Today’s Coffee Spot was a chance discovery that Amanda and I made following a short hike at Diana’s Baths, a beauty spot in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Amanda spotted Frontside Coffee Roasters as we drove through North Conway on our way there, so we decided to call in on our way back, expecting nothing more than somewhere warm to have a late lunch. Instead we found a wonderful coffee shop, roasting and serving some exceptional single-origin coffees.

Frontside has been in its current location on White Mountain Highway, the main drag through North Conway, for ten years, although it’s been in existence in one form or another for over twenty. Occupying a large, corner plot, there’s a small parking lot at the back (behind which is the roastery) while there’s a large outdoor seating area off to the right with plenty more seating inside.

All the coffee is roasted in-house with two options on espresso (one blend, one single-origin), another blend on batch brew, plus two single-origins on pour-over. Naturally, all the beans are available to buy in retail bags. If you’re hungry, Frontside offers a selection of breakfast biscuits, a range of bagels and plenty of cake.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

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Frontside Coffee Roasters is on the corner with Kearsarge Road, just across White Mountain Highway from the Conway Scenic Railroad. My first inkling that we were onto something special came when I spotted the roastery behind the parking lot. Peeking through the window, it just had that look about it.

Frontside occupies a standalone, single-storey building that was probably once two units. To the right, a large, fenced-off outdoor seating area extends from the front of Fireside to the pavement, wrapping around the right-hand side to provides access to the parking lot. In all, there are about a dozen tables, each seating between two and four people. To the left, a wide path leads to the double doors in the middle of Frontside, while to the left of that, another pair of tables stand on the broad pavement.

Frontside is similarly split inside. You enter via a large, glass-walled foyer into the left-hand part. This has retail shelves, the counter and most of the seating, the remainder in a smaller section to the right, which has a separate door to the outdoor seating area. Clever use of standalone retail shelving and other furnishings create distinct seating areas, separating customers from those ordering at the counter, no doubt a response to COVID-19. This results in a clear path from the doors to the enclosed counter at the back, where you order and collect your food (kitchen to the left) and drinks (right-hand side of the counter).

The first seating area is on the left, behind two tall, standalone retail units, packed with merchandising and retail bags of coffee. A three-person window-bar runs the full width of the window at the front, while two four-person tables line the left-hand wall, with a pair of two-person tables against the retail shelves. Finally, in the back, left-hand corner, two low armchairs share a small coffee table.

The second, smaller seating area is to the right, occupying the front half of the shop. There’s a two-person table on the left, next to the door, with a two- and four-person table against a box seat that runs under the window at the front. Finally, a pair of sofas face each other across a low coffee table in back, right-hand corner.

Frontside offers pre-made breakfast sandwiches on (American) biscuits, with various combinations of egg, cheese, bacon and sausage as fillings. Then there are the bagels, with four types on offer, which can be had toasted with a range of toppings, or a variety of fillings. Finally, there’s the soup of the day, plus, of course, plenty of cakes and pastries.

Frontside has a variety of drinks, including draft beer, smoothies, iced tea, flavoured lattes and cold brew, although the real draw is the (hot) coffee. During our visit, the Workin’ Mans’ Spro was on espresso, along with a naturally-processed Ethiopia Sidamo. This was also on pour-over through the V60, along with a Costa Rica Tarrazu, while the Frontside Blend was on batch brew.

I love comparing the same coffee through different preparation methods, so when Amanda ordered the Ethiopia Sidamo as a pour-over, I had it as an espresso. This turned out to a well-rounded, complex shot with plenty of body, particularly for a such light roast, while the pour-over had the same rich complexity (Amanda really liked it, by the way).

We each had a bagel, the Lox for Amanda (smoked salmon, cream cheese) and avocado for me, which was really good, but was a little heavy on the pepper, leaving my mouth tingling afterwards and leaving me relieved that I’d drunk my espresso first!

December 2021: Frontside Coffee Roasters was a runner-up for the 2021 Most Unlikely Place to Find a Coffee Spot Award.

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