Orlando boasts lots of first-of-a-kind attractions and unique experiences, but did you know it was also No.1 for tea and coffee shops? It’s true. According to the Orlando Business Journal and Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, our city has more of these outlets per capita than anywhere in the US, and they’re well worth looking out for.
Apart from an absolute barrage of Starbucks cafes throughout central Florida (more than 70 locations, and counting!), plus those of the other big American chain company, Dunkin’ (50-plus), there are dozens of other choices, both small and large, that are hugely tempting – and probably better value.
Orlando is home to one of the fastest-growing franchises in the US. Foxtail Coffee was established in the suburb of Winter Park in 2016, and now has 87 venues throughout Florida, plus as far away as Michigan and Nevada, with another dozen or so on the way. It offers a really different and ultra-modern vibe, as well as a firm commitment to ethically-sourced coffee beans, and uses its own roasting process based in Orlando for its many delicious flavours.
We even have a specialist tea house, The Tea Room Experience, in downtown Orlando that features a sumptuous venue for a full tea-time offering in the Best British traditions, with sandwiches, scones and cakes, in addition to an amazing selection of teas. It is available by reservation only (Thursday-Sunday, $40/person), and is well worth booking for a special afternoon occasion.
By the same token, Infusion Tea is another high-quality tea experience on offer, boasting another great range of loose-leaf, organic teas as well as vegan and vegetarian creations. It’s in the College Park district of downtown, is open from 9am-7pm daily, and even serves a classic cucumber sandwich!
Alternatively, the ette Hotel in Kissimmee – which boasts a Michelin-starred chef in Akira Back – is the place to go on Sundays (noon-4pm) for a truly sumptuous tea experience in their Herb Garden Courtyard, featuring distinctive Mariage Frères teas, sandwiches, scones and divine pastries and chocolates. It’s not cheap at $65/person, plus service charge, but it’s a genuine taste of luxury.
Of course, you may have had your fill of tea before reaching Orlando, in which case you’ll probably want to know about the coffee alternatives. And there are a LOT. As good as the Foxtail Coffee outlets are – and they are really, really good – there are still others that are equally quality conscious and fun to explore, especially in some of the downtown districts and places like Winter Park and Winter Garden.
Winter Garden is often our choice for an afternoon out, or even their Saturday Farmer’s Market (8am-1pm weekly), which is hugely popular with locals. Here you have the choice of a Foxtail Coffee combined with a delicious Kelly’s Home-Made Ice Cream counter, and Axum Coffee, another highly regarded locals’ hangout with an individual style and delicious in-house concoctions, like their Heavenly Toffee and Raspberry Truffle coffees. Check out this blog we wrote for AT.com all about the Winter Garden vibe and why it should be on your radar for a visit.
Winter Park should need no introduction to regular AT.com News blog readers as we’ve been writing about it here for years (OK, here’s a good one to catch you up on!), and it is no surprise that it is also a place with wonderful coffee shops. As already mentioned, it is the home of Foxtail and their first outlet (on 1282 N. Orange Avenue), but it also has several other choices, including Barnie’s Coffee & Tea Co, which dates back to 1980.
Barnie’s has tables indoors, on the pavement out front and in their little fountain-decorated courtyard to one side, and is ideal for both coffee and lunch, as well as for a wonderful range of their own flavoured coffees to buy by the bag. Look out also for The Glass Knife, which is a super-chic café and restaurant specialising in cakes, desserts, pastries and doughnuts, as well as some seriously tasty coffees. Their original location is on S. Orlando Avenue but they will also have a second Winter Park shop later this year on bustling Park Avenue.
Head to downtown Orlando and there is even more singular coffee-house choice. Craft & Common is a unique concept as it also features craft beer, wine and cocktails, as well as bar bites, breakfast dishes and sandwiches, in addition to their truly creative tea and coffee menu, which highlights mixes like rose, vanilla and cardamom (the Wild Child) and lavender, honey and sea salt (Pacific Fog). Sure, you can still get a cappuccino or nitro cold brew, but their own concoctions are simply superb. The Thornton Park area is also notable for Bynx, another imaginative café that also sells vinyl records, books and musical knick-knacks, in addition to excellent teas and coffees that include some impressive toppings and syrups.
As two final alternatives, be sure to sample the Latin flavour and flair of Colombia at Mecatos Bakery & Cafe, where not only are the coffees outrageously good but there is also a magnificent array of baked goods, breads, hot bites and desserts from their in-house bakery. The drinks include signature hot chocolate and smoothies as well as classic lattes and cappuccinos, plus South American classics like cortaditos and coladas. Mecatos has nine cafes in the Orlando area, including downtown, Lake Nona and (our favourite) Apopka.
Similarly, CFS deals in 100 per cent Colombian coffee and has 15 current locations, most notably in Winter Park, Lake Nona, Dr Phillips and Winter Garden. Their all-day breakfast is a treat as it offers yucca waffles and smoothie bowls, as well as salads, subs and arepas for lunch and dinner. Give their Café Bombon a try – it’s made with condensed milk, espresso and whipped cream for a super-sweet taste.
Hopefully that gets your appetite going for yet another original experience here in the Theme Park Capital of the World, where there really is SO much more than meets the eye.
PS: Want to combine a shopping trip to the Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets with a great coffee experience? Head into the Tommy Hilfiger store where you’ll also find a fab Foxtail Coffee shop!
What tea or coffee shops have YOU tried in Orlando? Tell us about them on the friendly AttractionTickets.com Community Facebook page, on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram.
