These things are harder to write than you think! (They’re still fun, though.) This little intro is going to be another 5 Things stashed inside the larger 5 Things!
First of all, I need to remind everyone constantly that these are not popularity contests. They aren’t “Best Of” lists. For the most part, they are lists of places my wife and I go to on occasion that we think people would enjoy visiting. Second, sometimes we go places because they are convenient for us, or their hours work with our schedule. Third, so many of the great businesses in Brown County cover quite a few possible categories, and we’re trying to spread the love around. Fourth, the purpose of these 5 Things! columns = to serve as a kind of tour guide for visitors, and as an awareness raiser for locals. Therefore, some kinds of businesses, though they are great, aren’t really the category of businesses that visitors would be looking for if they were here to have fun. For example, I probably won’t be doing a “5 Phlebotomy Offices,” “5 Awesome Loan Sharks,” or “5 Great Plumbers.” Is that fair? Probably not, but I really need to stick to some kind of format, or this’ll just become a kind of yellow pages thing. Fifth, I don’t know about every business out there, so emailing me or inviting me for a visit sure would increase the likelihood of me knowing that a business exists. It doesn’t guarantee inclusion, but it sure would help.
Ok… that said, let’s talk coffee!
For example, I have been informed by half a dozen people over the past two weeks that the absolute best cup of coffee can be found at The Turtle Restaurant. I just haven’t been able to get over there for a cup, and that’s my fault. And I also name-dropped the fabulous Turtle not long ago in my 5 Great Drink Spots in Brown County. There might be quite a few categories they would fit well into, but if I haven’t tried their coffee yet, I can’t really mention them here. (wink, wink.) I also didn’t mention Matt’s Mantiques. Matt’s has free coffee in the mornings when he’s open, and you should definitely go by and get a cup. But I included him in the last column so I’m not mentioning him in this one (winky, winky again.)
If you remember the 5 Breakfasts in Brown County, I told you that while there are some spectacular breakfasts to be had here, Brownwood, in particular, is not a breakfast wonderland. Choices are good but limited, and that’s fine. Same thing with coffee. Coffee really is a personal preference kind of thing, and not everyone has the same tastes. In particular, I still think that downtown Brownwood could use a great coffeehouse or two. That’s just my opinion. I’ve heard rumors of new places maybe coming in, but nothing solid. Still, there are some great places to get a good cup of coffee in Brown County. I can only mention 5.
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The Coffee House at Shaw’s Marketplace
One of the best cups of coffee in Brown County, and it’s fun because you can shop the Marketplace at 508 N. Center Ave. while you sip your coffee. Liz McCrane runs the coffee joint there, and she does a wonderful job. The coffee (and the choices) are splendid, and you rarely have to wait in line. The atmosphere is great too! You’ll have all the selections and flavors and styles you’d find at a nationwide chain, but the coffee is better, and we support local! Word is that they will be releasing their Fall Menu soon, and it’ll almost certainly be out by the time you read this. You have to go inside to get the coffee because they don’t have a drive-thru, but it’s worth it! I’ll shoot straight with you. I take my coffee plain, black, and hot. I’m not one of these nitwits who calls any coffee with flavor (or that wasn’t made in a huge factory with the cheapest possible ingredients) “foo-foo coffee” or “hipster coffee.” I like it strong, full-bodied, and tasty, but without sugar or any other adjuncts. But, however you like it, you can get it at The Coffee House!
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Common Grounds Coffeehouse
Our apartment is almost equidistant between these first two coffee shops. We walk north to get to Shaw’s, and south on Main to get to Common Grounds.
We really enjoy the walk over to Common Grounds… except for the last little bit when we have to walk across Main Street with some of the crazy drivers out there.
This is a cool, large, full-service coffee joint on the corner of Austin and Main at 809 Main Street. You can go inside or use the drive-thru. They built Common Grounds inside the old firehouse, and there is a lot of firehouse memorabilia, pictures, and even an old fire truck! They have good burritos there too, and a solid lunch menu, and a nice outside seating area for when the weather gets more amenable.
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Intermission Bookshop
One of the best independent bookshops in the country is right here in downtown Brownwood, and I don’t say that lightly. If you haven’t already been to Intermission, you are missing out. They’re located right at 203 Center Avenue across from Pat Coursey Park. My good friends Kim and Brent Bruton own this bookshop and they are some of the nicest and coolest people you’ll ever meet.
So… Bunker… (you say.) Why mention Intermission in the coffee category and not as an awesome bookshop in some other column? Well, I’ll be doing that too. Look for them soon. As I said, I’ll be doing repeats sometimes in different categories, and Intermission surely deserves it.
Now, Intermission Bookshop is not a “coffee shop,” per se, though they do sell fantastic coffee. You shouldn’t take your laptop in there to hang out online and do your work. They like the Bookshop to be a place of community, interaction, and discussion. While you’re in there perusing their book selections (they happen to have a whole shelf of MY books. Ahem,) order a cup of coffee to make the experience perfect. Check out the book tunnel, and make sure to go upstairs too! Don’t miss the story of the movie theater ghost soldier images on the wall either.
Haven Coffee Shop at The Hideout Golf Club and Resort
This new(ish) little coffee shop is located on the first level of the clubhouse at the Hideout Golf Club near the Golf Shop. The Golf Club is located at 185 Hideout Lane out on Lake Brownwood. We’d only been out to the Hideout once before, a year ago, to meet some friends for dinner – but the Haven Coffee Shop hadn’t opened yet. It was good to get back out there and find a great cup of coffee!
I got my usual black coffee (the Daily Drip) and Danielle ordered an iced Caramel Frappe, which she said was very good. My coffee was just the way I liked it. We each got a blueberry scone to snack on too.
Haven Coffee Shop is a cool little joint far away from the city in a casual (but very nice) atmosphere. As you can see from the picture, the Shop is an actual coffee shop and not just a nook where they put the coffee. If you’re out and about near the lake and want to try someplace new, or if you’re heading to the Hideout for a round of coffee or some golf gear, check out Haven Coffee Shop while you’re there!
Blanket General Store
Ok, I had to include one plain ol’ cup of Joe or I’d have people out there calling me “foo-foo” or a “hipster.” The fact is that when I’m on the road I like coffee merely for the coffeeness of it. Well, the other day Danielle and I had to drive over to Comanche, and on the way, we stopped off at the Blanket General Store.
Quite a few of you told me that the Blanket General Store had good burgers and good breakfasts, but it was after I had already done my 5 Things! Breakfasts column, so we pulled over in Blanket and got a cup of coffee instead. Danielle bought a chocolate chip cookie too! And get this, the whole bill was… (drumroll) THREE BUCKS. I don’t know how much of that was the coffee and how much was the cookie because I didn’t ask. And I didn’t ask for a receipt either. It doesn’t matter. When you can get two hot cups of coffee and a big chocolate chip cookie for $3 in this economy, you did pretty well.
There is nothing fancy about this one. It’s exactly what you expect from a roadside General Store and diner. One of those big automatic pots and you pour your own into a Styrofoam cup. This ain’t the Central Perk. They have some creamers there, your assorted sweeteners, and that’s about it. But it was good coffee for the road, and you can’t beat the price.
Ok, that’s it. You need to know that the great folks at BrownwoodNews.com are cataloging and storing all of these 5 Things! articles on their website under the “Area Guide” tab. You can find it at: https://www.brownwoodnews.com/5-things/ Make sure to go there often and read up on the past 5 Things! columns and share them with your friends and visitors. Again, if you have a business (one that fits the format of what I’m doing here – food, drink, shopping, entertainment, etc.) make sure to email me at [email protected] and invite me out. I can’t promise anything other than I will be glad to know about your business!
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Michael Bunker is a local columnist for BrownwoodNews.com whose columns appear periodically on the website.