Best Coffee Shops in the Heights: Roasters, Cafes and a Cat Cafe

Heights coffee comes with a side of Texas history. Boomtown, the roaster with its flagship on 19th Street, calls its house blend Spindletop and its decaf Starday, names that read like a Texas trivia night. Order a cup and you're halfway to a history lesson.

The Heights has more good coffee shops than you can try in a week: roasters who source their own beans, cafes built for laptops, a coffee bar that pours wine until 10, and a cat cafe where every cat can go home with you. This guide is the shortlist we'd hand a friend who just moved to the neighborhood.

What we mean by "the Heights"

For this guide, the Heights is the Greater Heights: I-10 to the south, Loop 610 to the north, I-45 to the east, and the Shepherd and Durham corridor to the west. That takes in Houston Heights proper plus Woodland Heights, Norhill and Sunset Heights. Great coffee just outside those lines, on Washington Avenue or in Garden Oaks, is a different guide. For the rest of the neighborhood, start with our Heights area guide.

The quick list

• The neighborhood original: Boomtown Coffee on West 19th Street.
• For coffee nerds: Tenfold Coffee on Aurora Street, or New Heights Coffee Roasters on Studewood.
• For a laptop afternoon that turns into dinner: Rivas Coffee, Cocktails & Kitchen.
• For coffee in the morning and wine at night: Caffvino on Heights Boulevard.
• For pastry with your latte: Common Bond on West 19th.
• For the most delightful hour in the neighborhood: El Gato Coffeehouse, the cat cafe.
• For the earliest cup: New Heights or La La Land, both from 6:30 a.m. most days.
• When you can't leave the car: the Starbucks drive-thrus at I-10 and Yale or Durham and Loop 610.

How we chose

We picked independent roasters first, then cafes that work for a long morning with a laptop, then a few practical stops for when you need coffee and a parking spot fast. Every shop on this list had to show its Heights address and current hours, or an active ordering page, on its own official website. We left out shops whose websites have lapsed or no longer list a Heights location.

Hours change, so treat every schedule below as "typically" and check the shop's site before you go.

The roasters

Boomtown Coffee

West 19th Street, 242 W 19th St · roaster and cafe · open daily

Boomtown calls its 19th Street shop its flagship, and it's our yardstick for every other cafe on this list. The cafe is typically open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, with a kitchen serving breakfast in the mornings.

What to order: start with the Spindletop house blend, then try whatever single origin is on the board. Beachside is the cold brew blend, which you'll want from May to October.

Why it's here: it roasts its own coffee, it sits on the neighborhood's main shopping street, and it's the easiest way to start a 19th Street shopping morning.

Tenfold Coffee

North Heights, 101 Aurora St · roaster and cafe · open daily

Tenfold's Heights shop is its flagship, typically open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, with a second cafe downtown and a roastery in East Downtown. The company is serious about sourcing and roasting, and on its site it says it teaches people to move away from thinking in "light" and "dark" roasts.

Insider tip: Tenfold runs home-brewing coffee classes in its training lab, and classes can fill to a waitlist, so check the classes page early.

Why it's here: it's the shop to visit when you want to learn something about what's in your cup.

New Heights Coffee Roasters

Studewood, 825 Studewood St · roaster and cafe · open daily

New Heights roasts its own coffee and runs its cafe out of the Asch Building on Studewood. It's one of the earliest openers in the neighborhood: typically 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.

What to order: the seasonal "Alchemy" menu of signature drinks, which changes theme each season, or a pour-over of whatever unusual single origin is on the shelf.

Why it's here: creative drinks backed by a real roasting program, and it's two minutes' walk from Rivas if you want a coffee crawl.

Rivas Coffee, Cocktails & Kitchen

Studewood near White Oak, 903 Studewood St · coffee, kitchen and bar · open daily

Rivas roasts its own beans in house, single-origin Nicaraguan coffee from the Jinotega region, and builds its signature drinks around it, from the Rivas Banana Latte to the Dos Leches. The kitchen serves Latin American food inspired by Central America, and the bar takes over in the evening.

Work-friendly: Rivas lists free Wi-Fi, a covered patio and free parking. It's typically open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Mondays and later the rest of the week, until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Why it's here: it's the rare Heights cafe where you can start with a latte at 10 a.m. and end with dinner, without moving tables.

Cafes for a long morning

Caffvino

Heights Boulevard, 1030 Heights Blvd · coffee and wine bar · open daily

Caffvino combines coffee, wine and dessert on the boulevard. The coffee comes from local roaster Cruiser Coffee, and the wine comes from small family-owned wineries, according to Caffvino.

Insider tip: it's typically open until 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, which makes it one of the few places in the Heights where you can order an espresso after dinner. Mondays and Sundays it closes at 5 p.m.

Why it's here: it's a coffee shop for people who don't want to choose between a morning and an evening plan. Walk the Heights Boulevard esplanade after.

Common Bond Bistro & Bakery

West 19th Street, 449 W 19th St · bakery, bistro and coffee

Common Bond opened its first shop in Montrose in May 2014 and now runs several Houston bakeries, including this one on 19th Street. The pastry case is the draw: pair a latte with something laminated and you have breakfast.

Why it's here: for when your coffee order is really a croissant order. Check the site for hours. For a sit-down meal nearby, see our Heights restaurant guide.

La La Land Kind Cafe

MKT Heights, 600 N Shepherd Dr · coffee and matcha · open daily

La La Land's stated mission is "to bring more yellow into the world": kindness, warmth and bright yellow cups. The Heights cafe at MKT typically opens at 6:30 a.m. every day.

What to order: a matcha latte or one of the seasonal specials.

Why it's here: a cheerful early-morning stop at the south end of the neighborhood, with MKT's shops around it. For what to do next, see things to do in the Heights.

The one you'll tell everyone about

El Gato Coffeehouse

Woodland Heights, 508 Pecore St · cat cafe and rescue · reservations required

El Gato calls itself Houston's first and only cat cafe and rescue, and every cat in the lounge is available for adoption. Approved adopters can take a cat home on a seven-day trial the cafe calls a "sleepover." If you're not adopting, your visit still helps: time with guests socializes the cats.

Know before you go: capacity is limited, so book a session online. It's typically open afternoons Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and weekends, and there's a per-person fee; check the El Gato site for current times and prices.

Why it's here: it's the most delightful hour you can spend with a coffee in the Heights.

When you need coffee from the car

Starbucks drive-thrus at the Heights' edges

I-10 & Yale (217 Heights Blvd), Durham & Loop 610 (3017 N Durham Dr), Loop 610 & Nicholson (445 North Loop West)

The Heights' independent shops are walk-in cafes, so when you need coffee without parking, the drive-thru options sit along the freeways at the neighborhood's edges. Starbucks' store finder lists drive-thrus at these three locations, which are handy on a commute toward downtown or the Loop.

Why it's here: honesty. Sometimes the best coffee is the one you can get in four minutes.

Save this: a Heights coffee walk

Park once and walk it, or bring a bike. It's a long, lovely morning, so caffeinate in moderation.

1. Tenfold Coffee (101 Aurora St) for an espresso when it opens.
2. Head south down Yale to West 19th Street for a stroll past the shops.
3. Boomtown (242 W 19th St) for a bag of Spindletop to take home.
4. Common Bond (449 W 19th St) for a pastry.
5. Walk down to Caffvino (1030 Heights Blvd) and the boulevard esplanade.
6. Finish on Studewood at New Heights (825 Studewood) and Rivas (903 Studewood), a block apart.

Bonus: book El Gato for the afternoon. Make the reservation before you leave home.

Tips for Heights coffee

• Go early on weekends. 19th Street gets busy by mid-morning on Saturdays, and parking gets tight.
• Bring a laptop to the right place. Rivas lists free Wi-Fi; at smaller cafes, be considerate at peak times.
• Buy beans where they're roasted. Boomtown, Tenfold, New Heights and Rivas all roast their own coffee.
• Pair coffee with food. Our Heights restaurant guide, best breakfast in Houston and kolache guide have you covered. For the rest of the city, see our best coffee shops in Houston.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best coffee shops in the Heights?

Our shortlist: Boomtown Coffee, Tenfold Coffee, New Heights Coffee Roasters, Rivas Coffee, Caffvino, Common Bond, La La Land, and El Gato Coffeehouse, the cat cafe.

Which Heights coffee shops roast their own beans?

Boomtown Coffee, Tenfold Coffee, New Heights Coffee Roasters and Rivas Coffee all roast their own coffee, according to their websites.

Where can I work on a laptop in the Heights?

Rivas Coffee, Cocktails & Kitchen on Studewood lists free Wi-Fi, a covered patio and free parking, and it's open into the evening. Check each cafe's site for current hours.

Is there a cat cafe in the Heights?

Yes. El Gato Coffeehouse at 508 Pecore St calls itself Houston's first and only cat cafe and rescue. Every cat is adoptable, and reservations are required.

Which Heights coffee shop is open latest?

Rivas Coffee is typically open until 10 p.m. most nights and 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and Caffvino until 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Check their sites before you go.

Are there coffee drive-thrus in the Heights?

The independent shops are walk-in cafes. Starbucks lists drive-thrus at I-10 and Yale (217 Heights Blvd), Durham and Loop 610, and Loop 610 and Nicholson.