Shaw’s Coffee

Shaw’s Coffee is a coffeehouse and roaster on the corner of Shaw Avenue, next door to Viviano’s. It roasts its own beans and is known for dark-roasted, European-style coffee; St. Louis Magazine has said it sets the area standard for that style.

The shop occupies a former bank building, and customers can sit in the old safe-deposit vault. Early press described the renovation as keeping the original ornate metal ceiling and restored pine floors, and the space mixes West Coast café and Italian espresso-bar sensibilities. It is a common work spot, with Wi-Fi and a loyal morning crowd.

Shaw’s was opened around the turn of the 2000s by two Washington University Medical Center colleagues who called it “a hobby run amok.” Ask at the counter which roasts are freshest.