At GLDN Hour in Old Naples, the sun-washed space looks like a creative studio, with pale wood, clean lines and soft curves that let the drinks, made with beans from a Detroit boutique roaster, and details shine. Seasonal beverages pop with color: matchas layered with lavender syrup and pastel-hued lattes with sweet-and- savory flavors inspired by founder Lauren Barrow’s mixology background. In the pastry case, neat rows of gluten-free and sourdough items—all made from scratch without seed oils—complement the rotating drink specials, while a steady lineup of events makes the cafe a community hub.
Southwest Florida’s coffee culture has been steadily evolving for years, shaped by early pioneers like Downtown Coffee and Wine Company in Bonita Springs and Kunjani Craft Coffee in Naples. Through the 2010s, the third-wave coffee movement laid the groundwork for quality beans and educated palates. The new guard builds on that foundation and pushes into more expressive territory, pairing ethically sourced, meticulously brewed cups with intentional design, ambitious pastry programs and collaborations that feel personal rather than promotional. “I wanted to build something that felt bright, clean, peaceful and expansive,” Lauren says. “I wanted it to be bigger than the coffee.”
With a new location to be in the upcoming Bonded Lagree fitness studio off Third Street South, GLDN Hour expands that vision into a canvas for casual coffee hours, fitness pop-ups and partnerships. Lauren hosts classes, events with boutiques like Feel at HOM and musical gatherings with CounterCulture Records Co. She says the events draw those who value connection as much as craft.
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Courtesy GLDN Hour
swfl coffee shops create community gldn hour chair
A sun-washed, gallery-like interior frames seasonal drinks and scratch-made pastries at the one-year-old GLDN Hour, which is set to open a second location in Old Naples.
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Photography by Brian Tietz
swfl coffee shops create community espresso machine
The new wave raises the bar on design and food, but their backbone remains precision in the cup.
Design sets the tone at North Naples newcomer ThreeSixteen Café, where blond oak millwork, wood-slat ceilings and matte neutrals channel a Scandinavian calm. Vitaliy Rizhkov worked with three partners, including Ukrainian professional roaster Oleksii Cheusov, to build the space around their in-house roasting program. Using the Bellwether Series 2 Roaster, Cheusov draws out the beans’ natural character. The shop offers a barista-style ‘competition set,’ presenting the brew two ways: straight espresso and creamy cappuccino with sparkling water between to cleanse the palate and explore profile changes across preparations.
The pastry program reflects the disciplined approach. A tight lineup of technique-driven viennoiserie and morning provisions is designed to elevate the daily ritual. “Every cup is an experience, and every interaction makes your day brighter,” co-founder Daniel Razumov says.
Ten minutes south, at Acopio, the decor serves as a form of cultural storytelling. The owners sourced traditional patterned tiles, woven chairs and hanging baskets from artisans in their native Colombia, many of whom rarely export their work. All the coffee comes from micro-lot producers that reflect the country’s shift from mass export to small-batch growers. Colombian bean-to-bar chocolates and a food program rooted in family recipes—arepas, empanadas, pandebono cheese bread—make the menu as transportive as the space.
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
swfl coffee shops create community acopio beverage
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
swfl coffee shops create community acopio dining room
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
swfl coffee shops create community acopio slow pour
In the Bayshore Arts District, chef John Colón brings a distinctly Spanish point of view to his new waterfront project. Bayshore Bodega opened in the fall with a menu centered on Iberian staples—jamón-stuffed sandwiches on housemade bread, tostadas with imported olive oil and tomato, a rotation of conservas (seafood preserved in olive oil or vinegar brine) and other mercado bites. For drinks, he opted for Geisha coffee, considered the pinnacle of specialty coffee for its rarity, perfumed aromatics and almost weightless profile.
Culinary ambition is a defining feature of the modern coffeehouse. Pastries are now central to the experience, not an afterthought. Naples’ ThreeSixteen and Wolfmoon, which operates a brick-and-mortar in Bonita Springs and a satellite at Kaleidoscope Garden Club, make their own slow-fermented laminated dough for shatteringly crisp croissants and pastries.
Wolfmoon founder Clara Fasciglione’s double-proofing method lends the croissants their depth and character. “I wanted to create something nurturing, made with real ingredients and real hands,” she says. The artisan ethos extends to everything, including La Marzocco–pulled espresso drinks, brewed with fellow java vanguard Bandit Coffee Co. in St. Petersburg. Wolfmoon keeps the menu tight: espresso- forward lattes, teas and fresh-squeezed juices, served with housemade syrups and minimal pomp. But they have fun with specials. Locals line up for culty seasonal releases, like winter’s Persian White Moon Latte with white mocha, pistachio and cardamom or the sour cherry syrup-infused Black Forest Latte.
Also in Bonita Springs, Vichino’s Cafe & Wine Bar stands out for its lineup of classic American comfort baked goods. Co-owner Shannen Vichinsky’s father, Darren, emerges regularly from the kitchen, carrying trays full of oversized cinnamon rolls, everything-seasoned stuffed pretzels and sticky, just-baked buns.
Photography by Brian Tietz
swfl coffee shops create community vichinos cinnamon roll
Vichino’s Cafe & Wine Bar is known for its oversized cinnamon roll.
In Fort Myers, Take Two Coffee’s doug- hnuts have become as sought-after as its single-origin pours. Co-owner Caleb MacPherson has spent the past decade shaping Southwest Florida’s modern coffee scene—first with two Naples cafes and a wholesale roastery, and now with Take Two. Meticulous about origin, transparency and roasting, he keeps a rotating lineup of single-origin coffees that follow harvest cycles, swapping in new lots as they come into season. “If you’re drinking the same coffee year-round, it means for part of the year it’s not fresh,” Caleb says.
Now, he extends the same care to the doughnuts. Made in-house with a 24-hour cold ferment, the dough develops an airy, light texture overnight before being glazed, just before the morning rush.
Courtesy Take Two Coffee
swfl coffee shops create community take two founders
In Fort Myers, local third-wave pioneer Caleb MacPherson and co-founder Hunter Keslar focus on transparent, single-origin sourcing and doughnuts made with 24-hour fermentation.
Baked goods also star at Lovr Boy’s Coffee and Treats, run by siblings Anna and Caleb Linn. The pair began serving layered, brightly colored lattes from a counter tucked inside Nat Nat in Naples. By early spring, they’re set to open their first solo location in Bonita Springs, where Caleb can double down on his roasting program while Anna keeps expanding the brand’s popular pastries, including pillowy cinnamon rolls, tender olive oil cakes and moist jumbo muffins. She teaches sourdough classes, inviting regulars to recreate the treats at home.
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
swfl coffee shops create community wolfmoon crossiant
These cafes blend expressive drinks, fresh-baked pastry programs and vibey settings that restore the social ritual of the coffeehouse. Wolfmoon built its reputation on long-fermented croissants. In Naples and Bonita Springs, they apply the same rigor to an evolving lineup of pastries and provisions.
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Photography by Brian Tietz
swfl coffee shops create community wolfmoon employee
Beyond the chains that once dominated and the specialty pioneers that elevated standards, this new generation of shops pushes further, rooting themselves in the communities they serve. The craft is precise and the vibe is refined but relaxed—a quietly confident kind of cool. But the ethos goes deeper, shaping places where locals feel a sense of belonging. “You want somewhere to feel welcome,” Take Two Coffee’s Caleb says. “You want somewhere to feel like you’re seen.” That’s the promise of this new wave: restoring the ritual of coffee as a moment to slow down and share space.