The Best Coffee Shops in Las Vegas

Founders Coffee opened its first location in 2019 (which feels like both a minute and a decade ago) and has been steadily growing since, adding a second full-service café on St. Rose Parkway in Henderson as well as a kiosk at a La Bonita Supermarket in Green Valley. They serve hearty breakfast and brunch items all day—an assortment of generous toasts, breakfast sandwiches, quiches, bagels, bowls, and pastries—as well as traditional espresso drinks, drip coffee, teas, and fruit smoothies. This is more a place you go for dessert-ish lattes than an exquisite hand-crafted cup, but the seating is ample, the spaces are charming, and the food is tasty. If you’re into that latte life, they also serve specialty seasonal latte flights so you can sample four signature seasonal flavors.

The Harry Potter theme at Bad Owl is a pretty loose one, so don’t come in expecting a fully immersive Wizarding World of Harry Potter experience, but the owners definitely had some fun throwing in some Potterverse touches, like a snow-white owl statue in a cage and tables embossed with sayings like "Espresso Patronum" and "My other car flies." There are Belgian waffles served with "ButterBrew Cream," but the rest of the menu is a pretty standard selection of tasty sandwiches and hearty toasts. Bad Owl also roasts its own single-origin and special blend coffees and has its own signature lattes and coffee creations, including espresso and coffee drink sampler flights. Plus, a menu of beer and wine provides options for when your workday becomes your work night. They now have three locations in Las Vegas—Downtown, Henderson, and Southwest—as well as a location in Chicago.

The original Public Works is located on the ground floor of the offices of TSK Architects—hence its beautiful design—and it has introduced a whole new kind of coffeehouse experience to downtown Henderson. Charming and centrally located for all the action and festivals on Water Street, Public Works became a hit, and has since opened a second location in Henderson and one in Downtown Summerlin. They brew up locally roasted pour over, French press, cortado, nitro cold brew, coffee or tea latte, a barista special (like the Turmeric Chai Tea Latte), and loose-leaf tea. The coffee bar also carries an assortment of from-scratch pastries and breakfast, brunch, and lunch items (including hearty vegan options) from other local food purveyors, as well as a solid selection of beer and wine.

You don't have to identify as vegan or LGBTQ to enjoy the JOLT ("Jump On the Love Train"), located in the more residential area of downtown Las Vegas in the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada. But if you do identify with either of those groups, then you will definitely want to check this place out. Spacious and comfy with lots of seating, a lovely outdoor space, and ample free parking, the Center supports the LGBTQ+ community through a wide variety of programming, events, and resources. The JOLT is the breakfast and lunch café that operates daily inside the Center, serving locally roasted coffee and espresso drinks, house-made pastries (including vegan options), as well as a robust menu of sandwiches that will satisfy hungry carnivores and vegans alike—the pulled jackfruit will fool anyone.

Dark Moon Coffee isn't kidding with its name: inside, the café is a dark and stark, modern, minimalist retreat for the no-frills coffee aficionado. The small-batch roasts are legit, and the dark wood paneling that covers the walls lends a moody atmosphere that's perfect for hunkering down with a heavy read or seriously focusing on your work. This place doesn’t look like every other trendy coffeehouse in the country, nor is it crammed full of bric-a-brac or "Instagrammable moments." Instead, it’s purely about the coffee—they serve a wide variety of house-roasted beans hand-brewed by the cup (no cream or sugar served with those—they offer lattes if you must go that route) and single origin nitro cold brew, as well as a selection of hot and iced teas, mocktails, and even a couple of beer options.

Writer's Block is an independently owned bookstore and “artificial bird sanctuary” in Downtown Las Vegas. It's also a café and a beloved community space that holds readings, rare book exhibitions, and book club events. The space is quaint, cozy, colorful, and charming, with a fake forest of artificial fruit trees providing a unique liveliness. As far as coffeeshops go, this one is pretty standard: you can get your basic brewed coffee, espresso drinks, teas, smoothies, bagels, and cookies, but nothing crazy. As for being able to get work done…well, it's a bookstore and a writer's haven, and if you can't get work done in a place like this, creative or otherwise, you should probably just stay home.

The Coffee Class offers unique breakfast/brunch and lunch items, with everything made fresh in-house and all the pastries made from scratch (stop counting carbs for the day and order any of the toasts, including the baked crème brulee French toast, and the biscuit basket). The coffee and tea offerings will satisfy all tastes, from pour overs of single origin specialty coffee to loose-leaf teas to excellent coffee and tea lattes made with house-made syrups. The interior is pretty and comfortable, although they definitely want to cater more to their dine-in clientele than café campers, so be respectful of the time of day and need for tables. They now have two locations—the original one on S. Eastern Ave. by the Food Network-famous Truffles N Bacon Café, as well as the brand-new location on East Horizon Drive in Henderson. And a PSA to our PSL devotees: the Coffee Class has become famous for their pumpkin pop tarts and pumpkin lattes (made with real pumpkin, not just syrup), including a Pumpkin Crème Cold Brew.

Yaw is a teeny-tiny space, and is yet another stellar small-batch local roaster. If you want to complete your Vegas roaster bingo, this place is imperative. While Yaw might not be the best option for hanging out for long stretches—there's no Wi-Fi, on purpose, and seating is very limited—you'll still be tempted to because the interior is super cool, with the centerpiece being the handmade wood-and-epoxy counters built by the owners. All beans are roasted in-house from small- and micro-lot farms and served by the brewed-to-order cup (no press pots here). They also serve a small selection of pastries from local bakeries and exclusively oat milk lattes, called the "Yawtte." People also love the specialty cold brew (different than a mere iced coffee). Everything done at Yaw is all about coffee craftsmanship, so if you're a serious coffee enthusiast, this place is an absolute must. Just don't plan on putting in an eight-hour shift here.

Vesta Coffee Roasters are the best roasters in Vegas and what they're doing is absolutely next level. Next level also comes at a premium, so don't be surprised when your bag of an ultra-limited specialty roasted beans costs close to $30. The coffee shop—with locations in the Downtown Arts District and the Summerlin Lakes—serves all the standards, as well as pour overs of its excellent bean selection, but if you’re craving a sweet caffeinated coffee drink, get the Aztec Mocha Latte. There’s a small kitchen that kicks out great food, including an egg sandwich that gives cult fave Eggslut a run for its money. This place is really popular, and if you want to snag a spot close to an outlet at either location you have to get there early. The Summerlin location is more spacious but outlet-proximate spots are still in short supply. For Downtowners, you need to get there at 7 am.

With locations in Downtown Las Vegas and across Henderson, plus the original Sunrise Coffee that started it all on East Sunset near the airport and Sunset Park, Mothership Coffee has become quite the respected local coffeehouse chain. The Downtown location, located on East Fremont inside Fergusons Downtown, is a gorgeous modern industrial-meets-Art Deco space that looks out on the grassy amphitheater, where folks from all over Vegas congregate when the weather is nice. The Henderson locations each have their own beautiful design, though Green Valley is teeny-tiny with extremely limited seating—the Anthem location on St. Rose is a better bet if you want to park it somewhere and get work done. But the original Sunrise Coffee location feels the most like the coffee house hangouts of the ‘90s, with plenty of UNLV students studying and friends getting together for coffee and lunch. Each location offers its own single-origin, organic, Fair-Trade coffees sourced from micro co-ops, as pour overs, cold brews, and a variety of lattes, as well as their own house-baked breads and pastries (with plenty of vegan options), though Sunrise has the most robust food menu of all.

Coffee Religion has become a viral influencer hit thanks to its extremely photogenic afternoon tea service, that’s so popular they offer it seven days a week—so popular, in fact, that they are currently working on opening a second location in North Las Vegas. Until then, visit the original location and ask about the giant Buddha statue that serves as the centerpiece of the café—it was designed by the owner's grandfather originally for the King of Burma, and she had it shipped overseas at no small expense. This is just one of the many things that are endearing and unique about this place, which serves Mothership coffees and signature drinks (try the Purple Rain or the Mardi Gras), as well as an assortment of house-made pastries, hearty toasts, and Momos—Himalayan pork dumplings offered seasonally. Plus, there is plenty of seating so you can hang out all day, occasionally gazing at the Buddha for inspiration.

PublicUs has been holding down its corner of East Fremont and Maryland in DTLV since 2015, back when most of its neighbors were abandoned motels and Siegel Suites. But now, as Downtown development has pushed further east and the Downtown core has swelled with tourists and residents, you can’t hardly find a seat inside if you don't get there by 9 am on weekends. PublicUs is a phenomenal place, roasting its own coffee and baking all the breads and pastries in-house. There are also booze-free, espresso-infused spins on classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned and the Gin and Tonic. There’s also actual booze (beer and wine), if you prefer the real deal. The breakfast and lunch menu has a bit of a Hawaiian fusion vibe, with highlights like the Shakshuka, French Toast, the seasonal Pumpkin Crunch dessert, and beautiful, hearty toasts. (And, by God, if they have the Bread Pudding, get it.) This is a great place to work during the week, with lots of different seating arrangements in the beautifully designed space.

When Makers & Finders first opened in the DTLV Arts District in 2014, it was one of just a couple of food & drink businesses in the Arts District—everything else was all vintage shops and not much else. My, how times have changed! As the neighborhood has evolved around it, Makers & Finders has also evolved—the hip coffeehouse and cocktail bar now serves a full menu of Latin-inspired items for breakfast, weekend brunch, lunch, and dinner, as well as excellent lattes and private-label coffees (roasted in its Chinatown roasting facility) that are hand-brewed via French press, pourover, and siphon methods. It has also expanded with additional locations in Downtown Summerlin, AREA 15, and a new location opening in Henderson in 2023. And as for that Chinatown roastery, Take It Easy Roasters, it is also a “hidden” coffee house (this is a trend; see below) and Colombian bakery, serving specialty coffee drinks and house-baked pastries, Colombian breads and sweets, and empanadas unique to this location.

Gabi Coffee & Bakery isn’t exactly a secret, in that everyone seems to know about it and it's always packed. Thanks to Yelp and Instagram, the word is out on this achingly charming bakery and café in Chinatown where, even though it will inevitably be crowded, you will still feel like you've stumbled across a special secret. There’s single-origin coffees, excellent teas, and a number of signature coffee- and tea-based creations (try the Butterfly Tea Latte), as well as excellent salads, sandwiches on house-baked breads, and a nice selection of gorgeous house-made pastries. This is a great place to meet up with friends, but if you're flying solo with just yourself and your laptop, the staircase seating in the back usually has some spots available and is a great place to kick off your shoes—literally you have to take your shoes off—and sit on a comfy cushion to get some work or reading done. And yes, the kitchen is located inside a "greenhouse" in the center of the café.