Who bears the Swamp’s coffee crown?
A cappuccino from Volta Coffee, Tea & Chocolate.
April 21, 2022 | Story and photos by AJ Bafer
When I was a fresh-faced resident in Gainesville, the city’s flourishing coffee scene was the first home I found. Much to my wallet’s dismay. The unrivaled ecstasy of cozying up in a roastery to the hum of indie tunes during peak hurricane season was a revolutionary revelation.
Once I became acquainted with the cafes in the Swamp, I couldn’t help but ponder that forbidden question, one that spurs scalding arguments and has defeated many coffee nuts before me:
What’s Gainesville’s best coffee shop?
I compiled a list of the top-reviewed coffee shops in town and pitted them against each other based on location. Atrium magazine readers directed me to their top five selections: Opus, Maude’s Classic Cafe, Karma Cream, Curia on the Drag and Bay Islands Coffee Co.
I visited each location to explore what each had to offer and mulled over menu to mood. A cappuccino was my drink of choice. As much as I would’ve adored sipping down some good old fashioned, non-dairy oat beverage, I chose whole milk as my base since it’s the most ubiquitous option.
Gainesville cultivated my taste in coffee, so my hands shook with excitement throughout this experience. But that might’ve been the excess caffeine.
Opus
800 SW 2nd Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601
Monday–Sunday, 7 a.m.–6 p.m.
Opus is perpetually foaming up with customers. Its location at Innovation Square quite literally opened its door to visitors, shouting at passersby to stop in through the brightness of the tangerine umbrellas. This warmth sticks around once inside, with massive roof-to-floor windows to the delight of customers and canines alike. The shop is corporate clean, laid out like a Starbucks.
Most of those getting their caffeine buzz were college-aged. The shop’s location – just a few blocks north of sorority row – might explain why so many of their backpacks were littered with Greek lettering. They’d evidently held down the fort for a while, judging by the empty cups of indistinguishable caffeine-water froth. Who could blame them? Vying for a seat at Opus is more competitive than in any colosseum.
Behind the bar, three to five baristas tackled an unending stream of orders with the speed and spirit of Opus’s lightning-bolt logo. Complemented by a menu offering too many specials to count, from its Slayer to Matcha series, Opus’s biggest flex is its unrivaled efficiency.
That might also be its greatest pitfall. Opus isn’t shy about milk, and the coffee didn’t feel like the main character of my cappuccino. The few nutty notes I could pick up felt like an afterthought in the shop’s assembly line.
But Opus aficionado Bryce Holwell, 21, told me I might need to rethink my order.
“I’m here way too much,” he said.
Holwell orders an iced coffee with hazelnut syrup and almond milk. He said iced coffee is the cheapest thing you can get at any coffee shop, and that Opus’s doesn’t disappoint. From a high-top table in his Florida Cicerones crewneck, Holwell explained he was also drawn by Opus’s Wi-Fi – the University of Florida network – and the many people he knows who frequent the shop.
Holwell, like the many pairs of laptop users around him, made it clear that Opus doubles as a caffeine fix and a social space.
Karma Cream
607 W. University Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601
Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–10 p.m. | Saturday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. | Sunday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Situated as a refreshing rest stop for anyone taking a stroll west of downtown, Karma Cream houses an unmatched spectrum of guests between its fern-green walls. Mothers, fathers and professionals respectable enough to use laptop stands combine with stylish students for a holistic atmosphere. That inclusivity, along with the shop’s natural palette, complements its distinctly vegan-organic menu.
It’s a decision bold in its own right, made more respectable by Karma Cream’s plentiful selection of sandwiches, baked goods and ice cream bar. It even offers self-serve chilled water, a feature often overlooked but appreciated by masochists who’d be twisted enough to order a steaming cappuccino in sweltering heat.
Despite its signature branding, Karma Cream carries whole milk, a thoughtful gesture for those not keen on a vegan diet. This dairy-based benevolence extended to my cappuccino. It was so generous that I tasted only the ghost of what must’ve been a coffee base buried beneath the milk. My qualms with the ratio were offset by the leaf-pattern latte art adorning the drink, worthy enough for any social media feed.
Karma Cream is just as insistent on overloading its sandwiches with vegan cheese, according to 18-year-old Lucy de Greling. But while the sandwiches aren’t her “jam,” she delights in the beverages, pastries and coconut milk ice cream. The only drink she has ordered is a small iced matcha latte; it was so good the first time that de Greling hasn’t dared to deviate. Both Karma Cream’s tea and genial atmosphere keep her coming back.
“The energy’s really good,” she said.
Karma Cream is like Wyatt’s and Volta’s vegan-organic lovechild; amicable as the former, with as many rotating menu options as the latter. It’s a refreshing spot, accommodating a gamut of dietary preferences. Did I mention the ice cream?
Maude’s Classic Cafe
101 SE 2nd Place, Gainesville, FL 32601
Monday–Thursday, 7 a.m.–8 p.m. | Friday, 7 a.m.–11 p.m. | Saturday, 9 a.m.–11 p.m. | Sunday, 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
Maude’s is the punk rocker of the local coffee scene. Its broody-yet-eccentric exterior comes complete with low lighting and psychedelia galore; the art adorning its walls is more consistent with what you’d find in a hookah lounge than a cafe, from local pieces to an empty birdcage. Like any true punk, though, it’ll hug you like the big brother you never had once you’re acquainted.
Your first visit might leave your head spinning like a record. Excluding its expansive outdoor seating area, Maude’s is as dark as High Dive on a Saturday night. Keep your ears open, and you might even hear the staff behind the bar mocking the whiny verses of Yellowcard’s “Ocean Avenue.” It’s a near-complete, coffee concert experience. If only Maude’s smelled like teen spirit, instead of the sterilized scent of the office building to which it is attached.
Luckily, Maude’s coffee lights up the stage. My cappuccino was a foam factory, but I didn’t mind fighting through the froth. It didn’t feel like Maude’s was trying to hide subpar coffee — they had barrels of their beans with details about sourcing right by the register. The foam offered a fullness that culminated in what I have come to call “the liquid graham cracker.” The label would fit in well on the shop’s flashy food and drink menu, comprised of items like “The David Bowie” brownie and “The Philosopher’s Brew” house special.
Maude’s offers more than an angsty interior. Matthew Clark, 26, visits about twice a week to get out of the house to relish in the sunlight and plant life the shop’s outdoor seating provides.
An idiosyncratic setting to sip hot chai latte beneath the breeze, Maude’s supplies tatted-up downtowners like Clark some urban solace.
“It really is a very special place,” he said.
Maude’s is best seen in appreciation of all its unconventional pieces. Its stockpile of seating options, laid-back ambiance and solid coffee sell it as one of the most complete experiences in town. I wouldn’t recommend it to those still traumatized by their Paramore phase. But if you find yourself fiending for a caffeine fix on a day when you’re donning Doc Martens, stomp downtown for a cup.
Curia on the Drag
2029 NW 6th St., Gainesville, FL 32609
Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–9 p.m. | Saturday–Sunday, 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
It’s hard to beat Curia on a cool day. From its open, 2.5-acre layout to its menu, Curia carries everything there is to love about greater Gainesville. Its soothing aura is encircled by a wooden deck, huge trees, hammocks, a plant-based food truck and a pavilion. Sitting inside (blasphemy!) you’ll find a proud array of Sweetwater Organic Coffee, fresh-roasted just a 10-minute drive downtown. It is farther north than most competitors, but Curia’s distance from the heart of Gainesville is its greatest strength. It is a coffee respite from the subwoofers booming down University Avenue.
But none of that would have mattered if the coffee sucked. Curia doesn’t offer dishware, so my disposable lid had me going in blind. What a shame it would be if the serene location was but a facade, a distraction from subpar brew to get foolhardy visitors to buy overpriced knickknacks from the nearby AUK Market.
Mercifully, Curia’s cappuccino is the most well-balanced on this list. Instead of latte art, I was greeted with a subtle layer of foam on my first sip. Beneath it sat enough steamed milk to smooth out a rich coffee base with cocoa notes.
Only a few features drag down the Drag. Its outdoor speakers weren’t too audible over the steady roll of passing traffic, and headphones are a must. And on a windy day, you might find your tote bag whisked away from your table, as Leila Santiago did during my stay.
Curia doesn’t offer decaf coffee, and the 21-year-old doesn’t drink caffeine. She opts for a chaga chai, a mushroom-based blend of botanicals with almond milk. It’s the only item she can order at Curia while avoiding conventional teas and caffeine. But Santiago doesn’t mind. It’s worth it for the crisp shade, outlets and quality food like that offered by Curia’s vegan food truck.
“A lot of coffee shops here are more of an indoor environment,” she said, noting how gorgeous it was on that cloudless day. “Sometimes I just like the outside.”
I’ll be stealing Santiago’s ritual of reading on the Drag. Crack open a book at Curia to romanticize your daily grind.
Bay Islands Coffee Co.
3270 SW 35th Blvd. Gainesville, FL 32608
Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–6 p.m. | Saturday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. | Sunday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Bay Islands operates in its own little paradise. With its seafoam accents and palm fronds, it would better fit in on U.S. 1 than on Archer Road. The shop is a humble hut. Smack in the middle of a parking lot, it has a few outside seats for walk-up orders and a distinguishing drive-through window.
I never saw the seats filled, but the long line of cars made clear why customers make the trip to Bay Islands: convenience. It was a welcome change of pace to sit in the comfort of my car to my own tunes – surf rock was the perfect soundtrack. Judging by other visitors’ windshield stickers and license plates – from government workers to dog people – Bay Islands’s clientele come from all walks. The shop’s daily specials, offering discounts on coffee and pastry or sandwich combos depending on the day of the week, make Bay Islands an obvious addition to local coffee lovers’ daily routine.
My cappuccino was the only one I’ve seen in town to come equipped with a locking lid, a feature quintessential to a spill-free morning commute. Bay Islands might be a bit too committed to its seaside aesthetic, though. The coffee was a bit watery. Still, the beach box is far too ambitious (and adorable) for me to hold that against it. The brew smelled delightfully creamy, and it was well-balanced enough with the milk to where the drink was not tarnished.
Besides, Bay Islands looks much more suited to chilling out. Between its iced coffee’s flavored syrups, smoothies and milkshakes, the only items it is missing are açai bowls. Its focus on customization and tidal wave of order combinations make it worth driving by.
So, which coffee shop reigns supreme? Hold tight to your mugs: Gainesville doesn’t have a coffee king or a bean queen.
I’d take to Opus for a coffee chat, Curia to unwind, Maude’s to brood, Karma Cream to lighten my mood and Bay Islands for an on-the-go brew. Though some fell flat on flavor, the coffee nuts who embody Gainesville’s colorful coffee scene made it clear that my sampling of these selections should hardly conclude with a cappuccino.
But this debate doesn’t end there. Follow @atrium_magazine to keep tabs on the coffee conversation – here’s what our followers had to say:
Opus (74 votes) vs. Pascal’s Coffeehouse (36 votes)
Wyatt’s Coffee (48 votes) vs. Maude’s Classic Cafe (57 votes)
Volta Coffee, Tea & Chocolate (18 votes) vs. Karma Cream (87 votes)
Curia on the Drag (74 votes) vs. Coffee Culture (32 votes)
Foxtail Coffee Co. (38 votes) vs. Bay Islands Coffee Co. (46 votes)
A.J. Bafer
A.J. Bafer is an assistant editor with Atrium. He has previously written for Strike Magazine GNV, WUFT News, Rowdy Magazine and the Independent Florida Alligator. You can find him in the closest cafe.