If you’ve ever been stuck not knowing where to get a good cup of coffee and study, look no further for your answer. Find out below what coffee shops have the best drinks, atmosphere, parking and more!
Arcade Coffee Roasters may not look initially appealing due to the difficulty of finding parking and the dirt road. But once you walk into the shop, you are greeted with beautiful wood paneling, the welcoming smell of ground coffee and the company’s friendly staff. If you are a true matcha fan, I recommend trying their iced vanilla matcha with oat milk. For my coffee addicts, the hot butterscotch latte with oat milk is my recommendation. Its clean and natural decorations, like the bags of coffee they leave on the floor and the natural-looking wood tables, made the eat-in experience quite enjoyable. The price for a hot butterscotch latte with oat milk was $7.34. If you are looking for a coffee shop close to the university and do not mind the price or the frustration in finding parking, Arcade Coffee Roasters is the place for you.
The outside patio for this coffee shop welcomes any readers that love their sun and cacti. The shop has their seasonal drinks displayed on a chalkboard next to a Little Free Library. As you walk in, the floor has brown wood flooring and large shelves filled with nursery plants, tea and coffee bags. The ambiance is rich with study vibes and concentrating college students, and the shop is cozily decorated with large shelves filled with nursery plants, tea, coffee bags and overhead twinkly lights. At the bar, there are plenty of juice and snack options ranging from Jarritos to ginger shots. Their digital menu displays a variety of caffeinated drinks, with their most popular drink being the dirty horchata iced (which was also recommended to me by a staff member). The price for a hot caramel latte with oat milk was $7.61. If you are looking for a place filled with plants and some nostalgic Latin American references, stop by Mundial.
This shop is located in a business center and has plenty of parking. On cold windy days, they close their large open door but have a sign out front making it easy to spot. Upon stepping inside, customers are greeted with an open room filled with a long community table and smaller ones farther in the back. The shop’s low light gives it a soft jazz club atmosphere and the music played makes it a fun place to vibe. Their back wall art work and merchandise make it easy to wait for your coffee order as you can get distracted by each nook and cranny the shop has. The customer service is immaculate, so don’t feel shy not knowing what to order! Their baristas are there to help you find the right drink for every taste bud. Their dirty chai with oat milk was $7.35 and was a definite order again. Definitely stop by and check out the spot if you are looking for a chill ambiance and friendly baristas. Also, their large table has plenty of outlets if you are looking for a longer study session.
In the heart of downtown Riverside, you’ll find a beloved shop in front of the Mission Inn Hotel. Molinos is a low-key spot for coffee and parking is free for 30 minutes if you pay for your coffee on the app. The inside of the building has a beautiful chandelier hanging in front of a large glass window that gives you a perfect view of the Mission Inn. The coffee counter is filled with wooden display glasses that hold pastries while the border is decorated with twinkly lights. The customer service at Molinos is top notch and makes it easy to feel comfortable and invited in. You will feel like your first visit was your hundredth by how accommodating and genuine the baristas are at connecting with customers. I recommend asking the barista their favorite drink and taking a chance on what they say. Their hot caramel latte with oat milk was $5.45. In my opinion, this stop is definitely worth the price and location.
Our next stop keeps us in downtown Riverside and is only five minutes away from the Mission Inn. The dark ambiance is perfect for metalheads and rock fans. Their wall is filled with band posters of the Ramones, Black Flag, Bad Religion and many more punk bands. The playlist will have you jamming out and buying a pink $20 dollar beanie just because it’s cute. If you are a fan of Halloween, you will love their stickers and other merch that they carry at the counter. The baristas are amazingly friendly and love to talk about their own love of coffee and music, so stop by if you are in need of immaculate vibes and coffee. The only catch is there are no tables to hang around at. This is only a stop and go coffee shop, but don’t let that prevent you from checking this place out. A hot vanilla latte with oat milk was around $6. Check this place out if you are looking to explore more coffee shops with Hot Topic vibes.
Coffeecito is a large white house in downtown Riverside that’s been transformed into a small local coffee shop. Its front porch gate and water fountain give it a homey vibe and would make a perfect background for a cute photoshoot date with your friends and family. There are plenty of tables outside with blue umbrellas to shade you from the sun and a small living room with wooden tables inside. The white walls are filled with Latin American culture references, such as paintings of Cacti, a large tapestry with indigenous art on it and a neon sign reading Coffeecito House in front of it. The pillows on the benches make it easy to pull out a laptop and sit for a few hours to do work or just hang out with friends. A hot caramel latte with oat milk was $6.19. I recommend stopping by if you are looking for a cute coffee shop with an aesthetically pleasing ambiance.
