Four Atlanta Shops Featuring Coffee, Cocktails, and Community

Kristin Radcliffe and Mary Tveit opened The Reading Room in downtown Decatur with the goal of offering a variety of drinks at any time of the day. Today, a few months later, their mission is accomplished. Coffee options range from espressos to cold brews and cortados, while cocktails such as the Corpse Reviver and the tasty bright green Grasshopper tempt guests to stay a while. “During the day, we open at 7 a.m.,” says Tveit, “and we stay busy all day.”

Choosing between a caffeine fix and a cocktail has become easier for Atlantans recently with several places implementing similar philosophies to the Reading Room. In Grant Park, Little Tart’s popular After Dark series has attracted customers eager to sample the drinks and bites menu, while the monthly After Hours event at Harbor Coffee combines arts programming with drink specials. And in Riverside, Bellwood Coffee offers neighbors a friendly space to work, study or buzz.

Bellwood Cafe

While each location has a unique story behind its after-hours, the common thread is the search for community. In psychology, a “third place” suggests a place outside of work or home to gather with others. Bellwood co-founder Charles Norman says Riverside lacked such a place.

“When we took over this space, we knew we wanted to do beer, wine and cocktails; we really wanted to be that place for people in the afternoon and evening,” he says. “It’s hard to do that with just coffee.”

Amy Gregg, director of operations at Little Tart, says After Dark is a combined effort she shares with managers Madi Bolton and Sofia Garcia, and that the idea was born during a team-building trip to France. “Paris has great wine and small venues, and everything is executed with simplicity and elegance,” says Gregg. “We said we want to do this in Atlanta.”

The local arts community found an after-hours coffee shop at Harbor Coffee in Inman Park thanks to co-owner Caitlin Hemmer. “I love and appreciate when cafes open their spaces to local artists – it’s my heart and soul,” she says. “We ask artists to organize events and we have a stage in front of the store. It’s great to see people showing off what they’ve been working on.

Little Pie

While black coffee drinkers may disagree, caffeinated drinks and cocktails can involve a creative twist, and these coffee shops are eager to share how. While customers can still order a standard vodka-soda-lime, visiting a cafe at dusk is a great reason to branch out and order something made especially for that location by its baristas and mixologists.

The Reading Room team brought on lead barista Emmett Munzing because of his knowledge of coffee and cocktails, as well as his local clientele. One of the store’s best sellers is Munzing’s version of a Grasshopper, adding ice, absinthe and Fernet.

Little Tart’s use of seasonal produce and local produce is reflected in its evening drinks menu. The Strawberry Spritz, for example, features berries from Georgia-based Love is Love Farm and makes a refreshing frozen strawberry margarita. There are always a few rotating drinks for the season, as well as classic dishes.

For those craving an espresso martini – a logical whim in a café-turned-bar – the one concocted by Nathan Nerswick in Bellwood is a must. Also recommended is the Mermaid Magik: a drink made from gin infused with dried seaweed, sherry, lime cordial, Meletti and soy. “It hits the perfect balance of salty and sweet and makes you feel like you just came out of the sea,” says Norman, who hired Nerswick as assistant manager at Bellwood’s Peachtree location, then moved her promoted to general beverage manager.

“I’ve never met anyone who dives deeper into the things they’re passionate about than Nathan,” he says. “He is extremely curious about flavors and constantly comes up with unique drinks that most people would never think of.”

The reading room

Evening catering menus in cafes are a far cry from fries, tenders and other standard bar food. Instead, expect sophisticated options like charcuterie boards and creative small plates. Visitors to Little Tart can enjoy homemade desserts or satisfy a salty craving with dips, pickled eggs, onion jam focaccia, and more. And the evening menu at the Reading Room includes Bougie, Classic, Feta and Vegetarian boards, all ideal for sharing.

For these four sites, the best is still being prepared. Harbor Coffee looks forward to incorporating house-made coffee syrups into a creative menu of mocktails, including a mocktail espresso martini; Bellwood Riverside refines new gourmet menu; Little Tart is planning other special events (similar to the one last Valentine’s Day); and the reading room hosts local musical artists.

“Bellwood was a dream for a few years before we launched in 2018,” says Norman. “We wanted to create a place where people would love to go because they were treated like friends – and where they could be blown away by the coffee and exclusive drinks. »