I know everyone loves Starbucks. There are so many locations. You can order ahead, and it’s just a good menu. But, I think it’s time we switch it up and start going to some local coffee shops. – Editor Abigail Horwitt
By Lilah Nick, Who Orders Tea in Coffee Shops
Koffi
Koffi is a locally owned coffee shop. The first Koffi store opened in 2002 in uptown North Palm Springs. They currently have four locations: three in Palm Springs and one in Rancho Mirage. It is a popular spot to stop in with a friend and get some coffee. Their menu consists of things like breakfast sandwiches, coffee, iced tea, their version of a frappuccino, bakery items, and small lunches. Koffi offers mobile orders. In person, I ordered an egg-and-cheese sandwich and a lavender crimson berry iced-tea fusion. It was so good, and I also liked how they cut their sandwiches in half. I frequent the South Palm Springs Koffi pictured below.
Gré Coffee House and Art Gallery
Gré is located in downtown Palm Springs right across from the Sandwich Spot. The floor is covered with vinyl records along with wall displays of rare records as well. They also have a huge selection of vinyl that ranges from their $1 section to $100 for their rare records. On special occasions, they also have live music.
They have coffee, tea, hot chocolate, fountain drinks, and frozen drinks, along with a few bakery items that change every so often. I tried their hot chocolate one time, and it was the best chocolate I’ve ever had. It wasn’t burning hot and it wasn’t watery; it was super chocolate-y.
Café La Jefa
Café La Jefa is a Latin-influenced coffee shop in uptown Palm Springs. The atmosphere there is really fun. There are many photo opportunities, and they have lots of comfy seating. They have coffee, tea, kombucha, salads, wraps, sandwiches, and pastries. Ani Madanyan says, “They have really good coffee. I really like their sitting area. Half the time the bakery items are sold out–they’re just that good. They also have shops in the store so you can shop while you wait.” They have clothing, crystals, hair accessories, necklaces, and art.
These are some popular coffee shop alternatives in the desert. They are super good, and I hope you visit these. There is coffee beyond Starbucks.
As someone who loves coffee, I think it must be noted that local coffee shops are very rare and even less good in the valley outside of Palm Springs. In Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City, and Palm Desert I’ve yet to find a truly good independent coffee shop. It’s easy to say it’s good if you’re getting tea which is hard to screw up as opposed to coffee where there are a lot of technical aspects.