Skip to content
Merit Coffee counter with pink espresso machine, wood paneling, coffee bags on shelves and baristas at work
Photo: Community Impact

2 locations · Since 2009 · $$

Merit Coffee

San Antonio-roasted specialty coffee in a polished Seaholm District cafe

The scoop

Merit Coffee's Seaholm District location brings the Texas roaster's house-roasted beans and barista-led menu to Downtown Austin, near Lady Bird Lake. Expect classic espresso drinks, seasonal specialty beverages like cold brews and matcha, and fresh pastries in a minimalist, work-friendly space.

Merit Coffee traces back to 2009 in San Antonio, where founders Robby Grubbs, Bill Ellis, and Javier Lobo built a multi-roaster cafe originally called Local Coffee. The retail brand rebranded as Merit Coffee in 2018 alongside its sibling roasting operation, Merit Roasting Co. This Seaholm cafe, opened in 2016, was the company's first Austin-area location.

What to order

  1. Saddle Up blend

    Smooth, approachable house blend with notes of milk chocolate, berries, and brown sugar

  2. Camino de Oro blend

    Deeper-flavored blend built to pair well with milk, with notes of ganache, maple syrup, and dates

  3. Bourbon cream cold foam

    Seasonal specialty cold foam drink

  4. Cereal milk cold brew

    Seasonal cold brew flavor

Events at Merit Coffee

Close by

  • Downtown

    Codependent Coffee + Cocktails

    Coffee by day, cocktails by night on the ground floor of The Independent

    • WiFi
    • Good for work
    • Food
  • Riverside + 1 more

    Café Crème

    French-Vietnamese crêpes, latte art, and board games in South Austin

    • Patio
    • Food
    • Beer & wine
  • Downtown

    Intelligentsia

    Chicago's third-wave coffee pioneer pours nitro taps in a Downtown Austin lobby cafe

    • WiFi
    • Good for work
    • Patio
  • South River City + 1 more

    Mañana

    South Congress Hotel's courtyard coffee bar, famous for its mango sticky rice matcha

    • Patio
    • Dog friendly
    • Food