The best coffee shops, bakeries and breakfast in Houston

15 of the 50

Montrose 4

1. B

   Blacksmith

   MontroseCoffee & breakfast$

   Montrose's coffee-shop version of Cheers, where you'll run into everyone you know. Excellent coffee and a breakfast menu to fuel the day; bring a sweater.

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2. X

   Xela Coffee Roasters

   MontroseCoffee roaster$

   A serious, slightly edgy roaster, now on Richmond Avenue: top-tier house roasts, loud emo-rap, and bottled drinks like the Screwston cold brew and a saffron chai.

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3. B

   Baby Barnaby's

   MontroseBreakfast$

   A tiny breakfast-only Montrose spot with three servers who'll remember your order and bring a thermos of coffee to the table.

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4. L

   La Guadalupana Cafe & Bakery

   MontroseMexican breakfast café$

   A Montrose breakfast-and-lunch café since 1995, known for cinnamon coffee, the vampiro carrot-orange-beet juice, and huevos rancheros.

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Bellaire 1

1. M

   Moeller's Bakery

   Bellaire$

   A Bellaire bakery for more than 90 years, behind countless shower and wedding cakes, with giant cinnamon rolls and petits fours made daily.

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Chinatown 1

1. A

   Alpha Bakery & Deli

   Chinatown$

   A modest counter inside Hong Kong City Mall making Houston's best bánh mì: the đặc biệt, with butter, pâté and chả lụa on a fresh baguette.

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Downtown 1

1. S

   Slow Drip TX

   Downtown$

   A downtown shop where coffee drips for nine hours through glass pipes and beakers into a strong, cocoa-and-molasses concentrate. Black leather couches, industrial room.

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EaDo 1

1. K

   Koffeteria

   EaDo$

   An EaDo bakery-café that tastes like Houston, with Cambodian flavors from the owner: croissants and buns scented with lemongrass or stuffed with kimchi, curry or crab rangoon.

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Gulfgate 1

1. D

   Dot Coffee Shop

   Gulfgate$

   A Pappas family diner open around the clock since 1967: chicken-fried steak at 3am, fajita omelets with hash browns, key lime pie.

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Second Ward 1

1. S

   Segundo Coffee Lab

   Second Ward$

   A coffee stand at the front of a converted East End factory, with a line for its Mexican-influenced drinks like Abuelita hot chocolate and the Sweet Sueño.

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Sixth Ward 1

1. C

   Catalina Coffee

   Sixth Ward$

   Open over 15 years and still the busiest café in town: espresso to go, bags from sister roastery Amaya, and pastries before they sell out. No Wi-Fi, by design.

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South Houston 1

1. O

   The Original Kolache Shoppe

   South Houston$

   Open since 1956 and opening at 5am, a tiny bakery that sells out of its sweet and sausage kolaches most days. Show up early.

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Spring Branch 1

1. M

   Magnol

   Spring Branch$

   A French bakery with lines for croissants, plus baguettes, éclairs and lemon meringue tarts. Eat a hazelnut croissant in the shop.

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The Heights 1

1. T

   Tenfold Coffee

   The Heights$

   Coffee roasted in house, served in a big, airy Heights room full of tall tropical plants, tables and outlets, plus a small patio. Pastries only.

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Upper Kirby 1

1. A

   Avalon Diner

   Upper Kirby$

   The original Avalon, serving breakfast all day: chicken-fried steak, fluffy pancakes, French toast and grits, with a gumball machine at the counter.

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The other 35

The 50 are spread across 24 neighborhoods. The Heights (9), Montrose (8), Downtown (4), Chinatown (3), Bellaire (2) and East End (2) have the most; the other 18 have 1 to 2 each.

For dessert, see the best ice cream in Houston.

All 50, on your own map

This page is 15 of them. The Houston Cafés & Breakfast pack in Whosly has all 50 — add it and every one drops onto your map, ready to save, rate and turn into a plan your friends RSVP to from a text, no app needed to answer. The pack is included with Planner Pro.

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