W King St
M-Sat - 7am-5pm
Sun - 8am-2pm
Atmosphere: Authentic Minimalist
This fresh, white coffee space is as refreshingly beautiful as it is truly invested in the quality of their work. The coffee and tea is so rich and the decor is so pleasing to the eye, it's really no wonder how Passenger ended up on Food and Wine's best coffee in PA (read here.)
Passenger has one of the smaller coffee menus while also having one of the most rich and raw menus at the same time. You can tell that this company really loves what it's doing and cares about the products it provides to many other shops in the city. In their words they stand for "uncompromising quality, sustainable practices, open collaboration, and continuous learning."
Coffee enthusiasts and connoisseurs, definitely check this place out. Come for the coffee, but stay to explore the other minimalist details as well as other menu options like fresh croissants and teas.
Our Experience: Jake and I wandered in craving a cold drink after a morning at Central Market. The pristine white interior of Passenger and friendly staff, created a perfect cool cubby for us to sip on a cold brew and people watch through the counter windows.
145 N Duke St
M-F - 7am-8pm
Sat-Sun - 8am-8pm
Atmosphere: Cozy Urban
If a coffee shop or cafe in Lancaster isn't selling Passenger coffee, it is probably selling Square One coffee. Square One dominates the city with its coffee, but in this prime location (next to the Sweet Shop), this micro roaster doesn't quite present itself as king of coffee. The shop can be described more as a modest row house coffee joint that just happens to have two hip locations in Philadelphia.
It's humble, but trendy appearance mirrors the family-owned coffee joint's ethical approach to roasting and selling coffee. Definitely check out their website for more information about their values, as well as their many accolades including Good Foods Award Winner and 2nd in the Northeast Regional Barista Competition.
Our Experience: We strolled over just a few blocks from our apartment on a beautiful, warm evening. Jake got a regular iced coffee and I spiced things up with a kind of tea with cayenne pepper mixed in, which was recommended by a helpful barista. While the sun set over Lancaster, we enjoyed our drinks in the cute outdoor ivy-covered nook.
532 W Chestnut St
6:30am-8pm
(varies between hours daily)
Atmosphere: Unique Community
Located in by far the cutest neighborhood in Lancaster City, Chestnut Hill is a delicious and quirky coffee shop experience. Jake and I went to take the coffee and experience the quirky old-school parlor atmosphere, but a lot of people visit the Chestnut Hill cafe for their ice-cream! I'm not kidding, people rave about this stuff.
The cafe serves SquareOne coffee as well as bakery items and cafe entrees like soup and sandwiches. This is one coffee place that pours as much into the details of food and coffee as it does into the community around it.
Chestnut Hill Cafe hosts a lineup of local musicians and free events. Not only does the cafe promote a community through entertainment and food, it also makes a point to uplift the community through donations to organizations such as Lancaster Pride. It's inspiring to see a local cafe giving back to places it believes in.
There is not a ton of information on their website, because they are currently working on revamping the site, but you can check out more from them on their Facebook page here.
Our Experience: We walked in to the smell of freshly roasted beans and friendly faces behind the counter to help us kick off our morning with something delicious. We took a seat in the corner of the cozy room, noticing every cooky Beetlejuice-esque painting along the wall. The shop also played older music like Elvis, the Temptations, and old Beetles songs. People fluttered in and out talking and hugging and chatting in deferent areas of the cafe. It was refreshing visit for more rainy spring morning.
398 Harrisburg Ave
7am-5pm
Atmosphere: Casual Cool
Mean Cup can be found only blocks away from Franklin & Marshall College. This coffee hot spot's chill, hipster environment is the perfect place to bring a laptop and sip on a latte while putting the finishing touches on your paper about why veganism helps lessen humanity's carbon footprint.
Mean Cup serves Square One coffee and an assortment of grab-and-go foods. They also have a stand at Central Market on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. One of the most interesting features of this coffee joint is definitely the logo of an actual mean cup of coffee. They sell merchandise in the store featuring their mascot and it's honestly really cool.
Our Experience: Another rainy Saturday morning, Jake and I rolled in early to grab a coffee. We were immediately interested in the cool warehouse decor. We ordered an iced coffee, a dirty girl (hot chocolate and coffee), and a big slice of coffee cake. People all around were on laptops and young hip families were walking in to get their morning fuel. The towering art instillations above our heads and the incredibly comfortable leather seats felt so cool and the aggressive look of the mean cup really started the day off in an invigorating way.
15 N Prince St
6:30am-11pm
Atmosphere: Central Classic
Across from the Fulton Theater sits this Lancaster City staple cafe, offering actual cafe menu options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Prince Street Cafe is a favorite among tourists for its central location and classic cafe feel. The open windows looking out at the street even gives visitors an open view of one of the most robust streets in the city.
Prince Street Cafe serves Passenger coffee and has a pretty decent size drink menu as well as a case full of bakery item for a quick bite. Although this place is more of a proper cafe than a coffee shop, it is a popular coffee destination and Lancaster favorite, so I felt it needed added to the list. Oh, and did I mention they do catering!
Our Experience: After a productive morning at Central Market, Jake and I popped around the corner with our eco-friendly bag of produce to grab a peppy cup of coffee. One of the friendliest baristas suggested a chai spritzer for me, while Jake opted for his usual iced coffee. We sat in the middle of the packed cafe enjoying the touristy magazines about Lancaster County. I sipped on my drink, which tasted a bit christmasy, and admired the local art hung on the walls.
18 W Orange St
M-Sat - 7am-9pm
Atmosphere: Modern Rustic
A frequent stop for city-goers, Cafe One Eight really delivers the instagram aesthetic as well as some tasty treats. This shop has gone through some major renovations and the results are truly eye catching with that open concept interior and pristine windows looking out to Orange street.
This Christian centered cafe makes a point to cater to the community of Lancaster by providing healthy and locally sourced options as well as provide a sense of community engagement. Cafe One Eight participates in Taste the World, which is an excellent monthly event that takes people on a themed food tour around Lancaster City. The Cafe is also involved with various events by using its new coffee chart (it serves Square One coffee by the way.)
Like Prince Street Cafe, Cafe One Eight is not completely coffee oriented like others on the list. The cafe is more about the food. It is a great place to go for brunch or a first date. Also, this space is actually available to rent out on Sundays for up to 50 people!
Our Experience: Like many times before, Jake and I waltzed in to the shop looking for coffee, but staying for the food. The inviting atmosphere of beautiful decor mixed with the smell of fresh coffee is something out of a dream. We chit chatted over dinner and iced coffees and people watched through the massive floor to ceiling windows. Next time, maybe we'll actually sit outside to people watch from their little outdoor bistro tables.
922 Columbia Ave
6am-7pm
Atmosphere: Primitive Chic
This family-owned coffee shop is a beautiful hipster version of Starbucks. The focus is craftsmanship and creating an experience for friends to get together. Copper Cup can be found in Lancaster and Lititz with the possibility of expanding in the future.
The interior is an open industrial feel with tiny chic details sprinkled about. Copper Cup offers spaces to hold meetings, catch up with an old friend, or do some studying. It also features a drive-thru, which definitely makes up for the fact that it isn't as accessible by foot as some of the others on the list.
Copper Cup sells Passenger coffee and a bunch of on-the-go cafe items. I also just have to mention that the Copper Cup logo is brilliant (the 'u' and the 'p' make a cup!!)
Our Experience: Truthfully I just dropped in quickly to taste the shop's copper latte (and pick up an iced coffee for Jake.) The copper latte is made with honey and cinnamon, which is a perfect pairing I wish was sold in other places. The space, while not in the best location, does have beautiful qualities with its open windows and adorable details. The drive-thru is certainly a smart move seeing that most customers would drive to this location.
Franklin & Marshall Campus
8am-8pm
Atmosphere: Relaxed Hub
The last stop on my journey happened to be one of the most hidden gems in Lancaster coffee culture. Blue Line is located on the campus of Franklin & Marshall College and acts as a study area, a meeting spot, and features a book store on the second floor. This shop is very beautifully designed, and the outdoor seating is to die for underneath those string lights.
Blue Line is under the same ownership as Passenger, so naturally they sell Passenger coffee. This college coffee shop only began operating in 2017, but has quickly become a popular place to get that coffee fix.
Although food isn't as focal in this coffee shop, there are still a few stand out features that Blue Line has over some of the others on the list. The surrounding area of the college campus is so beautiful and manicured to destress any visitor. And if that's not enough, Blue Line is stationed a short walk away from a dog park!
Our Experience: After a long day of work on a warm Friday evening, I took a trip through the F&M campus to relax and grab a smoothie. With the smell of the grass and the sound of people and their dogs, it was hard not to feel relaxed as the sun was setting over the city. Blue Line's clean, crisp atmosphere created a calming effect after a long day.
Thanks for reading! I hope you go try a tasty drink at one of these places this summer.
Treat yo self!
-KB