Nautilus Coffee Co — Restaurant in Tavares

Of all the coffee shops I have been to, this one is very unique and located right in downtown Tavares on Lake Dora. One of my favorite stories is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and when I walked in here, I fully expected to see Jules Verne and Captain Nemo having coffee!

There are many options to choose from in terms of coffee: cold, hot, iced, frappe, etc... There are also some pastry items as well that you can buy such as muffins, cake pops, Danish's, etc... For the muffins and Danish (these I have tried) they are pretty decent but nothing that stood out greatly to me. If you are looking for something to have with your coffee, they will do.

The coffee and frappes are good, very tasty and they provide plenty of choices with their iced and frappe drinks to choose from and various sizes to choose from.

The only reason I did not give 5 stars for this review is due to the price of items. I work right near this shop and when I went here with a couple of co-workers, we ended up paying roughly $14.00 to get a frappe drink (large) and a Danish. We were not expecting to pay that much. They do have a menu; however, I am not a fan of any establishment who does not post the prices on their wall menus/menu boards. It is a little easier to post pricing on the wall / board menus for all to see instead of a few laminated menus at the register. Not a huge deal, just something to notate. Lesson learned about what to get and just visit as a treat once in a while.

Overall, this is a great place to visit at least once, and I believe that there is something for everyone for a treat. Outside sitting that looks out onto Lake Dora to sit and relax, especially if you are staying at one of the hotels located right there. Staff is super friendly and pretty quick...

I went with a friend to visit Nautilis coffee on Sunday morning. We came in the door just before 8:30, and there were about 15 other people in there. It was a little crowded, but there was plenty of seating inside and out. I ordered a toffee nut oat milk espresso and my friend got the snickers. I totally forgot to take a picture of hers, so I’m not sure of what it was. It was one of their specials for the day. The cafe does an amazing job of advertising their specials. Both outside the front door, and behind the register.

My drink was really good, and I did drink the entire thing, which is not usual for me. Price wise, it was much more reasonable than larger coffee chains. Also, being on a lake, makes it an entertaining place to grab a cup.

They did not shout our names across the restaurant, but brought us our drinks instead. That was nice.

I will absolutely be coming back here. It’s a little bit of a drive for a cup of coffee, but honestly, I think it was worth it.

EDIT/UPDATE: Thank you NCC for your reply to my original review. I am a socially awkward person and often misinterpret awkwardness. I am so sorry for what she might have gone through. I can absolutely understand that life has a way of effecting us on a deep level, and sometimes, we just have to push through. I have updated here and changed to 5 stars, as you are right, that should not have any baring on this, as it was my own emotions and perception at play. That had nothing to do with her. TY for the amazing cup of coffee, and the kind reminder to not assume!...

I used to live in Tavares and came back into town with my girlfriend for our time off work. I had her look up coffee shops in the area because I don't drink coffee and wouldn't be able to give her any recommendations. Nautilus immediately caught her eye because of their aesthetic and she knew after looking at their menu that we would need to stop here!

On our first visit she ordered the Hazel is shaken espresso and I got a hot Reese's latte (part of the February menu) and we were not disappointed one bit! The coffee wasn't overly sweetened to the point where it took away from the coffee flavor, which I'm told is high quality! We sat down and admired their decor and read through a nice book on the table that documented a lot of history from Tavares which was really fascinating for me to look through having grown up here!

We knew we would NEED to come back again with our time we were still in town, so we stopped in again this morning! My girlfriend repeated her order because she absolutely fell in love with that drink and I decided to try the frappe version of the Reese's latte! Because of how much she loved their coffee, I made sure to purchase a bag of beans of their house blend, which they kindly ground for us right there as well!

If you're a lover of coffee in the area or you're passing through, take the time to stop here and get yourself...