Nothing inspires conversation like having a cup of coffee with someone in a comfortable, unhurried environment. And very little inspires more enthusiastic conversation than asking a Wichitan about his or her favorite local coffee place. Find out what our readers say are the best coffee shops in Wichita!
I asked this question recently on Facebook: What are your favorite coffee shops?
That’s all I asked. I didn’t specify local shops only or add any other qualification to the question – I just really wanted to know what your favorites are. The responses were fantastic. And boy, do we love our local coffee shops in Wichita!
Here are Wichita on the Cheap readers’ favorite coffee shops. According to you guys, all of these places are excellent, so no matter what part of town you’re in, you won’t be disappointed.
At the end, we’ve also listed reader recommendations for when you’re out of town!
Wichita Coffee Shops
MOXI Junction
319 S. Park Ave., Maize, Kansas
Readers love the coffee here, but they also love the mission of Moxi Junction, which is to provide employment and job training to young adults with special needs. MOXI serves high-quality specialty coffee, has a fresh bakery, and displays local art. They also host free story times on Wednesday mornings as well as occasional live music and other events.
Want Coffee
(formerly Twisted Java Coffee Bar)
2615 W. 13th St. N., Wichita, KS 67203
The comfortable and fun decor will give you a lot to look at as you enjoy your specialty drink (like the Turtle Mocha or Twisted Shocker) or the Daily Brew, blended especially for Twisted Java by Novo Coffee in Denver. They also serve an assortment of bakery items, as well as sandwiches and sides around lunch time.
R Coffeehouse
1144 Bitting St., Wichita, KS 67203
This family-owned place in Riverside feels a bit like a neighborhood coffee klatch – if your neighborhood is filled with really cool people. The coffee is great, they display local art on the walls, and they have a selection of Wichita-themed merchandise for sale. When the weather is nice, you can enjoy your coffee or a meal on the sidewalk patio and watch life happen in Riverside. They frequently have live music. If you’re not in the mood for coffee, Songbird Juice Co. is right next door.
Milkfloat
535 W. Douglas Ave., #140, Wichita, KS 67213
While Milkfloat serves great coffee – and very stylishly – if you come to this Delano treasure you’ll soon have more than coffee on your mind. It’s okay to indulge…they’re local calories. Seriously, though, the desserts at Milkfloat are worth extra time on the treadmill. My favorite thing ever was the Thin Mint pie, but it was only available during Girl Scout cookie season. Try whatever looks good; it will be. They make their desserts onsite. Bring out-of-town friends if you want to make a great impression.
Espresso To Go Go
102 St. Francis N., Wichita, KS 67202
Alton Brown stops at this downtown Wichita coffee shop, so you should too! It’s a tiny little brightly lit shop with a clean white interior and fun decor (including a disco ball), and the espresso is great! Seating is available at tall barstools along the windowed wall that looks out onto Douglas, but there isn’t much of it. Pick up a cup on your way to a fun downtown event.
Reverie Coffee Roasters
2202 E. Douglas Ave., Wichita, KS 67214
This coffee place’s former location near College Hill had a happy, busy vibe. Now they have a new location that includes a bakery, and they still serve coffee they roast themselves. Even if you haven’t visited Reverie, you may have tasted their coffee, since they supply it to several other local coffee shops.
You’ll also want to try the new Reverie coffee shop inside the Wichita Advanced Learning Library!! Guess what? You can take your coffee with you when you browse the books – as long as it has a lid. How cool is that?
Churn & Burn
548 S. Oliver St., Wichita, KS 67218
Famous for the Churn & Burn, which is coffee + ice cream. It’s like nothing you’ve ever had before – a shot of fresh espresso with handcrafted cream that is blasted with liquid nitrogen to freeze it. If you want coffee or ice cream separately, you can have that too! The coffee is roasted locally and the ice cream is handcrafted on the spot.
Il Primo Espresso Caffe
6422 E. Central, Wichita, KS 67206
Il Primo was Wichita’s first specialty coffee house! It’s a cozy little place in Normandy Center at the corner of Central and Woodlawn. One of the most popular things on the menu are the breakfast sandwiches made with their homemade croissants. Try the Gourmet Brew or a Kickstart, which is almond milk, espresso, and a scoop of Nutella.
Ecclesia Coffee Shop
We are so sad to see this one go, but as of December 2020 Ecclesia has closed.
Coffee Shops Outside of Wichita
Park Grounds Coffeehouse in Derby
401 E. Madison, Derby, KS 67037
The original Park Grounds location. They server Reverie Roasters coffee, Cozy Leaf Tea, and probiotic teas from Inspirit Kombucha Brewing Co. All of the baked goods they serve are gluten free. On weeknights, it can be a great place for a study group or meeting; on Friday and Saturday nights, Park Grounds has local live music. Closed on Sundays.
The Meeting House
507 N. Commercial Ave., Sedgwick, KS 67135
According to readers, this local gathering place is worth the short drive north of Wichita for good food, fresh espresso, great Chai tea, and live local music.
Jane’s Landing
1002 N. 2nd Ave., Mulvane, KS 67110
I’ve had several people tell me about Jane’s Landing, and even though it’s south of Wichita in Mulvane, it made the list of favorite Wichita coffee shops. They make their own syrups in house with unbleached organic fair trade sugar, and you can get Little Lion ice cream and other goodies there too.
Norm’s Coffee Bar
613 N. Main St.,Newton, KS 67114
Reader-recommended Norm’s in Newton is the relaxed, friendly coffee shop where everyone knows your name. Apparently they share space with a brick-oven pizza place, and they regularly have live music on Friday nights.
Simply Southwest
213 S. Main St., Pratt, KS 67124
In Pratt, you don’t just get coffee at your local coffee shop. It’s apparently a whole store with home decor, fancy handbags, baby gifts, and other high-end merchandise. Besides the usual frapps, lattes, and cappuccinos, the full service espresso bar at Simply Southwest also offers Italian sodas, slushes, hot chocolate, fresh fudge, scones, cookies, cinnamon rolls and more.
Steamy Joe
216 W. Central Ave., Arkansas City, KS 67005
If you’re ever in Ark City, readers say Steamy Joe’s is the place. They’ve got hot or iced espresso drinks, Chai tea and other non-coffee drinks (like sodas, smoothies, and juice), $6 meals six nights a week, breakfast and lunch items, 99-cent kids meals after 4 p.m., and free WiFi.
What are your favorite Wichita coffee shops? Let us know in the comments below!
Closed: We were sad to see it go, but Sente Games & Refreshments was one of the local places that didn’t survive the recent crisis. *sad face*
One Response
Il Primo’s croissants are not homemade.