I came across Bellwood Coffee, a West Atlanta roaster, at Tuesday Coffee + Shoppe in Marietta over the summer. That led me to discover that Bellwood also had a coffee shop inside a plant shop in East Atlanta Village. Even better, from my point of view, Bellwood had opened a second shop in June 2021, inside the lobby of the 1776 Peachtree office building just a few blocks from Atlanta’s Peachtree Station, where I would be arriving by train from New York City on Monday morning.

1776 Peachtree is a large, modern office building, towering over its neighbours on the west side of Peachtree Road NW. It’s hard to miss, although at first sight it’s not obvious that it houses a speciality coffee shop. I knew where I was going, but had to go up to the main doors before spotting a small sign for Bellwood Coffee. You could easily walk past without ever knowing it was there, which would be a shame, since you would be missing a gem. Bellwood serves its signature espresso, The Reservoir, from a standard menu with its seasonal decaf as an alternative, while there’s also batch brew and cold brew, plus cakes and sandwiches for breakfast/lunch.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

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When Amanda and I last made the journey from New York to Atlanta by train, just before the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, there were no conveniently-located coffee shops near Peachtree Station. This time I was travelling solo, with Amanda coming to pick me up, which made Bellwood Coffee such a great find, providing a convenient place to meet Amanda, as well as having excellent coffee to hand while I waited.

As well as being conveniently-located for the train station, 1776 Peachtree is also on the 110 bus route and just north of the sprawling I-75/I-85 interchange. If you’re coming by car (and let’s face it, most of you will be) you can park for free (just get the barista to validate your ticket).

The main entrance to 1776 Peachtree is set well back from the street, accessed via a flight of broad, shallow steps. There are a couple of tables in the shade of the extended porch to the right of the door, but if you step inside, you’ll find that you have the whole lobby (which runs down the centre of the building, all the way to the back) at your disposal. There are more than 70 seats in all, ranging from armchairs and sofas all the way to more conventional tables, with many of the seats having power and all with access to the building’s free Wifi.

Bellwood Coffee is towards the back, on the right-hand side, next to the elevators to the north tower. The main part of the counter which faces forwards, occupies the space between the wall of the lobby to the right and one of the regular square pillars which support the ceiling to the left. There’s a set of retail shelves to the right, while to the left, an extension of the counter runs back a little way from the pillar, with seating provided by a short row of high-backed bar chairs. Alternatively, opposite the counter at the front, are three tall, round two-person tables, which is where I sat, feeling connected with the coffee shop, although I could have gone anywhere in the lobby.

While its customers are predominantly the tenants of 1776 Peachtree, Bellwood Coffee is open to the general public and the staff would be delighted to see you (although I’m not sure that they’ve had many passengers just off the train from New York). Make no mistake, this is a fully-fledged speciality coffee shop, the offering centred around Bellwood’s The Reservoir, with a commendably short menu featuring espresso, Gibraltar (think cortado), cappuccino and latte, which is the largest drink Bellwood does.

There’s also batch brew, currently featuring the Kick the Can blend, cold brew and a range a teas from Milwaukee’s Rishi Tea. If you’re hungry, Bellwood has you covered too, with a range of toasted sandwiches (Sammies on the menu) for breakfast/lunch, plus a selection of cake.

As luck would have it, my train was early, so after I’d hauled my suitcase the few blocks from the station, I was ready for coffee, starting with a Gibraltar, The Reservoir going perfectly with the milk to form a rich, smooth drink with chocolate notes. I followed this up with one of the Sammies as an early lunch, which came with Mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, a delicious combination.

I rounded things off with an espresso when Amanda arrived, The Reservoir impressing me just as much as it had at Tuesday Coffee + Shoppe. Before we set off, I gave the staff a gift of a bag of the Sweet Valley, a Colombian coffee roasted by Rotterdam’s Manhattan Coffee Roasters, which I’d bought at Prufrock Coffee in London. In return, I was gifted a bag of the Kick the Can blend (which I tried a sample of, a lovely, smooth, well-rounded coffee). This, in turn, ended up as a gift to the staff at Sump Coffee in Saint Louis.

Bellwood Coffee has a third location in the pipeline, its flagship Riverside cafe and roastery in Northwest Atlanta. This is where it all started for Bellwood and the site is currently under renovation, hopefully re-opening later this year or early in 2023.

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