The Best Specialty Coffee Shops in Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs sits at the foot of Pikes Peak and has spent the last decade quietly building a coffee culture that surprises people who expect nothing but chain drive-throughs. The city's independent coffee scene is small but serious, anchored by roasters who care about sourcing and cafes that treat the cup as something worth getting right.

This is not a comprehensive directory. It is a curated list of the places worth going out of your way for.

Downtown and the core

Loyal Coffee

Loyal is the roaster that put Colorado Springs on the specialty coffee map. Located downtown, Loyal roasts its own coffee with a focus on single-origin sourcing and transparent relationships with farmers. The space is minimal and intentional. The espresso is precise. If you want to understand what specialty coffee actually is, Loyal is the best classroom in the city.

The Perk Downtown

A Colorado Springs institution in the truest sense. The Perk has been downtown long enough to have outlasted several waves of coffee culture, which says something. The vibe is approachable, the space has character, and it draws a crowd that ranges from early-morning regulars to afternoon workers. Less precious than some of the newer specialty spots, which is part of the appeal.

Story Coffee

Story brings a clean, editorial sensibility to Colorado Springs coffee. The space reflects care in its design, the drinks are well-executed, and the general atmosphere rewards the kind of slow morning most people never allow themselves. Worth a visit when you want somewhere quiet and considered.

North and midtown

Switchback Coffee Roasters

Switchback roasts in Colorado Springs and operates multiple locations across the city. The sourcing is serious, the roast profiles lean toward approachable rather than esoteric, and the consistency across locations is something most multi-location roasters struggle to maintain. A reliable anchor for the city's coffee scene.

Building Three Coffee

Building Three is the specialty-forward option for those who want to get deep into coffee education without pretension. The staff knows their product, the rotating single-origin offerings give repeat visitors a reason to return, and the space feels like it was designed for the serious but unsnobby coffee drinker.

Mission Coffee Roasters on Ridgeline Drive is worth the drive north. Brett Bixler founded Mission in 2012 after five years learning the craft at Diedrich Coffee in Southern California. He roasts in house on a Diedrich roaster, and you can taste the difference in every cup. The shop doubles as a coworking space with conference rooms upstairs and puts a portion of proceeds toward local nonprofits. If you are looking for a neighborhood roaster with real roots in the specialty trade, Mission is it.

Distinct neighborhoods

Wild Goose Meeting House

Wild Goose occupies a particular niche: community-centered, warm, the kind of place where people actually talk to each other. The coffee is good, but the atmosphere is the main draw. If Loyal represents coffee as craft, Wild Goose represents coffee as gathering. Both are necessary.

Shuga's

Shuga's is eclectic in the best sense. It does not fit cleanly into any one category, which makes it memorable. The vibe is distinctly its own, the space has personality, and it draws a crowd that would feel out of place at a minimalist roaster. Part of what makes Colorado Springs's coffee scene interesting is that it has room for Shuga's.

How to explore all of them

The most honest recommendation is to visit all of them. Colorado Springs is not so large that driving across the city to try a new shop is a significant undertaking, and the differences between these spaces, in sourcing philosophy, in atmosphere, in what they value about coffee, are worth experiencing firsthand.

Pulled tracks your visits to every one of these shops. Check in, log the drink, and watch the map fill in as you work your way through the city's best independent cafes.

Related reading: Denver, best coffee cities. See all coffee shops in Colorado Springs on our city guide.

Colorado Springs specialty cafes count toward Pulled Coffee exploration challenges.