Wake Up. Drink Coffee. Travel. Repeat. As someone who can’t function without some caffeine in the morning, I know that finding a nearby coffee shop is integral to every trip. As part of a new series, come along with me as I review coffee shops close to home and ones I stumble upon throughout my travels. First up: two Pennsylvania coffee shops.

I’ve personally found most review scores to be pretty hit or miss, and obviously subjective to people’s differing taste. So instead of stars or number ratings, my plan is to focus on giving an idea of the vibes, what you can expect food/drink wise, and overall if I liked the place or not.

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New Holland Coffee Company

Established in 2005, New Holland Coffee Co asserts itself as one of the only in-house coffee roasters in the area. They have four locations in Lancaster County, and for this first visit I stopped by the one in New Holland. The interior is bright and airy, with a massive skylight that really opens up the space.

I ordered a caramel oat milk cappuccino and a coffee cake cookie, while my husband got an oat milk hot chocolate with an apple strudel hand pie. The coffee was great, and although the cookie tasted good it was a little dry. They have a pretty comprehensive looking Sunday Brunch menu (french toast, omlettes, breakfast sandwiches, etc.), so it seems like their focus during the rest of the week is the to-go crowd.

I don’t know if it was because it was a busy Sunday morning, or that I’m just used to quick big city baristas, but my only real complaint was how long it took to get our drinks (about 10-15 min after ordering).

Keep in mind that while the New Holland cafe is open on Sundays, the other three locations are not.

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Eremita Cafe

Eremita is a newer cafe which just opened in early 2024 in the Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia. It has such calm, unpretentious, chill vibes. I got a my go-to caramel oat milk cappuccino and a pain au chocolat, and Jasper had an oat milk hot chocolate and an almond croissant. My coffee didn’t have as much caramel flavor as I prefer, but still overall a decent cappuccino.

The owner, Phil, seems like such a nice guy! I overheard him mention to another customer that they’re still working out some kinks and are planning to add some more seating in the near future. It looks like they’ve already become a popular place to do some work in the mornings, and then the old-school pac-man arcade table and chess set are family favorites in the afternoons. According to their Instagram they’ll occasionally also have music and open mics after hours.

Seems to me like they’re on the right track and I’ll definitely be back.

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Know any Pennsylvania coffee shops I should check out next? Let me know in the comments!
See the button to your right? You could even buy me my next coffee!