Whether it’s to study or just to hang out with friends, local coffee shops are the place to be according to many NKU students. There are plenty of options to choose from near NKU’s campus, too. Five coffee shops ranked most popular in a poll posted on The Northerner’s Instagram: Coffee Emporium, Fort Thomas Coffee, Carabello Coffee, Roebling Books & Coffee and Highland Coffee Shop.

We spoke with students who responded to the poll as well as three of the five coffee shops to explore what draws students to each of the cafes. Highland Coffee Shop declined to comment and Coffee Emporium did not respond to requests for comment.Carabello Coffee

The Northerner spoke with David Walker, the manager at Carabello Coffee for the past two years, about the cafe and its owners Justin and Emily Carabello. 

Where did Carabello get its start?

“So Justin and Emily started roasting coffee out of their garage in a popcorn popper,” said Walker. “The idea was that they wanted to truly start a philanthropic coffee company. Justin, I would say that one thing that he and Emily are really passionate about is doing things the right way, with a lot of integrity. So when they realized how much it would benefit the economic structure of the countries at origin… they wanted to partner long-term while serving a high quality product.”

“They started taking their coffee to farmers markets, just trying to sell it, make connections,” Walker explained. “And then people were asking them to open a retail space. So they decided to open the coffee shop portion. So they’ve actually been a roaster longer than a cafe.”

What’s the Analog Bar and how did it get started?

“What happened was, there was this wave, people like to refer to it as a third wave of coffee. And it’s really when people were wanting to go deeper with coffee. Those folks cared more about kind of the art behind coffee making,” said Walker. “So you had your regular guests that just wanted their coffees that they could get on their way to their job. Then you have the other guests that want to sit down at a slow bar and nerd out with an expert in coffee.”

What draws students to Carabello?

“One of the things that’s a theme throughout everybody’s experience is they feel seen the moment they walk in the door. Our staff is trained to welcome people when they open the door,” Walker explained. “While at times for the barista it can be awkward to say hi again after someone walks through the door, some of your very first ‘hi’s’ and ‘hellos’ have turned into very deep friendships and relationships that you still carry on.”

“There’s an effort made to be hospitable, innovative, and to produce something that’s of high quality,” said Walker. 

Sophomore nursing major Jaylin Dehner tried Carabello for the first time a few weeks ago on a busy Saturday morning hoping to study. At first she said she was disappointed to find very few seats open and was just going to take her coffee to go, but the owner came up to her and helped her find a seat. 

“For him to come up to me and say ‘No, I’ll find you a seat,’ that really meant a lot to me,” Dehner said. “I’ve been three times since.”

What are the busiest hours?

“Usually you can come in any day at any time, if you’re going to stay for a few hours, you can find a seat. It might be a little cramped, but you can find a seat,” said Walker. “I would say 8-10, on Saturday mornings, you can get a seat early. A lot of times we’ll hit capacity on Friday.”

What does the menu look like?

“Students in particular, if they’re used to coming here throughout an entire semester, they’re going to see different seasonal drinks,” said Walker. “So when your life is maybe a little bland, because you’re studying all the time, or you’re in a routine as a student, there’s a place you can go to that keeps things fresh, exciting and new. Our cafe menu pretty much stays static. We always have caramel, vanilla, mocha, lavender, honey, those are staples. Our seasonal drinks change every other week or so.”

“We’ve curated our food menu to the point where we have different vendors that bring us different food and things. So if you do happen to be here for multiple hours in a day, you can get your pastry and coffee in the morning but then you’ve got something more substantive to have throughout the day,” Walker explained.

Roebling Books & Coffee

The Northerner spoke with Nicki Palazzolo, a manager at Roebling’s Covington location about the bookstore turned coffee shop. 

Where did Roebling get its start?

“We actually started as a bookstore about 12 years ago, it was just Roebling Books,” Palazzolo said. “Richard Hunt, our owner, family and customers were all really big fans of coffee and so naturally that’s what it became.”

“It’s a really old building that we’ve kind of had to ‘Frankenstein’ together and make do with what we’ve got on the book side of things. So we were like ‘You know what? We can make anything, let’s add coffee in there too.’”

How does the bookstore inside the coffee shop work?

“We try to help people out with accessing books however we can. We have a pretty wide variety typically. We try to keep the most popular stuff and we also try to get a good selection of local history, nature books, self-help, we try to do a little bit of it all,” Palazzolo said. “Most people will grab a coffee and kind of browse for a bit, maybe pick up a book or some stickers on their way out.”

What draws students to Roebling?

“We try to be very community oriented,” Palazzolo explained. “We try to do a lot of outreach events like queer events, we try to do a lot of stuff with the biking community, dog walkers, we try to uplift and support people of color. So we get people from all walks of life.”

What are the busiest hours?

“We definitely are pretty busy Saturdays and Sundays pretty much all throughout the day,” said Palazzolo. “We get a rush in the morning on weekdays from 9-11, but we’re open until 6:00pm so on weekday evenings it’s pretty chill.” 

What are the different locations?

There are three locations, one located in Covington, one in Newport and one in Dayton. According to graduate student Abby Cook, “all of the buildings have such character.”

Roebling “takes old buildings in areas that get a lot of foot traffic and makes them into something,” said Cook, who has been going to Roebling for the past four years. “You can grab a coffee to go and take a walk around the neighborhood.”

Fort Thomas Coffee (FTC)

We spoke with current owner Christine Smalley about how FTC started and how it has grown to cater towards its community. 

Where did FTC get its start?

“It started in 2012 across the street from its current location with the Valentine family,” explained Smalley. “At the time it only had a capacity for 13.”

According to Smalley, when the Valentine’s were looking to sell the coffee shop they said  “the next owners need to grow this place for the community.”

After six months of owning FTC, Smalley moved the business across the street where it has an indoor capacity of 96 and outdoor capacity of 44. 

According to junior exercise science major Ada Donelan, “Ever since FTC switched to a bigger location, it has been the spot to be in Fort Thomas.”

What’s the environment like at FTC?

Oftentimes business professionals will have meetings at FTC, all while parents are there catching up while their children play in a play area, students are studying and people are on dates according to Smalley.

“Just like hanging out in the family room,” said Smalley. “Everybody’s co-existing.”

What are the rental rooms and table share?

There are three rooms of different sizes available to rent at designated prices. According to Smalley, students often rent the smallest of the rooms for $25 per hour to take tests where they need a quiet, neutral space to work. 

When the conference rooms aren’t being rented out, the large table is then used for table share, where seats can be rented for $15 an hour. The space is meant to be one for people looking to work quietly alongside others. Each of the rentals comes with amenities like “complimentary coffee and trail mix,” said Smalley. 

FTC also offers a membership option for table share for $50 a month. According to Smalley, members receive discounts as well as newsletters and access to any of the office supplies offered. 

What draws students to FTC?

FTC offers a variety of amenities like printing, copying and scanning for 20 cents per copy as well as a full kitchen and cocktail bar. 

“We didn’t want people to leave unfinished,” said Smalley. 

Whether it’s eating lunch or printing off a paper, guests are able to do so at FTC. 

“We see a lot of people coming with intention. Then we see people leaving happy,” Smalley described. “They met their personal goal.”

Donelan, a member of Delta Gamma, says “FTC is a place I like to go with my sorority sisters to hangout and study.”

What’s something unique about the menu?

FTC has a line of teas with a company that gets its tea from Japan, Smalley explained. They will oftentimes use the teas to make syrups for their cocktails. They also offer Italian soda water with these syrups and cream for what Smalley describes as a “fun dessert.”

Coffee Emporium

The Northerner spoke with sophomore Ruth Goremiss, a computer science major and international student, about her experience with Coffee Emporium. 

What was your first time at Coffee Emporium like?

“When I first went to Coffee Emporium, my eyes kind of widened when I saw Ethiopian Sidamo on the shelves,” Goremiss said. “I thought, ‘This must be a really good place.’”

Goremiss is an international student from Ethiopia, which is commonly known as the birthplace of coffee. 

“As an international student, you always try to see connections between your culture and the culture you’re in,” Goremiss explained. “Coming to Coffee Emporium is one of my favorite memories from America. It reminded me of home.”

Goremiss first came to the US in high school and said that’s when she discovered Coffee Emporium. 

“Whenever I go there now, I feel connected to my home,” she said. 

What role has coffee played in your personal life?

Goremiss explained that in Ethiopia, coffee is a major part of the culture. 

“Whenever there is a social gathering, coffee is always there,” Goremiss said. 

Ceremonies are often performed using the process of roasting coffee, serving it, and drinking it with friends and family. 

“It’s always a female doing the ceremony. We sit in small chairs and the coffee is served from oldest to youngest,” explained Goremiss. 

Highland Coffee Shop

The Northerner spoke with junior finance major Alex Miles about his experience going to Highland Coffee Shop. 

What stood out to you about Highland Coffee Shop?

“I have never known, and still don’t know, any coffee shop that’s open until 2am,” Miles said. 

Miles said that he and his friends typically go later at night and stay for a few hours studying. While he said that it does get crowded, he feels that “the chatter in the background helps you focus.”

What’s your favorite part about the cafe?

“All of their tables are different and there’s writing all over the wall,” Miles explained. “You can find something new every time.”

Miles said that his favorite table is a glass one with letters scattered underneath. He said he and his friends enjoy reading the different letters and finding new ones too.