As a full-time college student, there is nothing that I hate more than studying. I get distracted easily, procrastinate, and can’t stay off my phone. However, through my time here at URI, I have learned that I get my best work done in coffee shops. The caffeine, cozy atmosphere, and white noise allows me to focus. For this reason, I made it my mission to find the best coffee shops for students in the URI area. To do this, I used the following criteria and rated each category out of five: atmosphere, seating, coffee and food, and WiFi. One being the worst and five being the best, I looked for coffee shops with a warm and cozy atmosphere that wasn’t too distracting for getting work done, lots of seating, affordable coffee and food that actually tastes good, and fast Wifi. Here is what I found:
1. Audrey’s Coffee House & Lounge
Located on 60 S County Commons Way, South Kingstown, RI. Audrey’s Coffee House & Lounge is less than 15 minutes away from URI’s campus. Founded by “Bachelorette” cast member Jared Haibon and his wife, former “Bachelor” cast member Ashley Laconetti, this Bachelor themed coffee house is a cozy environment for URI students. The coffee house consists of fast WiFi and lots of study space. There are couches, lounge chairs, hightops, and seating along the walls that have easy access to outlets. It also has low lighting with a brown and black color scheme so nothing is too distracting. My only complaint was that the music was too loud, which is the only reason why I didn’t rate the atmosphere as 5/5. Overall, my favorite part about Audreys is the environment and my least favorite…the coffee. Although Audreys offers a wide variety of coffee options, my caffeine-fix was not satisfied by the time I left.
My overall ratings for Audreys’s Coffee House & Lounge
Atmosphere: 4/5
Seating: 5/5
Coffee and Food: 2/5
WiFi: 5/5
2. BRU RI
Located on 56 Fortin Rd, Kingston, RI. Bru is right next to the emporium and already a favorite among URI students. The best part about Bru is their accessibility and is the perfect spot for students living on campus. The WiFi is fast and there are a lot of seating options. My favorite part about Bru is the little room in the back. It is cozy, quiet, and has a big table for group study sessions. Because of Bru’s location and popularity, when I went it was pretty busy and loud which was distracting. For this reason, I think that Bru is a better spot for group projects or group study sessions rather than trying to do homework or study on your own. Bru also offers a large selection of coffees on tap and has many different food options (I recommend The Hangover bagel)!
My overall ratings for Bru RI
Atmosphere: 3/5
Seating: 5/5
Coffee and Food: 5/5
WiFi: 5/5
3. Cool Beans
Cool Beans is the farthest coffee shop that I visited and is located on 18 Kingstown Rd, Narragansett, RI. about 20 minutes away from campus. Cool Beans is a great option for students who live off campus. Despite being small, Cool Beans offers a decent amount of seating. When I visited, it was not very busy and I was able to snag a spot on the couch. The atmosphere was perfect for getting work done, although I did wish that it was a little bigger. During peak hours it would definitely be cramped which could be distracting. For this reason, I recommend either coming alone or with one other person because the space did not allow much room for group study sessions. Overall Cool Beans had a very positive atmosphere and the WiFi was fast.
My overall ratings for Cool Beans
Atmosphere: 5/5
Seating: 3/5
Coffee and Food: 5/5
WiFi: 5/5
4. TLC Coffee Roasters
Last but certainly not least is TLC, located on 362 Kingstown Rd, West Kingston, RI. TLC is a 3 minute drive from campus. Out of all of the coffee shops that I visited, TLC is definitely the smallest. The room consists of three long tables and some smaller ones in the back of the room. The atmosphere was very welcoming and the decor was cozy. The dark browns and blues were very comforting. However, I could not get much work done in the small space. The coffee is do-it-yourself so it was very difficult to focus as everyone was making their own coffee. This is also one of the reasons why I knocked the coffee and food down a couple points because I would have preferred to have my coffee made for me. TLC does have picnic tables outside, but again it wasn’t ideal for getting work done. Overall, TLC is more of a hangout spot for students rather than a study space.
My overall ratings for TLC Coffee Roasters:
Atmosphere: 5/5
Seating: 2/5
Coffee and Food: 3/5
WiFi: 5/5
Hi everyone! My name is Liv Mott and I am from Cheshire, Connecticut. I’m a senior communications and public relations major with a minor in writing and rhetoric. On campus, I am also involved in Greek Life. When I am not writing or watching the sunset with my sisters, I am probably going on long car rides and exploring Rhode Island with a Starbucks pumpkin spice cold brew in hand. I love the beach and even in the winter, I can be found eating a Cool Beans acai bowl in the Narragansett Town Beach parking lot. This is my first semester as a blog writer for Campus Rec and I am super excited to share my voice with the Rhody community!