Winter is settling in and you should be too, at your new favorite Durango coffee shop. There’s nothing like wrapping your hands around a hot cup of caffeine first thing in the morning. When the snow is dumping and your body is shivering, find the perfect place to warm your spirit and core.

Your favorite coffee shop is as much about atmosphere as it is the right flavors. Whether you’re looking for a quick pick-me-up or a place to kick back and relax, you’re certain to find a new home in one of these local favorite cafes.

Durango Roasters - For a Trendy Place to Kick Back

730 Main Avenue

With walls decorated with local art and shelves filled with a collection of coffee beans from around the world, Durango Roasters offers the classic coffee shop experience. This modern space is newly renovated and serving up a variety of tea, pastries, sandwiches, and even beer to go along with the coffee goods.

From 7 A.M. to 9 P.M., expect to enjoy warm company, friendly faces, and the occasional live music mixer. You’ll love watching the snow fall from the massive glass windows and kicking back to watch the weather roll by. Set up at a couch and table or enjoy your coffee as you browse the back for kitchenware and local souvenirs. Just know that you haven’t lived until you’ve tried a properly served Durango Roasters nitro coffee.

81301 Coffee House - When You’re Looking for Something Simple and Funky

3101 Main Avenue #1

If the name sounds familiar then you know your Durango zip codes. Our local roasting lab serves as a hive of activity for the local working community. Expect to see as many laptops as chattering patrons, as you enjoy your ColoRADo Blend of Guatemala and Java Estate brewed fresh in house.

Unlike the menu, the cafe is relatively small, making it a cozy place to curl up during the winter and be productive. The baristas have made it their mission to simplify the coffee experience, so it’s always easy to try something new at 81301. When you have a friendly team of experts behind the bar, you can trust in a no fuss, fully caffeinated coffee experience. Make sure to study the “Roasting Lab” during your visit to see where all the magic happens.

Durango Joes - To Feel Like a Local

You’ve probably seen the bumper stickers around town. The local Durangoans are “fueled by Durango Joes” and we’re not kidding! Thanks to the best loyalty card in all the Four Corners, Durango Joes is one of the best, quick and easy destinations to get your caffeine fix.

There are five different Durango Joes just around town, so if you fall in love with one of their coffee blends or lattes, you can trust that a refill is just around the corner. If you’re on your way up to Purgatory Resort for the day, swing in at the Main Street Drive Thru and find yourselves in the best company around.

Animas Chocolate Company - Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

920 Main Avenue

If you love chocolate, chances are you love coffee too. Animas Chocolate Company is more than just a candy store. This bean to bar style chocolate factory brews just as much espresso as they do chocolate. If a traditional and delicious hot chocolate, espresso, or chai latte is what’s on your mind, nobody does it better than ACC.

Inside the Main Avenue location, prepare to be swept away by a love for chocolate. It’s not the best coffee shop to set up your work laptop, but one could argue that there is no work to be done in heaven. Most people swing by ACC to sample the legendary, award-winning truffles and chocolate candies along with their caffeine. If you bring any souvenirs home with you from Durango, make this your first place to shop!

Interested in turning your love of coffee into an activity the whole family can enjoy? Stop in to learn more about the ever-changing Animas Chocolate Company calendar or join an informal tour. They often host live roasting events where you can smell, touch, taste and learn about all the great processes that go behind making your favorite drink. 

Smiley Cafe - The Healthy, Happy and Eclectic Restored Schoolhouse

1309 E 3rd Avenue

A coffee shop can be any and everything, and if you appreciate that fact, then you’ll love this restored schoolhouse a little off the beaten path. The food is excellent, the quiches are to die for, most produce is locally grown, and the coffee is everflowing. Smiley Cafe, with its massive rooms, couches, and long tables, is a perfect community space to get work done.

As the name suggests, it’s nearly impossible to be unhappy at Smiley Cafe. With friendly faces and helpful baristas all around, you just may never want to leave.

Taste Coffee Bar, by Desert Sun Coffee Roasters - One of a Kind Experience

If you love the coffee at Animas Chocolate Company (and you will), then you’ll love to meet the folks behind the flavors at Desert Sun Coffee Roasters. Tucked next to Ernie’s Bar at the 11th Street Station, Taste Coffee Bar provides one of the best places to hang out, no matter what time of the day it is. The eclectic food truck lot is always buzzing with activity, especially after the last ski lift closes. You can stay inside to escape the weather and be productive or bundle up next to the standing heaters on the patio to visit and share stories with friends.

Serving up fair trade, certified organic coffee, the locally roasted and brewed beverages that come out of this bar are unsurpassably delicious. Desert Sun Coffee Roasters has been around since 2004, but compared to other cafes on this list, the Taste Coffee Bar is relatively new to the scene. Already, the community is calling this some of the best coffee around and for good reason. Go traditional with a cappuccino, americano, or latte, or jump out of your comfort zone with an Angelic Brew, nitro infused Colorado Monsoon, or perfectly prepared drip coffee.

Crossroads Coffee - The Perfect Way to Start your Day

1099 Main Avenue

Catering to the business community around town, Crossroads Coffee is tucked into a little corner on Main Avenue. It’s not only fast, easy, and delicious; they’ve cornered the market for some of the best bulletproof coffee and blueberry scones around. Swing by any time in the morning or afternoon for a pick-me-up and guaranteed smile.

Magpies Newsstand Cafe - To Escape the Cold or Enjoy the Sun

707 Main Avenue

Any time the weather gets extra blustery, I always find myself turning the corner into Magpies Newsstand for a hot espresso. There’s something about being surrounded by magazines and newspapers that brings out the productive writer in me. Plus, who doesn’t deserve a slice of homemade pie to go along with their afternoon coffee?

It may be easy to overlook Magpies from Main Avenue, but you’d be wrong to do so. Along with every coffee, hot chocolate, mocha, and americano served, Magpies is also a great place to catch up on local news, learn about what’s happening and curl up with a scoop of gelato. Settle in at one of their many tables by the landscape window and watch the snow fall. When the sun finally peeks out from behind the clouds, bring the party outside to their gardened patio.

Cream Bean Berry - Come for the Ice Cream, Stay for the Coffee

1021 Main Avenue

Whether it’s for coffee or not, I guarantee you will spend at least a few hours at the Cream Bean Berry ice cream shop during your visit to Durango. The sandwich board outside, always featuring “Today’s Flavors,” will draw you in. Promises of organic homemade salted caramel, Belgian chocolate, and Almond Fudge Ripple will bring you inside, no matter how cold the temperature is. But then you’ll find the list of specialty hot drinks - a latte, hot chocolate, affogato, espresso, breve, and more - and your decision on what to buy will become much more difficult. Fear not, you can always come back tomorrow.

Eno Wine Bar and Cocktail Lounge - For a Cozy Touch of Sophistication

723 E 2nd Avenue

If you’re thinking classy, then you’re thinking Eno. For a contemporary and relaxing afternoon amongst friends, the Eno Wine Bar and Coffee Cafe is the place for you. Eno brews espresso as it should be, and offers plenty of coffee cocktails to go along with it. Try the Second Avenue dessert cocktail, made with Baileys, Kahlua, espresso, fresh vanilla creme, Frangelico, and chocolate dust to be transported to a moment in heaven or the Dulces Suenos, with Colorado-distilled Montanya rum and iced coffee with vanilla ice cream. But don’t expect to get much work done; if you’re spending time at Eno, appreciate the moment, the local art on the walls, and beautiful view outside.

Extra: Where to Find Your New Favorite Coffee Gear

There are plenty of places to get your coffee fix outside of our local cafes. Because every coffee lover needs a favorite mug, be sure to stop by the Farmers Market this fall to check out the work of our local artists. You’ll find booths filled with unique, handcrafted mugs, utensils, and accessories, each made with love. Look for Down to Earth Pottery, Red Cliffs Pottery, Gallery H Woodwork, and Yunomi Pottery Studio for just a few of the artisan vendors.