i. the cafe
The room is the project.
A small storefront on Magnolia Avenue, opened with the kind of renovation that respects what was already there. There are eighteen seats inside and twelve on the back porch when the weather is kind.
About the cafe
A small downtown room, a coffee bar, and the town that built itself around polo.
We opened on Magnolia Avenue in downtown Aiken, on the side of town where the polo crowd has wintered since the 1880s. We pour espresso and serve small, careful breakfasts and lunches from morning till mid-afternoon, five days a week.
ii. the town
Polo, since 1894.
Linden Field, on the south side of Aiken, was laid out in 1894 by Edward T. Linden, an early Aiken winter colonist. The American Polo League recognises it as one of the oldest active polo grounds in the country. Sunday matches run February through April, and we lean into the season on the weekends.
iii. the team
A small team, one till.
A handful of people pour shots, plate breakfasts, and trade shifts across the week. Tips go in a single jar and split evenly.
iv. coffee
Small-batch roaster.
Beans arrive weekly from a small regional roaster. The house blend on the bar is a touch chocolatey, low acid, kind to milk. Friday's pour-over is a rotating single-origin.
"The cafe Aiken should always have had, a proper espresso bar, a kind staff, and a porch worth lingering on after the last cup."
- A regular · Aiken
- listed at -
- Lowcountry Field Guide
- The Aiken Weekly
- Carolina Equestrian