Austin’s Coffee

To read more about Austin’s Coffee, check out my published coverage in the Winter 2020 issue of Winter Park Magazine: https://issuu.com/digitalissue/docs/wpm_win20/54.

This is the place where I found out that tabs were an invention, where Heads Up wasn't just a game, but the prime of an era, where we drank virgin cider from plastic flukes to ring in the 2011 New Year, and where big truths were branded—like that bodacious, voluptuous woman that made for some unforgettable indie paintings (seriously, whoever's butt that is is forever brushed via oil paint all over my memory...). It's what you'd call the town hangout or the place that parents whisper about and ban their kids from going despite all the kids knowing that—if you must smoke your weed—this is probably the most tame place to do it. The lake-size sink hole that sits behind the coffee joint is legendary and the lack of seats doesn't speak to the smallness or any lack at all really - just a testament to the accepted perception that Austin's isn't any 'ole coffeeshop; it's a people magnet. And—for whatever reason—it enchants the young crowd that has come to claim it as their Winter Park haunt through all the stuffy years of indecisiveness and reckless curiosity.

Circa November 2010:

Circa New Years 2011 ❤️:

UPDATE 10/18/2018: Sweet coffee—still delectable. The vegan chocolate chip cookie (warmed up by the Darren Criss look-a-like behind the counter) was serenity sculpted by melted chocolate chips and a softened, browned dough.

UPDATE 12/19/2018: Winter Park to Wrocław & Ås, Wrocław-to-Ås, Ås-to-Wrocław, Wrocław & Ås to Winter Park, and my high school girl and I were back to doing what we do best - hang, between the Europe adventures, where the explosive urge to seek out the world began. And, this time I got my sweet coffee. Nothing new. But, the ebullient barista asked me was kind of dairy. Not "cream or no cream," but what kind of add-in. I paused. No extra charge. She recommended coconut milk. So that's what I got. This drink is so good at its base that it can be mixed with anything and retain every ounce of integrity. What I'm trying to say is, you'll catch me tucked into a booth, deep into whatever I may be typing at some moment, with a domed plastic cup condensing around coffee tinted lighter than the conventional tar I love.

UPDATE 2/3/2019: Almond milk sweet coffee. 24oz. $3.05. $3.25 with tax. $3.74 with a 15% tip. Just do it. It's a gracious companion to hours of writing, reading, and loosening up with the evening.

10/12/2019:

Barnie’s

Island Roasters Coffee