OK, fine, so the Napa Valley has a Peet’s Coffee and 11 different Starbucks locations. But what if you are looking for some exceptionally good coffee, and/or don’t want to try a national chain? Here’s where you can find the best coffee in Napa Valley:
1. Ritual Coffee Roasters (610 1st Street, Napa) – Come to the middle of Oxbow Public Market to get phenomenal coffee drinks, including individual pour-over cups of coffee from small producers in Honduras, Guatemala, Columbia, and Costa Rica, among other places. Ritual also features two espressos at all time: a seasonal blend and a single-origin espresso of the month. Drink here and/or purchase bags of coffee to go.
2. Yountville Coffee Caboose (6523 Washington Street, Yountville) – At the end of the Railway Inn, inside the Caboose, is a coffee source that is a hit with both locals and tourists. The coffee is French-pressed, and the espresso beverages are ground to order. Part of the reason for their success is that they use Ritual coffee beans.
3. Calistoga Roastery (1426 Lincoln Avenue, Calistoga) – This local treasure has been at their central Calistoga location since 2004. Casual, low-key, friendly, and they roast their own beans. Drink here and/or purchase bags of coffee to go.
4. Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company (1400 Oak Avenue, St. Helena, and 948 Main Street, Napa) – These people have been roasting their own beans and waking up the people of Napa since 1985. Their second location (in St. Helena) opened in 1991. Drink here and/or purchase bags of coffee to go.
5. Sogni Di Dolci (1142 Main Street, St. Helena) – At the south end of the main drag through St. Helena is this cute little italian cafe that focuses on espresso, gelato, and panini. The place is small (the owner is trying to expand) but the espresso is fantastic.
6. Dean & Deluca (607 South St. Helena Highway/Highway 20, St. Helena) – The store’s overall inventory seems to have continuously shrunk over the past few years but the coffee bar still serves up great beverages. If you want something sweet, their dessert and pastry offerings are like a “best of Napa Valley bakeries” collection all in one location. Drink here and/or purchase bags of coffee to go.
7. Oakville Grocery Store (7856 St. Helena Highway/Highway 29, Oakville) – If you’re in the middle of Napa Valley and need your caffeine fix, this is the place to go. They may be better known for their wine, deli, and food product offerings, but they are a reliable source for great coffee as well.
If what you want is a place to sit down and have a great breakfast but the coffee has to be fantastic too, then your two best options in the valley are Alexis Baking Company and Cafe (1517 3rd Street, Napa, 707-258-1827) in downtown Napa and Boon Fly Cafe (4048 Carneros Highway, Napa, 707-299-4870) in the Carneros region.
No Bouchon Bakery, but you included Oakville? Since the mgmt change in 2010 that place has gone downhill fast. This list cannot be taken seriously without Bouchon…
In my experience Bouchon does not have great coffee.
The list reflects what our experiences have been, repeatedly.
But, since you seem to feel kinda strongly about it, we’ll do some revisits this week and see if it changes anything. Of course, we’ll have to wait until March to check out Oakville Grocery again (when it reopens).
There’s a new coffee shop in town Molinari’s Caffe! Next to Fagiani’s bar on Main street (Cross street: First st.) and it makes some of the best expresso and has some of the best loose leaf tea in town. Also, you can’t beat the classy digs — leather couches and tasteful teak furniture.
There is not 11starbucks in Napa 3 that is it .I don’t care for starbucks but care about people writing things that aren’t correct .the coffee in Napa is poor at best .good for yuppie type who needs a ego boost .
Om, sorry you don’t feel the coffee in Napa is any good. We just disagree.
Also, please realize this was written back in November 2011 and things have changed since then (and we were saying there used to be 11 Starbucks in Napa Valley, not just in the city of Napa).
There’s six Starbucks not including the two in Target, which really doesn’t matter because we have Ritual, Napa Vallley Coffee Roasting Company, and Peets! Ritual does not disappoint give it a try.