It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside. — Maud Hart Lovelace
Summer in Iowa, ‘tis the sweetest pinnacle of midwestern joy. From fresh Farmer’s Markets to late spring rains to iced coffee on the porch while neighborhood kids catch lightning bugs, this is my favorite time of year. Born in winter, I live for the heat of summer sweat and the vibrant sunsets. This summer marks my first full year in Des Moines, and for once, I plan to stay put for a while. I’ve planted garden flowers and carved out a space in my refrigerator for sun tea. Slowly, as the days fly by and the calendar pages flip one to the next, I settle in to this metro, this wild and wonderful city I’m honored to call, for now, home.
Even before I moved to Des Moines in 2018, I knew Des Moines held some of the best coffee shops in the Midwest. I just didn’t know where they all were! But I wanted to find out. After all, cafes are the best places to get your morning caffeine fix, work on your laptop, read a book, or drop by with a visiting out-of-town friend. You’ll find below my top 5 coffee stops in Des Moines, as well as a few bonus cafes!
I’m sitting here, emotionally bursting with quiet joy, as snow falls quietly outside. It’s the perfect storm— a January weekend in Des Moines, as Friday evening traffic moves hesitantly down the interstate just blocks from where I sit. A mug of mostly-drunk chamomile tea sits next to me on the warm, black radiator. I’m curled up on it, my seat warm and my back cool against the attic windows. In-between sentences in my new library book, I watch the snow accumulate and my neighbor back his car off the street and on to his lawn. The city will go into snow ordinance mode, something I’ve never had to learn about until this winter.
