 434.295.4563
- HARRISONBURG, 64 South Mason Street Suite 100 (Urban Exchange Building), Harrisonburg, VA, 540.574.4563
Their socials:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Greenberry’s Coffee Roasters
Greenberry’s has been one of the favorite Charlottesville cafes since they opened in 1992. Charlottesville Family Favorite Magazine voted Grenberry’s as Charlottesville’s Best Local Coffee Shop.
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They have quite a number of locations throughout Virginia. Seven of them are in Charlottesville. They also have locations in Japan and Saudi Arabia.
You can see their locations, address and menu here.
Greenberry’s Coffee Co. sources its beans from 28 different countries. That enables them to bring their customers a huge variety. They roast all their beans by hand and ship them fresh daily to all their stores in order to ensure the perfect quality.
Besides specialty coffees, they also serve teas, fresh-baked pastries and in some locations a full breakfast and lunch in a lively, comfortable atmosphere.
Their main location address: 1610 Quail Run, Charlottesville, Va, 22911 (check out their website below for more locations).
Phone: 434-964-1655
Java Java Café
Located in the downtown mall, not far from the Sprint Pavilion, Java Java is a small, very popular family-run coffee shop. They have been serving fair-trade coffee in Charlottesville since 2006 and are considered one of the best cafes.
Besides excellent coffee, Java Java serves tea, in-house-made paninis and smoothies and pastries from Albemarle Baking Company. Every month, their blackboard lists special coffee and tea of the month, such as such as Nutella mocha or baklava latte.
They have a lovely outdoor patio with six tables, with plenty of space between them to ensure social distancing. Java Java is a popular space to study or to hang out with friends.
Address: 421 E Main St Charlottesville, Virginia
Phone: 434 245 0020
C’ville Coffee & Wine
C’ville Coffee and Wine is located at the entrance to Charlottesville’s downtown historic district. Famous for its out-of-this-world décor, C’ville serves breakfast and lunch. With coffee and/or wine, as you like.
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For breakfast, you can have delicious and affordable sandwiches and if you are more health-conscious, they also offer homemade granola. For lunch, you can build your own sandwich, get a burrito or a salad.
C’ville has its own bakery that makes delicious pies, cakes, cookies, and muffins.
C’ville Coffee & Wine is a popular student hangout and study spot, but delicious food and great coffee also attract young families. There is an outdoor space where the kids can play.
Address: 1301 Harris Street, Charlottesville
Phone: (434) 817-2633
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Lone Light Coffee
Located on the historic downtown mall, Lone Light Coffee has been one of the most popular Charlottesville coffee shops since it started serving coffee in 2016.
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They offer a brewed coffee, traditional espresso drinks, and tea. They share a charming small shop with The Pie Chest, which means that you can enjoy your coffee with some truly delicious sweet and savory pies.
Lone Light is open for breakfast and lunch.
They roast their own beans and you can watch the process and taste a rotating selection of coffees and small eats.
Address: 119 4th St NE; Roastery Cafe 1518 E. High St.
Phone: (434) 977-0443
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Grit Coffee
What started as Para Coffee in 2008 is now one of the most popular suppliers of high quality coffee in Charlottesville. Grit Coffee works with coffee farmers from all over the world to bring to their clients blends and single-origin coffee in one of their three locations.
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They roast their beans by hand and supply them to many shops around the city as well as online.
You can have a cup of Grit Coffee in their bright, spacious and comfortable shops with large communal tables that encourage socialization. Or you can take it home or even subscribe for the monthly supply of your favorite java.
Address: Pantops (610 Riverside Shops Way #100), Stonefield (2035 Bond Street 185), and Downtown (112 Main Street).
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Milli Coffee Roasters
Milli Coffee Roasters is designed as a community space where folks of all walks can hang out together and enjoy the tastes and smells of freshly roasted coffee.
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Milli has a few tables outside on the sidewalk. In or out, there are students working, busy professionals getting their daily java in a nice atmosphere of the local community gathering place.
They opened in 2012 and started roasting their own beans in small batches in 2015 to ensure the highest quality of coffee for their customers.
Their espresso drinks draw people from all over town. It helps that, with your coffee, you can also have some original Liege-Style Belgian Waffles, yummy panini and hot soups. Milli also serves beers, Milli Teas, and wines from Charlottesville’s Smallest Wine Shop.
Address: 400 Preston Ave, Suite 150, Charlottesville, VA 22903
Phone: +1 434-906-0250
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
MarieBette Cafe & Bakery Coffee Shop
Located in two locations in Charlottesville VA, MarieBette are the beloved Charlottesville coffee shops famous for its European-style bread, pastries, La Colombe coffee espresso, and a great menu for breakfast, brunch and lunch.
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The main Mariebette location is on Rose Hill Drive. Petite MarieBette is on Water Street on the Downtown Mall.
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the MarieBette dining room has been closed indefinitely. Their kitchen is open for TAKE OUT ONLY Monday through Friday 8:00am-2:00pm and 8:30am-2:00pm on weekends.
Address: MarieBette Cafe & Bakery (700 Rose Hill Drive), Petite MarieBette (105 E. Water St)
Phone: +1 434-529-6118
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Mudhouse Coffee Roasters
For the last 20 years, Mudhouse Coffee Roasters has been one of the most renowned Charlottesville coffee providers. They can prove it: their coffee received three medals from the Golden Beach Roasting Championship.
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At Mudhouse they roast their own beans in-house to make sure it is perfectly fresh.
Most drinks – coffee, tea and chocolate, can be made decaf, sugar-free, dairy-free, iced, or frozen.
Once you come to their charming brick-walled main downtown shop, you will have some tough choices to make. There is so much to choose from.
Try Hammerhead, with a double shot of espresso and enough room for drip coffee, or Mudskipper – a Latte with Ghirardelli chocolate & hazelnut
They offer breakfast burritos, sandwiches, wraps and Buddha bowls. Try Pacific Rim with coconut white rice, broccoli, carrot shreds, chicken, pickled cabbage, sesame seeds and in-house made peanut sauce
Address: 213 W. Main Street and 116 10th Street NW
Phone: +1 434-984-6833
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Rocket Coffee
A relative newcomer on the Charlottesville rich coffee scene, Rocket Coffee opened their shop in 2020 midtown to serve locally roasted coffee, fine tea, pastries and other snacks.
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Their specialty coffees and espressos are made of beans roasted by a local roaster who makes special profiles just for them. It includes their signature Rocket Roast.
With their excellent coffees and teas, Rocket Coffee offers delicious pastries and baguettes made by Albemarle Baking Company, famous New York H&H bagels and pastries and bagel sandwiches they make in-house
Rocket Coffee drinks and food are now available for pick up in their store or curbside Monday to Friday, 7am-3pm and Saturday-Sunday, 8am-3pm.
Address: 598 W. Main St.
Phone: +1 434-995-8019
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Atlas Coffee
Atlas Coffee is a cozy and friendly neighborhood espresso bar with a charming outdoor space surrounded by flowers. They serve a large assortment of coffee drinks made with beans roasted by the local roaster Atlas Coffee.
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The yummy pastries are made by Albermarle Baking Co. and are made freshly every day. Atlas makes its syrups in-house using vanilla beans, caramelized cane sugar and Ghirardelli chocolate. They brew chai in-house using fresh ginger.
Indoor or outdoor, Atlas coffee shop is a great place to hang out with friends, study or flirt with the barista. Dogs are allowed at the Atlas patio and they even get a biscuit and a bowl of water.
Address: 2206 B Fontaine Avenue Charlottesville, VA
Phone: +1 434-970-1700
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Café Cubano
Café Cubano is a popular destination for fans of strong coffee and Cuban specialties. Located north of downtown, this restaurant and café offers an excellent cup of Fair Trade 100% Organic USDA Certified coffee, a blend that consists of coffee beans from Indonesia, Ethiopia and Central and South America.
With their great coffee, Café Cubano offers pastries from Albermarle Baking Company and the Baker’s Palette. Bread for their sandwiches is from Breadworks and their meat is from Boar’s Head.
They are open for lunch and offer a range of salads, sandwiches, grit bowls and small plates. The flavors are mostly mainstream American with a few Cuban specials such as Bistec De Pollo with chicken, bell peppers, onions, Swissduke’s mayo, on grilled Cuban bread
On nice days, their patio is a very popular gathering spot where neighbors and other coffee lovers sit, sip their fresh brew, chat and people-watch. Their larger back room is perfect for business meetings, studying or checking social media.
Address: 112 W. Main Street, Charlottesville
Phone: +1 434-971-8743
Oakhurst Inn Café
Just around the corner from the University Of Virginia, Oakhurst Inn Café is a charming neighborhood eatery and café serving delicious breakfast, lunch, freshly baked pastries and freshly brewed coffee.
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The espresso bar serves artisanal coffee drinks brewed fresh from the locally roasted coffee beans in a bright, modern space, or on the outdoor patio.
The inn’s breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch are prepared by Executive Chef Reid Owen with fresh seasonal ingredients. He focuses on Southern classics with his own interpretation.
The beautiful environment of this carefully decorated, elegant space is perfect for a celebration or for a moment of relaxation over a delicious cup of coffee.
Address: 1616 Jefferson Park Ave, Charlottesville, VA 22903-3212
Phone: +1 434-872-0100
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Snowing in Space
Snowing in Space is a cool, trendy spot on Charlottesville’s Main Street. This fun Charlottesville coffee shop is famous for introducing Nitro to the local folks. They serve nitrogen-infused cold coffee from draft beer-type taps. The process produces smooth and low-acid, ice-cold coffee that is becoming increasingly popular.
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If you are not familiar with the Nitro, ask the friendly and very experienced “bar” tender to tell you all about it.
Their Nitro coffee is also available in cans and kegs and is now sold at many specialty shops.
The shop also sells regular coffee as well as roasted beans of various origins, from Colombia to Ethiopia.
Address: 705 W Main St, Charlottesville, VA 22903-4570
Phone: +1 434-228-1120
Quirk Café
Quirk Café is one of those unique cafes in Charlottesville that only locals know about. Located in a beautifully renovated old home, Quirk Café offers cozy and spacious indoor and outdoor space. It is a great spot for a quick cup of coffee, or for an afternoon of studying using their free wifi.
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Quirk Café gets its coffee from Richmond-based Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Company. They brew a range of specialty drinks such as espresso, flavored lattes and cold brew on tap.
The food menu is small and select. You can find a delicious Frittata, chocolate hazelnut croissants or mozzarella tomato Panini among other treats. Everything is available to go too.
Address: 503 W Main St Charlottesville, VA 22903
Phone: +1 434-729-1234
Enjoy Your Coffee
That’s my list of all of my favorite cafes and coffee shops in Charlottsville. I hope you liked the list and hope you find an awesome option from this list!
