Life with kids often means interrupted sleep and early wake-ups, making coffee a necessity to make it through the day. Thankfully, Indianapolis has some great local coffee shops that are also kid-friendly, so parents can get their caffeine kick while the kids are entertained. Here are some of the best coffee shops in Indy that are also great for families.
Kid-Friendly Coffee Shops in Indianapolis
Best Friends Coffee and Bagels
1060 E. Main St., Brownsburg
Best Friends Coffee and Bagels in Brownsburg is a kid-friendly coffee and bagel shop that serves an eclectic menu of tasty and fun breakfast and lunch offerings on the westside. You’ll find a Bagel Flight on the menu, which includes four bagel halves that you can customize from a list of fun bagel flavors and topping combos. For the ultimate sugar rush, try some of Best Friends’ more extreme and kid-approved creations, like a bagel with strawberry cream cheese topped with Oreo cookies. Hang out for a while in the nook that has couches, tables and a bookshelf of games and books.
Doughnuts & Dragons
3838 E 82nd St, Indianapolis
Doughnuts & Dragons is a great family-friendly place to enjoy some sweets and play some games with the kiddos. Located in the Clearwater Crossing shopping center on Indianapolis’ north side, Doughnuts & Dragons offers a wide range of artisanal donuts — think flavors like blueberry-filled lemon basil, cannoli and Butter Beer (hello, Harry Potter!) — as well as coffee and locally produced kombucha. For the adults, the beverage choices also include more than a dozen different beers on tap, as well as a large wine list.
Hitherto Coffee & Gaming Parlour
1558 N. State St., Greenfield
Step inside Greenfield’s Hitherto Coffee & Gaming Parlour, and you’ll enter a relaxing and engaging hybrid cafe, operating as both a full-service specialty coffee and tea shop as well as an extended retail selection of tabletop board gaming. Hitherto offers French press, drip and pour overs, a traditional espresso-based drink menu including all the classics, plus housemade syrups. Kids enjoy frappes and smoothies: cotton candy, orange dreamsicle, frozen hot chocolate, horchata and more.
Nine Lives Cat Cafe
1315 Shelby St., Suite 1, Indianapolis
If you want to enjoy your coffee along with some kitty cuddles, Nine Lives Cat Cafe is your place. Located in the heart of Fountain Square in Indianapolis, Nine Lives serves up a menu that includes coffee drinks and locally sourced sweet treats. But what really makes this place magical is that, for a small fee, you can enter the kitty quarters and sit with and pet some furry creatures.
Our Place Coffee
65 S. 1st St., Zionsville
Our Place Coffee’s tagline boasts that it is the place for family, and it’s true. Along with offering kid-sized beverages and non-coffee options like hot cocoa and steamed milk, they also support the special needs community. A good portion of the staff at Our Place Coffee has a disability or special needs — the owners want to create an environment where everyone can build job skills and get experience in the workplace.
Porter Books and Bread
5719 Lawton Loop E Dr., Indianapolis
Porter Books & Bread is tucked within Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park, and is a cozy and welcoming place for all ages. The two-story, book-lined coffee shop features locally roasted nitro coffee on tap, as well as a breakfast and lunch menu that includes sandwiches with literary names, like The Sun Also Rises, the Tolstoy and the Mr. Darcy.
Prufrock Coffee Company
5168 N. College Ave., Indianapolis
Dreamed up by two working moms, Prufrock Coffee Company in SoBro is eclectic and cozy, with two levels of funky vintage furniture, house plants, a fireplace, and a menu featuring local coffee and food. The downstairs area is where you’ll find a play space for kids, and tables where parents can set up their laptops and work while their child plays.
Rose + Lois
7249 E. 146th St., Carmel
Rose & Lois is a dream for coffee enthusiasts with littles. The café is nestled at the corner of 146th Street and Community Drive in Carmel. It features indoor and outdoor seating, a very entertaining children’s play area and a drive-thru window. Their mission is to “Inspire, uplift and bring delight to humanity through the vehicle of exceptionally crafted beverages served with promptness in a clean and beautiful setting.”
Schoolhouse 7 Cafe
12125 Cyntheanne Rd., Fishers
Formerly a one-room schoolhouse, Schoolhouse 7 Cafe in Fishers is a welcoming place for families. Along with coffee and hot chocolate, Schoolhouse 7 offers delicious family recipes, like Sally Jo’s sausage souffle and Grandma Jean’s chocolate cake, as well as kid-friendly goodies like cake pops, cupcakes, muffins and more. Venture upstairs and you’ll find a play area with toys and books for kids, which also serves as the meeting place for storytime events that the cafe puts on.
