Gainesville Runs On…

Unique and locally owned coffee shops! In our endeavor to celebrate the vibrant coffee culture nestled within the charming streets of Gainesville, Georgia, Explore Gainesville is thrilled to share our partnership with Atlanta Coffee Shops to highlight some of the city’s finest coffee establishments! From cozy corners where locals gather for their morning pick-me-up to artisanal cafes crafting specialty brews, Gainesville boasts an array of coffee havens waiting to be discovered. Join Eugene of Atlanta Coffee Shops as he traverses through these caffeine-fueled gems, each offering its own unique ambiance, flavors, and experiences, promising a delightful exploration for coffee enthusiasts and adventurers alike!

THE FOLLOWING BLOG WAS WRITTEN AND SUBMITTED BY EUGENE OF ATLANTA COFFEE SHOPS, A PHOTOGRAPHER, WRITER, AND COFFEE ENTHUSIAST.

After a quick 45 minute drive just north of Atlanta, Atlanta Coffee Shops arrived to Downtown Gainesville. The first stop in Gainesville was walking around the town square, taking in the sights. It was a very chilly morning–nearly freezing–so it was a short stroll capturing a few photos around the square before it was time to walk into Boarding Pass Coffee. There, Atlanta Coffee Shops spent about three hours. The highlight of the visit was seeing the space (there are three notable “boarding” zones inside the cafe–airplane, train, and boat) and getting one of several pour-overs on the Boarding Pass menu. The coffee shop focuses on Brazilian coffees for its espresso and drip offerings, while the pour-over options are from other countries around the world, fitting with the global/travel theme.

The second stop of the day was a short walk to Farmhouse Coffee. This coffee shop is located adjacent to the Downtown Gainesville square, across the pedestrian bridge in a cluster of newly developed constructions. Inside, the cafe has a minimalistic design, with one large room in which coffee shop visitors can sit and relax. The highlight of this visit was seeing Hannah behind the bar slinging drinks with ease and showing off the beautiful latte art (such as a “seahorse” in the latte, pictured below). The perfect combination of soft and chewy, the scones here are not to be missed!

The third visit of the day took ACS back across the pedestrian bridge to Meadowlark Coffee. Arriving shortly before the scheduled 3pm coffee cupping, ACS captured some photos of the space and tried three seasonal specials on the menu: Earl Grey Latte, Earl Grey Fizz, and Coconut Caramel Cookie Latte (served with coconut caramel cookies–these are Samoas from Girl Scouts). Then, it was time to step next door–a storage and cupping room at Meadowlark–for the main event: Friedhats coffee cupping. For this coffee cupping, JP McKenzie, co-owner of Meadowlark, showcased five different coffees from Friedhats Coffee Roasters (Amsterdam, Netherlands): Shakisso Ethiopia Natural, Mundayo Ethiopia Washed, Gorbitu Negele Ethiopia Anaerobic Natural, El Salvador 120 hour anaerobic natural, and a Colombia Dulce Misterio Gesha. Also making a special appearance at this cupping was a very rare Colombia Las Margaritas Sudan Rume Gesha, which only the coffee cuppers could try. The coffee cupping was a fantastic experience; the 120-hour anaerobic El Salvador coffee was especially memorable–it smelled and tasted like an IPA!

After the coffee cupping concluded, it was a ten minute walk to Diletto Bakery for dinner, sweet treats, and a latte for dessert. Here, ACS learned about Diletto’s bakery and food program. The cafe pivoted from a quick service to a sit-down restaurant model in October 2023, with brunch and dinner options now available six days a week. Based on the owner’s recommendations, ACS ordered the appetizer platter of 2 empanadas, 2 tequeños, 2 pastelitos, and 2 yuca fries–a great way to get familiar with the Colombian/Mexican flavors. For dinner, ACS ordered the Beef Stroganoff–cooked with onions, mushrooms, peppers and served with diced potatoes–this was a full plate, delicious and with a slight kick with the spices used by Diletto Bakery. ACS wrapped up the dinner with dessert: Pavlova cake (meringue), coffee macaron (what other flavor would one order?), and a latte.

With a restful night’s sleep at Gainesville’s newest full service hotel the Courtyard by Marriot, Atlanta Coffee Shops was back to exploring Gainesville in the morning for the last stop of this tour: Inman Perk Coffee. Long considered the core and staple of the community, this neighborhood coffee shop has been open for almost 20 years. Here, ACS could not resist ordering a pair of freshly-baked muffins from Puzzle Piece Pastries (Gainesville, GA). The coffee shop offers rotating options on drip and espresso (up to four times per week), so regulars have a diverse selection of coffee to choose from depending on the day they visit.

It was a wonderful overall experience to document and fully explore the local and independent coffee scene in Gainesville, Georgia. Thank you to Explore Gainesville for the coordination on this opportunity!

More About Atlanta Coffee Shops:
Eugene at Atlanta Coffee Shops (ACS) has been photographing, writing about, and exploring the Atlanta coffee scene since June 2018. He has covered / profiled more than 200 local and independent coffee shops in the Atlanta metro area since the project started. When he’s not in Atlanta, he makes travel itineraries around local coffee spots around the world (having covered more than 120 of them in the “Travel” edition, #ACStravels on the blog). His interests are wide-ranging, including but not limited to art, design, photography, podcasts, social media, finance, technology, books, entrepreneurship, and writing–so these are integrated into Atlanta Coffee Shops in some way or another. You can follow Atlanta Coffee Shops (ACS) on the web, on Instagram, Threads, or subscribe to the ACS newsletter to get intermittent updates about the Atlanta coffee scene (news, events, feature posts) directly to your inbox.