Mazama Coffee Co.

On Mercer Street, a house-roasted coffee and a micro-bakery that still feels like someone's kitchen

When the craving is just a really good cup, Mercer Street is where locals point. Mazama Coffee Co. has been roasting its own beans in small batches since it opened in the fall of 2012, and the shop still runs the way it started — slow, warm, and a little too easy to linger in.

Why it's this week's craving. Some weeks you don't want a concept, you want coffee that's actually roasted down the street. Mazama's coffee is roasted in-house in its shop in historic, downtown Dripping Springs, responsibly sourced and ground fresh right before brewing. Add scratch-made syrups and a bakery case that turns over daily, and it's the kind of order that makes you forget you were in a hurry.

The story. The original owner left a high-tech career and moved her family to Dripping Springs, opening Mazama Coffee Co. in the fall of 2012 at the age of 47. The name comes from a small town in Eastern Washington where the family built a cabin, the only name everyone could agree on, and it means "mountain goat," which made it into the logo. The business expanded into coffee roasting in 2015, and in 2022 it changed hands: Lori Green, who started as a part-time barista at Mazama about a decade earlier, bought the shop from original owners Vicky and Bruce Lewis in September. She's kept the bones of the place intact while making it her own — she even has a cinnamon brown sugar syrup recipe she developed years ago after her son started asking for a cinnamon dolce like Starbucks sells.

The vibe. It's still a family operation at heart — "est. 2012," as the shop's own site puts it, built around a promise to keep providing the highest quality coffee in the heart of a growing community. The shop sits in historic downtown Dripping Springs, a bedroom community of Austin, with roughly 2,000 square feet that includes a cozy indoor area and a large outside patio. Expect regulars who know the baristas by name, laptops open at the corner tables, and a patio that fills up fast on weekend mornings.

What to order. Beyond whole-bean roasted coffee to take home, the shop offers organic teas, 100% juice smoothies, iced drinks, sandwiches and salads, plus a micro-bakery serving flaky pastries, muffins and cookies. Regulars steer newcomers toward the seasonal scone — soft as a cinnamon roll and perfectly spiced — along with the chicken salad sandwich and a straightforward Americano if you just want the roast to speak for itself. Breakfast tacos show up on the morning menu too, for the days you need more than a pastry.

Good to know. The shop also serves beer and wine alongside the coffee program, and free WiFi is available for anyone who wants to get some work done away from the house or office. Parking is in the rear, which matters on busy Mercer Street mornings.