What Redlands Coffee Shops to Visit Now (Tips from Locals)

With PSL season upon us, this was the perfect tasting tour around a few of our favorite coffee shops! Ian is a coffee novice who loves a classic Americano or cold brew. I am more of a tea drinker, but I love a good (dairy-free) latte! The following are some of our favorite Redlands coffee shops and carts for grabbing a sippable treat. 

Featured Places to Get Coffee in Redlands

1. Hooray Coffee*
2. Olive Avenue Market*
3. Le Chat Noir Bookstore & Cat Lounge
4. Slow Bloom Coffee Cooperative
5. The Meek House
6. Wild Goose Coffee Roasters*

*staff favorites

6 Redlands Coffee Shops and Carts Worth a Visit

We’re blessed in Redlands to have an impressive selection of coffee shops. This round-up is filled with seasonally-inspired drinks, fabulous small bites, and cozy spots to call your home away from home.

Great for: Sipping & Shopping

Hooray Coffee is a coffee cart business that opened in December of 2023 in the popular downtown shop Kith & Kissui. Nick, the Host/Manager/Barista/Creative Director, was working in Orange County with a coffee importer and wanted to bring his 8-year coffee love affair and experience closer to home. 

They have many fun and classic menu items, including a fun “Kith and Tell” tea made with hibiscus lemonade and a mint simple syrup. They switch up where they source the coffee beans quarterly to keep things exciting and fresh!

Nick’s favorite drink to make is the “Espresso Tonic.” It’s “delicious and refreshingly violent (caffeine-wise),” he said.

Owner Laura’s fave drink on the menu is the Pumpkin Spice Latte. “It’s the bomb!” she said. 

The drinks were excellent, as always. When we go in to grab a coffee, it’s hard not to walk around and start shopping. It’s set up perfectly in between Kith and Kissui — offering a very picturesque location surrounded by some beautiful art you can buy! For this trip, we’re focused only on the craft!

Nick and all of the baristas truly take their time to make such beautiful and tasty drinks. From the measurements to the looks, we loved watching the behind-the-scenes of making these fun and seasonal drinks. One thing that is super unique about Hooray is their Ripple machine. It’s a coffee art printer. Yeah! A coffee art printer! You can get almost anything printed on your coffee, from a picture of your fur baby to a favorite quote or a logo!

We went with getting the About Redlands logo on our latte! We sat at the bar to enjoy these two beverages. Hooray has some really fun merchandise, as well as products to help you be a barista at home! You can buy beans, mugs, and matcha right at the counter. 

Our drinks: Pumpkin Spice Matcha tasted like the best parts of a pumpkin pie. We’ve had a pumpkin-spiced coffee latte before, so this matcha taste was super interesting. We also tried a fan favorite, the classic Vanilla Latte. It was so perfectly balanced and simple. Having our fun Ripple design on the top made it difficult to want to drink it, but it was hard not to finish it! 

Future Plans: I am looking forward to the winter drinks and their Holiday Fashion show at Kith. Hooray is mobile if you’re looking for fun coffee art or beverages at your next wedding, party, or event! They can come to you with their fabulous drinks!  

Owner: Laura 

Host/Manager/Barista/Creative Director: Nick 

Our Order: Pumpkin Spice Matcha Latte and a classic Vanilla Latte

Location: 5 E Citrus Ave #104 Downtown Redlands

Great for: A warm and welcoming historic cafe. (They’ve been operating for 100 years and counting!)

The Olive Avenue Market building has just celebrated its 100th birthday this year! With decades of history, this building and all its magic inside continues to be a community staple. When you enter the charming building, there is something to look at around every corner.

Out front, you’ll find custom mosaic tables. Scattered throughout the building are historical coffee references. A huge beer and novelty soda fridge is positioned against one wall. And there’s SO much fun art. 

We noticed something new every few minutes during our visit. Not only can you enjoy a handcrafted beverage nestled in the suburbs, but Olive Avenue makes its to-go food items like sandwiches, pasta salads, breakfast burritos, and a bunch of tasty sweets! They source their coffee beans from our local friends at Wild Goose Coffee Roaster. Plus, they stay local when sourcing their tea from Summit Tea!

Our drinks were so festive and enjoyable that it didn’t hurt either that we got to try some yummy seasonal pastries. As a matcha lover, the Fall Into Matcha was a fun swap for my traditional order. The bushel of chai was so good and tasted like autumn in a cup! Also on their fall menu that we will try next time is their “Lavender Twilight,” a purple pea flower tea with lemonade and edible glitter!

Mandy’s favorite drink is a classic cup of black coffee. If she's feeling adventurous, she’ll resort to a chai latte. Missy “drinks iced tea like it’s going out of style” and ALWAYS will have an iced tea in hand. Her current favorite on the menu is their Iced Huckleberry Tea. She also wanted to mention she loves a good scone. Who doesn’t!?

Future Plans: Missy has loved owning this company and wants to keep it thriving in the community she knows and loves. All the owners met at the YMCA circus and their kids grew up in the shop, so they want to keep things fun and interactive with our town. They currently have a makers market on Sundays and fun food pop-ups during the evenings throughout the week. When you visit OAM, you can grab coffee, beer, or just about anything you are craving!

Hosts/barista: Mandy

Owner: Missy

Order: Fresh off their fall menu, “A Bushel of Chai” is a dirty chai latte with apple syrup, caramel, and nutmeg. We also had the “Fall Into Matcha,” a traditional matcha latte with raspberry and vanilla. We rounded out our order with a seasonal pumpkin scone and a pumpkin cookie.

Great for: Finding new books while cuddling cats and sipping coffee. 

Le Chat Noir Bookstore & Cat Lounge opened in January 2024. They have helped more than 70 cats get adopted (and counting). When you first enter the coffee shop, you're greeted by pictures of the sweet kitties that have found their forever homes! As far as the menu goes, there are tons of flavor combinations and syrups you can choose from to create a fun and personalized drink.

You’ll find a few classic pastries available to complement your drink order. The real stars of your visit are downstairs, though — the cats who live in the cat lounge! All cats in the lounge are adoptable, minus the shop cats Sugar, Spice, and their new addition, Sid!

There is a small fee to enter the lounge. The fee helps provide the adoptable cats with food, vet care, litter, and toys. There is no age limit for those who want to enter.

When you head downstairs, you enter this dark, macabre bookstore with about 17 kittens hiding and playing all around. While in the lounge, you can watch a movie on the projector, read a book, buy a book, or play with the cats! Due to Ian's allergies, we only stayed for a few minutes. You can stay in the lounge anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours!

The employees genuinely love working there. They said all the cats have unique personalities, but most of them all get along. They get to spend their time off hanging with cats, and they love it! You can go in, have a nice cup of coffee, and leave with a new book and a forever furry friend. 

All adoptable cats are spayed or neutered, have all current vaccinations, and are microchipped. 

Our order: The Pumpkin Chai Latte tasted like autumn in a cup! The pumpkin cold foam on top was so yummy, and the Jasmine Tea Latte was something we would have never ordered, but I'm happy the barista recommended it. 

Future Plans: They are starting “31 days of Halloween” on Monday, October 1st, with a unique and festive event every day until Halloween. These events include book club meetings, Tarot card reading, and other spooky activities for all ages. Feel free to contact the lounge if you want to donate any treats or toys! Fun fact: They get their coffee beans from Slow Bloom! 

Hosts: Two friendly baristas. One was upstairs with coffee. The other was managing the entrance to the cat lounge. 

Barista's fave drink: Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Barista's favorite cat: Hoot Hoot. He has big eyes and tends to be mischievous with the other cats.

Our Order: Pumpkin Chai Latte with cold foam and Jasmine Tea Latte with lavender syrup.

Great for: A trendy and fun environment with baristas passionate about coffee

Slow Bloom is a coffee co-op that started doing pop-ups in 2020. They began in their current location about 2.5 years ago. What is unique about them is every employee equally owns a percentage of the company. There is no boss, and the knowledgeable and passionate baristas always keep things fair! 

Their coffee beans have a unique story with each bag as well. When you buy a bag of beans, they are typically named after the grower who produced the beans. Every bag also has a QR code to share more information about the farmers, the beans, and their sustainability. 

Their menu is jam-packed with fun drinks and equally fun iconic names like the seasonal “Apple Roan,” “FOMO,” and the ‘Midnight Matcha.” One of the best sellers from their fall menu is their “Banana Bread Latte.” 

They rolled out the fall menu at the beginning of September, and it’s been a hit since! They make all their flavor syrups from scratch in the Aroi Mak Mak kitchen downtown, where RJ also works! They offer a few pastries daily (while supplies last) and currently are working with three different food vendors, including a vegan one! 

Our drinks were so fun. Mine was served in a tall glass — half purple and half bright green. It was very rich but not overpowering. Ian enjoyed an excellent classic pour-over made from their pour-over machine. It was neat to see the process, and RJ says it saves a lot of time while maintaining the quality and exact measurements. 

Future Plans: Slow Bloom is so excited to announce the opening of their Riverside store. It should be opening by 2025, so stay tuned. They are open for “after-hours” a little later than most coffee shops, with specialty menus and events on weekend evenings. In Riverside, they are currently doing some small pop-ups on Saturdays and are trying to have a monthly event featuring local vendors from diverse industries ranging from plants, books, vintage wear, and pizza! Fun Fact: all drinks are vegan-friendly. 

Owners: The Employees

Host/Redlands Lead/Secretary: RJ

Our Order: Iced Midnight Matcha, and a classic pour-over with beans called Daniel Munos and washed with Colombian gesha.

Great for: A humble cafe focused on creating a welcoming environment and serving great coffee.

The Meek House was founded by two sisters whose parents are first-generation Romanian immigrants. The two sisters, Lizzy and Gianna, opened up Meek House in January 2018. This dynamic duo originally started curious about the science involved with a true farm-to-cup experience. Now, they are sourcing and roasting their own beans!

The Meek House is located snugly within the hustle and bustle of the Mountain Grove Plaza. Their fall menu is live, and Ian’s mouth started watering when he saw a Churro Latte. You can’t miss them as they have a large sign on their front windows exclaiming, “Yes, this is a coffee shop!” 

The menu is full of different drink variations, both classic and unique. It covers a huge chalkboard wall with cute depictions of what each drink is and has in it. They also have select pastries daily and sandwiches on the weekend. On Fridays, they have personalized charcuterie boards for sale.

Our order was, of course, the Churro Latte, and Gianna made the Garden Blue London Fog for me! The Churro Latte was terrific. We were fighting over it the majority of the time. I love a good London Fog latte, which tastes refreshing without being too sweet! 

We nibbled on a handmade lingonberry and cheese pastry. Before we left, Gianna had to let us try their Plum Jam Puff Pastry, a recipe that was a passed-down favorite from their grandmother. It was so tasty, and we loved the sentiment behind it. Gianna’s favorite order is a classic cappuccino made with almond milk.

Future Plans: In October, they want to revive an old tradition they started when they opened Harry Potter Trivia! They will even add a special “Butter Beer” to the menu for the season! As far as other events go, they host special events with local vendors every quarter. Check them out when you are shopping around for the holidays! 

Host/co-owner/sister: Gianna

Co-owner/sister: Lizzy

Our Order: As part of their fall menu, we had the Churro Latte and their Garden Blue London Fog

Great for: Those who believe in gratitude, giving back, and good old-fashioned coffee!

Last but certainly not least, we visited Wild Goose Coffee Roasters. It is located on the west side of town, across the street from Ritual Brewing Co. Neither of us had been there before, and we can’t wait to go back! 

Nathan, the founder, used to be a high school math teacher. He got into the business of coffee by “following what he was interested in.” His company started in 2008 by roasting beans and then selling their beans wholesale. That transformed into doing pop-up coffee at the downtown farmer’s market that used to be held on Thursday night on State Street. 

Now, the roasting facilities include a coffee bar with a full menu. They sell their beans to Olive Avenue Market, Sugar Bloom Cafe, and Gerrards! And they ship their beans all over the country. (So, if you’re reading this and sadly have moved away, don’t worry. You can still get their excellent coffee right to your doorstep wherever you are!)

Nathan feels like coffee is a great connector. “Coffee encourages people to linger, connect, and share stories,” Nathan said. As part of the Wild Goose mission, Nathan aims to bring people together as well as help other communities. The coffee roaster donates 10 pounds of food to local food banks for every pound of roasted coffee purchased. 

As of our tasting, they’ve donated 400 million pounds of food to local and global food banks. We were lucky enough to get to try a few unique brews, followed by a tour. With his educational background, Nathan loves educating about his beans, the coffee process, and his mission. He’s even recently written a book about his life and following your passions. His current resume includes math teacher, roaster, husband, father, coffee lover, philanthropist, and author!

Our tour and tasting started with a timeless pour-over that Nathan shared with us. He credits his math background to his meticulous measuring of the beans and the water. His go-to, he enjoys this classic pour-over three times a day.

He wanted us to enjoy the coffee in all its pure glory to start. The “wild goose challenge” is having three sips of the coffee before adding flavors, sweeteners, or milk. After our quick tour of the roasting facilities, we met Rachel at the coffee bar, who gave us some fun drinks.

Their most popular seller is their “Redlands Mocha” made with Parliament chocolate. They also use Parliament’s caramel syrup for a few of the drinks as well. We later tried the “Autumn Vibes Cold Brew,” a fun spin on an iced favorite. 

We also enjoyed a hot Pumpkin Spice Latte that was beautifully crafted and perfect for the season. In both seasonal drinks, the quality of the beans and flavor never got lost. Ian also tried a Gibraltar for the first time, which was a 50/50 split of espresso and milk. He may have a new favorite! 

Fun Fact: You can order a keg of cold brew from them! That’s five gallons of great grinds to help you get going! 

Future Plans: They get shipments of bread and pastries from Stillman Avenue Bread Company three times a week! They are looking forward to possibly bringing some coffee education back on their schedule. They have done authentic coffee tastings in the past and hope to start that experience again to bring education and passion for coffee together. 

Their coffee beans come in two categories. The first one is “Comfort,” which gives the profile of a chocolate, nutty, and familiar-tasting coffee. Their “Adventurous” blends give notes that are more “floral, vibrant, and exciting.” You can buy a bag of their excellent beans all around town or pop into their coffee shop and let the coffee do the talking!

Host/Founder: Nathan

Barista: Rachel

Show Your Redlands Coffee Shops Some Love

Beyond being a regular patron, how else can you support your Redlands coffee shops? By tagging them on social media. An @mention with a positive review plays can go a long way in helping small businesses. 

Make your mention go even further by tagging About Redlands to get your post re-shared!

The coffee shops showcased here provided complimentary drinks and food to our guest contributors. About Redlands works incredibly hard to support all of our local businesses. If you have a business you would like showcased, please send us a note on social media or an email. We’d love to talk to you about being highlighted on our blog!