In the year that we lived in South Carolina, we certainly explored our fair share of coffee shops in Greenville. There’s just something about going out to coffee as a family that is really special to us. It forces us to stop, forget all the “to-do’s”, and just be together. We are in the moment. We are enjoying the morning together. And we are drinking delicious coffee.
Over the course of the year, three coffee shops came out on top. Our weekly coffee dates cycled through these three coffee shops in Greenville for a few reasons.
- Coffee Quality
- Family Friendliness
- Post Coffee Activities
- Kid Friendly Food and Drink Options
In no particular order, here are our three top picks for coffee shops in Greenville…
Grateful Brew
501 S Pleasantburg Dr
Greenville, SC 29607
Coffee Quality - Grateful Brew
Top notch. Grateful Brew makes a mean espresso drink. Brent always gets a small Americano with half the amount of water. That makes it most like his preferred drink, a long black. He’s also gotten their nitro brew before. He was so impressed with the quality that he got a growler of it to take home! Their cappuccinos are just what I would expect from a quality espresso shop. I rarely got them, though, because we typically arrived past my caffeine cutoff time!
I’ve also gotten their alternative lattes, like their matcha lattes and turmeric lattes. They are flavorful with real flavor. Real spices, and no flavored syrups. My favorite part about their alternative lattes is that they automatically come unsweetened!
They also have some lattes on nitro draft, which was a new concept for me. One of the nitro options features oat milk! When I got it, it was a lavender-something nitro latte. Definitely a sweeter drink, but the perfect option on a hot Greenville summer day.
Grateful Brew also serves wine and beer if you’re there later in the day, or if that’s what you’re really feeling at 8am, ha! One late afternoon, it was the perfect destination for us. Brent doesn’t drink and I don’t have caffeine past 10am. He got a coffee and I got a beer… win win!
They also have an incredible selection of craft beer available in their fridges to take home. Just browsing would make my mouth water. But alas, their non-alcoholic and gluten-free options were a bit lacking, so all I could do was drool.
If you’re feeling peckish, a lot of people bring over their lunch from Pita House, which is right next door. Pita House was my family’s go-to mediterranean takeout place. They have plenty of vegan options and always deliver on flavor.
Family Friendliness - Grateful Brew
They are always so kind to my daughter, and treat her like a human being. With kindness, patience, and a smile. Also, outside at the picnic tables, there are rocks. A lot of them. She would spend most of her time playing in the rocks with whatever toys she had brought that day. It always allowed for Brent and I to have some uninterrupted chat time.
Post Coffee Activities - Grateful Brew
It became a ritual of ours when the weather was nice to take our coffees to go. We would drive the 1.3 miles to First Baptist Greenville church. A church, you ask? Yep. Park at the church, and you have access to a section of the Swamp Rabbit trail. Just a bit down the trail, you can take a right across a bridge, and it’ll lead you to Green Forest Park.
In Green Forest Park, you can stick to the paved section, or eventually you’ll come to a mountain bike path if you want to get onto some dirt. It doesn’t really lead anywhere, but we would always do an out and back and just spend the day meandering down the path.
Pro tip: In the summer, the shaded section of the trail has A LOT of mosquitos. Either bring the bug spray along, or skip that section of the trail in summer months. Which is unfortunate, because it’s significantly cooler back there.
Kid friendly food and drink options - Grateful Brew
Grateful Brew strictly has drinks, so they don’t have any treats or food for Elsie. But they do have a few featured “steamers”, which are flavored steamed milk. Elsie always went for the vanilla steamer with oat milk. I have to be honest, it was incredibly tasty. I even considered getting it for myself a few times. There were always little specks of real vanilla left behind in the cup, which to me means true quality.
Methodical Coffee
Methodical Coffee Downtown
101 N Main St Ste D Greenville, SC 29601
Methodical Coffee at Landmark
207 Wade Hampton Blvd Greenville, SC 29609
Methodical Coffee at the Commons
147 Welborn St Greenville, SC 29601
Coffee Quality - Methodical Coffee
Methodical’s coffee quality never disappoints. We wouldn’t consistently go there if it wasn’t top notch. Brent would always go for his usual Americano with half the amount of water. It’s one of those places where it becomes the standard by which you compare all other coffee shops.
I would typically get the chai latte, as we almost always arrived after my coffee cutoff time. The chai latte was always tasty and nicely spiced.
A few times, I got their hot chocolate, which was incredibly rich and decadent in a good way. Pro tip: Ask for your hot chocolate with some peppermint added. They don’t use a peppermint syrup, but straight up peppermint oil. It was the perfect drink for winter. Especially after we went ice skating at Ice on Main. Their cappuccinos are also great quality, and just what I would expect from a high quality coffee shop.
Pro Tip: If you’re looking for some coffee beans to take home, go for their Belly Warmer blend. Honestly, it’s a bit on the pricey side, but so worth it.
Family Friendliness - Methodical Coffee
We were usually the only family there. But let’s be honest, we’re usually the only family on a coffee date at any coffee shop in the States. Guess we still have a little bit of Aussie left in us!
Methodical caters more to the hipster crowd, or to the young professionals crowd. They were never unfriendly to her, but certainly not overly friendly like at Grateful Brew and Cohesive.
At the downtown location, I did at times feel like we needed to keep it somewhat quiet around all the people on their laptops. That wasn’t an issue at the Commons location, as we always sat outside at the picnic benches. It’s more of a place where people gather socially as well as to work.
Post Coffee Activities - Methodical Coffee
At the downtown location, our Methodical visit would often be followed by a walk around downtown to find some of the Mice on Main. If you really have time, you can make your way down to Falls Park on the Reedy. It’s only half a mile to get there, but at Elsie pace, that can take a while.
At the Commons location, there isn’t really anything to do afterwards. But there are the other restaurants around. On one sunny afternoon, Elsie and I chilled at a picnic bench together and people watched. She had her focaccia, and I enjoyed a glass of white wine from The Community Tap.
I only got coffee once from the Methodical Coffee at Landmark. The inside is really cool, and hiking themed, which of course I love. Though there isn’t really anything to do around there after you get your coffee fix.
Kid friendly food and drink options - Methodical Coffee
Elsie would always get their focaccia, which is vegan! It’s basically a piece of really good bread with Everything But the Bagel Seasoning on top. She would always devour the entire thing. If they were out of that, she would sometimes get their hot chocolate, which is vegan when ordered with non-dairy milk.
Cohesive Coffee
301 Airport Rd Unit I, Greenville, SC 29607
Coffee Quality - Cohesive Coffee
Cohesive Coffee always delivers on quality. Why else would I recommend them to you? Brent, once again, would always get his Americano with half the amount of water. A few times they did forget, depending on who was working. But they were always happy to fix it for him.
If it was past my caffeine cutoff for the day, I would either get their Matcha Latte or their Chai Latte. (I know, still some caffeine, but not as much as coffee). By default these alternative lattes come sweetened, so I would sometimes ask for them unsweetened. Top quality. Always in a fun mug.
Family Friendliness - Cohesive Coffee
Wow, these guys are always so friendly to Elsie. Like the first time we went, I was kind of in awe of how friendly and interactive they were with her. Most of the customers in there are working. A few are meeting up socially. But for some reason, I just felt more comfortable there with a child than at Methodical.
Post Coffee Activities - Cohesive Coffee
The inside always has ample seating, and is really inviting. There’s some outdoor seating available as well if the sunshine is calling you. If you’re feeling like a fun activity, though, hop in the car, and go just down the road to Runway Park.
During 2020 times, the playground was always too busy for my liking. But just outside the fenced playground, there’s a grassy bit where we would often go to watch the airplanes land and take off while enjoying our coffees.
Kid friendly food and drink options - Cohesive Coffee
Elsie would always get their Gluten Free Scone option, and I have to admit, they were always fantastic. Very dense, and would be quite heavy if eaten by just one person. Elsie always had some leftover. But man, did she look forward to that scone!
And whoever stocks their baked goods is vegan, so a lot of their treats just happen to be vegan, just not gluten free. If you ask at the counter, they should be able to help you out. Though you can never go wrong with that scone.
Honorable Mentions for the Best Coffee in Greenville
The Village Grind
1258 Pendleton St, Greenville, SC 29611
We may not have given this place a fair try. Brent and I got takeaway coffees from here one time, and the coffee was tasty. Their inside was closed due to the fact that it was the year 2020, so we never returned as a family with Elsie. There didn’t seem to be much for Elsie to do around there, either. But if you’re just after some quality coffee to go, you may want to consider a visit to The Village Grind.
Due South
1320 Hampton Avenue Ext., Unit 4B, Greenville SC 29601
I’m not really sure why we never made it here with Elsie. They’re well known in the Greenville area for having some seriously good coffee. On our anniversary, Brent and I found ourselves here. Well, he got a coffee at Due South. I got myself a mediocre drink from White Duck Taco.
Due South Coffee is located at Hampton Station. That means there are other shops and restaurants all situated around a little courtyard area. It has a lot of outdoor seating and room to run around. With breweries and eateries next door, there are options for everyone.
Did I miss any? What are your favorite coffee shops in Greenville? Let me know in the comments below!
Not feeling coffee? If you're looking for vegan ice cream options in Greenville, check out The Best Vegan Ice Cream in Greenville, SC.