Empire Roasters & Records

Empire seems like it’s just a coffee shop inside of a narrow renovated garage. But it’s actually much more than that—they serve some excellent food that’s way better than refrigerated breakfast burritos and sad muesli bowls. We are very big fans of their made-to-order belgian waffles, whether they’re topped with blueberries and powdered sugar or maple syrup and butter. You should order one of these and a homemade date-sweetened cashew milk latte at this Columbia City coffee shop. And if you’re in need of a gluten-free and/or vegan waffle, they serve those, too.