Coffee Cup Restaurant — Restaurant in Pensacola

This is such a great breakfast joint! Jon, the owner, said he’s striving to ensure Pensacola’s oldest, continuously run dining establishment remains as true to its roots as possible. This is that quintessential coffee shop you MUST visit. The food is good, hot, freshly made, and definitely nothing your cardiologist would recommend... but that’s why it’s so good! My omelette was spectacular, the Nassau grits here could actually be served as polenta under a fresh catch in any fine dining establishment & would not be out of place. But the French toast was the sleeper. Battered & deep fried, this was beyond impressive. Too many times, I see diners trying to make this dish and it ends up cloyingly sweet & utterly ruined. Absolutely not the case here. They managed to perfect this dish so that it tastes exactly like Iowa State Fair funnel cakes. Not too sweet, but dusted with confectioners sugar so the customer can control the sweetness with syrup. The coffee was hot & fresh, and the counter was a perfect place to sit & watch a busy Saturday unfold.

The other element that made this coffee shop such a gem was the ambiance. Jon, the owner, told me he has quite a crowd of regulars - some even eat there both breakfast and lunch - it’s like watching Cheers, but with steaming coffee & chatter about Bama or FSU football. How I wish there was such a place closer to home... it’s a long drive to PNS for this, but I know I will again. Just to see that Americana is alive and well, that there is a homey little joint making good, old fashioned food for people who love being there, I’ll make reasons to come back for this. This is one of the few places I’ve eaten where I see more than a good meal. I saw history,...

If you’re thinking about stopping by The Coffee Cup in Pensacola, I’d suggest finding somewhere else. From the moment we walked in, the host—who might even be the owner—set the tone with a rude and condescending comment instead of just answering our question about the wait. It was really strange and unnecessary.

The wait was long, and while our waitress seemed stressed and a bit snappy, I could tell it was more about the work environment. It feels tense in there, and that vibe spreads to the dining room. The place has an old-school atmosphere, but not in a charming way—it’s more like it hasn’t been updated or deep cleaned since the ‘80s. It was uncomfortable, and I noticed it wasn’t the most welcoming place for everyone.

I had friends visiting from out of town and wanted to show them some local spots. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a great pick. The food was average at best, and the coffee tasted like it could be Folgers. There was even a moment when the owner asked a guest to run to Publix for sugar, which they did and looked really annoyed about it when he came back.

I ordered a BLT that was supposed to come with fries. When it showed up without them, I asked, and the waitress said, “I didn’t think he wanted a side.” Then I noticed the bill charged me for the combo, plus an extra side of fries, and a coffee I didn’t even order. At that point, I just let it go.

Long story short, if you’re after a warm, welcoming spot with good food, this isn’t it. Maybe skip bringing guests here if you don’t want to end up...

One woman kitchen! The servers would call out the orders, and she had them quickly!

Definite old time diner, where the patrons have been here as long as the building. that being said, since I'm not a regular, my service was subpar. She went zooming past me, barely stopping to take my order, but went to the guy next to me for a 5 minute conversation.

On to the food. My coffee was hot, not the best, but they kept it coming. For food, my half grapefruit was definitely cut a while ago. My toast was well toasted, my egg was cooked perfectly. The hash browns were golden and crispy, my bacon didn't come out with the rest of my food, but I didn't mind, at first. Since I could see the kitchen, I was watching, the lady is amazing, but not wearing gloves, none were to be seen, nor were any hand sinks. I then saw my server grab my bacon with her bare hands and put it on a side plate. I also watched a server eating toast with her hands in the corner, then right back to work. On my way out some of the girls were out back smoking, in the patron parking lot.

Overall, good food, if you can get over the sanitation thing. Not my kind of place as I was the youngest there by over 50 years other than the servers and kids there with their...