The best coffee shops in Minnesota

Give Me The Mike’s Best of Minnesota Guides are presented by the Desrochers Realty Group and eXp Realty

Article originally published January 2020, updated February 2026

After counting thousands of votes, I visited the spots selected as the best coffee shops in Minnesota. And at the bottom of this page, check out a list receiving honorable mention.

I was on KSTP-TV’s Twin Cities Live with the stories of the top coffee shops.

Note from the video: Irish Blessings Coffeehouse in Maple Lake changed owners and names after this segment originally aired.

Nest

902 Market Street, Perham 56573

Perham is three hours northwest of Downtown Minneapolis.

Owned by Perham residents, Nest opened in November 2016.

They created a huge, modern space featuring two conference rooms — spots big enough to host graduation parties and baby showers.

The coffee at Nest comes from Madison, Wisconsin. If you happen to stop by when they are serving blueberry coffee, you must get it — it’s fantastic.

Attached to Nest is a huge kitchen store. There’s nothing like it between Fargo and the Twin Cities. You’ll find quality brands like Le Creuset and Riedel, along with plenty of other goods.

Every year, the owners of Nest take a day to raise money for one family in the Perham community going through hardship. Between all of the stores, they’re able to raise over $10,000, which is impressive for a community of 3,500 residents.

Nest is a coffee shop you would expect to see in the Twin Cities, but it has small town charm.

Also on Give Me The Mike: The 5 best bakeries in Minnesota

Stomping Grounds

213 Fourth Street NE, Staples 56479

Stomping Grounds is located in Downtown Staples, which is two-and-a-half hours from downtown Minneapolis.

The coffee shop opened in the early 2000s as a volunteer run business.

In September 2017, Lindsey, the current owner, walked into Stomping Grounds to order a coffee. The person behind the counter told her to enjoy it because ‘it could be her last one from that shop’. That prompted Lindsey to figure out a way to buy the coffee shop and keep the community hub open.

Lindsey is a proud Staples High School graduate and after nearly 20 years, is proud that Stomping Grounds continues to grow.

The coffee beans used at Stomping Grounds are from Folly Coffee, based in Silver Lake, Minnesota.

Stomping Grounds sees a swell of customers during the summer when cabin season is in full swing. The owner tells me they will see eight times more business in July than in January.

StoneHouse Coffee and Roastery

25346 S Main Street, Nisswa 56468

StoneHouse has locations in Nisswa and nearby Baxter.

They are roasting their beans right on site, and have an impressive online store. Their number one seller: The Black Pearl, a medium dark blend. Other top sellers: the Italian Stallion, a dark blend, and Minnesota Nice, a medium roast.

In addition to selling beans and grounds, StoneHouse sells K-Cups for Keurig machines.

The scones are definitely worth it. They are made right on site and StoneHouse sells their scone mix.

It’s a family affair at StoneHouse. The business is owned by Mike and his wife, Julie. Their son, Nate, is roasting the beans, and their daughter, Samantha, fills the walls with her water-inspired art.

Related: Exploring Nisswa and Gull Lake

The Mocha Monkey

Location visited: 115 S Olive Street, Waconia 55387

Mocha Monkey has four locations — two in Waconia, one in Saint Bonifacius, and one in Carver.

The original location in Waconia is located in a house that dates back to 1882. Once a private residence, the three level house also was a music shop.

Mocha Monkey is currently owned by Jon Schmidt. The Gustavus Adolphus College graduate purchased the business when he was still a student.

What makes Mocha Monkey unique are the mugs, plates and mugs they use. While at Gustavus, Jon took a pottery class and fell in love with the art. All of the ceramic pieces are thrown by Jon, who sells 200 – 250 pieces a month. Jon has quite the following on social media. This video on YouTube of Jon making a mug has more than one million views. He also has more than 139,000 Instagram followers. You can purchase his mugs at Mocha Monkey and on Jon’s website.