9 Best Coffee Shops in Annapolis

Annapolis is packed full of awesome local coffee shops. If you want to stop by on the way to work or the back corner of a coffee shop is where you work, there's something for you.

Bean Rush knows customer service. Why? Because before they started the shop, the owners spent 5 years crewing multimillion dollar charter yachts in the Caribbean. So Annapolis, right?

Make no mistake, Bean Rush welcomes everyone, but this is a local's coffee shop. The kind of place where you know the barista and they know you.

Big Bean's been a Severna Park favorite since opening in 2000. So we were super stoked when they opened a second café in Annapolis during summer of 2021. We were even more excited about how much more seating the Annapolis store has than Severna Park.

I know this is a coffee shop, but I highly recommend trying the Mexican hot chocolate. You won't be disappointed.

Good coffee alone is not enough to make a coffee shop great. You need something else to push it over the edge. At Bitty and Beau's, that extra something is the beautiful mission of the company. The shop is run by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

You won't find a more unique and joyful customer service experience in Annapolis. Proof: the first time I walked in (around 10 AM on a weekday) they were having an all-staff dance party. Instant smile.

Remember when I said good coffee wasn't enough to make a shop great? Brown Mustache's secret sauce is being tucked into the corner of the endlessly charming Old Fox Books on Maryland Avenue.

Coffee and books. Need I say more? Ok I will. There's a ridiculously cute garden out back.

Ceremony has eight locations, but this is the one that started it all. And it's still where the bean roasting magic happens. If there's a hidden gem on the list, this is it. It's tucked off West Street and feels like it's own world. When the weather's nice, they'll open that big garage door and spill the chill vibes straight into the parking lot.

The Roastery is pictured, but don't miss the Riva location.

Curate's the newest addition to the Annapolis coffee scene. But its owners aren't. They also own Brown Mustache Coffee which is located inside of Old Fox Books. Curate has a much more modern feel and is my personal favorite place to work downtown. The coffee is delicious, the pastries are to die for, and they have a liquor license. They'll serve wine at all hours of the day by the way. Not that I would know...

Don't miss their lunch. And they have plans to open at night for wine and small plate service!

The Red Bean doesn't just serve delicious and sustainable coffee. They're also a fantastic ice cream shop. Did someone say affogato?

But the best thing about the Red Bean is not the tasty goods they produce. It's their relentless pursuit of local sourcing. You can find their partners right on their website.

Rise Up is Maryland coffee royalty. What started out as a tiny trailer in St. Michael's 15 years ago is now a coffee powerhouse with 11 locations, a thriving online store, big name wholesale partnerships, and famous fans (hey Maggie Rogers!)

But it still feels like a small town coffeehouse in the best way possible. Case in point: I ran into owner Brandon Bartlett at the Market House while taking photos for this story. He was happy to chat—even before he knew who I was. When I asked him to describe the shop in one sentence, he said, "I want it to be a place where someone who doesn't know anything about coffee isn't afraid to order."

Fits their motto: Grown by friends. Roasted by friends. Enjoyed by friends.

If you want to go to be transported, go to 49 West. Not only is it a coffee shop, it's a winebar and gallery too. If this sounds like a European coffeehouse, it's because that's exactly what the owners intended.

49 West serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday. But they can handle your boozy needs, sweet tooth, and caffeine fix too. There's a reason we call it Annapolis's Living Room. You'll never want to leave.‍