Amore Coffee

It’s two blocks away. It’s local. The coffee is awesome, the food is comfort food and features local artisans, and they have live music, awesome staff and fawn over my puppies. I Amoré.

My first trip was a pleasant experience. The barista cared enough to remake my coffee just because she did not like the way it turned out. They were very friendly to the children with my party and the drinks that we ordered were delicious.

*2.5 stars actually, just right down the middle of the road*
I really want to like this place, but have just been continuously underwhelmed. Their food is really quite bad, always stale or prepackaged. I know its a coffee shop, but I appreciate at least a decent muffin or something! The service is ok, it seems like they direct almost all their energy to the regulars with little left for others, but it’s not terrible. The coffee is good, so that is a definite plus. Again, I want to like it and I want to patronize local businesses, which is why I have gone back about a dozen times over the 4.5 years I have lived within 5 blocks of it, but I think I’m just giving up now. There are a few other local and really great coffee shops a few minutes further that make it worth the extra drive.

Always a great experience. Service with a smile and the coffee is always delicious and piping hot! I usually get a soy latte but the café Vienna is superb as well!

The floor is slanted. The local art doesn’t seem to match. And, the music reminds of those sappy and cringe-​worthy teenie bopper shows like One Tree Hill and 7^th Heaven; however, as Jenny A wrote, «there’s something about this place.» Let me try to exactly figure out why I love this neighborhood joint:
+They have an excellent chai that’s not too sweet.
+My mac experienced the absolutely strongest wifi it’s ever connected to. If I still used an **legal MP3 downloading program, I would probably visit Amore Coffee periodically and use their wifi to «cop» some albums.
+The chairs don’t hurt your butt, which is super important for mobile workers like me.
+Can’t ask for a cleaner and more spacious bathroom than the one they have.
+There’s plenty of parking off of Annapolis Street West. (Smith Avenue South, perpendicular to Annapolis, seems to be the best option.)
+The barista that served me was all smiles.
Why isn’t a place like this next to my crib? Damn you, Minneapolis.

NO LONGER ALLOWS DOGS! That was the charm of this place for me, and now it’s just like every other coffee shop. :(

You must purchase at least $ 5 in product to use a credit/​debit card.
This is a great coffee shop in an eclectic area of West St. Paul. The service here is always spot-​on and the food/​drink are genuinely delicious and different than what you get at a chain.
We usually walk the two or so miles here for our drinks, and it makes for a very nice treat.
I absolutely love the chai in all forms. I got a mango smoothie this time, and it was right up there with what I get at Caribou.
We tell everyone about Amore because it’s nice to have a great neighborhood spot that makes you feel welcome, not that you’re customer number whatever.

Café Amore is one of the nicest coffee house interiors in the twin cities. The tall ceilings and funky back area French doors of this old drug store contribute to its charm and comfort. The coffee and espresso drinks are fine and comparable to all the other coffee places in the cities. Like other coffee places, the baked goods seem sourced, but ok. Still, it seems unfair to expect a coffee shop to to live up to the food in a bakery or diner. For a very nice place to sit down, and take in coffee in a gracious old room, Café Amore is a great spot.

Amore is a great little coffee shop. It is perfect spot for rainy days. My friend and I make a point to set aside a few hours every week to come up here to sip a cup of coffee, play a game of chess, and chat for a bit in the cozy little shop. Live music plays here on Fridays and Saturdays, which is always nice. The coffee itself is great, whether hot or iced.
The atmosphere is a strange blend of antiquated coziness and Internet café hipsterish-​ness. You can find beret-​wearing philosophy majors and Scrabble-​playing families alike enjoying the delicious coffee and welcoming atmosphere at Amore.
Great place, highly recommended!

Great coffee in a great neighborhood shop. Comfy variety of chairs in an atmosphere that feels like a family rec/​living room, in a good way. It’s like the «Cheers» of coffee joints, WSP style. Give it a try, man.

This place is very cozy and dog friendly. The coffee is wonderful. The people nice. But don’t get breakfast sandwich looks like something from a gas station fridge that they microwave — not so tasty.

Great! Nice Windows, comfy seating, good coffee. Community pumpkin carving, the works.

There’s something about this place… It has a particular kind of cozy feeling that I’ve yet to find in other coffee shops.
I don’t know if its the awkward mishmash of art on the walls combined with the out of place lighting, or maybe its the old beat up furniture that’s just the right amount of overly broken in. Whatever it is, sitting in Amore, sipping on a hot coffee feels like spending time in your childhood fort. It’s a comfortable getaway.
The décor here is, like I said, a mishmash. But it’s perfectly imperfect. It doesn’t have to match because the décor isn’t what they want you to revel in. Actually, I’m not sure it’s even the coffee they want you to revel in. I feel like they just want you to be there to hang out. To have somewhere to go.
They are a business, though, so you do really have to buy something. Really.
I’m not a fan of the food here. Granted, I’ve only had it twice. The first time was an over-​priced dry and skimpy sandwich. I hold judgement on the sandwich though because I believe the girl who made it was brand new and she was very flustered. The second was a bowl of broccoli cheese soup. The Soup was actually pretty good.
The baked goods have been kind of dry.
Food aside, I love walking in here and people are talking, reading, studying. Despite the free WiFi, it isn’t a shop full of drones staring into their computers and ignoring the world around them. Call me old school, but I like having to opportunity to talk to someone new. I don’t do it, but at least the opportunity is there.
My favorite spot here is at the table by the front door. The chairs are uneven and rickety, the table is too large for just two people to be sitting at it, but you get a great view of outside during the seasons, the window decorations during the holidays and bell on the door makes me happy when someone walks in. Yeah, that’s right, I have issues.
I never had the chance to go to the other Amore before it closed, but I am so thrilled that I get to call this one «my spot». I’d be heartbroken if this place ever left.

Just met the owner Cathy Hauser most excellent place a must visit in W St Paul… get the peach smoothie it’s extremely good!

I’m learning to love this place for what it is and not what I wish it could be.
Yes, it’s true; the food here still sucks. I don’t think it will ever improve.
An easy solution? Come thirsty with an otherwise full belly.
Since we’re in the middle of an eighteen month long winter around here, I’ve been ordering warm coffees for the most part.
The Vienna is superb and it has sort of become my ‘go to’ drink.
The Mocha Mallow, Raspberry White Mocha and Mexican Mocha are my other favorites from the coffee section. Get them large; the price difference is very weird (and laughable) between the small and large offerings – it’s literally like ten cents – and if they ask, get the whipped cream. Don’t listen to your waistline’s annoying protests.
But on one of the rare not-​so-​frigid days a week or so ago that I stupidly thought we might have entered spring, I ordered a drink off the cold menu. I had a raspberry Italian soda with a shot of cream and it was drool-​worthy.
There is a young woman that works there. If you walk in and see her (the other employees at the moment are male), you’re golden. She makes the absolute best coffees –ever– and the drinks ALWAYS taste delicious and the same every time you order them. I… I love her coffee making skills. My girlfriend and I always give one another a happy sideways grin when we walk in and she’s there.
We have spent many nights here playing scrabble (… WHAT OF IT?), sipping on hot coffees and listening to the live music they always have toward the end of the week.
If you’re into softer folky/​Ray LaMontagne (ish) style music, you’ll love the acts they have here.
Don’t set yourself up for failure and come here hungry. I feel oddly saying that about a place of which I’ve grown so fond but it’s true.
Just imagine that this place is the hot girlfriend that’s perfect in every way except for ripping ass on you every time the two of you spoon. Do you wish you could change it? Yep.
Will it change? Even Beano doesn’t work.
Will you keep coming back to her? Uh huh.

Literally around the corner from me. Nice change from the chain coffee shops. Decent coffee and my kids love the Italian sodas. We’ll keep stopping in on our evening walks.

The upside: friendly slightly quirky-​seeming baristas. Great lattes, lots of different seating options, cozy, and relaxed atmosphere. Open late which is not totally usual for this part of town.
The downside: a lot of the bakery items in their case are pre-​wrapped in saran wrap which makes me wonder how old they might be, or how processed.

This little gem was my most recent discovery! The Mandarin Orange Passion Fruit Smoothie was incredibly delicious, as was the cream cheese pumpkin muffin. I was quite happy to see that they proudly proclaimed that they were without high fructose corn syrup. I appreciate their efforts to be sustainable and progressive.

A good fit for this area, but a horrible parking corner for no good reason. Same good NY coffeecake, the mini red velvet cupcakes looked good. I had a butternut squash soup which was fantastic, a perfect flavor and consistency. I didn’t get a hot drink, but I always went for the hot chocolate. It was one of the best. I was an original regular at the first Amore. This place doesn’t have the coziness, and the lighting mostly comes from the sun if you sit in the right place. But if you’ve never had the pleasure before it’s demise, this location is a necessity, and has the edges of the original concept.

There’s a lot to like about Amore Coffee. Who wouldn’t appreciate in-​house rosted beans, those funky tin ceilings that seem so common in the Twin Cities, and a Donkey Kong cocktail cabinet? I know Billy Mitchell would nod his feathered mullet in approval. These were my initial impressions of Amore and it looked busy enough for a weekday midday crowd, so I was optimistic about this place. That optimism was short-​lived and I would ultimately leave disappointed.
I had come here looking for a fine cup of coffee and perhaps a light snack. The existing review for this location was good enough and Amore had received good press elsewhere. Even though this was a new location, I thought I had little to fear. I ordered a latte and a light plate of bread and cheese. During my wait, I peeked around the shop and noticed a gigantic box of vacuum-​packed biscotti being unpacked on one of the dining tables. It was clear that homemade goodies or ones provided by a local bakery were out of the equation. I wondered if I was going to regret my food order.
After a brief wait, I received my latte. Despite its cheerful yellow mug, the drink was a little sad-​looking as the steamed milk sat limply on top of the espresso. This was by no means an expert pour, but it wasn’t overly milky (a common mistake) and the coffee tasted good enough. I enjoyed a few sips until my food was ready.
My plate of bread and cheese was ready a few minutes after my coffee and I should have been thankful for the wait. I was a little dismayed to find a drab plate of stale supermarket bread, some processed-​looking cheddar slices and a wedge of inexpensive brie. Seeing that the cheddar wasn’t going to be worth the effort, I tried some of the brie. It was bland, but I was hungry, so I tried some more. I soon noticed a prominent bitter taste in my mouth. I fetched some water to wash it out, but the bitterness persisted. The cheese had gone rancid. I dumped the rest of my food in the trash. While there’s some promise here, this particular coffee shop needs to make some major improvement.