5 Lincoln Coffee Shops To Grab A Delicious Brew

The city of Lincoln despite its size is often considered to have a small town feel.  One of the city’s hidden gems is its impressive assortment of amazing coffee shops that will delight coffee lovers and newcomers alike.    

In doing research for this guide, a theme began to emerge which surprised me.  These coffee shops were created not just to serve great coffee, but more importantly, to bring people together using coffee as the bridge.  It is my goal to highlight the best Lincoln has to offer showcasing not only the coffee shops themselves but also the mission they are trying to accomplish.

The Mill Coffee and Tea

The Mill has an interesting founding story.  It started with an idea by the owners of a local bicycle shop.  The main coffee shop in town served coffee, but didn’t have the best coffee.  This gave the owners an idea, why not start serving their own coffee on the side.  In addition to selling bicycles they could sell coffee on the side.  Needless to say this idea caught on and within a few years they opened a dedicated shop to serve even more coffee.  The brand has since grown a life of its own growing to six locations at the time of this writing.  

The most visited location is on P Street.  The place is really comfortable, it has a 1920’s feel to it and a really cozy atmosphere that makes you feel relaxed.  There are lots of old items on display such as an old espresso maker, moped, large model aircraft on the ceiling, paintings on the wall, and several things for sale as well.  

The Downtown Mill is located near the historic haymarket, and is right across the street from several popular restaurants.

The only critique, as with almost any place downtown, is that you need to pay for parking. There is a way around this though.  By parking at the Green 2 parking garage, only two blocks away, you can get free parking for an hour.

Reactor coffee

Reactor Coffee was created by a student with an entrepreneurial spirit at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  The goal of the coffee shop is to bring the community together with a special focus on creating a friendly atmosphere for students.   The vibe is laid back, cozy and welcoming where you feel encouraged to sit back, talk to friends or stay a little while to get some work done.

The coffee is usually served in 16 oz or 20 oz, although 12 oz are available by request.  They have the classic coffee choices, but they also have a unique choice called the “experiment” where the barista experiments with something new.  The coffee shop takes pride in using locally roasted bean beans and products, and in doing so they help support other businesses in the area.  

The lower seating area has some sofas you can relax on and the walls decorated with nice pictures.   There are a few stairs leading up to an upper seating area where there are several shelves displaying various antiques that catch your eye and keep you engaged and interested as you enjoy your coffee.  If you like to gaze outside, there are some outwardly facing seating as well with ample space for a laptop. 

As a bonus attraction, if you go outside the coffee shop you can see a Nickola Tesla inspired mural on the opposite side of the building.  For those that are not familiar, Nichola Tesla was one of the geniuses of the 20th century best known for his contributions to alternating current (AC) electrical systems.  The name of the popular electric car company, Tesla motors, is a tribute to the man.  Who would have thought science would ever enter this blog! 

Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso 

Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso is a vibrant and well established coffee shop.  Founded in 2005 on earth day, its founder has been active in raising awareness for social and environmental issues impacting the world.  This care for the world has also spilled over to the community in Lincoln where he created a space that environmentalists and activists can feel comfortable gathering and discussing ideas.  In 2017 the vision has continued under its new owners, a husband and wife team.

Meadowlark offers traditional coffee options with several snacks to also pick from.  They have scones, cinnamon rolls, sandwiches and pie to name just a few.   

There is plenty to see at this coffee shop. On occasion you can appreciate live music, other times you might observe several tables occupied with people playing chess or solving puzzles while enjoying eachothers company.  The coffee shop is well intune with the different moods and needs of their customers.  If a person wants to work at a table, unwind on a couch after a long day of work, or enjoy some fresh air in the outdoor seating area, there are plenty of options to choose from.  

Live events are really something that really make the coffee shop unique.  Every Wednesday they have open mic Wednesdays from 7-9 PM.  During open mic each performer is given 15 minutes to show what they’ve got.  You could be witnessing a musical performance, comedy skit, poetry reading or something else while enjoying some coffee and snacks.  For any healthy community there will always be a need for a place where people can meet and do activities together and this coffee shop checks a lot of those boxes.  

Cultiva Coffee 

Cultiva Coffee has three locations where coffee is brewed with one of the locations being a lab where the beans are roasted.  Its downtown location is situated only a few blocks away from the State capital in the heart of Lincoln making it a convenient stop for people enjoying the downtown atmosphere.  There is not much history that can be found about the coffee shop other than it was founded in 2004 and has had a long and well received presence in the area.

There is a traditional line up of popular coffee drinks.  For food they offer cornbread pancakes with maple syrup, a variety of different sammies, two big bowl options, a large variety of crepes and a build your own meal option.  

For those that like to get closer to the action, Cultiva has a location called the “Lab” where they roast the beans.  This place does not offer any food or seating, but you can order fresh fantastic coffee.  

The third location that Cultiva has is on the east campus of UNL.  This is perfect for students wanting to grab a quick coffee before the next class or long study session.  This location is also nice in the sense that more parking is available than the downtown location.  

Something else that makes Cultiva unique is that they packed and sealed coffee beans from lands far away.  They sell beans from the African countries of Tanzania and Ethiopia.  For the Americas they sell beans from Costa Rica, Columbia and Guatemala.  

Crescent Moon Coffee

Crescent moon coffee is a good hiding place away from the busy streets of downtown Lincoln above where you can enjoy a coffee with your friends. You can get away from it all in a basement setting focusing on enjoying time with friends.  There is not much that could be found on the history of the place other than its been around since 2001 and has been a highly rated coffee shop.   

This tucked away spot has live music events very frequently.  Attending the events is free, but they do ask that you order something to help support the coffee shop.  Dates and times of these events are available on their website.  

When I was there in the morning, it wasn’t very crowded.  I actually prefer this as I don’t feel any rush to leave, because of the empty chairs.  

Map of Everything

Final Thoughts

In conclusion my two favorite locations were the Mill and Reactor coffee.  Both of these places felt right at home for me.  The Mill is definitely more of a mature establishment than reactor coffee, the crowds are also a little bit older.  

It is my hope that by writing about Lincoln coffee shops that I help highlight local businesses.  If you have a coffee shop in mind that is not featured in this guide that desirves to get noticed please feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Thank you for reading this guide.  If something is in error, please let me know and I will take a look at it.  Thank you!