9 Must-Try Regional Coffee Chains

It's pretty astounding to think about the fact that nearly 10,000 Dunkin' locations can be found across the country, or that in many cities, you can't walk more than a few blocks without encountering a Starbucks (a chain with over 18,000 locations). Thanks to smart marketing tactics, reliable products, and strategic expansion, such chains have taken the country — and in many cases, even the world — by storm.

While we won't say now to a popular drink from Starbucks, we also love frequenting some of the lesser-known regional coffee chains that caffeinate Americans on a daily basis. Many of these chains roast their own coffee beans, lending even basic orders like drip coffee and espresso unique flavor profiles. Plus, it's never a bad idea to support the local economy, and regional chains often partner with other small businesses to collaborate on exclusive products.

In this article, we'll introduce you to a handful of must-try regional coffee chains. For the purposes of this article, we've defined regional chains as those concentrated in certain geographical areas, though occasional outliers (such as outposts in Las Vegas or Los Angeles) may exist. We'll provide a brief orientation to each chain's history, reach, and unique hallmarks before noting some of the most popular food and beverage orders that you have to try.

To survive the cold, dark Alaskan winters, hot beverages are essential. While hot chocolate is lovely, coffee is also a non-negotiable for many folks. Enter Kaladi Brothers Coffee, a superb regional chain with locations scattered across the Anchorage area. Furthermore, this company's coffee beans are used to prepare beverages at establishments across the 49th state.

This chain has stood the test of time since it first served customers from an espresso cart on the streets of Anchorage. In fact, Kaladi Brothers Coffee is nearing its 40th birthday, having been established in 1986. Its top-notch coffee beans have a lot to do with its success. Kaladi Brothers Coffee roasts its own beans and sells a dozen or so blends, plus single-origin coffees. For instance, the Trieste blend was designed for espresso and is reminiscent of hot chocolate, caramel, almonds, toffee, and hickory smoke. Another popular blend is the Red Goat, which offers tasting notes of caramel, milk chocolate, and roasted almonds.

Visit one of the Kaladi Brothers cafes, and you'll be delighted to find not only coffee, but local art, tasty snacks, and quick breakfast items, too. Odds are, you'll also find that your favorite coffee preparation is on the menu, whether that be a cappuccino, a mocha, an Americano, or a drip coffee. Plus, tea variations including chai and matcha, as well as hot chocolate and caffeine-free steamers, are available. In the warmer months, you might reach for a cold brew or a mocha frappe. For extra energy, ask for the Kaladi Bull, which features — you guessed it — Red Bull.

Founded in 1995, Biggby Coffee is a coffee chain operating in 13 states. It is especially ubiquitous in Michigan, where the chain was first established and is still headquartered today. This chain operates a franchise business model, meaning that each shop is run by a local entrepreneur who is (in theory) tuned into the unique needs of their community. Indeed, Biggby Coffee heavily emphasizes the value of connection and kindness in its branding materials. 

Instead of working with a third-party organization like Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance, Biggby's Coffee began a Farm-Direct program to monitor the conditions under which its coffee beans are grown. According to the company's website, it collaborates closely with farmers to ensure that their harvests meet standards, while also paying them a living wage. Furthermore, the company only chooses to work with farmers who demonstrate a commitment to environmental sustainability.

Though Biggby Coffee has not outranked other American coffee chains for us in the past, if it's a latte you're in the mood for, over two dozen options await. Perhaps your favorite will be the Teddy Bear Latte, which is filled with caramel, white chocolate, espresso, and whipped cream. Or maybe it will be the Snow Berry Latte, featuring blackberry and white chocolate. If lattes hurt your sweet tooth, though, try something mellower, like a classic red eye or cafe au lait. Energy drinks, tea lattes, smoothies, and hot chocolate are likewise up for grabs.

Dunn Brothers Coffee can trace its roots back to 1987, when its first location opened in Minnesota. Nearly 40 years have passed since Ed and Dan Dunn brought their expertise from the roasteries of Portland, Oregon, to customers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Even so, the chain is still going strong, with nearly four dozen shops scattered across Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

It's clear that Dunn Brothers Coffee has not overextended itself by opening too many locations without the appropriate resources. The brand still values small-batch, freshly roasted coffee. Rather than having a single roasting facility, each cafe roasts its own coffee in-house. This helps ensure that your cup of joe tastes as fresh as possible. In fact, Dunn Brothers Coffee proudly proclaims that five days is the maximum amount of time that will ever lapse between the time a batch of coffee beans is roasted and the time it ends up decocted into your cup. Hopefully, the chain's commitment to selling fresh, exceptional coffee remains intact as it seeks to grow into a national chain over the coming years.

Customer favorites at Dunn Brothers Coffee include the Vanilla Iced Nirvana (which also comes in a nitro variation) and the autumnal Honey Spice Nirvana. The Caramel Banana Nirvana is top-notch, as well. If you can't get enough of cold brew, pick up a 64-ounce growler; after all, we ranked Dunn Brothers Coffee as the best chain for cold brew.

Though you can find several locations of Philz Coffee in Chicago, the beans are roasted in Oakland, California, and the brand has a distinctly Californian vibe. For proof, just check out a few of the names gracing the bags of coffee beans: Philtered Soul, Gratitude, Ecstatic, Ether, and Luca's Unplugged practically scream "hippie." Unsurprisingly, the chain has a penchant for sustainability. From compostable packaging to partnerships with organizations like Too Good to Go and Food 4 Farmers, Philz Coffee has a well-rounded approach to nurturing both communities and the planet.

Philz Coffee first opened its doors in 2003, but it took over two decades for the company to implement a rewards program (Philz Rewards was finally inaugurated in October of this year). The brand takes a more personal approach to service than most other chains; for instance, customers can see baristas' names and faces on online orders and even send them emojis of gratitude. Nevertheless, customers frequently agree that the coffee is nothing spectacular, so you may like shopping here more for the ethos and experience than anything else.

Philz Coffee may not serve espresso-based drinks like cappuccinos or lattes, but that doesn't mean you'll be restricted to a plain drip. In fact, the Honey Haze, a hazelnut-flavored cold brew coffee with oat milk and honey, is one of the most popular items at Philz Coffee. The Iced Coffee Rose, which features a layer of pink rose cream on top, is another favorite. Finally, if you're in need of a one-stop shop for a complete breakfast, Philz has you covered with burritos, sandwiches, and an assortment of pastries.

Based in Louisiana, but with locations across the South and East coast, PJ's Coffee was founded in New Orleans in 1978. You'll detect the chain's Southern charm in many of its flavored blends, which are roasted in small batches in New Orleans and bear names like Southern Wedding Cake, Carnival Blend, Southern Pecan, and King Cake. Naturally, PJ's Coffee sells chicory coffee, too, a caffeine-free alternative to traditional coffee that is wildly popular in New Orleans.

Basic coffee preparations like espresso and cafe au lait are available at PJ's Coffee, but customers often find that hot coffees here taste burnt. Instead, try one of the chain's iced coffees. For example, PJ's coffee granita is made with cold brew concentrate, simple syrup, and milk, and you can opt to top it with chocolate or caramel syrup. It's the perfect coffee order when living or traveling through the American South, where summers are sweltering and even winters can be balmy. Other iced coffee variations, such as the cold brew white mocha, are worth a try, too. For over three decades, PJ's iced coffees have been made using a cold-drip technique that results in low-acidity brews, which helps explain why they are so satisfying.

In case you'd rather not have coffee on an empty stomach, stopping by PJ's Coffee is a great opportunity to try a beignet, even at locations outside New Orleans. Otherwise, you can pick out a savory item like egg bites or a breakfast sandwich.

Scooter's Coffee opened as a drive-thru in 1998 in Nebraska. Since then, it has expanded into a popular coffee chain concentrated in the Midwest and South, and it is still one of the best drive-thru chains in America. It has been franchised out to hundreds of locations, with over 100 of them in Nebraska. Quick service is a top priority at Scooter's Coffee, making it a natural choice for folks rushing to get to work on time or parents trying to squeeze in a coffee run before picking up the kids from school. Indeed, many people find the brews at Scooter's Coffee to be average and frequently too sugary, citing convenience as one of the top reasons for pulling up to the drive-thru window.

Another great attribute of Scooter's Coffee is the extent to which you can customize beverages. Depending on the weather and your mood, you can opt for a hot, iced, or blended version of any drink on the menu. You can also add on protein cold foam or substitute dairy bases with a Califia Farms alternative milk.

It might be difficult, though, to customize the sugar out of the most popular items at Scooter's Coffee. One of the chain's signature drinks is a concoction of espresso, caramel sauce, frothed milk, and whipped cream. It's dubbed the Caramelicious, and you can even have it combined with ice cream by ordering the Caramelicious Blender. Smoothies are also popular at Scooter's Coffee and come in variations like strawberry banana, peanut butter, and matcha green tea.

Aroma Joe's was first established in New Hampshire in 2000, where it steadily grew in popularity before franchise locations began popping up in 2012. The regional chain now serves customers in eight states: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida. It is especially known for its signature energy drink, which is fittingly named Aroma Joe's Rush.

Aesthetically speaking, Aroma Joe's doesn't have much going for it; one customer even observed that the brand feels remarkably similar to a gas station. Customers also report that Aroma Joe's coffee and food items are lackluster in flavor, albeit budget-friendly. Nevertheless, the chain does have an edge against its competition for those who value sustainability. While Aroma Joe's doesn't roast its own beans, it does source blends from a local coffee roaster in Maine that uses Rainforest Alliance-certified beans. That's not something that most coffee chains can claim.

If you do end up at an Aroma Joe's, which may be only a matter of time in New England, we suggest taking full advantage of the opportunity to customize your drink. Flavorings are numerous and range from fruity options like kiwi and watermelon to richer variations like brown sugar cinnamon and toasted marshmallow. Hot chocolate, tea, and smoothies are available, too. And if you need something more solid to fill your belly, the food items, though reportedly average, include pastries, biscuits, and sandwiches.

Many Milwaukee locals swear by Colectivo, a regional chain that places an extra emphasis on fostering community and maintaining a high standard of ethics. Colectivo began in the early 1990s under a different moniker (Alterra Coffee Roasters) before changing its name in 2013. In addition to Milwaukee, where the chain opened its first location, you can find Colectivo in Chicago, Illinois, and Madison, Wisconsin. Grocery stores also carry bags of this chain's excellent coffee, or you can purchase it online.

Colectivo roasts all its beans in Milwaukee, and the company has favored organic, Fair Trade-certified coffee for nearly three decades. That's impressive, considering Fair Trade did not have nearly as much traction at the turn of the 21st century as it does today. Additionally, Colectivo offers a nice selection of baked goods and meals from Troubadour Bakery, a part of the company that came on board in 2012. Local ingredients are frequently incorporated into the menu, and the sourdough and granola are popular enough to be sold in grocery stores as well.

Colectivo's coffee is hand-roasted on vintage machines, so see if you can taste the difference when you place your first order. For that reason, you might like to start with a basic drip coffee or espresso so that you can better taste the coffee's nuances. If you want to make things more interesting, though, customers tend to enjoy the salted caramel latte.

Maman is an elegant, French-inspired cafe that began in 2014. Though concentrated in the Big Apple, other locations dot the East Coast, including shops in Washington, D.C., Miami, and even Montreal. One reason this chain has been so successful is its highly curated and attractive aesthetic. You won't soon forget the graceful, hand-stamped floral coffee mugs decked out in Maman's signature blue hue. Nor will you forget the glass display cases brimming with an abundance of French pastries like Nutella beignets, croissants, and the iconic nutty chocolate chip cookies that Oprah was loving as long ago as 2017.

In addition to a solid core menu, Maman taps into trendy ingredients on its seasonal menus. This autumn's drink menu, for example, included a pumpkin pie matcha latte and a vanilla honeybutter latte that was topped with sweet corn foam and cornbread crumbs. And of course, there is the ongoing, year-long collaboration with Martha Stewart, which has brought about food items like the crème brûlée sugar bun and the spiced caramel apple cider.

Maman's coffee, though, is what keeps many customers returning again and again. After all, a hot cup of joe is a natural accompaniment to the chain's pastries and sandwiches. Maman does not roast its own coffee, but sources a specially tailored, high-quality blend from Methodical. It's no surprise that keeping in line with its value for aesthetics, Maman is easily one of the best coffee shops in New York City for Instagram-worthy latte art.