When in need of a change of scenery, there is an amazing local spot which is perfect for an after school pick-me-up, Warrior Coffee. Less than a five-minute drive from Forge, this veteran-owned, local coffee shop, in the AmyClae Shopping Center is a great cafe to decompress after a long day. 

The second you walk in, you are met with what my sister describes as “friendly, industrial with service paraphernalia.” For someone like myself who has absolutely no clue what that means, she was referring to the walls covered in patches from various branches of service and the large golden coffee grinder sitting on the bar which is impossible to miss when you walk in. The hours for this shop are 8AM to 5PM on Mondays, 8AM to 7PM Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8AM to 8PM on Thursdays, 8AM to 9PM on Fridays and Saturdays, and finally, 9AM to 5PM on Sundays.

The calming, but friendly atmosphere makes Warrior Coffee the perfect place to go, grab a drink or snack, and study. They have a wide variety of seating such as, cafe chairs and tables or outside seating. They also have spinny, comfortable, lounge chairs, or a long table for family dining. The menus are on chalkboards hanging from the walls.

Not to overuse sayings, but good things come to those who wait and you get what you pay for. The service is a little slow for a coffee shop and the food is a bit pricey, but the quality is exceptional. The coffee selections are fairly expansive, with prices ranging anywhere from $5 to $10.

The food was mouth-watering. 

The 3-Cheese Panini ($8) was warm and crunchy; the perfectly toasted, crisp bread paired so well with the stringy cheese. The cheeses all worked so well together and gave the sandwich a certain level of complexity that is very rare. 

The Margarita Pizza did not look tasty, in fact quite the opposite. It looked hastily made with the cheese thrown on and barely baked. That being said however, what the Margarita Pizza ($7.50) lacks in appearance, it makes up for itself in taste. Between the crispy flatbread, the stringy cheese, and the bright acidic flavors coming from the fresh tomatoes, this pizza was a home run. It didn’t look appetizing, but the taste made up for it. 

Any good meal needs to be finished with some dessert. The profiterole cake, served by the slice ($5), was rich and decadent. The cake was topped with a cream-filled profiterole and chocolate covered puff pastry. There were many contrasting flavors from the cream and the mousse that blended well and gave the cake a very nice complex taste and texture. When you get through that, you are left with a layer of chocolate mousse that is absolutely delightful to eat. 

Warrior Coffee was an A+ experience that I will definitely be visiting again, and I suggest that you do the same.