The 5 Best Hidden Gem Tea and Coffee Shops Downtown in St. Pete

January 18, 2022
| 10:07 AM

Time to take a break from your Starbucks skinny vanilla latte order to try something new! While coffee shops aren’t hard to come by in the downtown St. Pete area, there are a few hidden gems you may not know about. These 5 tea and coffee shops downtown in St. Pete are definitely worth visiting!

7 C Coffee

7C Coffee is an absolute gem that you probably wouldn’t find unless you’re looking to buy a guitar. Not only is this one of my favorite coffee shops downtown, but it also has a wine bar and is located in Seven C Music, a guitar specialty shop in the Warehouse Arts District of St. Pete. I stumbled upon this place while in need of getting my guitar fixed, but was pleasantly surprised to find out I could get a drink and work remotely while waiting on my repairs.

Their coffee and wine bar offers locally roasted coffee, as well as wine by the glass, kombucha, tea, lemonade, beer and cider. The iced strawberry lemonade is the shop’s personal favorite – and mine too! I’ve been back several times re-order. Pastries and desserts are available from Mana Bakery and they change weekly.

I highly recommend checking Seven C’s website for their live music events too. All are welcome, no guitar needed.

Hours

Location

📍 535 22nd Street South, St.Petersburg, FL 33712

Visit website

The Crislip Cafe

Every time I post this spot on my Insta stories, people always ask where it is, even St. Pete locals. That’s why this place definitely qualifies as one of the hidden coffee shops downtown on my list! Located on Central Avenue, chances are you’ve walked right past The Crislip Cafe numerous times without noticing it because it’s nestled inside the historic Crislip Arcade.

This place is one of the more eclectic coffee shops downtown and they pride themselves on finding locally-sourced coffee and pastries. It’s a great place to meet up with friends to graze on a charcuterie board. If you’re looking for wine, craft beer or fondue, they’ve got you covered! The shop is adjoined with a local store called The Merchant, so you can even pick up some local goods and art while you’re there.

While in St. Pete, look for an orange brick building that reads, “Crislip Arcade.” When you spot the black iron arched gate with swirls, you’ll know you’ve found the right spot. Walk through the iron gate and down the hallway with the black chandeliers. The Crislip Cafe is located on the left.

Pro-Tip: Stop by on Sundays for brunch! They offer an English Afternoon High Tea.

Hours

Location

📍 645 Central Avenue, Suite 13, St.Petersburg, FL 33701

Visit website

The Campus Grind Coffee Bar

If you’re a student at the St. Petersburg campus of USF, then this coffee shop is most likely nothing new to you. For the rest of the non-student population in the Tampa Bay Area, this is one of the secret coffee shops downtown. Located in the Bayboro District of Downtown St. Pete, The Campus Grind offers coffee, espresso, loose leaf teas and a small breakfast and lunch menu. All of their breakfast sandwiches can be ordered on your choice of a bagel, croissant, multi-grain toast or for the uber-healthy; a bed of spinach.

Hungry for more? Ask about their soup of the day or grab a homemade brownie. While this coffee bar may be frequented by students since it’s basically on-campus, you don’t need to be paying tuition to take advantage of it. I’ll often see people studying, working remotely or reading.

Pro-Tip: The Campus Grind is attached to The Tavern, which offers amazing fried fish sandwiches and live music on select nights of the week, check them out!

Hours

Location

📍 121 7th Avenue South, St.Petersburg, FL 33701

Visit website

Café Gala

Café Gala is located on the ground floor of the world renowned Dalí Museum. What people don’t realize though is that you can go to the café even if you don’t have a ticket to view the exhibits. All you have to do is go to the museum’s website and reserve a ground floor ticket. It’s FREE! This ticket will grant you access to Café Gala, the beautiful garden and the museum’s store and community room.

Café Gala, named after the late Salvador Dalí’s wife, offers locally roasted Kahwa coffee, spanish-style tapas, pastries, desserts, soups, salads and sandwiches. The menu also includes a wide selection of additional beverages, including beer, wine, sparkling water, tea and sangria, to name a few.

Café Gala offers both indoor and outdoor seating. If the weather is great, I like to take advantage and sit outside in the Avant-Garden patio area. If it’s during the winter months, I’d suggest ordering the Barcelona hot chocolate and still taking it outside, because Florida “winters” are usually still in the 70’s.

Hours

The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving day and Christmas day.

Closing times for Café Gala may vary and are subject to change due to the scheduling of non-museum events.

Location

📍 1 Dali Blvd., St.Petersburg, FL 33701

Visit website

Black Crow Coffee Co. - Old Northeast Location

Black Crow Coffee Co. is for sure one of my favorite coffee shops downtown. While I usually go to their location in the Grand Central District, they have another shop located off the beaten path and not far from Beach Drive. Hidden in the brick streets of Old Northeast in the same quaint plaza as the Old Northeast Tavern and Northeast Laundry, is where you’ll find this Black Crow Coffee Co.

They’ve got an awesome selection of baked goods and offer sandwiches and empanadas. For all my fellow environmentally conscious friends, you can feel good about spending money here because they are zero-waste. This means they divert 90% of their waste from ending up in landfills. Even their knives are wood!

Their almond mocha iced coffee is my favorite and if I’m hungry I’ll get one of their everything bagels with their homemade vegan cream cheese.

Pro-Tip: Be sure to grab a pasta straw for your iced drink before you leave!

Hours

Location

📍 722 2nd Street North, St.Petersburg, FL 33701

Visit website

5 Best Hidden Gem Tea and Coffee Shops Downtown in St. Pete

Excited about exploring different tea and coffee shops in downtown St. Pete? Let us know your favorite by tagging @StuffToDoInTampaBay on Instagram and Facebook!

Get Featured on UNATION

Looking for ways to promote an event or feature your business? Fill out the form to learn how to get featured on City Guides and other UNATION platforms.

Choose a package that works for you, and our team will get to work to maximize exposure to your event or business.

Connect with Our Team

Curated by

Melanie Thomas | Visit Profile >

Melanie Thomas | Healthy Living | Tampa ☼ here to spread joy through healthy living & home decor ☼ 200HR YTT in progress🧘🏻�...