Providence, Rhode Island may be little in size but has a lot to offer when it comes to eating, shopping, and adventuring. With a large student population and much to explore, it is safe to say this city runs on caffeine.
There are outstanding coffee shops throughout the entire city that must be experienced while living in or visiting little Rhody.
These places can serve as cozy alternatives to a college campus library or even darling date spots. Some may even be suitable for business meetings and group project gatherings.
People who have lived in Providence, or Rhode Island as a whole joke that you can get from one place to another in twenty minutes tops, so why not spend a day coffee crawling through one of the oldest cities in the U.S.? You’ll find some are even located on the same street!
The Shop
Photo courtesy of The Shop Facebook page
Located on 460 Wickenden Street Fox Point Providence, RI, The Shop is a neighborhood coffee shop with it’s focus on well-sourced ingredients and providing exceptional hospitality.
The Shop offers single origin and direct trade coffee along with homemade pastries from local bakeries. This goes along with their philosophy of offering wholesome foods while supporting other small businesses.
Their iced coffee is brewed cold and served on nitro tap. When coffee is brewed with hot water it causes the grounds to release oils and gives it that bitter taste. With cold brewing, rather than making a hot cup of coffee you are making a coffee concentrate. The coffee concentrate is a lot less acidic making it better for your teeth and providing a richer coffee taste.
The Shop’s Hours;
Tuesday – Friday from 7am-5pm
Saturday & Sunday from 7:30am- 5pm
Closed Mondays
The Coffee Exchange
Photo courtesy of Small Frye Photography
Located on 207 Wickenden Street, right down the road from The Shop is another neighborhood cafe. The Coffee Exchange has provided local and extended neighborhoods with fresh high-roasted Arabica coffee for the past 30 years.
They offer five different roasts and are constantly experimenting new roasting techniques to specific coffees to bring out their unique flavors.
The Coffee Exchange sells over 30 different blends from the Latin Americas, Africa, and the Pacific Rim. They also have various organic decaffeinated blends, and over 20 different teas.
With raving reviews of their coffee and outstanding service no matter how long the lines are, this is coffee stop is a must.
The Coffee Exchange is open from 6:30am – 10pm, seven days week
Small Point Cafe
Photo by Jacqueline Paez
Located on 230 Westminster Street is the Small Point Cafe. Just a four to five minute walk from the Johnson & Wales University Down City campus lies this cozy coffee getaway.
Small Point provides a relaxing yet trendy environment with their mismatching furniture and chalkboard painted walls. If you love to people watch then this large windowed down town shop it the spot for you.
Their menu includes organic fair-trade coffee, espresso, and teas. They also offer sweet and savory indulgences from their pastries to their sandwiches and soups. Some beverage favorites include their Cinnamon Latte and Mexican Mocha.
Small Point is open;
Monday – Friday 7am – 7:30pm
Saturday 7:30am – 7:30pm
Sunday 8am – 7:30pm (free parking on the street)
New Harvest Coffee & Spirits
Photo courtesy of buylocalri.org
While coffee crawling through downtown Providence, the next stop should be a three minute walk from Small Point Cafe to New Harvest Coffee & Spirits. They are located on 130 Westminster Street which is part of the newly renovated Arcade Providence.
Something that differs New Harvest Coffee & Spirits from other coffee shops is that they have whiskey along side their coffee selections. They have a full selection of single origin and New Harvest blended coffees, decaf, and caffeinated teas, and their rotating cast of of whiskies from all over the world. If you’re not a whiskey person they have a full bar and exciting coffee cocktails for those days where a simple coffee just won’t do the trick.
They also have partnerships with local coffee shops to sell their blends.
New Harvest Coffee & Spirits hours;
Mon – Wed 7am – 10pm
Thursday – Friday 7am – 12midnight
Saturday 9am – 12midnight
Sunday 9am – 5pm
White Electric Coffee
Photo courtesy of White Electric Coffee Facebook
Still on Westminster but on the West Side of Providence is one of the coolest coffee shops, White Electric Coffee.
With their cool atmosphere and killer coffee blends it makes sense as to why they were mentioned in one of GQ Magazine articles on where to go for a caffeine fix in Providence.
Revival Brewing Company based out of Rhode Island created a White Electric Coffee Stout.
People rave about excellent service and their surprisingly extensive menu for a small coffee shop. And if you aren’t sold yet, they offer half off on coffee refills.
White Electric Hours;
Monday – Friday 7am – 6:30p,
Saturday 8am – 6:30pm
Sunday 9am – 5pm
Vanuatu Coffee Roasters
Photo courtesy of Vanuatu Coffee Roasters Facebook
Making our way over to Historical Federal Hill on Atwells Avenue we find Vanuatu Coffee Roasters. The Republic Vanuatu is a remote jungle island that has incredible coffee.
Vanuatu Coffee Roasters main goal is to share this exotic and rare coffee to the United States, and started sharing it in their flagship store right in Providence.
This coffee is grown beneath the ever present ash plume of the active Mount Yasur volcano. Mixed with perpetual raining down of volcanic ash, it continually replenishing the soil’s nutrients that provides everything to make a coffee plant healthy and happy.
To try this one of a kind coffee Vanuatu Coffee Roasters is open;
Tuesday – Sunday 8am – 4pm
Closed on Monday
Pastiche Fine Desserts
Photo courtesy of Pastiche Facebook
Nestled on one of Federal Hill’s side streets is one of the best eateries in Providence. Pastiche is known for it’s relaxing atmosphere that has out of this world desserts and pastries to pair with crafted drinks by some of the best baristas.
The Cafe is warm and inviting with their fireplace and offers table service for those who want to catch up with friends or have a “dessert for dinner” kind of night.
Pastiche is an absolute must when in Providence.
They are closed on Mondays but open;
Tuesday-Thursday 8:30 AM – 11 PM
Friday & Saturday 8:30am – 11:30pm
Sunday 10am – 10pm
Dave’s Coffee Co.
Photo by Sarah Del Buono
Making our way back to the East Side on 341 South Main Street is Dave’s Coffee Co. Dave’s is a family owned business and a Certified Organic Coffee Roaster and a member of Farm Fresh RI.
From the large Dave’s logo on a wood paneled wall to their latte art, this place is the definition on “instaworthy”.
Dave’s Coffee Co. Hours;
Monday – Sunday 7:00am – 7:00pm
Three Sisters
Photo courtesy of Three Sisters Facebook
Making our way back to the East side on 1074 Hope Street is Three Sisters. They are known for their yummy homemade ice cream but also a great spot for lunch and a coffee break.
They get their coffee from a familiar sounds place, New Harvest Coffee. At Three Sisters they make “the freester” which is kind of like a milk shake, but instead of milk they use iced coffee with any flavor ice cream from their wide selection.
Their hours of operation vary on the season.
Seven Stars Bakery
Photo courtesy of Seven Stars Bakery Facebook
Seven Stars is too good to only have one bakery, so that’s why there are three locations in Providence. One is right down the road from Three Sisters, the other on Broadway, and one is on Newman Ave in East Providence.
Seven Stars baristas know all there is to know about coffee considering they are required to go through a 40 hours program where they learn about the science of milk, coffee extraction, efficiency, latte art and more.
Just like many of the other coffee shops, Seven Stars uses direct-trade coffee and their current drip coffee is from Finca Valparaiso, a medium sized coffee farm in the Acatenango region of Guatemala.
Even though they have various locations their hours of operation for each bakery is location on their website.