Cleveland, OHCoffee

Ready Set! Coffee Roasters roasted its first batch in a garage and spent two years on pop-ups and wholesale before opening this Gordon Square cafe, with a coffee lounge on one side and the roastery on the other. Specialty blends and single-origin beans from more than 10 countries are roasted six pounds at a time and poured as batch brew, filter, espresso, cold brew and made-to-order drinks.

Calvin Verga moved Duck-Rabbit Coffee, his coffee shop and roastery, from Duck Island to this bigger storefront on Lorain Avenue in Ohio City in 2020. It is the place to go when you are craving a cup of real craft coffee.

Lekko Coffee opened on Detroit Avenue in 2021 as a third-wave coffee shop, pouring drip and pour-over coffee, espresso, cortados, lattes, cappuccinos and cold brew. The staff prides itself on knowing what makes a good cup and takes the time to explain what is on offer so newcomers feel welcome, and the room doubles as a workday hangout where students settle in to study.

Propaganda Coffee opened in Lakewood in 2021 and has become a relaxation station for its regulars. The shop is gluten-free and vegan and makes its food in house, which makes it a favorite for anyone with dietary restrictions, and the baristas foam almond and oat milk for the espresso drinks.

Six Shooter Coffee has built a reputation across Northeast Ohio for its coffee, and it sells its beans by subscription, two to four bags a month, for drinking at home. Founder Peter Brown has handed the business to longtime team members Sarah Stocum and Emily Flory, who run the Waterloo Road flagship in Collinwood and this Pearl Road cafe in Old Brooklyn as neighborhood gathering places.