My boyfriend and I were in Charlestown today on a mission to visit the local library (we're huge book nerds), and I realized that we were in the same town as the flagship location of Dave's Coffee! I am a HUGE fan of the Providence location, and whenever I'm in a show in the city, I always stop at the South Main Street Dave's for a pre-rehearsal nitro cold brew coffee. I was thrilled to visit the OG Dave's today, and our visit was absolutely delightful!
Word to the wise, it is a bit hard to find! There's no sign proclaiming "Dave's Coffee" that's visible from the road, and it's situated right off a highway, so make sure you're paying attention to your GPS. However, once you get up to the building, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the quaint and tranquil environs. Before we even set foot inside, we were greeted by plenty of outdoor seating at rustically mismatched chairs and tables, a cute fountain with Buddha statues standing guard, and a vintage 1940's truck with the Dave's Coffee logo emblazoned on the side. Social media influencers take note - this is perfect for photo ops! We so look forward to returning in warmer months to take advantage of the great outdoor seating and "secret garden" surroundings.
The inside is just as adorable as the outside, with cozy and comfortable seating in a few different rustically decorated rooms. Like the outside, the mismatched vintage furniture and decor adds to the homey charm of this local hidden gem. The titular Dave of the coffee company owns the building, along with his wife, who runs a boutique that's attached to the coffeeshop. While you wait for your latte, it's fun to browse around and see what's in stock at the unique gift shop.
Like the PVD location, caffeine addicts step right up to the counter and order creative coffee drinks, matchas, and snacks from the friendly baristas. Simon served us today, and he was awesome! One of the best baristas I've met in Rhode Island.. and pretty much anywhere! And I consider myself to be a coffeeshop aficionado! We decided to try a few drinks - an espresso con panna (espresso with whipped cream) and a nitro cold brew for me, and a coffee milk latte for my boyfriend. All of our drinks were excellent - expertly crafted with care and attention to detail. I especially loved the coffee milk latte. It was very sweet, but a wonderful homage to RI's signature drink. Kudos to Dave's for not only serving house-roasted coffee, but also house made syrups as well. I'm a huge fan of the orange fig syrup, which is the perfect flavoring for a cold weather coffee or tea. Yum!
Of course, you can't have a coffee without some delish accompanying bites, and Dave's delivers that to the max! We indulged in a fabulous dark chocolate chip cookie with flaky Maldon sea salt and a giant sugarcoated Lemon Muffin made with fresh lemon curd. Simon told us that all of the pastries are made fresh each morning by their in-house pastry chef, who's a graduate of Johnson & Wales University (one of the US's best culinary schools), and an absolute whiz with all things sweet and savory! From cranberry scones to dark chocolate glazed pound cake, she really knows her stuff! Dave's also offers "Happy Hour" special from 5-6 PM daily, where all baked good are half price. You really can't beat that! Even though I usually try to eat healthy, the treats were definitely worth the extra calories!
Though this was our first visit to the Charlestown location of Dave's Coffee, we will absolutely be back soon and recommend it to all our South County friends in the meantime! read more