Black Sheep Coffee is a cafe located in a quiet neighborhood near Concord St. in St. Paul, MN. The shop prides itself on the attention to detail in every cup of coffee, cup of tea, and baked good.
The seating is plentiful, the traffic is bustling, and the service is timely and deliberate. Be sure to grab a cappuccino and a scone. And ALWAYS say yes to the side of whipped sweet cream for your scone. You won’t regret it.
Black Sheep Coffee Location
Black Sheep Coffee is located at 705 Southview Boulevard, South Saint Paul, MN 55075. The vibe of the shop is the neighborhood cafe next door. I worked a couple of mornings at this shop. It proved to be a quiet and productive experience, with a mix of brunch hangs, Bible studies, and morning coffee runs passing through the spot.
Hours
Black Sheep is open Wednesday – Sunday 7 am – 3 pm. and closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
This makes the shop a good location to work remotely during the mornings. Just be prepared to pack up before 3 pm to head somewhere else to finish the day.
Coffee
The coffee at Black Sheep has a bold flavor. It’s the kind of coffee that gives you a strong desire to kick into gear and work really hard. The cappuccino I enjoyed didn’t come with too much milk and held a dense concentration of espresso that paired nicely with my blueberry scone.
I also enjoyed a vanilla latte. It served the same level of caffeine pump, just in a sweeter milkier package. While the latte art could have been better, the flavor was deep and the caffeine strong. Try visiting Cafe Astoria or Spyhouse Coffee if you’re in the market for beautiful latte art.
Tea
I don’t normally order tea at coffee shops, but one of the days I worked at Black Sheep I needed to give myself a break from caffeine. I had quit my daily coffee habit at the beginning of the year and wasn’t looking to go back to being a “regular coffee drinker” anytime soon.
The raspberry blend herbal tea was very flavorful and refreshing. I’m also happy to report the mug is the size of a small bowl, so you’ll get quite a bit of tea for your $3.
What to Order
Unlike many of the other coffee shops that I visited in St. Paul, Black Sheep had a pretty tame menu. There wasn’t anything too flashy as far as specialized drinks to set itself apart.
In true neighborhood cafe form, the shop serves a solid espresso for your regular hot and iced espresso drinks, a selection of tea, and an adequate food menu. You can’t go wrong with a latte (your choice of flavor) or a simple cappuccino.
Black Sheep Food Menu
The cafe serves a nice selection of scones, bars, muffins, and croissants. You can pick your pastry from the large glass display case by the register.
For more savory options, Black Sheep also offers hearty breakfast sandwiches, some salads, and even a quiche.
I can vouch for the oat scone and blueberry scone. They are dry and crumbly as scones are, but Black Sheep makes it special by serving a container of light whipped not-to-sweet sweet cream that satisfies the palette as a delicious topper to any bite of scone.
Remote Work at Black Sheep Coffee
The seating at Black Sheep is enough to accommodate quite a few people, with a couple of bench seats, and several different-sized tables spread throughout the shop. There are also a couple wingback chairs in the middle of the space framing the fireplace. These seats welcome friends who just want to sit, sip, and catch up on each other’s lives.
The couple of times I worked at Black Sheep Coffee proved to be an excellent experience. The inside seating is spread out enough to host friendly chatter and remote workers alike. The main downside is the shop closes at 3 pm, so if you plan to go closer to midmorning, you’ll have to relocate near the end of the day to wrap up your work somewhere else.
