Sidewinder – Northside

What’s better than a fluffy creature hopping about while you sip a warm cup of coffee? Umm, probably relaxing in a courtyard with some pretty fall colored trees. Good news! Sidewinder has all of these things; a bunny, a small courtyard, and a large selection of coffee shop favorites. This is one of the first coffee shops I visited in Cincinnati. This time last year, it was the only coffee shop, other than the beloved Dunkin’, near the west side – – unless you went north of I-275.

Northside is a unique neighborhood, with quite a few places to explore. They have many different restaurants with a variety of cuisines, many of which offer a variety of vegan options. You can find Nepali, Senegalese, and Indian food among others. As someone who loves international food, it’s so much fun to check-out all of the different restaurants.

Atmosphere: They have a cute courtyard out-back that a bunny rabbit, named Violet, lives in from late spring-early fall. Inside they have a constant flow of people stopping in, but other than those studying/working not a lot of people sit in the main room of tables, so it’s usually pretty quiet. Their front of shop is separated from the tables, so other than people passing through to the courtyard, there’s not much foot-traffic in the back room.

Food/Drinks: They have a large selection of coffees, teas, and specialty choices as well as a full food menu available. They have one of the larger selections of teas that I’ve seen at Cinci coffee shops, so if you’re a tea person this is a great place to check out! The baristas are also really good about helping you decide which flavors you would enjoy.

While I enjoy their medium roast coffee, they also have a Coco Moco which is a mix of coconut and mocha…so that’s a winner! Sidewinder roasts their own coffee, so you’re not going to find their coffee in many other places. That is something special as many coffee shops in Cincinnati utilize the same roasters.

Another major bonus of Sidewinder is they are open until 10 PM every-day. Many of the local coffee shops close early, outside of summer, so it’s nice to have a non-chain place open later during the week.

Parking: Northside has their own parking program and many of their parking lots are pay-for-parking. One of the pay lots is just across the street, so very accessible and it’s only a couple bucks for 3-hours. If you’re willing to walk a few blocks there’s also plenty of free parking available!

If you love bunny rabbits, you should for sure check out Sidewinder — when Violet is there. And if you don’t like bunny rabbits, you should probably go meet Violet anyway ’cause she’s super chill and maybe you’ll change your mind…and get some good coffee in the process!