Amore Coffee has a surprisingly extensive food menu for such a small-scale coffee shop. Small scale in the sense that the shop is not a chain. Rather, Amore Coffee is the hub of the neighborhood.
How do I know? Because the place is crawling with regulars. You can tell because 75% of visitors rattle off a loyalty number almost from memory before every order. And the other 25% buy coffee for the friend or neighbor they see in the shop by happenstance.
With Amore, you can expect to find:
- A solid food and coffee menu: with soup, salad, sandwiches, and baked goods
- Gluten-free options and Alternative milk options
- A cozy place to work remotely, especially the overflow room
Try the Vienna Latte or a Spicy Chai tea, or grab a light lunch of the soup of the day and a fresh salad.
Atmosphere
Amore Coffee is everything you want a coffee shop to be. Lots of comfy seating that doesn’t take itself too seriously, helpful staff, fast wifi, and a number of food options. I may have said Black Sheep Coffee had quintessential neighborhood coffee vibes, but that was before I visited Amore. This cafe has clearly become the spot for the community. While many shops give lip service to this idea, Amore really embodies the sentiment and delivers a place for the local community to gather.
Location and Hours
Amore coffee is located in West Saint Paul at 879 Smith Ave S, West St Paul, MN 55118. In true small business neighborhood shop style, Amore doesn’t operate any other locations.
Hours
Amore is open every day from 6:30 am – 6:00 pm.
What to Order
I ordered a Spicy iced Chai on my afternoon at Amore. Sadly I visited on a day when I really needed to steer clear of the more intense caffeine associated with espresso.
(I quit my daily coffee habit at the beginning of the year and would really like to avoid the literal headache of trying to kick the habit again.)
Chai
The iced Chai was good, but it wasn’t spectacular. Granted I often feel that way about most cold drinks. Unless of course, it’s a nitro cold brew from Quixotic Coffee. In that case, I almost prefer it to a hot drink.
I ordered an iced Chai because the day was warm and I walked a couple of blocks to the shop. The spicy Chai flavors were solid, but I wished it could have been a little more creamy.
Coffee
I can’t vouch for the coffee since I went the Chai route, but the menu is extensive. With blended coffee drinks, iced coffees, and a long list of flavors to choose from for your steamy lattes. There’s even an extensive tea menu. Amore is likely to satisfy most visitors.
The Vienna Latte looked like a good choice to me (Latte + honey + cinnamon). I did find it odd that most of Amore’s specialty drinks are topped with whipped cream by default. I personally prefer crisp latte art and no whip ever, but you can certainly hold the whip when ordering. Just be aware it is part of the default menu.
While the shop classifies itself as a specialty coffee shop that has an excellent relationship with suppliers, I wasn’t able to find much information on the roaster or source of the shop’s coffee.
Food Menu
The food options at Amore include soups, salads (like classic Caesar or Cobb) sandwiches, and baked goods. Gluten-free options include cookies, a pumpkin bar with cream cheese frosting, and even biscotti. There’s also a nice list of snacks and breakfast options, like Hummus and Crackers, Salami and Brie Baguette, a breakfast bagel, and oatmeal.
Amore Coffee Remote Work
On my 4-hour work stint at Amore, I witnessed a set of grandparents playing cards with their grandson, who was on the cusp of going to college, a family that came to get treats and sketch together, and more friends than I can count meeting up for a quick cup. The rest of the company was made up of those of us who were there to study or work remotely.
Noise Level
When you choose to sit at the table right in front of the register, as I did, it is a bit noisy. However, the rest of the seats would offer a far quieter spot.
Dedicated Office Space?
While there is no dedicated office space, the back overflow room is outfitted with at least 6 small tables and lots of natural light. This addition is actually up for rent if you want a dedicated conference room and was added to the shop for that very reason. As an old barber shop, the space has lots of windows and 424 square feet of space secluded from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the shop.
Amore Coffee’s Story
Amore Coffee was founded in 2010 by Nancy Breymeier. She started the shop and ran it until one of her staff members, Tara Wright, arranged to buy the shop from her in 2018 when Nancy was ready to get out of the business.
If you ever find yourself in West St. Paul, give Amore Coffee a visit. The quiet neighborhoods surrounding it make for an easy commute and lots of available parking.
