6 Best Coffee Shops In Erie PA

Since coffee is the most important meal of the day, it is essential to find a favorite local spot with good vibes and good coffee. And it just so happens that we have done all of the hard work for you! Over the past few weeks, we visited six of the most popular local coffee shops in Erie, PA. Forget those chain stores and PSLs for a minute and come with us to Brewhaha, Brickhouse Coffee, Pressed, Ember + Forge, Purrista Cat Cafe and Tipsy Bean. To really get a feel for each shop’s unique roasts and styles, we made a point to order a beverage from their specialty or seasonal menus. These shops can be found in many central locations in Erie, so you are bound to find one with the perfect vibes and proximity to you. In no particular order, the following are six of Erie’s best coffee shops:

To kick off this coffee adventure, we started at Brewhaha which is located at 2612 West 8th St. in the Colony Plaza. When we visited Brewhaha, it was the last day of August, so they still had their summer menu and some summer decorations up. At Brewhaha I ordered their frozen Bananas Foster Latte. It had espresso, almond milk, and blended bananas, almost like a banana and coffee smoothie! Out of all the drinks that I tried at the coffee shops, this one was the most unique. As for decor, the seating area has a very inviting feeling to it. Their menu items were written on a bunch of different chalkboards, they had a coffee-related mural painted on the back wall, and had plenty of seating inside and out. They even serve breakfast until 11am every morning and until 1pm on Sundays, and lunch Monday-Saturday from 1-3 pm. A fun fact about Brewhaha is that they actually roast their own coffee beans in the basement of their location! Brewhaha’s been an Erie favorite for many years and their drinks and snacks never miss.

The next coffee shop that we visited was Brickhouse Coffee located at 3741 West 26th St. Like the name of this shop, the building is a large civil-war era brick house, converted into a cozy cafe. What makes this shop unique is its super convenient drive-thru; if you are on the go and live or work in Millcreek, this one might be perfect for you. The inside was decorated to the nines for the fall season, and there were three different rooms that you could choose to sit in with comfy couches and chairs or traditional cafe tables. At Brickhouse, we tried their classic pumpkin spiced latte.The day we visited was the first day they had their fall menu up and running so it only felt right to try the quintessential fall drink. (Pro tip: get the vanilla cold foam.). A cool menu option that Brickhouse has is that they can turn any of their specialty drinks into hot, iced or frozen! Brickhouse sources its coffee from local favorite North Edge Craft Coffee, a subsidiary of Mill Creek Coffee Co.. They also serve breakfast and lunch all day. Some of their most popular food items include their bagel breakfast sandwich and their pretzel bites. They have baked goods available for sale, and even pup cups for our better halves. Brickhouse Coffee is under new ownership as of 2019, so if you haven’t been there recently, you have got to check it out!

Books, Coffee & Gifts Books, coffee and gifts is what Pressed is all about! They are located at 1532 West 8th St. right across the street from Frontier Park. This coffee shop gives modern, office-like vibes, making it easy to put your head down and get some work done. Half of their location is the cafe with couches, tables and chairs, and the other half is an awesome, jam-packed bookstore.If you love reading and coffee, we’re betting you could spend your whole day here. Pressed gets its coffee beans roasted by Commonplace Coffee and all of its flavorings are made in-house by the baristas. They have a monthly seasonal drink to try, and we were lucky to have tried the Stroopwafel iced latte. This drink had caramel sauce, vanilla and ground cinnamon topped with caramel drizzle, and totally felt like fall in a cup. Pressed does not serve any food or bakery items but there are many food options in the same plaza that Pressed is located in. We cannot think of a more iconic duo than coffee and books so if you love those two things, Pressed is the place to go!

One of downtown Erie’s most iconic coffee shops is Ember + Forge. For several years this was the only local coffee shop that you could find downtown. Ember & Forge is located at 401 State Street in a refurbished chandlery building and is open Monday through Saturday from 8am - 4pm and Sunday from 9am - 2pm. With cozy indoor and outdoor seating, huge windows and plants everywhere, and an inviting industrial aesthetic, it’s no wonder this coffee shop has been called “the community’s living room.” During our visit, we felt an iced cinnamon bun latte was appropriate, and were not disappointed. Ember + Forge gets their locally roasted coffee from Happy Mug in Edinboro, PA. Not only do they have some delicious brews, they also have yummy local bakery items in their countertop case, including The Workingman’s Cake. We also sell these cakes on our website, in case you need to try one immediately (you do). Ember + Forge’s staff is always so friendly and welcoming, and we’re so grateful to have them and this cafe in downtown Erie.

Next on the list of coffee shops that we visited was Purrista Cat Cafe, the newest of the bunch. This cafe is also located in downtown Erie, at 30 West 8th St. If you are an animal/cat person, this might be your new favorite place. This pet cafe concept is fairly new and something that Erie has never seen before. One side of the building is a traditional coffee shop, where you can order your favorite coffee or tea and grab a bite from one of four local bakeries supplied there. The other side, through a double door system to avoid any escapees, is the cat lounge, where you can schedule a visit and drink your coffee with some adorable adoptable kitties! If you stop by without an appointment into the cat lounge, or if you are allergic to cats, you can still enjoy the cats from afar through the window between the two sides. The decor in this cafe is also second to none, with cat-themed murals, moody hues, and exceptional wallpaper, and makes you feel like you’ve taken a trip to another city. There are tons of plants, including a propagation library where you can take a clipping of a plant and replace it with a clipping you bring in. They also have tons of natural light coming in, a perfect backdrop for the Instagram-worthy wicker chairs in the front window. Purrista has partnered with Because You Care, a local pet adoption center, to facilitate adoptions for the kitties in the lounge. So far they have had over 50 adoptions since they opened in February of 2022. While here, we tried their seasonal iced pumpkin chai tea and it was delicious! Purrista brews North Edge Craft Coffee, which just so happens to be a crowd favorite brewer at Gone Local. Purrista Cat Cafe is so unique to Erie and we are lucky to have such an amazing business that provides for our community and the animal community as well!

Follow the red brick road and you will find Tipsy Bean Cafe, located at 2425 Peach St. in the Hill District. This coffee shop’s hippie-like vibe made it stand out in its own way. Fun fact: this business was featured on the hit show Undercover Billionaire! Tipsy Bean has a chalk mural of the Sesame Street characters, along with many drawings and paintings by local artists. They have some delicious homemade pastries, vegan soup, and a drink menu with everything you need. Tipsy Bean also sources their roasts from Northern Edge Coffee. Their specialty menu spoke to us with a brown sugar cinnamon iced latte, which was 100% as good as it sounds. This also may have been our favorite drink of the bunch! Not only do they carry some delicious coffee, but this cafe also has a lot of local products that may be familiar to our Gone Local customers, including HopLeaf tea and LakeErie Candy Company candy. It is obvious that this business is passionate about supporting local businesses and Erie as a whole! Plus, not only do they have great coffee, but they also have a Tiktok account full of hilarious fun. If you find yourself in the Hill District, paying a visit to Tipsy Bean should be on the top of your list.

Whether you’re new to Erie or just looking for something new, each of these shops has something unique to offer and will surely not disappoint. And to make your life even easier, we’ve put together a new gift box to encourage the local adventurer in you (or a friend!). The Coffee Shop Sampler includes gift cards to each of these coffee shops, plus a glass mug to celebrate Erie on those home-brewed coffee days. We had such a great time visiting all of these amazing local coffee shops all across Erie, and we hope to make supporting them that much easier for you. Stay caffeinated!