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 2023 by Sarah Bradley
Holiday Coffee in Orlando
Craft & Common – Downtown Orlando
You can’t go wrong with a piping hot peppermint mocha latte during the chillier months. Luckily, Craft & Common has added their classic Peppermint Mocha back to the menu for another season, along with two other cozy winter offerings. Their new Sweet Potato Pie Chai is worth mentioning, crafted with sweet potato brown sugar puree made in-house and topped with tiny marshmallows. This drink is seriously a homey holiday dessert in a cup.
Finally, their Sweater Weather Latte blends white chocolate and vanilla syrups to complement the spices of the gingerbread man on top.
Note: All these drinks can be made iced or hot, and plant-based milk is available for an upcharge.
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:
- Holiday Espresso Tonic: pomegranate, cranberry, ginger, tonic, rosemary, and espresso. Espresso can be subbed with matcha.
- Matcha Coquito: coconut cream, oat milk, coconut milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, matcha.
- Peppermint White Mocha: white chocolate, peppermint, vanilla, sea salt, cacao, espresso.
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 are the seasonal sips they have right now:
- Apple spice latte: brown sugar tea syrup steeped with apple, orange, cinnamon, and French toast flavoring.
- Maple Fig Tea Latte: black tea syrup steeped with ripe figs and cinnamon. You can add espresso to elevate this drink!
- Sparkling Vanilla Cardamom Cold Brew: cold brew with vanilla, cardamom bitters, and sparkling water to top.
Keep an eye on their Instagram for holiday flavors.
Downtown CREDO – North Quarter
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 usually offers 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: 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).
Qreate Coffee – Mills 50
Qreate Coffee is always coming up with creative coffee recipes to fit the seasons and holiday mood, like these:
- Winter Slayyy: peppermint dark mocha, espresso, shaved chocolate topping.
- Coquito Latte: Puerto Rican eggnog.
- Dalgona Latte: caramel latte topped with foam and Dalgona cookie crumbles.
- Mocha Caliente: Mexican mocha latte with cayenne pepper and cinnamon topping.
- Extended Car Warranty: s’mores latte with toasted marshmallow mocha.
- Creme Brulee Latte: dulce de leche and hazelnut syrups topped with foam and brown sugar.
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.
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 spotlight drinks the Ginger Snaps latte–a cozy winter beverage crafted with housemade gingerbread syrup and topped with a cookie. You can also grab a classic hot chocolate when the temperature drops.
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 new Caramel Apple Pie tart is Instagram-worthy and perfect for the season. 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 2023:
- Reindeer: salted caramel maple
- Santa’s Cookies: biscotti
- Felix Navidad: orange cranberry
- Campfire: s’mores
Axum Coffee – Winter Garden & Clermont
Axum Coffee has released their 2023 holiday menu for their Plant Street location and their roastery inside Plant Street Market:
- Gingerbread latte: honey, gingerbread spice, molasses, vanilla, espresso, milk of your choice.
- Figgy Pudding Shaken Espresso: locally-sourced fig jam, white chocolate, clove syrup, oat milk, espresso.
- I’ll Bee Home For Christmas: cold brew, honeycomb, cold foam.
- Peppermint Mocha: dark chocolate, peppermint syrup, espresso, milk of your choice, peppermint-infused whipped cream, peppermint shavings on top.
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 and LAKE NONA
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.
Nautilus Coffee Company – Tavares
Get ready for adventure! Heading out to Tavares may seem like a trek, but with new roads and toll roads it can take merely 20-30 minutes to get to Tavares from many parts of the Orlando area. And this lakeside town has plenty of charm.
Plus the Nautilus Coffee Company is unlike any other coffee shop on this list. This small coffee shop packs tons of details and theming. And during the holiday season is fully decorated complete with holiday jazz and big band music.
Naturally, this holiday environment is coupled with an extensive holiday menu including:
- Jack Frost Latte – Peppermint Mocha topped with homemade whipped cream and peppermint crumbles
- Mistletoe Latte – cherry and dark chocolate mocha
- Gingerbread Latte – topped with homemade whipped cream and gingerbread crumbles
Plus Frozen Hot Chocolate, flavored hot chocolate, Eggnog Caramel Machiato, and more!
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.