Dear Diary Coffee

Dear Diary Coffee is a vegan coffee shop in East Austin, a scratch-made coffee bar with locally made gifts on the shelves. Everything on the menu is vegan. Plant milks and syrups carry no upcharge: almond, coconut, soy, oat and pistachio are on the list, with a house-made pumpkin seed milk in season. Litsa set out in 2004 to create a coffee shop for artists after moving to Austin, and the business is women-owned.

The coffee comes from Sightseer Coffee Roasters in South Austin, a women-owned roaster that buys its green coffee exclusively from women-led farms and cooperatives. Dear Diary works with Sightseer on roast profiles meant for straight espresso drinkers, keeping fruit, floral or chocolate notes with enough body to hold up in steamed plant milk. The machines are dialled in each morning for espresso and drip coffee, and the menu runs from hot and iced coffee, americano, cortado, cappuccino and latte to cold brew and nitro, with sweet, chocolate and tea lattes and a monthly specials board beside them. Pastries come from independent bakers in Austin and San Antonio.

Under the shop’s No Tax, No Tip policy, no sales tax is added at the register and there is no tipping screen; baristas earn an hourly wage, share in profits and see the books. The room hosts an open mic, a women’s bike ride, art on consignment, pop-ups and community meetups, and keeps political and religious commentary off its walls. The espresso and drip coffee are roasted by Sightseer Coffee Roasters.