A six-stop route through Dayton's coffee scene — downtown Wayne Avenue, Oakwood and Kettering in the middle, and a finish in uptown Centerville. Times, neighborhoods and what to order.
We're a seasonal shop, open Saturdays only.
You'll find us at the counter on Saturdays, from just after Labor Day through the Saturday before Christmas, 10 AM to 2 PM. The rest of the year we're closed. Order ahead and we'll have it waiting, or see hours and location.
Dayton is an easy city to drink coffee in. The best shops are spread across a handful of walkable neighborhoods, parking is rarely a problem, and the whole route below takes you from downtown to Centerville in a single relaxed day.
This is the crawl we recommend to friends visiting town. Six stops, about six hours, and plenty of time in between to walk things off.
Begin at Press, where the room is quiet and the espresso machine is warmed up. Order a cortado or a drip and watch Wayne Avenue come to life. Everything they pour is roasted under their own Wood Burl Coffee label, which makes this a good first taste of Dayton coffee.
Stay on Wayne Avenue for Reza's, a roasterie and family café that buys beans directly from the farmers who grow them. Or drive five minutes to Ghostlight in South Park for the neighborhood living-room atmosphere and a second pastry you do not need.
Pick up a bag of locally roasted beans before you leave downtown. Boston Stoker has been roasting since 1973, and Winans roasts in Piqua and pairs coffee with a century of chocolate making, so either stop sends you home with something for the shelf.
Both are on East 5th Street, so pick your mood. St. Anne the Tart is a café, bakery and event space in St. Anne's Hill with seasonally inspired sweet and savory pastries and a full espresso bar. Gem City Catfe serves wine, cocktails and coffee with adoptable rescue cats in a separate lounge, plus an art gallery upstairs.
Head out of downtown for the suburbs. Tastefully Roasted in Oakwood was founded by local baristas and keeps everything local on purpose. Epic Coffee in Kettering goes from French pastries in the morning to affogatos in the afternoon, which is exactly where a crawl should be after lunch.
Twenty minutes south of downtown, this is where the day slows down. Stop at ContempoRoast to taste a roast straight from the roastery, then finish at our place on Franklin Street in uptown Centerville.
Three things worth knowing about the last stop. We are a seasonal shop, open Saturdays only from just after Labor Day through the Saturday before Christmas (10 AM to 2 PM). We are also a charity café: net proceeds support children in need in Centerville schools through the Centerville Noon Optimist Club. And you can order ahead from your phone before you leave Oakwood or Kettering, so your drink is ready the minute you park. If nothing on the menu is exactly what you are craving after a day of coffee, build a drink from scratch and make it yours.
If you have an hour to spare at the end, uptown Centerville is a nice place to walk with a coffee in hand, and our dining room is a comfortable place to sit with one. Whatever you order at the last stop, order ahead and skip the wait.
