5 best coffee shops in Minnesota

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

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

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

Nest

902 Market Street, Perham 56573

Perham is 3 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 you can get 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

214 Fourth Street NE, Staples 56479

Stomping Grounds is located in Downtown Staples, which is 2-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 South 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 getting. 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

115 Olive Street, Waconia 55387

Mocha Monkey has three locations — two in Waconia and one in St. Bonifacius.

The original location 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. Since 2011, he has expanded Mocha Monkey from the original location to three shops.

What makes Mocha Monkey unique is 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 800,000 views. He also has more than 23,000 Instagram followers. You can purchase his mugs at Mocha Monkey and on Jon’s website.

Irish Blessings Coffeehouse

120-A Oak Avenue North, Maple Lake 55358

Maple Lake is right off of Highway 55 and is just about an hour from Downtown Minneapolis.

Irish Blessings originally opened in 1999 as Heavenly Grounds.

The current owners purchased the business in 2009 and moved it into a house — which dates back to 1918 — in 2011.

The coffee beans Irish Blessings uses are from Duluth, while their dairy products come from Melrose.

In addition to coffee, Irish Blessings has a beer and wine license. They also have a breakfast and lunch menu.

In the summer, they serve dinners on their patio — the evening attracts up to 200 people. Expect food trucks and live music throughout the warm weather months.

Right behind Irish Blessings is Willow Farm, a decor shop open select weekends. It’s worth stopping inside.

The upstairs of Irish Blessings has meeting rooms, making this coffee shop the unofficial community center for Maple Lake.

Related: The best restaurant, brewery, and winery patios in Minnesota

Here are other coffee shops worth visiting

• Owly Coffee Co., Wadena
• Buffalo Books and Coffee, Buffalo
• Kahvila, Menahaga
• Coffee Corner, Princeton, Milaca, Zimmerman
• Master’s Coffee Shop, Olivia
• Gert and Erma’s, Glencoe
• Sleepy Eye Coffee Co., Sleepy Eye
• In Hot Water Coffee Shop, Annandale
• Coffee Hag, Mankato
• Coco Moon, Brainerd
• Gathering Grounds Coffee Shoppe, Perham
• The Daily Grind Espresso Cafe, Stillwater
• Cabin Coffees, Pine City
• Caydence Records and Coffee, Saint Paul
• King Sparrow Coffee and Soda Shop, Milaca
• LuLu Beans Coffee Shop, Willmar
• Graffiti Corner, Fairmont
• Mandy’s Coffee and Cafe, Red Wing
• The Willams Company Store, Ottertail
• Ruby’s Roost Bakery, Victoria
• Muskie Waters Co., Nevis
• Yellowbird Coffee Bar, Saint Paul
• Northwoods Roasterie, Lindstrom
• School of the Wise, Victoria
• Bella Caffe, Park Rapids
• Loco Espress, Brainerd
• The Anchor Coffee House, White Bear Lake
• Black Sheep Coffee, South Saint Paul
• Mudslingers, Roseville
• Iron Ranger Coffee House, Emily
• Calf Fiend Cafe, Redwood Falls
• Java Moose, Grand Marais
• Cafe Astoria, Saint Paul

Did you enjoy this roundup of the best coffee shops in Minnesota? Check out my other Best of Minnesota guides

• 5 best places to play bingo in Minnesota
• The 5 best meat raffles in Minnesota
• The 5 best restaurants for fried fish in Minnesota
• Hidden gems at the 5 best museums in Minnesota
• 20 Mexican restaurants in Minnesota worth the trip
• The best ice cream shops in Minnesota
• The best restaurant, brewery and winery patios in Minnesota
• The 17 best restaurants for breakfast in Minnesota
• The 5 best holiday light displays in Minnesota
• The best pizzerias in Minnesota
• 7 top spots for a margarita in the Twin Cities
• 17 favorite bookstores in the Twin Cities
• 19 favorite meat markets in Minnesota and western Wisconsin

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