You may already be familiar with Coastal Roasters in Tiverton or Coffee Grinder in Newport.

I know I was. I had, in fact, featured both as part of an overview about cafes or coffee houses in Rhode Island with water views a few years back.

Thought I was donesville with the topic until the other day when I took a wrong turn en route to the Gansett area (filed under those times when you get cocky and think you have no need for the Maps app) and ended up at Java Madness on Salt Pond Road in Wakefield, overlooking the Salt Pond Marina.

I was intrigued. Also, it was around 3 in the afternoon and since I’d had mostly salad for lunch, I was practically starving, so I decided to go in and grab some coffee and a nosh.

I ordered a latte (When the young woman behind the counter told me they had oat milk for my latte, I was thrilled. For the record, any time I find a place that offers milk options beyond dairy I’m impressed. It really speaks to their being able to get with the times.) and a wild blueberry scone (which always makes me feel vaguely English even though I’m most likely descended from pea pickers in Italy…or so one of my mother’s brothers found out when he tried having the family geneology done during a trip there some 40 years ago).

Once my order was ready, I anxiously surveyed my seating options.

Walking in the door, I’d thought the interior was tiny, with only maybe a few chairs and tables.

And at that point, no one looked as though they had any intention of vacating the premises.

I soon discovered, however, that there was a whole other room off to the side with twinkle lights, local art on the walls (photo above), and several small groups deep in conversation, not to mention some guy on a laptop who looked like he was working on a screenplay or something. (There’s at least one in every cafe, am I right?)

It was all very cozy, especially on such a grey, chilly December day.

The details that really captured my attention, though, were the outside seating (photo below) and a side deck.

They are why I say this is most definitely a spot to bookmark for Spring and Summer 2020 in Rhode Island. I mean, I can imagine taking someone there for coffee and pastry on a beautiful, sunny day and their being seriously wow’ed.

I personally cannot wait to go back and sit outside with a cuppa coffee come May or June. Or maybe for one of their “live music” Sunday nights during the month of January.