Best Coffee Spots in the Rock

Little Rock is fortunate to have a number of great coffee shops, which is important considering we drink a lot of coffee while covering the food scene in Little Rock. Unfortunately picking our favorite spot is about like picking your favorite child. They all have redeeming qualities that make them special, even the ones who leave their blocks in the floor to step on in the middle of the night.
Instead we have several that we love equally for very different reasons. Depending on the setting, and whether or not they pick their toys up, we pick our favorite day to day. Here are our favorite places to grab some coffee in Little Rock.
Best Artisan Coffee – Mylo Coffee Co. (Hillcrest)
The folks at Mylo take coffee extremely serious, every cup is equal parts artistry and science. They start with in-house roasted beans selected to match the style and the flavor of each item they are crafting perfectly. Then, depending on your poison, you get an excellent pour over, an expertly processed cold brew, or they work their magic on the espresso machine.
Do yourself a favor and order a drink next time that really brings out pure quality of their craft like a cortado (espresso with equal parts milk), a cappuccino (espresso with milk and milk froth), or just a traditional espresso.
Best Coffee Meeting Spot – Mugs Cafe (Argenta)
If you know us well, you know that we conduct most of our meetings out of coffee shops. We have met people in every single spot in the city at one point, and hands down the best is Mugs Cafe in Argenta. The tables are spaced well to have a conversation, seating is comfortable, and the internet is fast if you need it. Also they have a great variety to their lunch menu if your meeting goes a bit long, or beer if it spills over a lot.
The coffee here is no slouch. They use our favorite bean roaster, Onyx out of NWA, and make most of your typical coffee house drinks. There are even a few specialty ones geared at your guests who are not a typical coffee drinker like the Cuban (espresso with sweetened condensed milk), Cafe con Miel (espresso, honey, and cinnamon), or the Mayan Mocha (espresso, chocolate, milk, and a dash of cayenne pepper).
Best Coffee Shop to Relax – Boulevard Bread Co.(Heights/SoMa)
The two main Boulevard locations in the Heights and on South Main are so settled into the Little Rock landscape that it feels like catching up with an old friend every time you visit. The Heights location expanded to include the bistro at the beginning of last year, but aside from that Boulevard is always the place you have known and loved for years.
Their coffee includes the usual suspects. It is always consistent and predictable. The seating in both spots is cozy and limited, except for when you slip over into the bistro side in the Heights. Yes there are coffee shops doing fancier things, having more comfortable seating, or a little more space to meet. At the end of the day Boulevard always feels like coming home after a long trip for those of us who have been in Little Rock for a while.

Best Place to Grab Sweets and Coffee – Honey Pies (WLR)
It is not often you think of going to a pie shop for coffee, but Honey Pies is trying to change that. They have a solid menu of traditional coffee along with several espresso favorites for a welcome surprise. Combine that with their fantastic pies, cookies, Loblolly ice cream, and other desserts and it is the perfect sweet stop to pair with your afternoon coffee.
To make things even better, they are partnering with Levia’s Coffee and Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance to bring a great mission behind the coffee. Levia’s, who developed a special roast for Honey Pies, gives a generous portion of their time and sales back to helping develop the coffee farming communities in Guatemala where they source their beans. Then Honey Pies takes it a step further and donates a portion of each cup sold to the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance which helps provide meals for children in Arkansas.
Most Underrated Coffee Spot – River City Coffee (Hillcrest)
River City Coffee slipped off the radar a bit when they moved out of their previous spot (now occupied by Mylo Coffee Co) and settled a few blocks down the road. The cozy little spot is still a favorite stop for many, even if it does not get the attention it often deserves.
Inside you will find most coffee house favorites as well as the best selection of teas in the city. Be sure to check the walls that are littered with various local artists, many of which are in and out of River City all day.
 
Best Variety – Guillermo’s Coffee (WLR)
Guillermo’s Coffee has admittedly had some ups and downs in the past few years. They recently announced their second location at the Pleasant Ridge Shopping center would close, and their home base tucked behind Chili’s on Rodney Parham has always been hard to find and remember.
Regardless they still roast some of the best beans in the city, and even better is the huge variety of styles they produce. Every roast is always very well done, and they really excel on some of their blended roast mixing several styles.