Casinos, roulette tables, neon lights, poker rooms, and live entertainment – these are just some of the attractions Las Vegas is famous for.
But what many don’t know is that the city is also home to a thriving community that’s absolutely obsessed with coffee.
One of the most prominent members of this community is Juanny Romero, a former New Yorker who brought neighborhood coffee culture to the city of Las Vegas. In 2008, Romero moved to the city to found her now-iconic coffee shop, Sunrise Coffee.
“Coffee is important, because as one of the main commodities in the world, it has a huge impact globally,” explained Romero in an interview as an honoree of Vegas Inc.’s 40 Under 40 influential leaders. As the founder of one of the oldest independent coffee shops in the city, Romero earned this honor by committing to two things: treating employees right and making fantastic coffee. For her, this is the recipe for the perfect cup.
Sunrise Coffee is in many ways a microcosm of the tightly-knit Las Vegas coffee community, whose commitment to providing great coffee experiences extends to the people that makes it possible.
In short, Vegas is a city that takes its coffee seriously. As Romero continues her commitment to ethical business practices and consistently great coffee, she has since expanded her operations, which brings us to our first stop.
Mothership Coffee Roasters and Sunrise Coffee
CREDIT: @sunrisecoffee on Instagram
Sunrise Coffee is located on Sunset Rd., and it serves easily one of the best basic brewed coffees you’ll ever sip in your life. Apart from high-quality fair-trade beans, they also have an awesome patio where you can hang out and post Instagram stories.
However, if you’re closer to Downtown Vegas, you might want to check out Mothership Coffee instead – Sunrise’s second location in Ferguson’s. Mothership Coffee – Romero’s latest venture – offers an outside seating area with a sizeable roof deck that rivals Sunrise’s patio.
In any case, make sure to sample their single origin espressos as well as their pour overs. A cup of joe from either Sunrise or Mothership is a great introduction to Las Vegas coffee.
Urth Caffé Coffee & Tea Shop
CREDIT: @urthcaffe on Instagram
As a coffee franchise that originated from California, Urth Caffé has made itself a warm home in famed Wynn Resort and Casino.
They source their beans from Nicaragua, which makes some of the best coffee in the world. Apart from their wide variety of hot and cold coffees and teas, Urth Caffé also makes some of the most decadent but healthy meals in the city, such as salmon pizzas and Tuscan kale ricotta salads.
Each Urth Caffé location is a unique artwork by co-founder and chief designer Jilla Berkman, whose vision of bringing California’s outdoors into the luxurious Wynn casino has resulted in an absolutely stunning cafe.
This isn’t surprising considering how Wynn is home to arguably the most stylish poker room in the entire city. In fact, the casino-resort recently offered a $10 million guarantee – the largest ever for any public Vegas poker tournament.
If you’re looking to rub elbows with any celebs that might be participating in these games, it’s likely to happen at Urth Caffé.
Aria Patisserie
CREDIT: @ariapatisserie_lv on Instagram
This is the coffee shop to visit if you’re looking to experience the best of Vegas luxury. In the famed Vegas Strip where splendor is all-too-common, the Aria Resort and Casino takes it to a whole new level. And Aria Patisserie is basically in charge of providing decadent dessert experiences to its guests. If you like having your coffee with delectable cakes, this is the cafe to visit.
Make sure to try their nitrogen-infused draft coffee as well. Perhaps the only caveat to visiting Aria Patisserie is having to stand in line. Good coffee and desserts aren’t the only reasons why people flock to this cafe. Because it’s one of the classiest casinos you’ll find on the famed Strip, Aria is also where you’ll find one of the best Vegas poker rooms, which is frequented by pro poker players and celebrities.
Don’t be surprised if you suddenly find yourself seated next to a famous high roller as you’re sipping your coffee and savoring a hand-crafted macaroon.
Vesta Coffee Roasters
CREDIT: @vestacoffee on Instagram
As an independent shop founded only in 2016, Vesta Coffee Roasters is a latecomer to the game. But they make up for it by having arguably the most diverse single origin coffee selection out of any Vegas coffee shop.
The even sell their roasted beans across Vegas’ groceries. At Dark Moon, there’s a wide variety of hot and cold options to try – guaranteed fresh as the shop’s location is but a few feet from its roastery at Casino Center Blvd. Moreover, the energetic staff is always more than willing to take questions and help customers make the best choices for their orders.
They even have decaf options for coffee lovers who are unfortunately too sensitive to caffeine. A cup from Vesta Coffee Roasters is a taste of the evolution of Vegas coffee culture.
Dark Moon Coffee Roasters
CREDIT: @darkmooncoffee on Instagram
Another newcomer to the game is Dark Moon Coffee Roasters at Eastern Ave. in Henderson. Located inside a local neighborhood strip mall, the minimalist Dark Moon cafe is as local as it gets. And while it’s a new cafe, it’s also the only one in the city where you can find baristas working with a ModBar.
Dark Moon’s unique modular brewing system is a three-tap marvel that dispenses espresso, pour over coffee, and steamed milk. Watching their baristas making drinks at the ModBar is a hypnotic experience. And as all their coffee is roasted on premises, you can be sure that anything you order will be of high quality.
Dark Moon is also a good place to visit if you’re looking to take home some locally made cans of cold brew coffee. This hidden strip mall gem is an all-around next-gen cafe where you can savor the latest caffeinated innovations.
These are just several of the dozens of unique cafes that you can find in sin city. While there’s nothing wrong with getting coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts, it’s necessary to treat yourself to something unique and truly special from time-to-time.
And if you’re looking for a place where you can discover a host of new beans, brewing techniques, roasting methods, and coffee-dessert combinations, Las Vegas is a great city to take your next coffee tour.
