I’ve been coming to Cafe Hey for over a decade.
When I was in high school at Tampa Prep, I would walk over the Cass Street bridge to come indulge in some delicious coffee and stop by the Oriental Market located in the same building while I was over there. Cafe Hey’s eclectic-cool environment was perfect for reading and getting homework done. Almost 15 years later, and Cafe Hey is still one of the coolest coffee shops in town.
Cafe Hey offers a vast range of choices to aid in catering to those with special diets.
Vegan? Vegetarian? No problem. Cafe Hey has been serving these options since before the vegan fad kicked off. What’s more- their vegan options are delicious. I am not vegan and generally dislike most vegan options, but Cafe Hey has never disappointed with their selections. However, my favorite food option is still non-vegan (sorry): the Rebel Rebel sandwich is stacked with turkey, avacado, and pepper jack cheese.
My favorite menu at Cafe Hey is the coffee menu.
They use only the best local coffee to craft all of their drinks. My personal favorite is their Iced Cafe con Leche. I recently did a blog post on coffee shops for one of my clients and took it upon myself to go to all of the shops mentioned in the article and try their iced cafe cafe con leches. Needless to say, Cafe Hey’s rose far above the rest.
Cafe Hey also hosts tons of events each month, including open mics, poetry, and art shows.
The art from their art shows is created by local artists and is available for purchase. The art usually hangs until the next show is scheduled. They have recently added a bar and serve beer and wine during their events. Another newer Covid-addition is the “parklet” outdoor seating area. The only caveat: the cafe sits close to the interstate and one of it’s busy on-ramps, so there will be road noise if you choose to sit outside.
Cafe Hey is a Downtown Tampa coffee staple.
I’m sad I live so far away from it now, because it is truly one of a kind. If you are ever in downtown Tampa and crave an amazing coffee, stop by Cafe Hey and get the iced cafe con leche!
