As soon as you enter The Meteor Cafe, the newest Little Rock coffee shop on the corner of Markham and Kavanaugh, you are greeted by a friendly staff, the savory aroma of Intelligentsia coffee, a plethora of yummy baked goods, and a airy layout that makes you want to take a seat and stay a while.
Many of the customers might not be staying too long. The Meteor is also a top spot of Little Rock’s cyclists, as it is housed in the same building as Spokes bike shop. The goal is to eventually phase Spokes into The Meteor to make it one big coffee cycling conglomerate.
“We were very intentional about this combination,” manager Maria Ims tells us. “The cycling community and coffee community go hand in hand. The layout for The Meteor transfers over into the culture of the shop itself- open, comfortable, and welcoming. We think it will be a great way for our customers to flow between the two areas.”
While there have been many recent coffee shops opening up in Little Rock, The Meteor doesn’t worry about competition. Ims feels there is a growing interest in coffee, as well as a strong coffee community in Little Rock where people enjoying switching up their daily routine and supporting all of the local coffee spots.
If you’re a first time visitor, Ims suggests trying one of the new in-house breakfast tacos, (especially good after a long ride), a cup of the house brew, (which changes often so that people can try out new roasts), or a salted pecan chocolate chip cookie with a side of milk. The Meteor brews Intelligentsia coffee, a company founded in Chicago by one of the owners of the shop, and Ims is especially excited about their new bean Itzamna from Guatemala, a single origin coffee which she describes as nice and chocolate-y “old school coffee”. They also offer several other single origin varieties as well.
Since their opening on June 7th, the Meteor has felt a lot of community support, and feels lucky to be apart of the LR coffee community and be able to contribute to it in their own unique way. The shop is open everyday from 6:30 am until 8 pm, and while the bike shop keeps different hours, someone is usually there to help if needed. In the next few weeks, you will also be able to eat lunch at The Meteor, making it a great stop for a midday pick me up!
