Concealed behind a gift shop sits a café for all your mood swings. Dog owners rejoice, not only does The Crislip Café in Saint Petersburg, welcome people… but dogs as well! This dimly lit café is filled with artwork from the walls, to the furniture you rest on. They offer Coffee and Espresso (phew, thank goodness), Baked Goods/ Dessert, Wine & Craft Beer, Breakfast, and Beverages. The Crislip Café does a wonderful job at bringing the community together. Before visiting this café, I’d never seen a community sketchbook. This sketchbook, filled with the sketches of its visitors, finds its way to a new table every day. Not only that– but they have board games for their customers as well! A great way to spend time with your family with your cup of coffee– or to make a new friend.
Inspired by popular songs, The Crislip Café has a Specialty Espresso menu dedicated to just that. The cups come in three sizes. Small (12 oz), medium (16 oz), and large (20 oz)– and of course you can’t forget the mugs! They have cute mugs for those of you sitting in, as well as the usual to-go cups. For those of you on a plant-based diet, this artsy café doesn’t offer many options… but they do have dairy-free milk alternatives if espresso is what you’re after! And always remember: Never exceed 5 shots of espresso a day for a healthy heart. Now, for the moment we’ve all been waiting for (cue drumroll)… the specialty drinks!
- The Crislip (because you can’t have a specialty drink without supporting your own small business!)
- A creme brulee latte with vanila, caramel, and toasted raw sugar topping.
- Light My Fire
- S’mores inspired mocha with dark chocolate, torched marshmallows, and graham cracker crumbs.
- Taste of Honey
- Latte with local honey, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Voodoo Child
- Activated charcoal latte with espresso, activated charcoal, and steamed milk.
- Black Magic Woman
- Mayan inspired mocha, with cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, dark chocolate, and whipped cream.
- Whole Lotta Latte
- Latte with caramel, dark chocolate, white chocoalte, whipped cream, and cocoa powder.
- White Rabbit
- White chocolate coconut mocha with white chocolate, coconut syrup, and whipped cream.
- Purple Rain
- Lavendar latte with local honey, lavendar syrup, topped with lavendar buds.
- Tennessee Whiskey
- Bourbon Maple latte with bourbon maple syrup & local honey.
- Raspberry Beret
- Dark chocolate mocha with raspberry syrup and raspberries.
- Snowbird (inspired by our Florida “snowbirds”)
- White chocolate mocha with shortbread cookie syrup sprinkled with powdered sugar (snow).
Remember the sketchbook? Here it is! Every page of this book is filled with artwork from visitors who stopped by The Crislip Café, but don’t worry, there’s still space within those pages for your special piece. If you’re not much of an artist and choose not to leave your mark, you could always support your local artists instead with this café’s sister and adjoining art gallery, The Merchant. The Merchant carries over 80 local artists, makers, and craftspeople from across Florida. What’s better than drinking your cup of java and strolling through artwork?
The Crislip Café prides itself on sourcing from local and ethical businesses. This café makes sure to only serve organic coffees that are apart of the “Café Femenino” project, dedicated to enhance the lives of women coffee farmers, ending the cycle of poverty and abuse. This café is open everyday from 10am-6pm. Come support an ethical and locally sourced small business! Happy New Year!