Philadelphia is a roaster town, and that is the thing most guides get wrong about it.
The question here is not which café has the nicest tile. It is who is buying the green coffee, who is running the roaster, and how far the beans travelled before they hit the grinder. La Colombe started in this city. So did Ultimo, ReAnimator, Elixr and Rival Bros, and half the shops on this list are pouring beans roasted within a few miles of where you are standing.
These are the 16 best coffee shops in Philadelphia, with addresses, sorted by what you actually want from the trip.
What Makes Philadelphia Coffee Different
Three things.
The roasters stayed independent. Most American cities with a good coffee scene import it — beans arrive from Portland or Brooklyn and the local shop is a retail outlet. Philadelphia roasts its own, at real volume, and the shops compete on it.
The rowhouse footprint. These are small rooms. A Philadelphia café is usually one narrow storefront with eight seats, which shapes everything — it makes the good ones feel like neighborhood fixtures rather than lobbies, and it means you should not plan to spend four hours at a table.
The food is not an afterthought. Sourdough pastries, Vietnamese banh mi, beer-boiled bagels, soft pretzel sandwiches. Several shops on this list would be worth visiting with the espresso machine switched off.
The Best Coffee Shops in Philadelphia
La Colombe — 1335 Frankford Avenue, Fishtown
The Frankford Avenue roastery and bakery is the anchor of Philadelphia coffee, and the draft latte — nitrogen-charged, poured from a tap — was invented here before it was everywhere.
It is the biggest name on this list and it is not coasting. Start here, then walk up the avenue and stop at three more, which is the whole argument for Fishtown as a coffee neighborhood.
ReAnimator Coffee — 1523 E. Susquehanna Avenue, Fishtown
The roastery café, and the local favorite among people who work in coffee. Iced lattes and morning buns. Unfussy in a way that reads as confidence.
Elixr Coffee Roasters — 315 N. 12th Street, Center City
Also on South Sydenham Street. Elixr is the shop most often named when Philadelphians argue about the single best cup in the city, and its beans turn up in other people's shops around town.
Càphê Roasters — 3400 J Street, Harrowgate
Vietnamese specialty coffee — including cà phê trứng, egg coffee, which is a whipped yolk-and-condensed-milk layer over dark coffee and is closer to dessert than to breakfast. They make banh mi too.
The most interesting coffee in Philadelphia and the one furthest off the standard route. Worth the trip north.
Ultimo Coffee — 1900 S. 15th Street, Newbold
One of the shops that built the modern Philadelphia coffee scene, roasting in-house and still setting the standard for a plain, correctly-made espresso.
Function Coffee Labs — 1001 S. 10th Street, Bella Vista
Coffee approached as engineering — measured, documented, obsessive about extraction. If you want someone to explain exactly why the cup tastes the way it does, this is your shop.
Shot Tower Coffee — 542 Christian Street, Queen Village
A genuine neighborhood café with good light and a frequent-buyer card. Not trying to be a destination, which is precisely why locals guard it.
Ox Coffee — 616 S. 3rd Street, Queen Village
Locally roasted beans and weekend bagels, in a small room a block off the busier stretch.
Note: there is no free wifi. That is deliberate, and it means Ox is the best conversation café on this list and the worst place to bring a laptop.
Vibrant Coffee Roasters & Bakery — 222 W. Rittenhouse Square
Sourdough pastries baked on site and two roast profiles to choose between, directly on the square's west side. The best pastry-and-coffee combination near the park, and useful if you are eating around Rittenhouse.
Herman's Coffee — 1313 S. 3rd Street, Pennsport
Red lounge chairs, a curated shelf of imported specialty goods, and enough room to actually sit. South Philadelphia's living room.
Three Graces Coffee Co. — 719 E. Passyunk Avenue, Queen Village
Inside a converted bank building, which gives it ceilings no other café on this list can match. Order the honey lavender latte, which sounds like a lot and is balanced.
Menagerie Coffee — 18 S. 3rd Street, Old City
Independently sourced beans from roasters they rate rather than a single house roast. The best coffee in Old City, a neighborhood where that has historically been a low bar.
Rowhome Coffee — 2536 Pine Street, Fitler Square
Soft pretzel sandwiches with specialty coffee. Philadelphia in one order, executed without irony.
Two Persons Coffee — 821 Dudley Street, South Philadelphia
Inside the Bok building, the former vocational school now full of makers and small businesses. A rotating international bean selection and mismatched furniture. Go for the coffee, stay because the building is worth wandering.
Thank You Thank You Coffee Brewers — 700 Sansom Street, Center City
On Jewelers' Row, with tax included and no tipping — the price on the board is the price you pay. A small thing that makes the whole transaction feel better.
Nook Bakery & Coffee Bar — 15 S. 20th Street, Rittenhouse Square
Roasting a pound and a half at a time. That is an absurd way to run a business and it produces coffee that has never sat anywhere. They keep dog treats behind the counter.
Where to Work From in Philadelphia
Not every good café wants your laptop, and knowing which is which saves everyone a bad afternoon.
Good for working: Herman's Coffee, Two Persons at the Bok building, and Menagerie all have real seating and no attitude about a long stay.
Not for working: Ox Coffee has no free wifi by design. Nook, Rowhome and Shot Tower are small rooms where a laptop on a two-top at noon is a genuine imposition.
The rule: in a Philadelphia rowhouse café, if the room has under ten seats, buy something every hour or leave.
Philadelphia Coffee by Neighborhood
Fishtown — La Colombe (1335 Frankford Avenue), ReAnimator (1523 E. Susquehanna Avenue), Persimmon Coffee (11 W. Girard Avenue). The densest coffee neighborhood in the city.
Queen Village — Shot Tower (542 Christian Street), Ox (616 S. 3rd Street), Three Graces (719 E. Passyunk Avenue).
Rittenhouse and Fitler Square — Vibrant (222 W. Rittenhouse Square), Nook (15 S. 20th Street), Alchemy (119 S. 21st Street), Rowhome (2536 Pine Street).
Center City — Elixr (315 N. 12th Street), Thank You Thank You (700 Sansom Street), Cogito (105 S. 12th Street), Jiggy (1000 Pine Street).
South Philadelphia — Ultimo (1900 S. 15th Street), Herman's (1313 S. 3rd Street), Two Persons (821 Dudley Street), Rival Bros (2400 Lombard Street), Function (1001 S. 10th Street).
The Fishtown Coffee Trail on PlateWalk
Naming a single best coffee shop in Philadelphia is the wrong exercise. The neighborhoods support a morning of it, which is why PlateWalk maps the Fishtown Coffee Trail — 5 stops, GPS-guided, so you are not standing on Frankford Avenue working out which place is closer.
Check in at each stop as you go. Complete the trail and you earn +50 PlatePoints, redeemable for rewards at partner restaurants.
Free on Android — iOS coming soon.
Start the Fishtown Coffee Trail →
For more of the city, see our guides to Philadelphia's best pizza and every Michelin-honored restaurant in Philadelphia. Visit Philadelphia also keeps a coffee shop roundup with additional neighborhood options.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best coffee shop in Philadelphia?
Elixr Coffee Roasters and La Colombe come up most often, for different reasons — Elixr for the cup itself, La Colombe as the roastery that shaped the city's coffee scene. ReAnimator and Ultimo are the other two names people who work in coffee name first.
Which Philadelphia coffee shops roast their own beans?
La Colombe, ReAnimator, Elixr, Ultimo, Rival Bros, Càphê Roasters, Vibrant and Nook all roast in-house. Philadelphia has an unusually high concentration of independent roasters for its size.
Where is the best coffee in Fishtown?
La Colombe's Frankford Avenue roastery is the anchor, with ReAnimator on E. Susquehanna Avenue and Persimmon on W. Girard Avenue. The three are walkable from each other, which is why PlateWalk maps a five-stop Fishtown Coffee Trail.
Where can I get Vietnamese coffee in Philadelphia?
Càphê Roasters at 3400 J Street in Harrowgate specializes in Vietnamese specialty coffee, including egg coffee, and also serves banh mi.
Which Philadelphia coffee shops are good for working?
Herman's Coffee in Pennsport, Two Persons in the Bok building and Menagerie in Old City all have real seating and tolerate a long stay. Ox Coffee deliberately has no free wifi.
What is a draft latte?
A latte charged with nitrogen and poured from a tap, giving it a thick head and a naturally sweet texture without added sugar. La Colombe created it in Philadelphia.
How much does coffee cost in Philadelphia?
A drip coffee generally runs $3 to $4 and an espresso drink $4.50 to $6, in line with other large US cities. Thank You Thank You on Sansom Street includes tax and does not accept tips, so the board price is final.
