The Johnston Brief
Most of Johnston's coffee lives along the Merle Hay Road corridor, from a couple of quick drive-thrus to one genuinely good local cafe you can settle into for a morning. Here's the field, whether you want a 90-second window or a slow Saturday.
Blue Bean is the sit-and-stay pick (4.5★), a cafe and coworking space with meeting rooms, private offices, and gourmet toasts. It's open Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 3pm.
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Cozy Cafe (8385 Birchwood Ct) is the move when you want a cup and a plate, pouring coffee alongside all-day breakfast. For a fuller brunch, The Happy Egg is the other local favorite. See more morning spots in our Johnston restaurant guide.
New coffee shops open in Johnston as the Merle Hay corridor fills in. Tell us the one we should add and we'll feature it in the weekly Brief.
It depends what you're after. For a local sit-down cafe, Blue Bean Coffee & Coworking on Merle Hay Road is the top-rated spot (4.5★) and doubles as a workspace. For a fast drive-thru, Caribou Coffee and Scooter's Coffee are the go-tos. And if you want coffee plus all-day breakfast, Cozy Cafe is the pick.
Blue Bean Coffee & Coworking (6205 Merle Hay Rd) is built for it, a cafe and coworking space with meeting rooms, private offices, and gourmet toasts alongside the coffee. It's open Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 3pm.
Caribou Coffee (5260 Merle Hay Rd) and Scooter's Coffee (6001 Merle Hay Rd) are the dedicated drive-thrus, and Starbucks (5560 Merle Hay Rd) was Johnston's first freestanding location. All three sit along the Merle Hay Road corridor.
Yes. Blue Bean Coffee & Coworking is the local independent cafe, and Cozy Cafe pairs coffee with all-day breakfast. The rest of the field is regional and national chains: Caribou, Scooter's, and Starbucks.
Cozy Cafe (8385 Birchwood Ct) serves coffee alongside all-day breakfast, and The Happy Egg is the other local brunch favorite. Caribou Coffee also offers all-day breakfast items at its drive-thru.