3 Cafes To Warm Up & Grab Coffee Downtown Coeur d’Alene
As you might expect from a town tucked right on the Pacific Northwest and Inland Northwest border, Coeur d’Alene loves its coffee, and so do we! An abundance of coffee shops and stands means easy access to that sweet, sweet caffeine we crave, but the quality is more important than quantity. Of course, we love a good coffee stand, but cafes are where we feel quality shows, so let’s dive into our top 3 favorite coffee shops in Coeur d’Alene.
3. Vault Coffee
Located front and center on Sherman Avenue in downtown CDA, Vault Coffee is impossible to miss. From its vast, floor-to-ceiling windows wrapping around the exterior to the timeless, turn-of-the-century brickwork, Vault stands out. But it’s not just the gorgeous exterior or cornerstone placement that makes Vault stand out – it’s what’s on the inside too. And trust us, the interior is just as beautiful as the outside.
The building, initially built in 1904, only 17 years after the founding of Coeur d’Alene, was once home to the Exchange National Bank of CDA (hence the homage!) In its long-standing history, the building has also served as a library, ice cream shop, and pharmacy. Talk about a storied past! This magnificent old building is now home to Vault Coffee, which has been open for over a decade.
We love Vault, and our appreciation for this iconic business starts with the coffee, followed very closely by the food. With beans from Doma, a locally operated bean roaster, Vault is committed to making quality coffee with an emphasis on local sourcing. Our favorite part of the coffee at Vault is the constantly rotating seasonal section, offering such drinks as Hawaiian lattes (almost sweeter than candy!) and their famous iced hot chocolate during the summer. Later in the year, you can find a lot more earthy, robust options with those heart-warming flavors of the holidays, like pumpkin spice lattes, cardamom-lavender chai, and more.
Like their coffee, Vault’s food heavily emphasizes local, quality ingredients. Everything is made in-house, much of it the same morning before opening! Breakfast sandwiches, burritos, croissants, anything you want to eat is likely here. And for those with a sweet tooth, cookies, lemon bars, brownies, and seasonal chocolates will surely delight you. We love the lemon bars and chocolate chip cookies incredibly (salted, huge, and warmed up). It’s OK if you don’t want food with your coffee, but we’re telling you now; you want to take advantage of it here.
We highly recommend visiting Vault if you’re in the area or a local and still need the chance.
2. Coeur d’Alene Coffee Co.
Situated on Coeur d’Alene Avenue, just a street up from Sherman Avenue in downtown CDA, is one of the premier coffee roasters in the Inland Northwest. Coeur d’Alene Coffee Co. has been roasting and serving coffee for only a few years since opening its doors in 2017; it’s already at the top of everyone’s list for good coffee. This modern cafe is a bustling hangout spot for coffee lovers and CDAs tech enthusiasts alike.
Coeur d’Alene Coffee Co. was founded in 2017 by the Peterson family after Cody Peterson and his business partners purchased the long-abandoned Elks Club in which the cafe now resides. With a history spanning over 100 years, the Elks Club had previously sat abandoned for over 25 years before its renovation. It is now known as the Innovation Collective (and houses its sister business, Coeur d’Alene Coffee Co.)! While not much of the original interior remains, the exterior is the same, with just some new paint and massive windows.
Of the many coffee shops in the area, CDA Coffee Co. is one of the only equipped with their roasting machine and two top-of-the-line Slayer espresso machines. For unique, high-quality coffee, it’s hard to imagine going anywhere else, and CDA Coffee Co.’s commitment to high standards shows in everything they do. Of course, we love getting our coffee served black here to experience it precisely as it should be. But no judgment for those who prefer a bit of sweetness in their drink – your options are endless! Signature drinks like the Silver Lake, a white chocolate and mint latte, are just as delicious. Locals also love the Maple Oat, which, as you can guess from its name, is a maple latte made with oat milk (and our favorite latte here too!)
You will find few options for food at CDA Coffee Co., but we recommend you try out their locally-sourced bagels and other sweet treats that are on rotation.
Though there may not be a ton of food, however; CDA Coffee Co. sells their own in-house roasted beans by the bottle and even by the pound! So if you crave even more of the delicious brew you just got, they have you covered. We recommend the jar to get it refilled later (plus, it just looks good!)
1. Evans Brothers
Originally based out of Sandpoint, Idaho, Evans Brothers opened its doors at its new CDA location in 2017. This gorgeous hideaway cafe is behind Community 1st Bank on Sherman and 5th Avenue. With an emphasis on good coffee, good food, and community connection, it’s easy to see why Evans Brothers has become a local favorite in only a few short years. They’re also partnered with local business Bean & Pie, offering pies and various other sweet treats all hours of the day (gluten-free and vegan options too!)
Since opening its CDA location, Evans Brothers has cemented itself as a community gathering hub and is one of our favorite places to get work done with our coffee. A modern but welcoming interior, with tons of natural lighting and open seating arrangements, makes this the perfect place to cozy up with a friend or bring your laptop in for some much-needed out-of-the-house projects.
Evans Brothers’ primary focus with coffee is sustainability and fairness, an ideal we can all get behind. The coffee here is out of this world, but it feels good knowing that it’s not just grown on this world, but the people growing it are thought of too. Even if you need to learn more about where your coffee comes from, Evans Brothers is committed to ethically sourcing it and ensuring it is of the highest quality. We love the ethics that Evans Brothers abides by and their coffee too. A classic Americano to delicious macchiatos and more, there’s nothing you can’t get here. While you may not find the same rotation of hyper-sweet lattes as with other coffee shops in the area, you will get to experience some of the best quality coffee CDA has to offer (and alright, they’ve got syrups if you still need that sweetener!)
Even if you’re practicing restraint with sugar in your drinks, you’ll want to enjoy pies from Evans Brothers’ partner business, Bean & Pie. Of course, we love their sugar and birthday cookies, but it’s all in the pies. Hand-baked and crafted daily, these pies range from time-tested favorites like apple, peach cobbler, and strawberry to ultra-savory breakfast pies loaded with eggs, ham, and more! Evans Brothers also offers various in-house roasted beans in-bag and some beautiful merch; who doesn’t love stickers?
If you haven’t already, we hope you can visit Evans Brothers, either their Sandpoint or CDA location!
