Coffee Near Clayton

Sick of Starbucks? Looking for a way to give back to the community, rather than just helping to profit a corporate company when spending buying your daily dose of caffeine to get you through class? Luckily, there are plenty of other local coffee shops near CHS, both featured in this article and one from last year found here. Our mission was to find out what they are and how they taste.

Before visiting each coffee shop, there were a few things we needed to figure out. We needed a constant in our test — something to keep the same so we could truly compare the different places. Because it was simple, inexpensive and realistic, we chose to order a small iced coffee at each cafe. We also reviewed what each shop called their ‘best’ food item — whether it was popular, seasonal or a personal favorite from the barista.

Our first stop was Colleen’s (featured above), a small neighborhood bakery located on Forsyth, 1.2 miles from CHS. We ordered our small iced coffee, a cold brew, and asked the barista what she considered the shop’s best pastry. She gave us their “death by chocolate” cookie and the total rounded to $5.50. The bakery itself had a faint marshmallow scent, accompanied by the black, white and lime green vintage theme. Our cold brew came in a cup with a strawless lid and a lot of ice. It was not too strong but did have an immediate sickly sweet artificial taste. The cookie was a great pairing, with a dense cocoa flavor and a dry, crackled crust.

Next, we visited Cursed Bikes & Coffee (featured left), a quaint cafe on the Clayton-University City border with a fully operating bike repair shop inside. The atmosphere was a bit overwhelming, with seating ranging from wooden chairs to blue metal stools to a living room armchair. Nonetheless, our order was the same: a small iced coffee and the best food item (here, a lemon blueberry muffin). The muffin, while slightly green in color and a bit dry, stayed true to its flavors, and it was easy to identify the lemon and blueberry. The coffee was quite bitter and concentrated, but cream and sugar were available to us. Our total here was $6.62. We also noticed that the shop was dog-friendly, as there were numerous pups both inside and surrounding the shop, mixed in with the morning coffee-goers. A mere 1.1 miles from CHS and boasting a 10% discount with a student ID, this coffee shop is also great for CHS students. 

The last place we went to was Deer Creek Coffee (featured right), a small shop located across from the Galleria, 1.8 miles from CHS. We walked in, surprised by how big the inside looked compared to the small storefront. While the inside itself was lacking in color, the brown aesthetic was nice; from the dark walls to the neutral wooden furniture and the swirling coffees on each table. Their smallest iced coffee was a little larger than expected at 12 oz and served with very light ice. Once again, cream and sugar were provided to us for our drinks. Instead of a pastry, the shop’s signature item is their Cali burrito, which brought our total to $12.23. The burrito was a delicious combination of eggs, black beans, red peppers, corn, jalapenos, pico de gallo, pepper jack cheese and avocado. It had a slight spicy kick but the mix of textures was incredible, from the crunchy outer tortilla to the creamy beans and egg. 

Although the savory burrito didn’t quite complement the classic coffee at Deer Creek, we agreed that it was our favorite stop of the three places. We disagreed on the other rankings. Cursed Bikes & Coffee, despite their bewitching name and dry muffin, had an excellent roast.  However, the rich chocolate cookie from Colleen’s was undeniably decadent and a pastry favorite. In the end, however, we concluded that all three shops had their own delicious selections for Clayton residents and CHS students alike: perfect for any morning pickup, afternoon buzz or evening study break.