Pensacola Coffee and Dessert Crawl
30 October 2026 · 4 min read · How-To Guides
Pensacola, Florida • For a slow afternoon with something sweet
Pensacola has a small but distinctive set of independent coffee and dessert shops, each with a story. This guide strings four of them into a crawl: a micro-roastery founded by a painter, a cheesecake shop, a bookstore cafe and a homemade ice cream parlour in East Pensacola Heights, with pacing, transport and ordering tips.
A crawl works best when you share. Order one thing at each stop, split it, and you will still have room at the end. Wear comfortable shoes for the downtown section and plan a short drive to the last stop, which is a few miles east.
Stop 1: coffee at the roastery
Begin at Alla Prima Coffee Roaster at 532 West Garden Street. It was started by Pensacola native Summer Sevi, a painter and former elementary art teacher, who opened it as a wholesale roastery in 2020 and added the cafe at the front of the roasting room after leaving teaching in fall 2023. The name comes from a wet-on-wet oil painting term meaning 'at first attempt', and her paintings hang on the walls. Besides espresso drinks and food, it sells bags of its own roasts and runs barista training and roasting classes.
Ask the barista which roast they would recommend for a pour-over or a plain espresso. If you like it, buy a bag for home. A simple manual burr grinder keeps whole beans tasting fresher than pre-ground coffee.
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Stop 2: cheesecake on Garden Street
Head east along Garden Street to Chrisoula's Cheesecake Shoppe, a hand-baking cheesecake specialist on this street since 2007 that dropped its lunch menu to focus on cheesecake alone. Choosing is the hard part: the regular line-up runs from Key Lime and Turtle to Red Velvet and a Dark Chocolate Praline, there is a different special every month, and Pumpkin Swirl appears each fall. Because slices come in a personal size, a group can try several without committing to a whole cake.
If you are carrying slices for later, ask for a box and keep it out of the sun, then put it in the fridge as soon as you can.
Stop 3: a quiet half hour with a book
A few blocks on, Bodacious Bookstore & Café sits on East Intendencia Street below the South Towne Apartments. Pick a drink at the counter, wander the curated shelves and let a staff member suggest something you would not have chosen yourself. This is the stop where the crawl slows down, which is the point. Keep an eye on the noticeboard too: reading groups, signings and family evenings are part of the shop's calendar.
Stop 4: homemade ice cream in East Pensacola Heights
Drive a few miles east to Fannie Lou's Ice Cream at 3101-A East Cervantes Street. Owner Gary Rhodes opened it after 25 years in information technology. His first job was at a Swensen's in Montgomery, Alabama, where he worked up from dishwasher to ice cream maker, and the shop is named after his grandmother, whose desserts inspire many recipes. Everything is churned in the in-store creamery with Florida dairy. Flavours include Pelican Poo, Sea Salted Turtle, Banana Puddin' and Marshmallow Fudge Brownie, served by the scoop, in sundaes and shakes, or packed to go.
If you still have cheesecake from stop two, a scoop of something plain alongside it at home makes a good finale.
Doing it on a weekday or a weekend
Weekday afternoons are calmer, which suits the bookstore stop and gives you a better chance of talking with staff at each counter. Weekends are livelier downtown and may bring events at the bookstore, but expect lines at popular shops. In summer, start a little earlier so the walking part of the crawl happens before the hottest hours, and save the ice cream for late afternoon when you will appreciate it most. In the cooler months, the whole route can be done on foot downtown and by a short drive east without much planning at all.
A sample route
- 1. 1:00 pm. Coffee and a pastry at the roastery.
- 2. 2:00 pm. Cheesecake slices to share.
- 3. 2:45 pm. Books and a quiet drink.
- 4. 4:00 pm. Drive east for ice cream.
Pacing and practical tips
- 1. Check each shop's hours before you go, since small shops can change them seasonally.
- 2. Drink water between stops, especially on hot days.
- 3. Bring a small cooler bag if you plan to take cheesecake or pints home.
- 4. Park once downtown for the first three stops, then drive to the last.
- 5. Ask about allergens at each counter if anyone in your group needs to avoid nuts, dairy or gluten.
Make it a gift
Several of these shops make easy gifts: a bag of locally roasted coffee, a whole cheesecake ordered online, a book chosen by bookstore staff or a gift card. For a friend who has just moved to Pensacola, a small bundle from each stop is a friendly welcome to the city.
Own a cafe or dessert shop in Pensacola?
Independent coffee and dessert businesses in Pensacola can claim a free Cottlink profile and help visitors plan their own crawl.
Quick answers
Who founded Alla Prima Coffee Roaster?
Pensacola native Summer Sevi, a painter and former elementary art teacher, started it as a wholesale roastery in 2020 and added the cafe in 2023.
Does Chrisoula's still serve lunch?
No. The shop says it now concentrates on cheesecake only and no longer serves lunch.
Where is Fannie Lou's Ice Cream?
It is at 3101-A East Cervantes Street in East Pensacola Heights.
Is the ice cream at Fannie Lou's made on site?
Yes. It is churned in the in-store creamery using Florida dairy.
