Keke’s Breakfast Cafe
Juliana DeFilippo
With its homespun decor and diner-esque layout, Keke’s Breakfast Cafe offers retro charm and a variety of fall menu items. The cafe’s Fall Flavors menu includes pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon, allowing guests to enjoy new variations of classic menu items like stuffed french toast.
Keke’s apple cinnamon waffle, which comes with powdered sugar, cinnamon and apple slices on top, is rich with sweet, tangy flavor. Guests looking for a warm, earthier dish can opt for the pumpkin spice stuffed french toast, which is made up of pumpkin puree, cream cheese and pecans sandwiched between two slices of french toast.
Keke’s also offers an autumn sangria, a merlot with spiced brown sugar, citrus and a cinnamon stick.
Prices for pancakes and waffles from the Fall Flavors menu range from $11 to $13, while stuffed french toast is priced at $14. Guests also have the option of creating combos to get a wide variety of menu items and flavors.
Keke’s Breakfast Cafe, located at 4062 Plaza Blvd. #10, is open Monday to Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Coffee Culture
Rachel Mish
Coffee Culture, an eclectic cafe adorned with vintage decor, offers a fall menu with October specials.
Throughout October, its specials include three lattes: the Twisted Pumpkin, Zombie and Vampire’s Kiss.
Vampire’s Kiss is a personal favorite of Mic Kenney, Coffee Culture’s 21-year-old manager. The latte includes vanilla and raspberry flavors.
“I’m a sweeter coffee person,” Kenney said.
The Twisted Pumpkin latte includes pumpkin and caramel flavors. The drink is a stark contrast to Zombie, which uses cinnamon and macadamia nuts.
The store has new specials every month, which Kenney said many people order in an attempt to switch things up.
“About 40% of the drinks that we make are Twisted Pumpkin right now,” she said.
The cafe’s pastry offerings include pumpkin chocolate chip bread, lemon cake and muffins of various flavors.
The cafe is open seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and is located at 2020 NW 13th St.
Opus Coffee
Tanya Fedak
Opus Coffee does not disappoint avid fall drink consumers with its creation of fall flavors, introducing a menu with four fall-themed drinks.
It’s not fall without a pumpkin spice latte, but the Gainesville coffee chain takes it a step further, naming the popular drink “It’s The Great Pumpkin (Spice Latte).” Made with pumpkin spice syrup and caramel sauce, the latte adds an additional fall flare with toasted marshmallow, whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice toppings.
Coffee lovers can also order the “Opus Pocus,” a shaken espresso with pumpkin spice, maple syrups, crème caramel cold foam and cinnamon sugar on top. For those less interested in caffeine, there is a chai latte with caramel apple butter named “Starry Hollow,” which pays homage to the popular fall comfort show “Gilmore Girls.”
The final fall item is the “Practically Magic” double cortado with spiced brown sugar, complete with a dash of orange bitters and garnished with cinnamon.
With over 10 locations, Gainesville residents have plenty of opportunities to test out the Opus fall spirit and can order ahead on its website.
Opus Coffee’s UF Norman Hall location — 1221 SW 5th Ave. — is open Monday to Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
108 Vine
Noor Sukkar
For a true Autumn Gainesville experience, 108 Vine’s got all of the town’s trinkets and treats.
The gift shop houses vintage and local small-business creations that complement the coffeehouse’s quaint craft espresso bar. With a hand-crafted drink in hand, customers can browse through unique gifts, curated vintage, local artisanal art, stationary and metaphysical objects.
108 Vine’s seasonal menu is the epitome of its exclusive inventory. Headlining with the classic pumpkin spice, its sweet treats are curated with house-made syrups.
For a step up from your stereotypical fall order, vanilla cardamom and maple cream cold brew will transport customers under an autumn breeze. The pecan pie, butterscotch and apple pie chai flavors will elevate those who seek a niche experience.
The seating area is perfect for chatting, studying or admiring all the elements of the cafe’s inventory. Customers can also pair their coffee with a variety of baked goods like apple fritters or a rosemary fig cookie.
Those who finish their coffee before leaving the plaza can extend their retail therapy experience. Conveniently located next to Plantstay, it’s the perfect opportunity for plant parents to indulge in the season’s floral offerings.
Located at 3735 W University Ave., 108 Vine is open Monday to Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Bagel Bakery
Sabrina Castro
Are you tired of the hustle and bustle of modern college-town coffee shops? Ever wanted to time travel back to the 2010s and roleplay a character on the set of Gilmore Girls? At 4113 NW 16th Blvd. sits The Bagel Bakery, an establishment suitable for romanticizing life and grabbing a festive fall breakfast.
The Bagel Bakery is dotted with warm-toned wooden tables and chairs, tables with a playful touch of colorful tiles and festive decorations that stay up year-round. The combination of warm colors, unique artwork and varied seating arrangements captures a nostalgic, slightly retro feel, reminiscent of coffee shops in the 2010s.
With its most frequent customers being families and senior citizens, the bakery is the place to go to remember the general population outside of college kids.
According to the bakery’s Instagram, pumpkin-flavored bagels will be available Oct. 27 through the end of November. The Bagel Bakery is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
CYM Coffee Co
Alexandra Burns
CYM Coffee Co delivers autumn’s best flavors with a combination of fall-flavored drinks and freshly baked items.
Nestled inside what feels like an antique home, CYM provides the perfect setting to grab a drink while catching up with friends or studying.
The cafe’s cider and Halloween specials include an apple orchid latte with caramel, apple cider and a cinnamon topping. Those who are not caffeine drinkers can order the Star’s Hollow, a chai mixed drink with apple cider.
CYM also introduced a fall latte menu, including Dracula’s Kiss, with cherry, white mocha and a cocoa powder topping; Cinnamon Roll, a latte with white chocolate, brown sugar and cinnamon; Blackberry Pie, with dirty chai, blackberry and cinnamon; and Campfire Cookie, with toasted marshmallow, hazelnut and cocoa powder.
As cold weather approaches, the cafe provides picnic tables and a cozy, shaded porch with outdoor seating.
Baristas will give a 20% discount on any drink to customers who visit the cafe in costume on Halloween.
CYM Coffee Co — 5404 NW 8th Ave. — is open Monday to Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday to Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cafes with fall festivities
One Love Cafe — 4989 NW 40th Place — offers handheld food, cocktails, burgers, salads and drinks along with outdoor seating, a fire pit and music. The eatery will host a Monster Mash Halloween party on Oct. 31, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The event will include live music from The Medicine Show and a 20% discount on draft beers and signature cocktails for those who wear a Halloween Costume.
Karma Cream — 607 W. University Ave. — is a plant-based and organic cafe that offers coffee, bakery items, sandwiches and ice cream.
According to its Instagram, the cafe’s fall-themed items include a maple pumpkin spice latte with housemade syrup, pumpkin puree, warm spices, maple, vanilla and a cinnamon topping.
Karma Cream also advertised spooky menu items like blood berry mocha amaretto cupcakes and a Beetlejuice-themed black and white matcha marble loaf.
The Arcade Bar — 607 W. University Ave. — will host a Halloween-themed karaoke event titled “Skaryoke” on Oct. 30 at 10 p.m. No cover fee is required.
This is an Avenue staff report.
