Located in the Highland neighborhood of St. Paul, Quixotic Coffee has been a staple coffee shop in the community ever since its opening in 2010. I have been here multiple times after school and it has never failed to make my day a little bit better.

Quixotic Coffee, located on 769 Cleveland Ave S St. Paul takes a different approach to how coffee shops feel and are operated. The shop is owned by Matt McGinn and Jake Nelson, who are also the co-founders of Blackeye Roasting Company, which is a Minneapolis-based coffee company.

Quixotic has been described as an artisanal and interesting coffee shop by many people in the community.

The name of the shop itself also has a very unique meaning and backstory to it: “Quixotic has a variety of definitions, one of them is used to describe a thought or idea as being, ‘romantically idealistic’. This is referring to how most of the fear we experience in our day-to-day lives is all in our heads… Long story short, at Quixotic we try our hardest to serve up an experience that makes you forget about the giants in your life,” according to the Quixotic Coffee website.

The drinks and food here are way above the standard compared to other coffee shops. Order a black coffee or a hot chocolate, two of my favorite drinks to get at a cafe. The coffee was very good with a rich yet bitter taste to it. Quixotic’s hot chocolate stole the show though. It was very sweet, creamy, smooth, and overall just amazing.

If you don’t want to get a coffee or a hot chocolate, don’t worry; there are many other options for beverages, including smoothies, espresso, teas, and juices.

Quixotic Coffee is a great local spot to get drinks, hang out with friends, and recharge after a long day of school. Check it out.