Cahoots Coffee Bar

Had a great time relaxing on the back patio sipping this gorgeous and perfectly delicious Almond cappuccino. The dangling strand of tennis ball sized globe lights were not twinkling today during our sunny visit, but I can only imagine the charming effect those little lights would have on an evening coffee date. If you haven’t been here yet, add it to your list of must go places in St Paul, MN.

Not your typical modern coffee shop with minimalist interior, photogenic lighting, and delicately tiled flooring. But the coffee is great for what you pay for it and the staff is friendly! They have free wifi and it’s quite dim inside so it’s a good place to work and actually focus on your work.

Hands down best place I’ve found in the twin cities for the following:
— starting the weekend right with wide variety or coffees and teas
— studying/​finishing that paper/​getting a few hours of quiet time to read your favorite book
— getting away from the chaos of life in an impressively comfy and eclectic yet also not distractingly decorated interior
— sit out on the quiet patio out back with your dog for any of the above mentioned reasons
The owner is sincerely friendly, prices are reasonable, and all the employees are knowledgeable regarding the menu options. This is NOT a Starbucks in the sense that it doesn’t have shiny angles or an array of products for purchase and it doesn’t apologize for that either! Truly a gem in what is becoming progressively corporate and fills the void for that local coffee bar that you will regret not visiting.

Delightful person that waited on us. Very helpful and pleasant. Our lattes are perfect. It’s one of those little ‘hole in wall’ spots that fun to sit and enjoy a coffee and conversation. Ignore the plastic starbucks a block away and stop here instead. Support local!

Great little gem. Plenty of space for students — we brought our laptops in the back. Great coffee and food at a cheap price. Had a soy milk mocha — wasn’t too bitter or sweet the way I like it and normally at cafes mocha are very bitter. Ate humus plate with whole wheat pita. Very good and simple. Service was great, friendly and even brighten up the room for us. Definitely recommend.

Cute little coffee shop, and amazing hot chocolate!
The place smells a little of dampness, so that is a downside.

Love this place. It’s bigger on the inside in so many ways. Nice community coffee shop with great menu selection.

I live very very close to this cute little café and I am so happy to be able to go whenever I please. It is the most casual, slightly hidden, quaint spot I have ever come across in this part of St. Paul.
–The owner is awesome, the staff is great and has worked consistently is this location for some time, the wifi is pretty fast, and the drinks/​food is amazing. The lavender mocha is my go-​to usually. It’s so rich and well done, and has just the right amount of lavender added to the coffee. Doesn’t make you all caffeine-​jittery either. The hours are also very good, open until 10:30pm makes it open an hour and a half more than almost anywhere else in the area… SO NICE if you’re working on a deadline for school, work, etc. Awesome shared PATIO in back of café as well, with cute little lights and they allow smoking.
–street parking, timed as well between 7am-​8pm (two hour parking), I’d watch your car if you tend to push the clock on the two hours because they do enforce parking pretty strictly in St. Paul
Great café, definitely recommend to anyone who’s looking into a long day of studying or casual hangout.

Small hole in the wall coffeeshop. Nothing really stands out about this place from the outside, just a large window and a door. The place is in the shape of a long rectangle, with a scattering of two person and four person tables. But lo and behold, a staircase leads downstairs to a more extended area.
In terms of the beverages offerings, they have all your expected selection at a coffeeshop, along with the seasonal offerings as well.
One thing that I like about this place is that it carries loose leave teas from tea source. While this is likely a psychological thing, having loose leaf tea as opposed to other places where you see them use a tea bag that costs 25c at a supermarket but 4 at the coffeeshop makes you feel like you’re getting more bang for your buck.
All in all, quite a decent little coffeeshop that is quiet enough for productive studying and loud enough you wouldn’t feel out of place just chatting with a friend.

I’m in congruence with many of the opinions already posted; it’s cozy, quiet, and the guy at the helm obviously cares immensely for both his clientele and his product.
I just wanted to add how happy I am to drink a Lavender Latte, without any processed syrup or sugar. A true gem.

One of my favorite cafes in the Cities. I didn’t see Shock coffee on my last trip (extra-​caffeinated but still good). Had a fudge-​oatmeal bar (breakfast of champions) on my last trip that was really good. Never had a thing there that wasn’t. I was worried that the nearby Starbucks on Snelling would push them out of business, but they’ve survived since I began worrying that in, oh, 1997? So I think they’re good. Yes, the bathroom is tiny and definitely not handicap accessible. Parking is tough right now because of construction of an apartment building across the street.

Great place to hunker down and get work (or studying?) done on a weekday.
Parked a couple blocks away to escape the 2-​hour limit and cranked through a bunch of work. Was able to take some calls, as it’s not too loud (unlike a place only a few doors down). The vibe offers the perfect mix of social and keep-​to-​yourself… and since I prefer the latter, this is great.
Barista is friendly and helpful and chatty if you want to be. Coffee is pretty good and affordable enough to come regularly.
Bonus is the back courtyard on an unexpectedly warm April day.

This is a nice cozy little coffee shop that is really easy to miss. We popped in for a cup to go the other day and were served promptly. The person was very nice but this is not a speed type of operation. It took awhile for our order to be taken and then several minutes to receive our drinks. That’s a great thing if you are looking for a quality cup made to order. But just know it’s not a place that’s going to crank out your drink in two minutes. We didn’t stay to drink there but it definitely looked like a great place to set up camp and read a book or do some work. Both drinks were flavorful and well made. Prices were in line with what you’d pay at Caribou or Starbucks. Will I be making special trips to buy coffee here? No. But if I’m in the area and having the urge for some caffeine, it will certainly be at the top of my list.

In looking for a quiet place with free wifi, my husband and I stopped at Cahoots to do some research. We found the main part of the coffee shop to actually be quite full but there was an Über quiet room in the back with plenty of open seating so we settled in.
My Carmel latte was pretty good (four stars for flavor) but the overall experience was a little neglected and dingy. I appreciate antiques and eclectic relics but something about this place made me want to snottily wash my hands as soon as I left.
We didn’t end up trying the food but there were two quiches on the board that sounded good. I appreciate a coffee shop that also features savory treats.
I’d say this place is just perfect for students or anyone needing to work remote for a day. You’d feel bad taking phone calls or talking when there’s so much studying going on but the quiet is nice too.

Excellent atmosphere and coffee! I will be going back! Met the owner, super nice! Would like to go back when I have more time to spend and maybe try some of the food!

I’ve been going to Cahoots pretty much since it opened. It’s my favorite coffee spot. I don’t even drink coffee! I just love the ambiance, and the owner is a really nice guy, very personable. I read a review here that said there needs to be more food. Maybe they weren’t paying attention, because in addition to the sandwiches and other baked goodies, there are gourmet soups, an amazing chili, and two types of quiche to choose from as well, not to mention a delicious hummus plate, stuffed grape leaves, and probably lots more that I’m forgetting about at this moment. I love the middle-​eastern ambiance of the place and it just feels very homey to me.

Pros: Open late, nice service, pretty good humus, and free wifi.
Cons: It’s too bad they don’t have a larger food selection. It is a coffeehouse… I know!
Overall, great place and my new homework spot this semester!

Great place to study – good coffee, usually lots of outlets. Food is okay, wifi is free.

Got yelled at by the barista for having a water cup in the store. Literally yelled at, from across the entire dining room, in front of all the customers in the place. They obviously need to work on their people skills. I’ll never go there again, nor the friend I was with. And if I had been a bystander that had heard that, it also would have made me decide to not give them my future patronage.
And the really funny thing is, they have these cool antique persian rugs and bags for sale hanging on the walls. I was going to buy this camel saddle bag that I liked but after her bad behavior, I completely changed my mind. So they lost out on a big sale because of their unnecessary rudeness.

Great loose leaf tea selection, and first hot water refill is free.
Also some special drinks that look really good, like rose or lavender lemonade.
Ice cream too. The guy is really friendly.
They sell random stuff, like natural soaps and rugs.
Free wifi, and with all the seating, tables, and comfy chairs, it’s a great place to get work done. They also don’t play music (or play it very softly when they do).
Check out the 2^nd room in the back (right at the counter, to your right). It has bigger tables, and rolly office chairs.