The Savannah Coffee Roasters crafts the perfect cup of coffee.
Savannah Coffee Roasters is a longtime Savannah favorite and a great stop for travelers looking for locally roasted coffee, breakfast, pastries and lunch in the Historic District. It is a piece of Savannah coffee history with a modern café experience—a place to grab a locally roasted cup, linger over breakfast and take home a bag of Savannah-made coffee. What makes it especially interesting for visitors is that the coffee is roasted on-site. The company offers a range of Arabica coffees, including its Captain’s Choice medium roast, Swamp Fox Espresso dark roast and Beach House Blend light roast, along with Savannah-inspired flavored coffees.
More than just coffee
It’s also a popular breakfast and lunch destination. The menu includes Southern-inspired favorites such as the Egglethorpe—sausage, eggs, smoked Gouda and red onion jam on a biscuit—as well as biscuits and gravy, breakfast burritos, lox and bagels, avocado toast and quiche. Lunch options include the Low Country Dip, made with coffee-rubbed strip loin, horseradish white cheddar and caramelized onions.
And don’t overlook the pastries and desserts. The café has become known for its baked treats, with pavlova and tiramisu among the items that get particular attention from visitors.
While they are primarily famous for their century-old roasting legacy, they offer these frozen desserts alongside their broad selection of fresh pastries, cheesecakes, and cakes.
“It’s 100 percent organic with organic cream, milk and eggs from local farms,” said Lori. “We’ll also do gelato as well as sorbet and it will be available in to-go cups as well as a pints.”
“We have a beautiful turkey burger,” said Lori. “The turkey patty has cherries and green onions in it – it’s very delicious – and we serve that with an apple salad that has the apple vinaigrette in it.”
Other dining options include their Paninis and the Liberty 215, a lightly breaded chicken breast served on a brioche bun with peperoni and fresh mozzarella. But it’s the quiches and croissants that their customers love the most.
“They definitely come here for our croissants,” she said.
They also offer a variety of other sweet treats, from brownies and macaroons to chocolate ganache cheesecake and tiramisu.
But what about their brews?
The café offers all kinds of caffeine-laced drinks, including an Americano and French Press coffee as well as lattes, cappuccinos, four different types of mochas (and hot chocolates) and most of these on ice. Customer favorites include the Savannah Iced and their Captains Choice brew.
It was their roasted brews that attracted Lori to coffee in the first place. After being a longtime fan of their coffee, she bought the coffee-roasting company from Hayden Banks in December, while in search for a shop to open up a café.
“I actually liked the coffee,” Lori said. “I didn’t really like coffee and when I visited Savannah I used to go a place that served the coffee and I loved it.”
Edgar R. Morrison established the Savannah Coffee Company in 1909 on Bay Street first but it wasn’t until Banks took over that the company, which changed its name to the Savannah Coffee Roasters, that they opened their first store in the 1980s in Oglethorpe Mall.
Today, they still roast their own coffee and guests can even get a peek into their roastery, located right inside the café.
“Because we roast the coffee, we wanted to make sure we had a really good experience with our customers with great coffee, great food and a great environment,” said Lori.
And they’ve got it. After months of renovations to a space that had been vacant for eight years, Lori’s crew created a café and roastery that felt homey upon entering and spacious once inside.
And it’s in this great space that the café holds all kinds of events, from their Open Mic Nights to their new Saturday night dinner shows, Iced at the Coffee Shop, a family-friendly murder mystery series by Odd Lot Productions, where customers get to watch a show and try to solve a case. Customers can also do a little shopping, grabbing Savannah Coffee Roasters cups, coffee, honeys, syrups, coffee makers and several other items.
They also have two private meeting rooms – one that holds 50 people and another that can hold up to 100 people – and a bride and groom has even booked the café for a wedding reception.
“I think ours is a very sophisticated space,” said Lori pointing to the front wall, where they plan on adding a fireplace. “A lot of people have said this is like sitting in the living room, and we like people to feel like it’s an extension of their home.”
A home where, Lori said, they have met some of the nicest people and made wonderful friendships.
It is located at 215 W. Liberty St., between Tattnall and Barnard streets. There is a small parking lot and metered spaces along the street. For more information, call (912) 352-2994 or go to www.savannahcoffee.com.
