The walk from Jewell to Holy Grounds is around 10 minutes. Google Maps will tell you 13, but if you have long legs and/or embrace your inner New Yorker, it will take you 10. It is a nice walk through the historic neighborhoods of Liberty. Since the space is not a traditional coffee shop, it is quite an adventure. The front door to the coffee shop is on the south entrance of the church and down the stairs to the church’s basement.

The space is full of old books from the church’s library. alls that are not covered in books showcase the church organist’s original paintings. The dark oak of the table and bar creates a lovely, warm feel that contrasts with clean white spaces. They are always playing Gregorian chants or Anglican choir music, so, depending on your relationship with religion, you may find it peaceful and centering. However, if you are not used to being in church settings, you may find it a little strange. If you are not interested in the music, there is plenty of seating on their patio with shade and a peaceful ambience. 

The coffee shop’s menu is pretty standard, though a lot of their products are sourced from local small businesses. They roast their own coffee and they brew tea from Anna Marie’s Teas on the Liberty Square. I love their matcha because it is more on the gritty side. Their ratio of matcha to milk is the best in Liberty; many other local coffee shops dilute their matcha to the point where it is basically just green milk. Their espresso-based drinks are fine compared to the local standards of Liberty, but their espresso is just not quite up-to-par in my opinion. If you consider yourself a coffee snob like me, I would recommend getting a tea, a matcha or a drink with one of their many syrups. They make most of their syrups in-house, including my two favorites: vanilla lavender and cinnamon almond coconut.

There are many food options including pastries, and an extensive menu of more savory foods. Plus, they always have fudge samples from a local fudge maker up in Kearney.

Overall, it is a lovely walk from campus and a quiet place to study or hang out with friends. If you try it out, I recommend trying the fudge and getting a drink with one of their homemade syrups.

Comfortably nestled in Pendleton Heights, PH Coffee delivers on both fronts important to a successful coffee shop – coffee and aesthetics. It’s an unassuming place that you might accidentally drive by if you’re not aware of where you are going, but once you find it, you won’t be disappointed.

The interior of PH Coffee gives off aesthetically pleasing industrial vibes with exposed brick walls and beautiful hanging metal chandeliers. A perfect place to do homework or catch up with friends, PH Coffee has a variety of seating choices including the coveted window seats overlooking the street outside.

As far as drinks go, PH features everything you would expect – espresso, lattes, teas, matcha, hot chocolate and chai. They also have specialty drinks including the Mayan mocha, a mocha with a dash of cayenne pepper and chai tea. Besides the drink menu, PH has a large variety of food options including a few gluten-free and vegan options. 

The last time I went to PH, they had new drinks featuring autumn flavors. I ordered a mint matcha and was delighted with it. I also ordered a savory scone filled with bacon, cheddar and chives. While the combination of the flavors seemed uncomplimentary, it was the perfect mix of light matcha and salty bread. 

After visiting a couple of times and never being disappointed, I would recommend PH Coffee to anyone in a heartbeat – and now would be a great time to go. Until Halloween, PH is featuring a pop-up bar with craft cocktails, mocktails and live entertainment. The drinks available will rotate each weekend but all of the drinks were created by the baristas of PH. A gem of Kansas City, PH Coffee is more than worth the visit.

Crows Coffee

South Plaza, Colonial Shops

304 E 51st St, Kansas City, MO 64112

I first went to Crows Coffee in January of my sophomore year of high school. Even then, with my infantile coffee palate and minimal familiarity with coffeehouses beyond Starbucks, I could recognize that the shop and the brews were damn good.

Crows has three locations in the metro area: the one I usually visit, which is South of the Country Club Plaza by University of Missouri—Kansas City’s (UMKC) campus, one in Waldo and one in Red Bridge Shopping Center. All three are at least a small hike from Liberty, but I can assure you that the drive is worth it. 

I make an effort to come back to Crows at least a few times a year and usually come every few months in order to try their reliably immaculate seasonal drinks. In the fall, they serve a pumpkin cappuccino that has managed to stay in my top three all-time favorite espresso beverages for a couple of years now. In the earlier winter months, they serve a peppermint mocha and, later, a strawberry white mocha when Valentine’s Day approaches.

On my most recent visit, I picked up the strawberry white mocha. As usual, Crows killed it beverage-wise. Their knack for specialty drinks lies in their minimalist approach to the sugary add-ins, which are a perfect hint of flavor but never overpower the integral espresso flavor of the coffee base. If you’re not one for specialty drinks, Crows’ cappuccino is a great staple, but they carry all the classic drinks you hope to find at a coffee shop – as well as a nice selection of teas. 

Due to COVID-19, seating is quite limited. However, in the few times I’ve gone recently, there have always been a couple of chairs available that I can grab after putting in my order. I highly encourage you to stick around the shop if you can – Crows has a quiet and warm aura that is perfectly conducive to productive study sessions. Every time I head down to Crows with my backpack in tow, I always manage to crank out a good few hours of quality work, which are made far more tolerable with a delectable coffee at my side.

Because it is essentially located on UMKC’s campus, Crows’ patron population is largely composed of college students, meaning you’re more likely than not to be in the company of others looking for a place to study quietly for a few hours. Unlike some other coffee shops I’ve been to, there seems to be an unspoken agreement among customers to keep the volume at a gentle level, which makes it easy to commit to a focused study session or have a quiet conversation with your coffee date. 

Perhaps the best part of Crows is – and this may initially seem shocking – their bathroom. With the clean, cozy design of their main parlor, you don’t expect to walk into the bathroom in the back of the shop to find Sharpie-ridden orange walls. From floor to ceiling, patrons are invited to impart words of wisdom or quick illustrations – though many graffitists don’t quite meet this standard, taking the opportunity to, perhaps cathartically, jot down some swear words or spark some inane political debate. 

However, the fun of the wall is that you can write something with total anonymity and then simply leave. Whether you decide to add your own caffeine-fueled creativity to the wall or just want to take in what others have written, Crows’ bathroom offers unexpectedly perfect conditions for a brief study break.

Unlike many neighborhood coffee shops in the area, Crows’ business hours span a good chunk of the day. The South Plaza and Waldo locations are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., allowing you to hunker down for several hours if you’re looking to chip away at a big workload, grab an early morning coffee before heading to other plans in the city or enjoy a post-dinner beverage. 

If you’re feeling peckish for reliably good coffee and a quiet study space, fly on over to Crows – they’re calling your name.

Hammerhand has been a go-to coffee shop for many William Jewell College students since its opening in 2016. The company brews its own coffee and offers everything from basic pour-over to espresso milkshakes. The shop had to close in June because of structural concerns and landlord disagreements. Alex Merrell, the owner and operator, has high hopes that they will be able to reopen at their new location soon with some exciting new features. 

In June, the original Hammerhand location started to experience structural challenges and landlord struggles.

“Ultimately what led to the closure was a conflict with the landlord. We had some constructional concerns, and historically have throughout the course of us being there,” Merrell said. “I started hearing what I thought was something crumbling inside the walls, which made me very concerned, and the landlord just wasn’t handling the concerns properly, and this also happened to be when we were in the middle of renegotiation.” 

Hammerhand chose to not renew their lease and to protect their customers and business by switching locations. 

The new location is at 249 West Mill Street, only blocks away from the old location. Some new exciting features of the new space are more seating room and a parking lot. The shop is also pursuing a new theme and menu.

“We’ve had this new location for about two and a half months now and we are working on getting contractors and city approval, which has been a very frustrating and difficult task due to [COVID-19] and the demand of contractors rising and permits being stacked up in the city department,” stated Merrell.

While Hammarhand can’t offer an exact timeline or date due to these complications, Merrell is hopeful that construction can be completed in the next month with the opening taking place by the end of the year.

“It’s a pretty unique opportunity actually. We’re effectively starting a brand new business, but we already have clients, so there’s certainly a bright side to it, even though it has been frustrating. We get to reinvent ourselves a little bit here,” Merrell said. 

At the new location, Hammerhand is excited to offer a full bakery with a  pastry chef making baked goods in-house – so customers can get breakfast and coffee at one location. 

With the new location, Hammerhand is redoing its aesthetic to be quite different from the previous location.  

“We’re doing brighter colors and fancy floral wallpaper. The layout will be different.” Merrell said. “But overall the core business will be the same,” 

With all of these new features, many are finding it hard to wait for the reopening. Until then, Hammerhand coffee is available at Liberty’s Hyvee and online on their website. Hammerhand coffee can also be found at PH Coffee in Pendleton Heights, Crepe KC in Gladstone, Paisley Perk in Karney and Cornerstone Coffee in Smithville.