The holiday season brings back familiar activities every year: festive music playing, decorations and lights going up, and cozy beverages to warm up with! It got us thinking about all of our amazing local coffee purveyors and what seasonal drinks they've created for us to enjoy this year.
From classics like peppermint mochas to inventive recipes like the cranberry espresso flip, here's our list of holiday coffee in Orlando for your next date!
Bonus: it's budget-friendly and can be worked into your last-minute holiday shopping sprees or when enjoying the many Holiday Events in Orlando.
Updated November 2022 by Sarah Bradley
Holiday Coffee in Orlando
Craft & Common – Downtown Orlando
The Pumpkin Spice Latte from Craft & Common is a go-to during the chillier months. They even offer a vegan PSL for those who are plant-based or have dietary restrictions, so you don’t have to miss out on the fall spices and cozy flavors.
The Rosemary Gingersnap latte is worth of attention. The rosemary balances out the sweetness of the gingersnap and creates a smooth holiday drink.
Here is Craft & Common's full seasonal drink menu:
- Cranberry Espresso Flip: espresso, cranberry syrup, lemon rosemary foam
- Rosemary Gingersnap Latte: espresso, milk, maple rosemary syrup, ginger and cardamom bitters, aromatic spices
- Horchata Matcha: organic matcha, condensed milk, almond, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla
- Pumpkin Spice Latte: espresso, condensed milk, pumpkin puree, aromatic spices, vanilla whipped cream
- Vegan Pumpkin Latte: espresso, dairy-free milk of your choice, pumpkin puree, aromatic spices, and oat milk foam.
- Peppermint Mocha: espresso, milk, peppermint syrup, chocolate, vanilla whipped cream, crushed peppermint
Deeply Coffee – Downtown Orlando
Deeply's General Manager Brett Ware has come up with a fun holiday drink menu, ranging from more traditional holiday offerings to a signature blend of creative refreshing drinks:
- Peppermint Mocha Latte: espresso, milk, ritual chocolate, peppermint
- Gingersnap Cookie Latte: espresso, gingersnap cookies, m*lk, spices
- Biscoff Cookie Butter Latte: espresso, cookie milk, saigon cinnamon, biscoff crumbs
- Hot Apple Cider: apple cider, red chai, citrus
- Sparkling Apple Soda: apple cider, red chai, bubbles
- Red Chai: Rooibos, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, peppercorn, lemon grass
- Maple Cinnamon Thai Tea: thai tea, maple syrup, cinnamon, milk of choice, star anise
- Sparkling Pumpkin Spice Chai: chai bubbles, pumpkin, milk of choice, sage foam
Deeply Coffee is just minutes from Lake Eola, so pop over afterward to check out the holiday decor and Christmas tree.
Easy Luck Coffee & Bodega – Milk District
Head to the Milk District to visit this laid back coffee shop. There's tons of seating available for you to catch up with your partner or a friend, cozy up with a good book, or get some work done. Here’s what Easy Lucky has released for the 2022 holiday season so far:
- Fig Maple Tea Latte: black tea, ripe figs, maple, brown sugar, milk of choice, topped with ground cinnamon
- Dirty Fig Maple Tea Latte: fig maple tea latte with espresso added
- Snickerdoodle Cold Brew: cold brew flavored with spiced chair, brown sugar, and your milk of choice.
Downtown CREDO – Multiple Locations
Downtown CREDO is distinctive from other local coffee shops in that customers name their own price for their cup. When visiting, you can refer to their suggested drink prices if you're unsure what to pay. Currently, the beans used in their espresso drinks are from Chiapas, where the local, indigenous people grow and supply CREDO with their beans.
For the holiday season, CREDO has created special drinks:
- Mexican Chocolate Mocha: Mexican single-origin espresso with house-made mocha sauce and a dash of cayenne. Imagine a regular mocha, but with a kick
- Fall Spice: fall in a cup – they add All Spice to their signature Café Con Leche
- Gingerbread Latte: I had this coffee several times last holiday season, sometimes more than once the same day. It's THAT good. Basically, it's a gingerbread cookie in liquid form.
- Spiced Orange Latte: brewed latte with balance of orange and spice.
Foxtail Coffee – Multiple Locations
Admittedly, the Eggnog latte didn't initially sound that appealing to me as I'm not a fan of eggnog, but it is delicious! Sweet but not overly sweet, with just the right amount of the spices I love this time of year.
You can enjoy this holiday drink at any of their locations throughout Orlando. I recommend going to one of their locations that have Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream counter.
The Winter Park location, College Park, and Howell Branch Foxtail locations are great picks to enjoy coffee and ice cream. And Kelly's always has tons of tasty seasonal flavors as well. The Foxtail holiday drinks include:
The Foxtail holiday drinks include:
- Peppermint Mocha
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate
- Gingerbread Cold Brew
Lineage Coffee Roasting – East End Market and Mills 50
Lineage Coffee Roasting brews up a special Eggnog Piccolo for the month of December last year, and currently offers a vegan PSL for the fall months!
For a date day, take it outside to sip at a table in East End Market's courtyard, which is lush with plants and full of sunshine. If you're lucky, you may even catch a live musician performing (select Saturday afternoons – find updates on their Facebook).
Duo 58 – East Orlando
One of my favorite local coffee shops to visit, Duo 58 is a great place to catch up with a friend over coffee. The shop's Pumpkin Spice latte is more spices than pumpkin, making it a perfect choice to enjoy throughout the fall and holiday seasons!
You can also pair their Caramel Apple Cinnamon Tea Latte with the Thanksgiving Leftover Panini (made with turkey, cranberry sauce, Swiss cheese, Dijon mustard, and fried onions). How much cozier can it get?
Qreate Coffee – Mills 50
Qreate Coffee is always coming up with creative coffee recipes to fit the seasons and holiday mood, like these:
- White Peppermint: white chocolate, peppermint bark, espresso
- Pumpkin Pie Latte: espresso, milk of choice, pumpkin syrup
- Pumpkin Matcha Latte: matcha, pumpkin syrup, milk of choice
- Sweater Weather: toasted marshmallow, coconut, espresso, milk of choice
- Sad Boy Fall: caramel, espresso, vanilla foam, caramel drizzle, sea salt, milk of choice
- Coquito: cream of coconut, nutmeg, evaporated milk, vanilla, cinnamon (hot or iced)
- Spicy Chocolate Latte
Holiday Coffee Near Orlando
Barnie's Coffee & Tea Co. Café – Winter Park
Situated along Park Avenue, you'll find Barnie's Coffee & Tea Co.'s flagship shop. This is where they create and perfect their specialty drinks and micro-roasts such as their signature holiday favorite, Santa's White Christmas. This coconutty caramel vanilla roast is the epitome of the perfect cup of Christmas coffee. Available for a limited time – be sure to grab a bag to take home for Christmas morning.
The Santa’s White Christmas Red Velvet Cookie will also be available for a limited time at Barnie’s Coffee & Tea café and at Se7evn Bites.
Plus, for every cookie sold during this season, Barnie’s Coffee & Tea Co. and Se7en Bites will donate $1 to support Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida on it mission of providing meals to residents facing hunger.
Eden Bar – Winter Park
For a boozy caffeinated beverage, I highly recommend Scott Calvin's Naughty Coffee, or Sleigh Fuel from Eden Bar at Enzian Theatre. This little doozy is comprised of Cotiere Coffee blended with vanilla vodka, Bailey's, Kahlua and topped with house-made whip and cinnamon. Sip it before or after catching a flick at the retro Enzian Theater.
Sip it before or after catching a flick at the retro Enzian Theater. Stop by during these hours:
- Monday-Tuesday: 4pm-11pm (closed for lunch)
- Wednesday-Thursday: 11am-11pm
- Friday-Saturday: 11am-1am
- Sunday: 11am-11pm
READ MORE: Our Favorite Ways to Celebrate the Holiday Season in Orlando
Blackbird Comics and Coffeehouse – Maitland
This special place is described as a coffee house and comics shop for wizards, jokers, self-rescuing princesses, Lords of Chaos, and champions of the downtrodden. The fall and winter menu is packed with holiday flavors including Ginger Snap, Frozen Hot Chocolate, and the almighty Krampus Krunk – 24 hour cold brew with spices and egg nog!
Light On The Sugar – Winter Park
If you're looking for a place offering great hot chocolate, coffee and hand-made pastries, Light on the Sugar needs to be on your list.
Their seasonal Pecan White Chocolate Tart is fantastic, and their wide selections of cream puffs are sure to delight you and your boo. For a caffeinated holiday treat, try their seasonal Peppermint Latte or Pumpkin Pie Latte. They also serve absolutely adorable Hot Cocoa Cream puffs that are so unique and oozing with Christmas spirit.
New City Coffee Co. – Lake Mary
Why settle on one tasty seasonal latte when you can try four at once? New City Coffee Co. is all the rage in the Central Florida area for their unique coffee flights that change with the seasons and holidays. This past autumn featured this fall flight–Candy Corn, White Pumpkin, Cookie Butter, and Maple Pecan.
Check out the holiday-flavored coffee flight for 2022:
- Mistletoe: House-made cranberry and vanilla
- Silver Bells: Cinnamon Bun
- Sleigh Ride: Ginger Bread with an orange twist
- Holly Jolly: Peppermint bark
Axum Coffee – Winter Garden & Clermont
All Axum Coffee locations are serving two very different holiday drinks. The first is a decadent Pumpkin Pie Chai, which I can't get enough of! For a caffeine kick, make it a dirty chai with a shot (or two!) of espresso added. Alternatively, you can try the Peppermint Charcoal Mocha. The drink is made with activated charcoal made from coconut husks, peppermint, and topped with whipped cream and peppermint shavings.
For a memorable date, visit the Clermont location which is adjoined to the Orlando Cat Cafe. For $8/person, you can go play with adoptable cats and kittens for an hour while enjoying your holiday beverages.
PICCOLO COFFEE CO – WINTER GARDEN
You can find this mobile coffee bar in historic downtown Winter Garden every weekday from 7a-3pm, and every Saturday at the Winter Garden Farmer’s Market from 8am-1pm. This holiday season, Piccolo is celebrating with fall classics like a PSL, Salted Maple Latte, Spicy Mocha Latte, and Cinnamon Apple Cider.
When Christmas rolls around, Piccolo offers a Gingerbread latte, Peppermint Mocha, and Holiday Joy lattes. Pair it with a romantic stroll through Winter Garden and a stop by the huge Christmas tree.
VANESSA'S COFFEE SHOP – ST. CLOUD
This coffee shop is known for decadent, dessert-like coffees, and the holidays are no exception! Seasonal offerings include a Cinnamon Latte and a Peppermint Hot Chocolate topped with whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate drizzle and even a candy cane! You can also indulge in their new Cookie Butter Latte, topped with golden Teddy Grahams.
Optional add-on: When in St. Cloud, extend your date with a visit to Mick Farms where you can enjoy another seasonal pastime: strawberry picking! The fields open in mid-December and the farm also has a produce stand for fresh goodies.
More holiday fun in Orlando:
- Holly Jolly Disney Springs Holiday Pub Crawl
- Where to See the Best Holiday Displays
- Over 50 FREE Holiday Events in Orlando
Feature image credit: Piccolo Coffee Co.
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