Asbury Park is a seaside hub with vibrant beach days, a competitive bar scene, eclectic restaurants, public art, and plenty of music. With so much to see and do, a caffeine fix is ​​often a must, so one of Asbury’s many coffee purveyors is an essential stop. Take the eponymous Asbury Park Roastery, conveniently located in Convention Hall. The Art of the Bean and Leaf serves as Cookman’s coffeehouse year-round. Surfers and startup bros alike favor downtown’s Café Volan, while Lola’s draws a night owl, serving dessert coffee with a splash of booze.

However, if you’re looking for something new and different, why not check out one of the lesser-known cafes in the Asbury area? Not only do these primarily female-run establishments serve unusual flavors, but their storefronts are a little unconventional, too. Whether attached to a mobile cart that moves seasonally between a row of up-and-coming businesses or behind rows of flowers and ceramics, these hidden coffee counters promise both surprise and delight.

Get ahead of the crowds and visit these hidden cafes before they get overrun by the crowds.

Tip: Check social media for the latest opening hours.

GOLD RUSH

@goldrushtaps

berth: 719 Bangs Ave., Off Main Street

command: Egyptian-inspired latte specialties (hot or iced)

Katie and Abdullah were regulars at the Asbury Fresh market with their Goldrush Taps stand before opening their storefront on June 1. Located in the former AP Greenery building, Goldrush is the golden love child of a couple with ties to both Asbury and Egypt. This is evident in both the menu and the support of the local community, who are drawn to the store’s sunny yellow facade like a beacon.

The interior is simple, with a single table and a few bar stools—usually adorned with flowers from neighboring florist Harley Rose. But the cafe’s offerings are tantalizingly complex. An Egyptian baklava latte is made with pistachio syrup, as well as cinnamon, cardamom, and cane sugar, while Fast Break uses turmeric and cinnamon to complement its salted date syrup. (The Ramadan fast is typically broken with dates, hence the name.) Not a big espresso fan? You can also ask for one of the specialty lattes made with matcha, chai, or hojicha tea. Don’t forget to add cold foam for just $0.50 extra.

Calling all boba lovers: The menu also includes a variety of fruit and milk teas with tapioca pearls or tangy jellies. And as if that wasn’t enough, this small but mighty shop serves its popular rice pudding alongside other Egyptian dishes to-go and a rotating bakery counter with sweets like brown sugar milk bread and homemade pop tarts. Craving something hot and savory? The menu includes bone broth from Local Urban Kitchen.

Less adventurous palates will appreciate Nitro Cold Brew or a cappuccino. A small drip coffee costs just $2.

STEADY HAND

@steadyhandcafe

berth: 408 7^th Ave., seasonally located by the pool of the Hotel St. Laurent

command: Espresso and tonic

Encouraging others to “have an unusual coffee,” Ashley Burk launched her new venture, Steady Hand Café & Collective, in 2021 with a semi-permanent location at Cat’s Luck Vegan in Neptune City. Over the past year, Burk has found success in two unusual locations in Asbury that change with the seasons. During the summer months, Steady Hand maintains a very pretty courtyard above the pool, just inside the back gate of the St. Laurent Hotel. (Last winter, Steady Hand operated out of a very cozy space at R Bar on Main Street.)

Although it feels like a secret garden, Steady Hand is open to the public without having to be a hotel guest or a regular at the pool or restaurant. That’s great news for anyone whose taste buds get bored easily, because coffee flavors—and colors—are constantly being refreshed. At the time of publication, the special is “It’s Corn!”, inspired by Jersey sweet corn, accompanied by espresso, condensed and oat milk. If you drink with your eyes (or just want a flirty picture for the Insta story), iced lattes like the Blue Jasmine are a pastel-colored wonderland.

Another perfectly refreshing but unusual option that you should definitely try before you splurge is the cold espresso with tonic. The citrus notes of lemon or orange (or the flavor of the day) and the quinine of the tonic go perfectly with the bitterness of the espresso – trust us! Or rather, trust the steady hands of Burk, who, like a Willy Wonka made of caffeine, seems to constantly have a thought bubble above her head, dreaming of her next wonderful invention.

Do you need another reason to love the coffee here? It comes exclusively from female coffee farmers.

BLOOMBAR

@bloombarflowermarket

berth: 407 Spier Ave., just over the bridge, in Allenhurst

command: Treat yourself to a Matcha Latte Float

Is it a flower shop? A boutique? A cafe? Why choose when you can have all three. It’s true that Bloom Bar has two other eye-catching locations, with another cafe in Long Branch and a flower market in Oakhurst. But less than a mile from Asbury Park in the tiny town of Allenhurst, you’ll find a pink and blue Parisian-style storefront that seems like an enchanting mirage. The hidden location has an equally charming name: Bloom Bar Café et Fleur.

“We value the customer experience and treat everyone like family, which is why customers keep coming back,” says founder and owner Heleyne Mishan-Tamir in a video from Bloom Bar’s Instagram account. “When you walk into one of our stores, you’re immediately swept away; it’s an immersive experience that combines flowers, gifts and an artisanal cafe.”

A visit to this floral cafe truly offers more than just an iced latte; it’s an aesthete’s feast, with a flood of delicate bouquets that mix the scent of flowers with that of glass candles and brewed coffee. Handmade ceramics and other carefully crafted pottery from various artisans are on display. It’s a place that invites you to stop for a moment and browse.

But of course there are drinks too. Bloom Bar specializes in matcha (finely ground green tea), which the shop says has cult status. The menu offers no fewer than seven varieties of hot or iced matcha, from coconut to lavender, plus imaginative twists like an espresso-soaked matcha ice cream affogato. Because why not infuse your frozen dessert with delicious caffeine? If you’re not a matcha fanatic, there are plenty of other options, including a whole selection of chai, trendy hojicha, and plenty of traditional coffee.

“It’s a destination to come together, explore and escape into the beauty of all things – and that’s the feeling we want you to have,” says Mishan-Tamir.

THE COFFEE HOUSE IN GRAY STREET

@graystreetcoffeehouse

berth: 415 Spier Ave., next to Bloom Bar in Allenhurst

command: Food for coffee

With the opening only taking place on June 27th, it’s no wonder this new cafe is still a well-kept secret. Located in a pretty grey house of the same name, Gray Street Coffeehouse is still a bit of a mystery, which is reason enough to try it out for yourself.

When Pat Trama and the team at a Tuscan Italian restaurant (in this case, Trama’s Trattoria in Long Branch) open a cafe, you won’t want to leave without trying the food. So far, according to their social media accounts, the menu preview includes a “broken” baby burratta toast, a fig honey toast, Mediterranean eggs, coleslaw and “so much more.”

Initial photos convey a chic, simple and modern space with small wooden tables for eating or working and a pour-over coffee bar. “Designed by a team of artists from the worlds of culinary, marketing, surfing and music, The Gray Street is based on authenticity and social impact, where ideas and creativity are always flowing,” says a statement on the website.