Denver's 5 Best Under-The-Radar Coffee Shops, According To Locals

When you think of the best cities for coffee, Denver might not be the first that comes to mind. But while places like Seattle and New York City might get all the acclaim, Denver's coffee scene is just as exciting — and it's much more recent. Denver's coffee ascendency is sometimes traced to the opening of Crema Coffee House in 2009, which kicked off a series of independent coffee shops opening. (Crema now has a second location in Denver Central Market, a gourmet food hall that's a local and tourist staple.)

Today, visitors have a wide range of local cafes to choose from when they're craving espresso-based drinks. This is particularly true when it comes to the artsier neighborhoods. When you wander through the eclectic art district of the RiNo neighborhood or the edgy LoHi neighborhood near downtown Denver, you'll come across a coffee shop every few blocks.

To compile this list of the best under-the-radar coffee shops in Denver, we skipped the national publications and went straight to local blogs and social media communities like Reddit's r/DenverFood. Here are the five best under-the-radar coffee shops in Denver, according to locals.

LOCUS Coffee Bar, previously known as MORU Coffee, is a small coffee shop inside a coffee roasting facility in an out-of-the-way warehouse. Inside, the coffee shop is cozy with plenty of wall art. The menu is short and simple, with classics like cortados and French press, and all coffees are roasted in-house. There are some pastries available, as well, but the coffee is the true star of the show. Of course, you can buy beans to take home with you, too.

LOCUS currently has a 4.8 average with over 220 reviews on Google, though they're not on Yelp. They do have plenty of word-of-mouth buzz on Reddit. "They usually have some more interesting/unique coffees than the average shop, and the staff actually knows what they're talking about if you ask questions — but they're not weird or snobby about it," writes one Redditor. "Even if you don't drink coffee much, it's an easy place to try something different and see if it clicks."

Scr3am & Sugar is a coffee shop with a unique twist: It's horror-themed. Located inside the specialty gift shop Horrid, Scr3am & Sugar serves drinks with names like Nightmare Fuel (cold brew and espresso over ice with salted caramel cream and cinnamon sprinkle) and Hiya, Georgie! (a Nutella latte with raspberry puree). Cafe-goers can order a breakfast burrito in the morning or a bowl of popcorn throughout the day. Since it opened in fall 2023, Scr3am & Sugar has become a local favorite for its kitschy, cozy vibe and tasty drinks. "There's a lot of good coffee in Denver, but not as many that are themed or set up for a loungy setting versus a work setting," owner Nic Johnson told Westword in 2023. "We wanted to create a social setting for people to talk about horror movies, make connections with strangers and build their own social hub."

Reviews show that Scr3am & Sugar is accomplishing just that: the coffee shop has a 4.9 average on Google with over 230 reviews and a 4.7 average on Yelp with 25 reviews. "Lovely coffee shop and an amazing, horror-goth atmosphere," writes one Google reviewer. "The coffee is spectacular, and the staff are knowledgeable and friendly."

Coffee Sarap is a Filipino-inspired coffee shop in Denver's artsy River Arts North (RiNo) district. ("Sarap" is a Tagalog word that translates to "delicious.") Along with espresso drinks, you'll find Filipino flavors such as ube, pandan, and mestiza. The result is creative drinks like the Palawan Dreams (an ube latte topped with pandan foam) and the Mestiza (a Filipino-style horchata drink).

Founded by friends and coffee enthusiasts Hannah Cambronero and Chelsey Solemsaas, Coffee Sarap began as a pop-up in 2022 and opened a brick-and-mortar location in early 2025. It's earned local praise, but it's so new that it hasn't quite hit the national radar yet. At the time of writing, Coffee Sarap has a 4.7 average on Google, around 200 reviews, and a 4.6 average on Yelp, with over 80 reviews. "Coffee Sarap is my go-to for coffee in RiNo. Best coffee shop in Denver, I haven't had anything on the menu I didn't like," writes one Google reviewer. "Palawan Dreams is a good coffee to try hot or cold if it's your first time. I love Ube and Pandan flavors. I bring all of my coworkers, family and friends here."

VIVA! mexi-coffee-shop is a relative newcomer on Denver's coffee scene. After opening in summer 2024, it was named Best New Coffee Shop in Westword's Best of Denver 2025 awards. The award write-up begins, "Stepping into Viva! feels like being transported to a small town in Mexico." Founded by married couple Elisa Garcia and Leonardo Munoz-Corona, VIVA! has become known for its Latin American-style coffee drinks, such as the best-selling latte de olla, featuring a "syrup de olla" made with Mexican rock sugar and cinnamon. The tortas and pastries, such as a specialty guava cream cheese knot, are also a hit.

At the time of writing, VIVA! has a 4.9 average with 165 reviews on Google and a 4.7 average with 30 reviews on Yelp. It's also earned buzz among local Redditors. "This morning I had the butteryest ever pastry that actually made my eyes roll into the back of my head," writes one Redditor in r/DenverFood, adding, "also the coffee was delicious, the vibes were immaculate and cozy, and the sandwiches, which I did not stay long enough to try, smelled absolutely enchanting."

Roast Coffee Bar opened in Denver's Wash Park neighborhood in 2024, serving beans from Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters and food from local spots including Rebel Bread Bakery, Bosco Bakery, Dis Burritos, and Gino Panino. Syrups are made in-house. Standout drinks include the Kyoto cold brew, a cold brew style that makes for a smoother texture, and the spicy chai latte. With dark green walls and matching tiles, Roast is a cozy place to get a great cup of coffee and a tasty bite. "We're definitely the neighborhood coffeeshop," owner Justin Henson told Westworld in 2024.

Roast currently has a 4.8 average with over 120 reviews on Google and a 4.8 average with 16 reviews on Yelp at the time of writing. "Coffee is EXCELLENT, some of the best in the city," writes one Google reviewer. "Added flavors are made in house and unique. Atmosphere awesome! I love the patio spaces, its honestly changed the neighborhood!"

To create our long list of contenders, we began by looking at blogs and articles about the Denver coffee scene published by locals, including TastingTable, Travel Lemming, Bucket List Community Cafe, and Life & Thyme. We also looked at local publications, including Eater Denver, Axios Denver, Westword, and 303 Magazine. Next, we examined discussions in Reddit communities, including r/DenverFood and r/Denver. Finally, we looked at the Google reviews and Yelp stats for each coffee shop. We then eliminated any location with an average rating below 4.0 stars or more than 250 reviews on any platform. This approach resulted in five choices that have strong customer ratings but comparatively low numbers of people leaving reviews, indicating that they're high-quality, under-the-radar options.