Every person on this island has an opinion about where to get coffee. And they will defend that opinion like it’s a property line dispute.
This is the question that starts fights at the beach chair line, divides families at rental houses, and has been known to determine which direction you turn off the causeway in the morning. It’s not really about coffee. It’s about loyalty. It’s about ritual. It’s about your LBI.
So we’re starting this series exactly where it should start — with the cup in your hand.
Welcome to North End, South End, or Mainland — a recurring series where we put three zones of island life side by side and let you decide which one gets your heart. (And your money. And your parking spot at 8 a.m. on a Saturday in July.)
The rules are simple: three picks per zone, no chains, no Dunkin’ debates. Just the spots that locals actually go back to — and why.
Let’s brew.
How You Brewin’ — Surf City & Barnegat Light
📍 8 Long Beach Blvd, Surf City (flagship)
If you’ve been coming to LBI for more than five minutes, you’ve been to How You Brewin’. The Surf City flagship is the largest coffee shop on the island — a full-service coffee bar, a café menu, a mocktail bar, and a quiet work section that actually stays quiet. It’s the unofficial town hall of the north end. Half the island’s summer plans have been made at those tables.
But the Barnegat Light location? That’s the one the regulars whisper about. Tucked into the Historic Viking Village, you’re drinking your coffee while fishing boats come and go in the harbor. Their signature Barnegat Light Blend is a light roast that tastes like the north end feels — bright, clean, and a little salty around the edges. It’s seasonal, so don’t sleep on it.
What to Order: Iced salted caramel latte at Surf City if you’re staying. Barnegat Light Blend to-go if you’re walking to the lighthouse.
Surfside Coffee House — Surf City
📍 1901 Long Beach Blvd, Surf City
Surfside is a 2004 original. No frills, no fuss, no credit cards — yes, it’s cash only, and yes, you will forget this and have to run to the ATM in your flip-flops. It happens to everyone at least once.
What keeps people coming back for two decades isn’t the ambiance (it’s a grab-and-go, not a lounge). It’s the award-winning breakfast burritos. The coffee is strong, the blended drinks are solid, and the smoothies and fresh juices round out the menu. But the burritos are why there’s a line out the door before the lifeguards are even in their chairs.
What to Order: Breakfast burrito + whatever coffee you want. You’re not here to overthink it. Bring cash.
Birdy’s Café & Artisan Market — Harvey Cedars
📍 6407 Long Beach Blvd, Harvey Cedars
Birdy’s is the north end’s best-kept secret, and it’s not really a secret anymore. It’s a café and a local artisan market rolled into one — craft coffee, homemade food, baked goods, and a marketplace stocked with products from local farms and makers, including Jersey-caught seafood.
The bayside views and indoor/outdoor seating make it the kind of place where you sit down for a coffee and leave two hours later with a loaf of bread, a bag of someone’s homemade granola, and a renewed appreciation for the north end’s quieter pace. It’s not just a coffee stop. It’s a whole morning.
What to Order: Coffee and whatever toast or pastry looks best that morning, then browse the market. You’ll buy something. Everyone does.
The Local Market & Kitchen — Ship Bottom
📍 604 Central Ave, Ship Bottom
The Local is the first coffee you can get after you cross the bridge — and a lot of people never make it any farther. It sits right at the foot of the causeway in Ship Bottom, and it’s been holding that spot down since 2016.
But calling it a coffee shop doesn’t really cover it. It’s a market, a kitchen, a bakery, and a café all sharing one beautiful, beachy space — white subway tile, reclaimed wood, and an Airstream parked out front that sets the tone before you even walk in. The coffee menu goes deep: nitro cold brews in flavors like Hawaiian Macadamia, specialty lattes like S’mores and Mexican Churro, plus the kind of baked goods and sandwiches that turn a quick coffee run into a full morning. They also stock local artisan products, prepared foods, and grab-and-go options for the beach.
It’s the south end’s most versatile coffee stop — whether you need a latte and a pastry at 7 a.m. or a sandwich and a cold brew at 2 p.m., The Local has you covered.
What to Order: Hawaiian Macadamia nitro cold brew if you want to feel like you’re on vacation. S’mores latte if you already are.
Guapo’s Coffee House — Beach Haven
📍 106 N Bay Ave, Beach Haven
Guapo’s showed up in 2023 and immediately became the south end’s “it” coffee spot. Small-batch specialty coffee, artisan toasts, a full juice and baked goods menu — and a rooftop deck with Beach Haven views that makes you wonder why every coffee shop doesn’t have one.
But here’s the real reason Guapo’s wins the internet every summer: it’s dog-friendly in all outdoor areas, they serve pup cups, and they’ll photograph your dog for their iconic dog wall. If your golden retriever has more Instagram followers than you do, this is your place.
What to Order: Iced coffee on the rooftop with your dog. Order a toast. Get the photo for the wall.
Cool Beans LBI — Beach Haven
📍 830 N Bay Ave, Beach Haven (Bay Village)
Cool Beans has been in Beach Haven since 1993. Let that sink in — this family-owned spot has been serving coffee on this island for over thirty years. Before the cold brew craze, before oat milk, before anyone was putting lavender in a latte, Cool Beans was here, quietly roasting and pouring.
The menu is old-school in the best way: French Roast, Italian Espresso, and flavored options like Almond Biscotti, Cinnamon Hazelnut, Hawaiian Surprise, and — trust me on this one — Whiskey Barrel. It’s cozy, it’s personal, and the staff actually knows what they’re doing because they’ve been doing it for three decades.
What to Order: French Roast if you’re a purist. Whiskey Barrel if you want to know what thirty years of flavor experimentation tastes like.
Yellow Dog Coffee Roasters — Manahawkin
📍 420 N Main St, Manahawkin
Every great coffee story starts somewhere weird. Yellow Dog’s starts with a popcorn maker.
Owner Dave Smithman — a Barnegat native living in Manahawkin — started roasting beans at home in 2019, selling to friends and family. He grew it through farmers markets, wholesale, and a coffee trailer called “The Coffee Can” before opening this brick-and-mortar storefront. The company is named after his yellow Lab, Oakley, because the dog “seemed to embody our message perfectly — appreciate the little things, enjoy the company of family and friends, and love the outdoors.”
If that doesn’t sound like an LBI business, I don’t know what does. Yellow Dog roasts on-site, offers a full espresso menu with seasonal specialties, and the vibe is genuinely warm — not curated warm, actually warm. It’s dog-friendly, too. (Obviously.)
What to Order: Ask what’s freshly roasted that day. Grab a bag of beans to take home. You’ll be back.
Agnello’s Café — Manahawkin
📍 657 E Bay Ave, Unit 2, Manahawkin
Agnello’s is the one that bridges the island and the mainland — they’ve got locations in Barnegat Light and Harvey Cedars, too, but the Manahawkin café has become its own thing. Organic, fair-trade espresso. Sandwiches on homemade sourdough that people drive out of their way for. House-made syrups in flavors like Earl Grey, sea salt, and blueberry vanilla.
The vibe is clean and intentional without being pretentious. Reviewers rave about the iced Fredo and the pistachio vanilla latte. The breakfast sandwiches — especially the bacon, egg, and cheese with bacon jam on sourdough — have developed a quiet cult following.
What to Order: Iced Fredo + the bacon jam breakfast sandwich on sourdough. Don’t argue with me. Just order it.
GNM Coffee Shop — Barnegat
📍 237 S Main St, Barnegat
Technically Barnegat, but right in the mainland corridor and very much part of the Manahawkin-area coffee conversation. GNM is the one with the gnomes. Yes, gnomes. The whole café is decorated with whimsical gnome decor, which sounds like a lot until you’re sitting there with a churro latte topped with an actual churro, and suddenly it all makes sense.
The menu is creative without trying too hard — marshmallow lattes, smoked salmon toast, homemade cinnamon buns, and solid avocado toast. There’s indoor and outdoor seating, the staff is friendly, and the whole place feels like someone opened the coffee shop they actually wanted to hang out in. That’s the best kind.
What to Order: Churro latte. It comes with a churro on top. That’s it. That’s the move.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Because nine picks was never going to be enough and my inbox would never recover if I didn’t mention these two.
The Coffee Bouteaque — 325 9th St, Beach Haven A boutique coffee shop tucked inside a boutique — La Colombe coffee, Oliver Pluff teas, fresh baked goods, and mermaid-themed everything (shirts, mugs, beer glasses). It’s the kind of place that feels like a girlfriend texted you “meet me here” and you instantly understood why. If you’re not a coffee person, the tea selection alone is worth the stop.
The Mermaid Room — 1920 Long Beach Blvd, Ship Bottom Same boutique-meets-coffee-bar concept, different location. The Mermaid Room lives inside Beach Barn Boutique in Ship Bottom, also serves La Colombe and Oliver Pluff, and is run by a local LBI family. The specialty lattes (the turmeric is a fan favorite) are worth the detour, and you’ll leave with at least one thing you didn’t come in for. That’s the boutique magic.
So… Where Do You Stand?
Here’s the thing about the coffee question on LBI: there’s no wrong answer. The north end people will swear by their spot. The south end people already have a table with their name on it. And the mainland crew knows something the rest of the island is just starting to figure out — some of the best cups are across the bridge.
But I want to hear it from you. Where do you get your coffee? Are you a How You Brewin’ loyalist? A Cool Beans lifer? Did Yellow Dog just change your morning routine?
Drop it in the comments. Tag the friend who gets unreasonably passionate about this. And if you think I missed your spot — tell me. This is a series. There’s always next time.
See you over the bridge.
This is the first post in the North End, South End, or Mainland series on South of Old Barney — where we put LBI’s best side by side and let you pick your favorite. New installments drop regularly. Want them delivered straight to your inbox?
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