In the Northwest Arkansas area, there are a variety of coffee shops for students to hang out with friends, grab a cup of Joe or even listen to local bands. Let’s examine each one.
Siloam Springs has two great places: Pour Jon’s and The Cafe on Broadway.
The atmosphere in Pour Jon’s is very cozy with hand-written notes from guests on the exposed plaster. Pour Jon’s also plays music on their record player, ranging from soft ballads to indie rock. Pour Jon’s welcomes students as an off-campus haven.
“I went to Pour Jon’s a lot last semester, especially during finals week,” Claire Griffin, sophomore communication major, said. Griffin described the great atmosphere for studying and coffee.
The Café on Broadway scene offers seating areas for people to fellowship with one another over a lunch, delicate desserts or coffee.
The chai latte “tasted like fall in a cup,” Caitlin McGuire, freshman nursing major, said.
According to Emma Hahn, sophomore political science major, the only downside of Café on Broadway is that, “it is like a home school mom hang out or a place where moms go and talk about their kids.”
For those wanting to get out of the Siloam Springs area, venture up to Fayetteville, Ark. for more welcoming coffee shops.
Onyx, with two locations in Springdale and Fayetteville, is a chic, ultra-modern place to hang out and study. Surrounded by wooden and modern furniture, Onyx uses local and organic products. The milk is low pasteurized and the syrups are homemade. Onyx sells their roasted coffee to local coffee shops in the area, like Pour Jon’s, and teaches them different techniques for making coffee.
The most recommended drink at Onyx is the Ethiopian Guji Hambela, which contains raspberry, juicy white grape, lychee and chocolate malt flavors.
Mama Carmen’s Espresso Cafe, another coffee shop in Fayetteville, feels similar to walking into the store Anthropologie. Besides selling drinks, they also sell clothes and accessories.
Mama Carmen’s Coffee Shop donates all the profits from the coffee to an orphanage and a coffee farm in Guatemala.
Mama Carmen’s and Onyx both offer a drink called affogato. Onyx serves this drink with espresso and ice cream, whereas Mama Carmen’s adds gelato, instead of ice cream, to the espresso.
Visit these shops to experience what Northwest Arkansas has to offer.