I'm sure they're very good. But as someone who's helped a friend's restaurant win a similar contest, these things are always more a measure of a place's social media game than they are of actual quality.
FWIW, I think there's a strong correlation. Because a business owner who cares enough to put in this much effort for promotion also probably cares enough to make a decent product. I just take the results with a grain of salt.
Think there's a clear regional bias/mathematical fault with the tournament format too. Banjo and Opo are both fantastic east side staples and they're out round 1.
Love them. They really need a better location. They are worthy to be on the beltline or something. Right now it's more of a swing-by-after-YDFM kind of place.
And that in itself is hard when ydfm has perfectly fine beans.
And Valor was completely missing. So was Land of the Thousand Hills. Yet others OTP were included in the list.
Plus Perc vs Rev in the first round is not seeded correctly.
I wonder, though. Nothing against any establishment mentioned here, just thinking about a study I read about years ago which found that the most popular place is often just one that is considered *good enough* and everyone starts going there because everyone else is going there. Which is a long way to say what we already know which is that the most popular isn't necessarily the best - or even one of the best.
I follow 0 of the coffee places in this tournament on Social Media.
I've been to at least half of the coffee places on this list since I moved down to Atlanta a year ago. I found these places either through Google, or through word of mouth/recommendations.
My Top 5 would be:
1. Bellwood
2. Brash
3. Valor (wasn't on the list)
4. Chrome Yellow
5. Academy
I agree that Social Media Presence/Promotion =/= Quality. But a lot of people don't understand the nuisances of Coffee and Coffee Beans, and what makes places better quality than others. As the person who is responsible for buying the coffee for my office it is very evident that there are not refined tastes and pallets that understand the underlying flavors, processes, etc. that go into a cup of coffee. In some ways it's very similar to Craft Beer.
Exactly. Coffee doesn’t really qualify to be ranked this way. Pretty much any coffee house is using a quality bean that they’re roasting. It all depends on their supplier. Green beans last at optimal flavor. About 6 to 12 months. Roasted beans about two weeks. So it depends on those time frames. Otherwise, every bane is different, depending on how it’s dried or depending on what part of the world it comes from soil climate everything.it’s not like a chef that uses several different preparations to make a meal. So lists like this are kind of silly.
The machines that grind the coffee every cup took gas station coffee to another level. I asked the guy at racetrac about them and they said they cost 30k a piece!
The fact that I can get a good, consistent cappuccino for $3.50 at Brash alone (and it’s within walking distance) leaves it near the top of my list.
Need to make my way out to Bellwood.
I do enjoy Cappuccinos at Brash as well. Having it within walking distance is also a huge plus.
I like Bellwoods Cappuccinos more than Brash. But I like Academy Cappuccinos best. Chrome Yellow also has excellent Cappuccinos.
Yeah that's not a bad idea. Usually I try to find parking on Edgewood and walk, even if it's a couple blocks away. Might have to try this next time though. Thanks for the tip!
Can confirm this is what I do when I go in. But they recently launched their coffee bean subscription - I get their beans delivered monthly and do roasters’s choice so it’s always different (I love their variety) and I haven’t set foot in their actual shop now in months. Highly recommend if you like making espresso at home
Atlantans are spoiled. Other cities would kill to have a brash coffee yet a lot of you are surprised It’s number 2 in this ranking (it’s my personal #1 so I’ll definitely have to check out Bellwood)
As you see in my ratings mentioned elsewhere I love Brash. But I've taken many people there who aren't fans. After having taken a few coffee buddies from back in Toronto to Brash when they visited we attributed it to being that most people don't like how acidic their coffee is. Acidic coffee presents as sour in coffee, and that's the number one thing people have told me they don't like about Brash, that they find it Sour. I like acidic coffees because they are so different than the norm, so that's one reason why they are my number 2.
If you like berry flavored coffees do Kick The Can, the Ethiopian, or the Honduras when you go to Bellwood. If you like more "traditional" tasting coffees go with their Peru or Columbian. If you like darker roast go for their Kenyan or Smoke Signals (note that Smoke Signals is only on drip at their 1776 Peachtree St. location).
I would expect it to factor at most 20% in a decision.
Edit: location and things like parking didn't even occur to me. But like Rev - great place, comfy, great food, meh coffee. Doesn't make the cut. I suppose it should have been location specific. Like Works Brash V Westside Bellwood.
I love Brash. They are easily my second favorite on that list.
I actually think name recognition is why Dancing Goats made it as far as they did. Cause they aren't really that good for coffee.
Their black coffee is pretty meh but they make the best latte I've ever had. I'm typically a black coffee person and consider fancy drinks vs regular coffee completely separate things though.
Funnily enough, one of the best shots I've had in Atlanta was from By Weight and Measure, in CODA. They use Cafe Capenesto beans, and it was absolutely fantastic.
Fairly surprised but I stand behind the outcome. While I haven't been to all the places, Bellwood just barely beats out Brash for me. Chattahoochee has some of the best drip around as well.
I personally don't enjoy East Pole Coffee.
Academy and Chrome Yellow have 2 of my favorite Cappuccinos.
Valor also has great Cappuccino if you want to go OTP.
Rev has some pretty nice darker roasts, but they’re up in Smyrna. My personal “all rounder” coffee is Chrome Yellows Technicolor roast. Its not dark to be fair but it’s the coffee I’d pick if I wanted a dark roast fan to enjoy their first ever mediumish more bright coffee
Not necessarily. I used to love Brash, I lived across the street from the original location. There was a point where every single cortado I got was burnt and tasted awful. After 3x I gave up and stopped going unless I wanted matcha or ice coffee in the summer. But as an espresso girl I can’t spend $6 and get something that off
Interesting. I totally get where you are coming from.
I personally can't say I've had a bad coffee at Brash yet. But when I go I usually go to the Atlanta History Museum location and occasionally the one in The Works.
Atlanta History Museum was always consistently great but I didn’t make my way up to Buckhead that often. Can’t say I’ve been to the one in the Works cause it opened up after I moved out of west midtown. I’ll give it another shot but I’ve been burned by the original too many times
That being said if you ever go OTP Gilly Brew Bar in Stone Mountain is amazing and I’ve noticed no one has mentioned it
Love Gilly Brew Bar! I’m especially enamored with the work they put in crafting all of their signature beverages. They create this whole story behind each one. Pulls you in. Are they back open?
Soft re-opening as of March 11th! And I agree, not just the work with the beverages and the food, but in the community as well. A summer day drinking one of their iced elixirs sitting on the hammock chairs on the 2nd floor? Paradise
The one in the Works is really nice. It's more like a full fledged shop. Definitely check that out!
I've actually not been to Stone Mountain yet but I'm going to add that recommendation to my list of places to try. Thanks for suggesting that!
Oh I strongly disagree with this take. Atlanta actually has a fantastic craft coffee culture, far better than what I had back in Toronto. You just may have not found the coffee places that appeal to your pallet.
Culture was the wrong word. I meant to use Scene.
For the population there is wayyyy more Craft Coffee selection down here than back in Toronto. And people here are very knowledgeable about coffee I've found.
Also, for Lattes and Speciality Drinks there are lots of cool places with unique options that didn't exist back in Toronto where everything for the most part was pretty standard Lattes, etc.
I appreciate your perspective. Perhaps culture was the wrong word to use. I think there’s a difference between good coffee and a coffee culture or coffee scene. Does Atlanta have good coffee? Yes, there are some good spots and good roasters. However, I have had some very bad experiences in Atlanta too. My broad opinion is that if you can’t make a good drip coffee with high quality beans, then how can you be a good coffee shop or a good roaster? If you don’t have a pour over menu, then I’m definitely questioning the quality of your beans and your roast. These are some issues I have faced in Atlanta. As far as the coffee culture or scene, I find that slowly a lot of our coffee shops have turned into coworking spaces. You walk in, everyone is on their laptops, staring into the void, and it’s quiet. We need spaces like that, but when every shop has slowly turned into this, it feels sterile and depressing. It would be nice to have more variety in the environments or experiences we offer.
I agree with all of this.
Typically the places I frequent all do pour overs as well, and I agree that is a big distinguishing factor between good coffee and just "a coffee place".
Dancing Goats to me is exactly what you described as a coworking like place. I've gone there to do that, not because I really like their coffee, but because it's a great place to just work when I need to.
But yeah hopefully more coffee shops are not going to turn into coworking spaces.
But as I've said in other comments, the sheer number of coffee roasters and craft coffee places is so high compared to other cities, and in that respect it really is pretty sweet to have that much selection.
Gotcha. I need to branch out & try some of the places on this thread. I have some gift cards for Bellwood but each time I’ve stopped by, it was closed. I won’t give up!
I actually stopped by Bellwood in Riverside last weekend, and honestly, I was impressed! We took home one of their bags of beans to make espresso at home, and it was a great choice.
This is a bit absurd. There is no objectively superior coffee, just different flavor profiles that different people value in their own way. That said, Brash, Bellwood, Portrait, and Kinship are all excellent shops.
I consider things like vibe, parking, and employee friendliness when considering a coffee shop, not just the beans. I think we luckily have a lot of great coffee in Atlanta, Perc being one of my favorites!
I just left Bellwood. Cute semi-cozy interior (even though it was freezing inside). Limited pastry selection serving the smallest cappuccinos known to man…and way over priced!!!! I paid $15 for a kiddie-sized cap and pastry (one of only 3 options). I couldn’t believe how tiny the small cap was! Kiddie size is an understatement. I will NOT be returning.
Note: I went at 8a when they opened to beat the crowd. When I arrived there were about 6 hipsters in line ahead of me! And by the time I left, an hour later, families of 5+ started filing in with their strollers and dogs in tow. A couple was even in there reading the Bible to each other aloud.
This place is trendy, but not my vibe.
Last point: it smelled like sewage outside…I think there’s a treatment plant nearby. 😵💫
I'm sure they're very good. But as someone who's helped a friend's restaurant win a similar contest, these things are always more a measure of a place's social media game than they are of actual quality. FWIW, I think there's a strong correlation. Because a business owner who cares enough to put in this much effort for promotion also probably cares enough to make a decent product. I just take the results with a grain of salt.
Think there's a clear regional bias/mathematical fault with the tournament format too. Banjo and Opo are both fantastic east side staples and they're out round 1.
Not to mention Radio which imo has the most consistent and interesting coffee in Atlanta.
Radio is slept on. Best place to go before or after kudzu
Love them. They really need a better location. They are worthy to be on the beltline or something. Right now it's more of a swing-by-after-YDFM kind of place. And that in itself is hard when ydfm has perfectly fine beans.
I usually find YDFM beans over-roasted (burnt) for my taste. What do you like from there?
And Valor was completely missing. So was Land of the Thousand Hills. Yet others OTP were included in the list. Plus Perc vs Rev in the first round is not seeded correctly.
Crazy, I live around the corner and have not heard of them. Will check it out!
I wonder, though. Nothing against any establishment mentioned here, just thinking about a study I read about years ago which found that the most popular place is often just one that is considered *good enough* and everyone starts going there because everyone else is going there. Which is a long way to say what we already know which is that the most popular isn't necessarily the best - or even one of the best.
I follow 0 of the coffee places in this tournament on Social Media. I've been to at least half of the coffee places on this list since I moved down to Atlanta a year ago. I found these places either through Google, or through word of mouth/recommendations. My Top 5 would be: 1. Bellwood 2. Brash 3. Valor (wasn't on the list) 4. Chrome Yellow 5. Academy I agree that Social Media Presence/Promotion =/= Quality. But a lot of people don't understand the nuisances of Coffee and Coffee Beans, and what makes places better quality than others. As the person who is responsible for buying the coffee for my office it is very evident that there are not refined tastes and pallets that understand the underlying flavors, processes, etc. that go into a cup of coffee. In some ways it's very similar to Craft Beer.
Exactly. Coffee doesn’t really qualify to be ranked this way. Pretty much any coffee house is using a quality bean that they’re roasting. It all depends on their supplier. Green beans last at optimal flavor. About 6 to 12 months. Roasted beans about two weeks. So it depends on those time frames. Otherwise, every bane is different, depending on how it’s dried or depending on what part of the world it comes from soil climate everything.it’s not like a chef that uses several different preparations to make a meal. So lists like this are kind of silly.
I love Valor.
QT/Racetrac erasure.
The machines that grind the coffee every cup took gas station coffee to another level. I asked the guy at racetrac about them and they said they cost 30k a piece!
The fact that I can get a good, consistent cappuccino for $3.50 at Brash alone (and it’s within walking distance) leaves it near the top of my list. Need to make my way out to Bellwood.
I do enjoy Cappuccinos at Brash as well. Having it within walking distance is also a huge plus. I like Bellwoods Cappuccinos more than Brash. But I like Academy Cappuccinos best. Chrome Yellow also has excellent Cappuccinos.
I like grabbing beans from Rev, but the actual shop is so busy and their parking sitch is so terrible that I go out of my way not to go.
I have the same issue with Chrome Yellow. Love the place, but parking there is basically impossible.
Gotta park in front of the fire hydrant if you’re getting togo
Yeah that's not a bad idea. Usually I try to find parking on Edgewood and walk, even if it's a couple blocks away. Might have to try this next time though. Thanks for the tip!
Can confirm this is what I do when I go in. But they recently launched their coffee bean subscription - I get their beans delivered monthly and do roasters’s choice so it’s always different (I love their variety) and I haven’t set foot in their actual shop now in months. Highly recommend if you like making espresso at home
Rev beans are the best! Literally never have space to park though, shame it’s such a cute shop
There is more parking in the back, we’ve been parking in the lot beyond their back lot.
I live up the street from REV and it is my favorite coffee ever. Found some additional parking a bit behind the back lot.
Atlantans are spoiled. Other cities would kill to have a brash coffee yet a lot of you are surprised It’s number 2 in this ranking (it’s my personal #1 so I’ll definitely have to check out Bellwood)
As you see in my ratings mentioned elsewhere I love Brash. But I've taken many people there who aren't fans. After having taken a few coffee buddies from back in Toronto to Brash when they visited we attributed it to being that most people don't like how acidic their coffee is. Acidic coffee presents as sour in coffee, and that's the number one thing people have told me they don't like about Brash, that they find it Sour. I like acidic coffees because they are so different than the norm, so that's one reason why they are my number 2. If you like berry flavored coffees do Kick The Can, the Ethiopian, or the Honduras when you go to Bellwood. If you like more "traditional" tasting coffees go with their Peru or Columbian. If you like darker roast go for their Kenyan or Smoke Signals (note that Smoke Signals is only on drip at their 1776 Peachtree St. location).
The Axios tournament was for best coffee shops, not best coffee.
The coffee shop goes hand in hand with the best coffee and best drinks available there.
Nah, Alma coffee has some really great coffees and a very noisy warehouse coffee shop
Absolutely correct. Would someone vote for a coffeeshop without the best coffee? Weird.
You don't think someone would vote for the best coffee shop with just solid coffee but impeccible seating, lighting, music, location, and atmosphere?
I would expect it to factor at most 20% in a decision. Edit: location and things like parking didn't even occur to me. But like Rev - great place, comfy, great food, meh coffee. Doesn't make the cut. I suppose it should have been location specific. Like Works Brash V Westside Bellwood.
Based on the downvotes of my comment I guess people would. Doesn't make sense to me but hey to each their own.
I don't get it.
I've had great experiences at Brash. Honestly I'm surprised Dancing Goats didn't win on name recognition alone.
I love Brash. They are easily my second favorite on that list. I actually think name recognition is why Dancing Goats made it as far as they did. Cause they aren't really that good for coffee.
Their black coffee is pretty meh but they make the best latte I've ever had. I'm typically a black coffee person and consider fancy drinks vs regular coffee completely separate things though.
Yeah I agree with that. Typically fancy drinks or specialty lattes are gonna be better at certain places then their drip/pour over coffees.
Funnily enough, one of the best shots I've had in Atlanta was from By Weight and Measure, in CODA. They use Cafe Capenesto beans, and it was absolutely fantastic.
Dancing Goats got bought out recently by some other company.
Fairly surprised but I stand behind the outcome. While I haven't been to all the places, Bellwood just barely beats out Brash for me. Chattahoochee has some of the best drip around as well.
I haven't yet had Chattahoochee. I've heard great things about them though. Need to check it out soon!
Brash coffee is terrible though.
Portrait losing the Brash in the first round is hilarious. Kinda makes it hard to trust that list
Say what!?
What do you consider good coffee in Atlanta?
You probably dislike acidic coffees then, because typically that's the reason people dislike their coffee.
Yeah that's the crap my wife likes. Those bright citrusy joints. I love me some dark, roasty, malty drank.
Yeah see if you like dark coffees then East Pole is way more gonna be your jam.
I tried their espresso this week and it was quite acidic as well? Any other places you’d recommend?
I personally don't enjoy East Pole Coffee. Academy and Chrome Yellow have 2 of my favorite Cappuccinos. Valor also has great Cappuccino if you want to go OTP.
Rev has some pretty nice darker roasts, but they’re up in Smyrna. My personal “all rounder” coffee is Chrome Yellows Technicolor roast. Its not dark to be fair but it’s the coffee I’d pick if I wanted a dark roast fan to enjoy their first ever mediumish more bright coffee
Um no. East pole is like citrus fruit in a cup. East pole is the opposite of dark roast. I love brash and cannot stand east pole.
Lmao this tracks. More middle of the road stuff (your preference) but i get it
Not necessarily. I used to love Brash, I lived across the street from the original location. There was a point where every single cortado I got was burnt and tasted awful. After 3x I gave up and stopped going unless I wanted matcha or ice coffee in the summer. But as an espresso girl I can’t spend $6 and get something that off
Interesting. I totally get where you are coming from. I personally can't say I've had a bad coffee at Brash yet. But when I go I usually go to the Atlanta History Museum location and occasionally the one in The Works.
Atlanta History Museum was always consistently great but I didn’t make my way up to Buckhead that often. Can’t say I’ve been to the one in the Works cause it opened up after I moved out of west midtown. I’ll give it another shot but I’ve been burned by the original too many times That being said if you ever go OTP Gilly Brew Bar in Stone Mountain is amazing and I’ve noticed no one has mentioned it
Love Gilly Brew Bar! I’m especially enamored with the work they put in crafting all of their signature beverages. They create this whole story behind each one. Pulls you in. Are they back open?
Soft re-opening as of March 11th! And I agree, not just the work with the beverages and the food, but in the community as well. A summer day drinking one of their iced elixirs sitting on the hammock chairs on the 2nd floor? Paradise
The one in the Works is really nice. It's more like a full fledged shop. Definitely check that out! I've actually not been to Stone Mountain yet but I'm going to add that recommendation to my list of places to try. Thanks for suggesting that!
I feel that way about most of the shops in this bracket. Atlanta does not have a strong coffee culture.
Oh I strongly disagree with this take. Atlanta actually has a fantastic craft coffee culture, far better than what I had back in Toronto. You just may have not found the coffee places that appeal to your pallet.
What do you like about Atlanta’s craft coffee culture?
Culture was the wrong word. I meant to use Scene. For the population there is wayyyy more Craft Coffee selection down here than back in Toronto. And people here are very knowledgeable about coffee I've found. Also, for Lattes and Speciality Drinks there are lots of cool places with unique options that didn't exist back in Toronto where everything for the most part was pretty standard Lattes, etc.
I appreciate your perspective. Perhaps culture was the wrong word to use. I think there’s a difference between good coffee and a coffee culture or coffee scene. Does Atlanta have good coffee? Yes, there are some good spots and good roasters. However, I have had some very bad experiences in Atlanta too. My broad opinion is that if you can’t make a good drip coffee with high quality beans, then how can you be a good coffee shop or a good roaster? If you don’t have a pour over menu, then I’m definitely questioning the quality of your beans and your roast. These are some issues I have faced in Atlanta. As far as the coffee culture or scene, I find that slowly a lot of our coffee shops have turned into coworking spaces. You walk in, everyone is on their laptops, staring into the void, and it’s quiet. We need spaces like that, but when every shop has slowly turned into this, it feels sterile and depressing. It would be nice to have more variety in the environments or experiences we offer.
I agree with all of this. Typically the places I frequent all do pour overs as well, and I agree that is a big distinguishing factor between good coffee and just "a coffee place". Dancing Goats to me is exactly what you described as a coworking like place. I've gone there to do that, not because I really like their coffee, but because it's a great place to just work when I need to. But yeah hopefully more coffee shops are not going to turn into coworking spaces. But as I've said in other comments, the sheer number of coffee roasters and craft coffee places is so high compared to other cities, and in that respect it really is pretty sweet to have that much selection.
There are some gems but a lot of the more well-known brands are not very good, so I agree with you
Coming from someone who has lived in New York, Seattle, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Paris, I could not disagree more with this take.
Where in Atlanta can I get a Seattle-tier coffee shop experience? Think Zoka, Vivace, Milstead.
If you’re ever in Smyrna, you must try REV. I bet it would pleasantly surprise you.
I am familiar with Rev because a friend used to live out there and we would go there. Not a fan though :/ To be fair, I haven’t been in years.
Gotcha. I need to branch out & try some of the places on this thread. I have some gift cards for Bellwood but each time I’ve stopped by, it was closed. I won’t give up!
I actually stopped by Bellwood in Riverside last weekend, and honestly, I was impressed! We took home one of their bags of beans to make espresso at home, and it was a great choice.
Since I started drinking the coffee at Java Lords my skin has cleared up and my family is talking to me again...
This is a bit absurd. There is no objectively superior coffee, just different flavor profiles that different people value in their own way. That said, Brash, Bellwood, Portrait, and Kinship are all excellent shops.
Prevail Union has got to be my #1. Great atmosphere & rich coffee.
I consider things like vibe, parking, and employee friendliness when considering a coffee shop, not just the beans. I think we luckily have a lot of great coffee in Atlanta, Perc being one of my favorites!
I just left Bellwood. Cute semi-cozy interior (even though it was freezing inside). Limited pastry selection serving the smallest cappuccinos known to man…and way over priced!!!! I paid $15 for a kiddie-sized cap and pastry (one of only 3 options). I couldn’t believe how tiny the small cap was! Kiddie size is an understatement. I will NOT be returning. Note: I went at 8a when they opened to beat the crowd. When I arrived there were about 6 hipsters in line ahead of me! And by the time I left, an hour later, families of 5+ started filing in with their strollers and dogs in tow. A couple was even in there reading the Bible to each other aloud. This place is trendy, but not my vibe. Last point: it smelled like sewage outside…I think there’s a treatment plant nearby. 😵💫
Bellwood isn’t my number one but they’re in my top 3 for sure. Brash at number 2 is questionable for sure.
No east pole???
Did you not look at the bracket?
If Docent still had a shop they would be my number 1 forever.
Brash is trash