Philly coffee shops close earlier than other cities. What gives?
Philly coffee shops are open, on average, two to four hours fewer than comparable cities. Why are there so few late night and afternoon options?
What’s the best time to drink a cup of coffee? In Philadelphia, the consensus seems to be between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. These are the average opening and closing times of coffee shops throughout the city. That might sound like standard operating hours, but Philly trails behind many peer cities in total hours open and latest closing time.
Across the 200+ coffee-serving businesses in Philly identified on Yelp, the average time spent open is two to four hours fewer than that of Austin, Texas; New York; and San Diego. That’s the equivalent of about six additional years to buy a cup of coffee over the average human life. And while each of these cities has at least one café that is open 24 hours, Philadelphia does not.
“We’ve considered other options, but have found the hours we’re currently open work best for us,” says Barry Enders, La Colombe’s district manager for Philadelphia and D.C. “Philly is full of amazing late-night options, and there’s not as big of a demand for late-night coffee shops here … our hours reflect the times of day where Philly customers want to enjoy our coffee.”
It’s not just larger shops like La Colombe that feel they are simply meeting demand. Colleen, a barista at the Queen Village cafe Three Graces, said that while the shop used to open at 6 a.m. during the work week and stay open past 5 p.m. on the weekends, their hours have shifted to a more consistent 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. “I think we’ve considered experimenting, but there hasn’t been a ton of interest for later coffees. People do come in at the last minute, but our hours have been working for us.”
In Austin, Texas, the city where I most recently lived and happily escaped to live in Philadelphia among the rowhouses, the Eagles, and SEPTA, there are at least six coffee shops that are open 24 hours at a time. Several of those are open 24 hours, 7 days per week. Whether you abstain from alcohol, you’re too young for the bars, or you just want somewhere quiet to be with other people, these kinds of “always open” businesses serve as vital third spaces.
There are a handful of exceptions for later coffee in Philly. When Solar Myth opened on Broad Street between Tasker and Morris in 2022, they raised the bar for the latest open coffee shop in the city to 2 a.m. every day of the week, though it’s common that they’ve shut off drip coffee by about 4 p.m. most days. Technically, you can get an espresso drink late into the night, though, according to the staff behind the bar, it’s rare that it happens. Most late-night orders are of the alcoholic variety.
“I’m really not sure where you’d go late at night now,” said Austin, a barback at Solar Myth. “It’d be nice if there were something for industry people. Small with light food, drinks, coffee. I think people are looking to do something like that in Philly.”
The stress of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 came up in these conversations repeatedly. Ultimo Coffee scaled back from an 8 p.m. close in 2019 to a 6 p.m. close in 2024 while South Philly staple Grindcore House is down from 13 hours open each day to about eight hours. Across the city, it’s become common for cafés to shut down before the average nine-to-fiver has even left the office and well before many shift workers finish up. ReAnimator and One Shot Coffee in Fishtown close between 3 and 4 p.m. most days while smaller shops like Thank You Thank You near Washington Square and Benna’s Cafe in South Philly close between 2 and 2:30 p.m. Basically, if you want to grab a cappuccino on the way to school pickup, good luck.
This isn’t how the people I spoke with remember things being in the past. Across the college students, consultants, remote workers, doctors and nurses, restaurant staff, and writers queried, each one could name some special late night café from their past. These places weren’t necessarily fancy, but they were there and open at the end of a shift, when it was time to cram for an exam, or when you wanted to socialize but weren’t old enough to get into bars.
Mathew Falco, who opened Herman’s Coffee with his wife, Amy Strauss, in 2017, is cognizant of how important a neighborhood cafe can be. “I want to be a place where the community wants to come and where we become friends with them. Through the pandemic especially, we tried to be a space for chefs needing a place to cook. We bought a food cart and let them use it at no cost. … We host various drives throughout the year. Really, if someone comes to use with something community-related, if we can make it happen, we do.”
Still, when it comes to late night options, it’s that same family-oriented mindset that gives Falco pause. “I like the idea of late night cafés, but our seating is more limited than most cafés and we’re in a quiet, family-heavy residential neighborhood. And with my daughter on the way, I don’t want to be home any less than I already am.”
Unfortunately for those of us who love that late-night murmur of people reading, typing on laptops, and gossiping over coffee, it’s unlikely this trend will change, at least until the right mix of affordable real estate, nightlife, and a night owl founder comes together. Until then, we’ll have to make do with Mr. Coffee and a late night cup at home.