Mornings on your Cape Cod vacation are always relaxing. Your routine could include meandering on one of the region’s countless beaches or renting a bike and riding on a scenic paved path.
Of course, before getting to your early-morning activities, a cup of coffee and some breakfast are in order.
Local coffee shops are prevalent all over the Cape, so you shouldn’t struggle to find a preferred spot to make part of your daily ritual.
Here’s a look at some of the best coffee shops you’ll find in downtown Orleans, Massachusetts.
1) Hot Chocolate Sparrow
Hot Chocolate Sparrow enjoys a convenient location on Old Colony Way in the heart of downtown Orleans. It’s steps from Main Street and Route 6A, making it easily accessible, and there is even direct access to the Cape Cod Rail Trail across the street.
Buying a coffee at Hot Chocolate Sparrow is easy because it has two sides: a cafe and a candy shop. You can grab a self-serve coffee from the candy shop if you’re in a hurry, or there’s a line-up, or you can go to the coffee shop side if you don’t mind waiting.
The coffee shop also has light breakfast items like bagels, sandwiches, biscotti, muffins, oatmeal, cereal, and croissants, in addition to cake, pie, and ice cream desserts.
As for the coffee, you’ll find a wide selection of blends and single-bean options from around the world, many of which are organic. There are iced coffees, hot chocolates, and various teas available, too, and the cafe is known for its specialty coffee items, including its espresso, cappuccino, caffe latte, and mocha.
2) Jo Mama’s
Over on Route 6A is Jo Mama’s, another local coffee shop that focuses more on the food than Hot Chocolate Sparrow. Here, you can create a breakfast sandwich using the dozens of ingredients they have on hand or order a breakfast bagel, smoothie, omelet sandwich, or breakfast sandwich. They also have soup and salad if you arrive later in the day.
Jo Mama’s doesn’t have as many coffee options as Hot Chocolate Sparrow, but you’ll still find about half a dozen self-serve options and an espresso bar with hot, cold, and frozen items.
You can choose to sit-in or take-out at Jo Mama’s, depending on where you’re heading next that morning.
3) Ice Cream Cafe
Toward the north end of downtown on Route 28 is the Ice Cream Cafe. As you might expect, this venue sells homemade ice cream, and lots of it, including items like ice cream sandwiches, sundaes, frozen yogurt, and milkshakes.
However, you’ll have some options if you’re looking for a cup of coffee, as the venue sells multiple products roasted by Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee Company in Orange, Massachusetts. Their coffee is organic and fair trade, and they also have espresso, cappuccino, mocha, iced coffee, cold brews, teas, and hot chocolate. There are coffee specials with various flavorings, as well.
One potential issue with buying coffee at the Ice Cream Cafe is that they don’t open until 11:00 AM in the summer and noon in the shoulder season. Therefore, this is a better place for your second or third cup unless, of course, you sleep-in during your vacation.
4) Hole in One Breakfast and Lunch
The first real breakfast restaurant on this list is Hole in One Breakfast and Lunch, a diner enjoying a central location on Route 6A, just off Main Street.
Here, you can enjoy breakfast favorites like eggs, pancakes, French toast, omelets, sausage, bacon, and breakfast sandwiches, in addition to some of Orleans’ best coffee.
In addition to the basic coffee, Hole in One also has espresso, cappuccino, lattes, iced coffees, teas, chai lattes, and a selection of specialty coffee drinks that rotates every month.
You can sit-down with your meal and coffee or grab a quick cup and bagel to-go; the choice is up to you at Hole in One.
5) Cottage Street Bakery
The Cottage Street Bakery shares a parking lot with the Ice Cream Cafe, giving you a couple of different options when searching for a cup of coffee. However, the Cottage Street Bakery opens at 7:00 AM, rather than 11:00, so if you’re out and about early, it’s probably your better option.
Once inside, you’ll see a good selection of muffins, biscotti, and Danishes, which are baked on-site, in addition to omelet sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, croissants, and granola.
The coffee is also roasted in Wellfleet by Beanstock Coffee, an outstanding local company that provides beans up and down the Cape.
Always a Place for a Cup of Coffee
The downtown Orleans area is pretty compact, so all of these coffee shops are within a few blocks of each other. That’s good news if you want to sample a few of them during your Cape cod vacation, as you can spend your mornings wandering and comparing brews.
These venues are also close to the Cape Cod Rail Trail, if you want to take a ride or walk after your coffee, and near waterfront locations like Rock Harbor, Nauset Beach, and Skaket Beach. This position makes it possible to spend your mornings overlooking the ocean with a cup of coffee from one of Orleans’ best shops.
