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    By Published / Updated 6 min read

    Des Moines Coffee Crawl: 14 Local Coffee Shops for Fall (2026)

    For a walkable Des Moines coffee crawl, start in the East Village at Scenic Route Bakery and Daisy Chain Coffee, then head to Horizon Line and Northern Vessel. Here are 14 local coffee shops across the metro, each checked open on October 1, 2026.

    This piece is from October 2025, so details may have changed. For what's on now, see Des Moines restaurants.

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    Updated October 1, 2026. Every shop below was checked on that day against its own website or a current listing for its address and hours. Shops from the earlier version of this guide that have closed, or that we couldn't find at all, were taken out.

    For a coffee crawl you can do on foot, start in the East Village: Scenic Route Bakery and Daisy Chain Coffee are a few blocks apart, and Horizon Line Coffee and Northern Vessel are a short drive west. If you only have time for one stop, Zanzibar's Coffee Adventure on Ingersoll has roasted its own beans on site since 1993. For a fall drink in the suburbs, Java Joes in Ankeny lists a caramel apple cider and pumpkin drinks.

    Hours below are what each shop posted on October 1. Several shops close mid-afternoon, so check before a late visit.

    Coffee shops at a glance

    ShopAreaKnown for
    Scenic Route BakeryEast VillageBakery case, honey bee latte
    Daisy Chain CoffeeEast VillageHoney from the owner's bees
    Horizon Line CoffeeWest EndRoastery, house syrups
    Northern VesselDowntownBottled cold brew
    Zanzibar's Coffee AdventureIngersollRoasting on site since 1993
    Smokey Row CoffeeDrake / Cottage GroveOpen until 9 pm
    Mars CafeDrakeChai latte, pour-overs
    Grounds for CelebrationBeaverdaleRoasts in house
    The Slow Down Coffee Co.Highland ParkOpen until 8 pm weekdays
    Corazon Coffee RoastersValley JunctionOrganic, fair trade roasts
    Friedrichs CoffeeUrbandaleFireplace and drive-thru
    Lightbrite Coffee RoastersGrimesSeasonal drinks
    Java JoesAnkenyFall drink menu
    Porch Light CoffeehouseAnkenyTiny donuts

    East Village and downtown

    Scenic Route Bakery

    A bakery and coffee bar with a case of croissants, pinwheels and cinnamon rolls. The drink menu includes a honey bee latte.

    • Where: 350 E Locust St, Suite 104, Des Moines (East Village)
    • Hours listed: Monday-Saturday 7 am-4 pm

    Daisy Chain Coffee

    A small East Village shop that uses raw honey from the owner's own bees and keeps three to five seasonal drinks on rotation.

    • Where: 505 E Grand Ave, #104, Des Moines (East Village)
    • Hours listed: weekdays 7:30 am-4 pm, weekends 8 am-4 pm

    Horizon Line Coffee

    A roastery in the West End with house-made syrups, including brown sugar and lavender thyme.

    • Where: 1417 Walnut St, Suite B, Des Moines
    • Hours: the site lists 8 am-3 pm daily in one place and later hours in its footer, so check before an afternoon visit
    • Site: horizonlinecoffee.com (opens in a new tab)

    Northern Vessel

    A downtown coffee bar that sells 35-ounce bottles of cold brew to take home.

    Ingersoll, Drake and the north side

    Zanzibar's Coffee Adventure

    An Ingersoll Avenue shop that has done small-batch roasting on site since 1993.

    Smokey Row Coffee

    The Des Moines Smokey Row is on Cottage Grove near Drake, and it keeps the latest hours on this list.

    Mars Cafe

    A Drake neighborhood cafe on University Avenue. Recent reviews single out the chai latte and the pour-overs. Listings disagree on its hours, so check before you go.

    • Where: 2318 University Ave, Des Moines (Drake)

    Grounds for Celebration

    A local roaster with its flagship in Beaverdale. A pound of its Ethiopia Yirgacheffe was $17.25 on its site. It also has shops at 6601 University Ave in Windsor Heights and at 5950 University Ave in West Des Moines (weekdays only).

    The Slow Down Coffee Co.

    A coffee shop in the Highland Park business district that stays open into the evening on weekdays.

    Suburbs

    Corazon Coffee Roasters

    A Valley Junction roaster working with organic, fair trade beans. A pound was $24 on its site.

    Friedrichs Coffee

    An Urbandale shop with a fireplace, a drive-thru and loose-leaf tea.

    • Where: 4632 NW 86th St, Urbandale
    • Hours listed: weekdays 6 am-6 pm, weekends 7 am-5 pm

    Lightbrite Coffee Roasters

    A Grimes roaster that runs a San Franciscan roaster in the shop and rotates seasonal drinks.

    Java Joes

    Java Joes closed its long-running downtown shop on 4th Street; the Ankeny location is still open. Its fall menu lists a caramel apple cider, an English toffee latte and pumpkin drinks.

    • Where: 127 N Ankeny Blvd, Ankeny

    Porch Light Coffeehouse

    An Uptown Ankeny coffeehouse known for its honey brown sugar latte and tiny donuts. It opens at 6:30 am Monday-Saturday; sources disagree on the closing time.

    • Where: 417 SW 3rd St, Ankeny

    What changed from the earlier version

    • Ritual Cafe on Locust Street closed on August 1, 2025.
    • Java Joes' downtown shop at 214 4th St has closed; the Ankeny shop above is open.
    • Scratch Cupcakery has closed its only metro location, in West Des Moines.
    • Mars Cafe is in the Drake neighborhood, not the East Village. Zanzibar's is on Ingersoll, not in West Des Moines.
    • Fong's Tea House, Scenic Valley Cafe, Blaze Coffee Roasters and a Cortado cafe don't exist in the Des Moines metro, and Confluence Brewing is a brewery without a coffee bar. All five are gone from this list.

    Sources

    Checked October 1, 2026:

    Published / Updated

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