Coffee shops worth knowing in St. Charles, Geneva and Batavia

Need a place to work for an hour, meet a friend, or grab a bag of beans for home? The Tri-Cities have more small coffee shops than most people realize, and several roast their own coffee. Here are seven worth knowing, with addresses and hours taken from each shop's own website.

St. Charles

Arcedium Coffeehouse, 60 Indiana St. Arcedium opened in 2009 and calls itself a boutique coffee roaster. It roasts in small batches, and the menu goes past coffee to organic teas, pastries, salads and sandwiches. If you need a spot for a small group, it also rents a meeting room for 8 to 25 people. Open Monday through Saturday 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Coroco Coffee, 101 S. First St. Coroco is a small roastery based in Sycamore, and its St. Charles shop sits right downtown. Its site says it sources green coffee through partnerships and highlights microlot coffees from around the world. Open Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Maple Leaf Coffee House, 1 W. Illinois St. This is the cafe of Maple Leaf Coffee Roasters, which has roasted in Roselle since 2018. The St. Charles cafe sits along the Fox River and leans on locally sourced and organic ingredients, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices on the menu. Open Monday through Thursday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Brown Butter Cafe & Bakery, 311 N. Second St., Suite 104. Brown Butter is known for allergy-friendly donuts baked fresh every day, so it is a good stop when someone in your group has food allergies. It also serves breakfast and lunch. Closed Mondays, and open Tuesday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Geneva

Coffee Drop Shop, 227 S. Third St., Suite 107. Coffee Drop Shop has been around since 1980. It roasts its own beans on a custom-made roaster and carries more than 500 varieties of tea, which makes it the place to go if someone in your house drinks tea instead of coffee. Its site also posts coffee and tea order forms. Open Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Five & Hoek Coffee, 416 W. State St. Five & Hoek roasts in Wheaton and opened a Geneva shop next to Bien Trucha. It partnered with a local team to serve Mexican pastries and food alongside its coffee. Open every day from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Batavia

Rosewood Farm & Market, 12 S. Water St. Rosewood is a farm market first, but its downtown Batavia shop serves coffee and tea along with pastries, preserves, produce and goods from Midwestern farms and makers. It works well for a coffee and a little shopping in one stop. Open Thursday and Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Our downtown Batavia dining guide already covers Limestone Coffee & Tea and Bocaditos Cafe, and our downtown Geneva guide covers Mosaic Kitchen & Cocktails, which runs as a coffee shop during the day.

Before you go

Several of these shops close in the early afternoon, so a 3 p.m. coffee run will not work everywhere. Hours can change around holidays, so check a shop's website or social page before you make a special trip.