THE SHOPS & PaSTrIES

30th Street Market and Holey Rollers

Andrea Koester has built an adventurous, forward-thinking hospitality company in and around the Paseo Arts District. Holey Rollers was the first vegan donut shop in Oklahoma City, and it's always featured great coffee. Koester has long been friends with Elena Hughes at Elemental, so it was an easy choice to pour Elemental at Holey Rollers. It's also home to what is likely the best glazed donut in the 405, and yes, it's vegan also. At 30th Street Market, Koester converted an old but awesome space into a sandwich shop, wine shop, local grocery store and coffee shop. The sandwiches, especially the pastrami and turkey at lunch, and the sausage and egg at breakfast, are excellent, as is the pastry case, which features wonderful cookies including the locally famous miso peanut butter cookie. At 30th Street, Koester opted for Ian Flemming's Sincerely Coffee Roasters for her full-service coffee bar.

Coffee Jerks, coffeejerks.com

Named for owner Kenny Wooldridge’s grandmother — she was a soda jerk at a shop in Watonga — the shop certainly has one of the more recognizable and memorable names in the industry. It also has the iced Caramel Creek latte (and frappe!), which is one of the best coffee indulgences in the 405. Conveniently, it has three locations as well, which makes it easy to find a Caramel Creek latte and a bacon, egg and cheddar bagel.

Cafe Evoke, 103 S. Broadway Ave., Edmond

Robert and Lori (Dickinson) Black purchased the downtown Edmond spot from founders Jason and Jenni Duncan in late 2019. Dickinson Black said the goal all along was to create a space with great food and coffee — “It’s hard to find both in the same place,” she said — and art and music. They’ve succeeded in all categories, with a wide variety of delicious breakfast and entree items, pastries — both in-house and from sister spot Twisted Tree (see below) — and with coffee from Middle State in Denver and tea from Rishi. Dickinson Black said they chose to go with Middle State because of the high quality and to avoid duplicating what other shops are doing.

Classen Coffee Company, 2515 N. Classen Blvd., OKC

Located in a cute stucco on the west side of Classen Boulevard, the shop boasts what is likely the city’s best dirty chai latte. It has a few pastries, great study/work space and a very nice outside area. It’s a no-frills approach to coffee culture, and the KLLR coffee is always top-notch.

Culture Coffee, culturecoffeeokc.com

It’s really a coffee shop with a greater purpose, and the homage to some of Oklahoma’s great Black artists, activists and civic leaders drives the point home. The original location on NE Sixth Street and Stonewall Avenue finally brought good coffee to the Innovation District, as well as breakfast burritos and pastries from La Baguette. Culture Coffee uses roasts from Sincerely and Prelude, and also features vegan fare from Loaded Bowl. The collaborations are evidence of a tangible commitment to building community, and now with a location in the Sequoyah Memorial Office Building, it’s even easier to be part of that community.

Ganache Patisserie, 13230 Pawnee Dr., OKC

If you’ve spent any time at all looking at the assortment of pastries and chocolates in the case at Ganache, you’ll understand the meticulous minds at work in this French patisserie. It’s basically a guarantee that the custom roast from Eote will be delicious, and it is. So, too, are the croissants, macarons, tarts and cakes. Chef-owners Matt Ruggi and Laura Szyld are both classically trained pastry chefs and chocolatiers, and if there is any justice in the world, they’ll have a location within walking distance of my home soon.

Gray Owl Coffee, 223 E. Gray St., Norman

The shop is worker-owned and -operated as of 2021, so it’s a collective effort to ensure you get great service. The focus is on being a community space with excellent coffee and tea, but the freshly baked pastries, breads and croissants are the stars of the menu.

Harvey Bakery and Kitchen, 301 NW 13th St., OKC

Chef Alyssa Ulrich has received a great deal of much-deserved attention since Harvey opened. It’s rare to find this much talent in one shop, but Ulrich manages to serve up beautiful, decadent pastries and flavorful, fresh breads daily, including the Midnight Cowboy croissant, cinnamon rolls, muffins and regular surprises. The coffee is by Onyx Coffee Lab, headquartered in Rogers, Arkansas, a roastery that seems incapable of making bad coffee. The standout on the coffee menu is the Harvey Latte, made with caramel milk.

Junction Coffee, 611 N Broadway Ave., OKC

It's hard to miss the 1974 double-decker bus named Maebel that is the trademark for Junction Coffee. Owners Nick and Lori Bollinger started the mobile coffee shop in 2015, and they added a storefront on the south end of Automobile Alley last year. You can still find the bus around town, but the coffee shop is easy to find, and it makes excellent coffee drinks and a very good London Fog. The pastry case features sweets from Harvey Bakery just in case you want to skip the line on NW 13th Street.

Perets Dessert & Coffee Bar, 701 W. Sheridan Ave., OKC

This new-to-the-city coffee bar has quickly become a destination for students who study after school and groups of friends looking for alternatives to bars, as it’s open 3-11 p.m., rather than the normal coffee shop hours. In addition to the brilliant coffees from Onyx, it also serves a lovely affogato, and the pastries — get the pistachio strawberry tart — are as delicious as they are beautiful.

QUINCY BAKE SHOP:

Almond Croissant

Strawberry-Raspberry Danish Cardamom Bun

Quincy Bake Shop, 1235 NW 38th St., OKC

Chef Tricia O’Donoghue arrived in OKC from Chicago, where she studied at The French Pastry School — the train stop near the school is Quincy and Wells, thus the name. We’ve raved about her chocolate babka in the magazine before, and her cardamom bun is on anyone’s list of the 405’s best pastries. The case is always full of brilliant treats, and the coffee is an Eote blend.

Stitch Cafe, 835 W. Sheridan Ave., OKC

Locals have been flocking to Stitch for the hand pies since it was in the old space adjacent to the Paramount Building. The pies are less rustic now, but no less delicious, and the strawberry-prickly pear tart is simply one of the best things in OKC. There are savory options, too, including delicious tacos, and its horchata latte and tres leches latte are must-try delights. The coffee comes from the best roasters in the country, including Onyx.

Twisted Tree Baking Company, 111 N. Broadway Ave., Edmond

The sister operation to Cafe Evoke, it’s also a family affair, and some of the pastries, including the unbelievably delicious cruffins, land in the case at Evoke. You’ll still want to stop by Twisted Tree for the city’s best morning bun, wonderful donuts and an assortment of pastries that make it hard to leave with less than a box-load.

The Underground Coffee, 1621 S. Douglas Blvd., Midwest City

A trio of siblings have inspired enough excitement about coffee in Midwest City that a friend insisted on bringing me a sample all the way across town. The coffee is excellent, and the specialty drinks are even better. Clever names help sell the drinks, but ultimately, it comes down to taste, and The Underground does it right. Try the Caramel Underground or Holy Mocha, Batman! to get a sense of what it’s up to — and don’t worry, the $87 Latte doesn’t actually cost that much.

Vacca Coffeehouse, 10 W. Main St., Yukon

Premium coffee and excellent pastries have made Vacca a favorite in Yukon. Located inside an event center, Vacca is a coffee shop, ice cream shop, breakfast joint and lunch restaurant rolled into one. The brownies and cinnamon rolls are fantastic, and so is the Vaccaccino, a build-your-own frappe that’s just right for the summer months.