Saturday Coffee Map: Six Shops Between Lawrenceville and Garfield

The plan is simple: start at a roastery on Butler Street, walk east through Lawrenceville, cross into Garfield, and end near Penn Avenue with enough time to sit down before the lunch crowd takes the tables. Six stops, roughly two and a half miles, and a bus card in your pocket in case the weather turns.

I walked this route on a cold Saturday in early March, and again two weeks later when the sidewalks were finally clear. What follows is what held up both times: which shops keep decaf on the grinder, which ones will fill a thermos without charging extra, and where the seating is actually comfortable enough to stay for twenty minutes.

Stop one: the Butler Street roastery

The route begins at a small-batch roaster on Butler Street, just past the 40th Street bridge. They open at 7 a.m. on Saturdays, which is earlier than most of the block. The pour-over bar is the reason to come first thing: the water is still at temperature, the barista has time to talk through the single origins, and the front window seats catch the morning light off the river.

Closest stop: 87 at Butler and 40th. Weekend hours hold at 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Decaf is on the grinder, and they will fill a thermos for the price of a large drip.

Stops two and three: the middle stretch

Two blocks east, a narrow shop with a hand-painted sign does the best cortado on the route. There are only four seats inside, so if the weather is decent, take it to the small parklet next door. The next stop is a bakery-cafe that opens at 8 a.m. and has the most reliable weekend hours of the six. Their drip is unremarkable, but the tables are large, the wifi works, and nobody rushes you out.

The 91 runs along Penn Avenue through this stretch, so if you are joining the route late, you can pick it up at either stop without much walking.

Stops four and five: crossing into Garfield

Past the train overpass, the neighborhood shifts. The fourth stop is a community-minded cafe with a bulletin board by the door and a shelf of used paperbacks. They keep decaf on the grinder and will fill a thermos, though they charge a small amount for it. The fifth stop is newer, opened last fall, and does a proper flat white. Seating is limited to a long bench along the wall, but the staff are generous with refills on drip.

Stop six: Penn Avenue, end of the line

The route finishes near Penn Avenue at a shop that roasts in the back and sells beans by the bag. Saturday hours run 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is a long communal table, a few two-tops by the window, and a steady stream of regulars picking up subscriptions. This is the best place to sit down with a notebook and write up the morning, or to meet someone who is joining you for the second half of the day.

Notes for the walk

The whole route is on sidewalks, with a few uneven stretches near the overpass. The 87 and 91 both run frequently on Saturdays, and either will get you back to the start in about fifteen minutes. If you are doing this in winter, check the hours before you go: two of the six shops close early when the weather is bad, and one of them does not post changes online.

Bring a thermos if you want coffee for the walk. Three of the six will fill it, and the other three will not, which is worth knowing before you ask.