February can be tricky in Newport. A lot of businesses hit pause after Christmas and New Year’s, and others are open but have limited hours of operation. We found this out first-hand yesterday when we realized that a couple of our favorite spots were closed. When it came time for tasty coffee and hot chocolate (and baked goods…lemon poppy seed muffins all around), though, Empire Tea & Coffee on Bellevue Avenue had our backs!

We had planned to tour some of the lesser known NPT Preservation Society properties, but ended up getting drinks at Empire and walking the side streets in that neighborhood instead.

And hey, they also had oat milk for my latte. (If a restaurant or cafe offers multiple non-dairy milk options these days, they earn my gratitude and more often than not, my loyalty. I continue to be dumbfounded by those who don’t, that’s all I’m saying.)

One of their five coffee-houses in and around Newport County (Let’s ponder their growth for a moment, shall we? Especially given the continuing popularity of certain national coffee chains in the OS.), their Bellevue location is a bright take on modern meets clean rustic. That being said, it’s no wonder then that they were hopping yesterday, packed with laptoppers, friend groups, and couples who looked as though they were probably on coffee dates.

PS ~ I also feel like each of their shops has a different energy and aesthetic. Take the one over on Broadway for example. It’s only a short stroll from the one we visited yesterday, but it might as well be worlds away. For starters, style wise, it’s much funkier and old school-ish with an extensive selection of local art (for sale) displayed throughout.

So, next time you’re taking a personal day in NPT (The water journey at the Bodhi Spa’s awesome and I hear the spa at Gurney’s is next level.) or you just find yourself in the area and in need of a coffee and snack break, think about changing up your regular routine and adding Empire to your itinerary.

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