Coffee Shops in Fond du Lac, WI: Lavish, Just Love

Fond du Lac sits at the bottom of Lake Winnebago, and its January afternoons average a high of about 24.7 degrees Fahrenheit. That is the weather that turns a coffee shop into part of the daily routine instead of a treat. Which coffee shop Fond du Lac residents pick depends on the morning, because the choice runs from omelettes cooked in a waffle iron to a counter between bookshelves and a play corner for the kids, and three such places get a proper look below. The name itself comes from the French for the bottom of the lake, a nod to the city's spot on the southern shore.

If you are still deciding how to fill the day around the cup, start with the things to do around Fond du Lac and then match a table to the plan.

Just Love Coffee Cafe: the waffle iron does the cooking

Just Love Coffee Cafe is the one built around a waffle iron, which shapes much of the breakfast menu. The signature is the omelette cooked in a Belgian waffle maker, and one visitor on a Saturday morning coffee date calls them "womelettes". The idea has a practical origin: the chain's founder, Rob Webb, started it as an online roaster in 2009 and opened the first cafe in 2011 near Middle Tennessee State University, where limited space pushed the kitchen toward a waffle iron. The company says its online roasting business gave nearly $100,000 to families in its first year, which fits the page heading "Coffee with a Cause".

Reviewers are warm about the drinks and the room. One calls the building modern with plenty of outdoor seating, another praises the apple cinnamon and raspberry white chocolate scones, and a third says non-dairy milks are available. The food draws mixed reviews. One visitor found the egg sandwich light on egg, another thought the cookies were stale, and a third felt a barista spent the visit on a phone, so treat the coffee as the safer order. It sits about 1.6 miles southeast of Hotel Retlaw, close enough to fold into a downtown weekend.

Lavish Coffee: house syrups and a corner for the kids

Lavish Coffee presents itself as a non-profit coffee shop whose aim is to serve the Fond du Lac community. The espresso and coffee come from Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters, a Denver roaster, and the menu adds breakfast croissants, avocado toast, panini and soups. The shop's website lists hours of 7am to 4pm Monday to Friday and 7am to 2pm on Saturday, with Sunday closed, as of October 2026.

Reviewers keep mentioning the house-made syrups. One drinker loved a lavender honey latte and a golden milk latte, and another praised an original iced chai and an avocado toast that was not over-seasoned. A family passing through on the way north called it an easy in and out, and a parent liked that there is somewhere for children to play while adults sit with a drink, which they set against the national chains. It sits southwest of downtown, about 2.8 miles from Hotel Retlaw, so it suits a morning when you are heading out of town rather than into it. Visitors get a free parking lot, plus accessible parking and an accessible restroom.

ReachOut Books & Solid Grounds: coffee between the shelves

ReachOut Books & Solid Grounds Coffee Shoppe is at 221 North Peters Avenue, and in a March 2025 ranking built on Yelp reviews it came second among the cafes of the Fond du Lac area. The bookstore side stocks books, music and gifts, including Christian titles, and offers laser engraving for occasions such as weddings and baptisms. The coffee counter serves espresso drinks, baked goods and soups, and Travel Wisconsin lists free Wi-Fi. Check the roast before you commit to a favorite, since the brand on offer may have changed since that entry was written.

Regulars describe it as a place to study or browse. One couple began a weekly coffee date and now find themselves there several times a week, and another reviewer praises the iced coffee. A visitor who arrived just before closing took home a slice of cinnamon cake so large it lasted to the next morning, and a parent says staff replaced a spilled hot cocoa for a three-year-old at no charge. The honest limits are on the shelves and the menu. Several reviewers find the gifts pricey, and one says gluten-free choices are scarce. It lies about 1.4 miles northwest of Hotel Retlaw and 1.7 miles from Lakeside Park, which makes it a handy stop on the way to the water.

Other cafes worth knowing

Fond du Lac has more coffee than these three, and a few names turn up again and again in local write-ups. Check current hours before heading out, since small cafes change them. The Bagel Meister at 110 South Main Street pairs an espresso bar with fresh bagels, cream cheese spreads and sandwiches. A November 2023 write-up describes Stone Oak Coffee Haus at 347 Winnebago Drive as set in a house with porch seating at the front and rear in warm months, and praises the cortado made by owner-barista Andrew Enea. For a drive-thru, Scooter's Coffee at 527 West Johnson Street opened in 2022. Just north of the city line, Beans & Bites Cafe on Prospect Avenue in North Fond du Lac opened in March 2022 with fair trade organic coffee and compostable packaging.

Pairing a cup with the rest of the day

South Main Street holds a historic district of about 6 acres, roughly numbers 71 to 213, added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 11, 1993. Bryannas Bakery is on South Main, about 0.2 miles from Hotel Retlaw, so a stroll there pairs well with a pastry and a coffee carried from elsewhere.

Anyone planning a full morning can look at where to eat breakfast in Fond du Lac.

For something sweeter than a scone there are bakeries around Fond du Lac worth a detour.

Lakeside Park is free to enter, has a lighthouse you can climb and rents kayaks and canoes, and in December it becomes a holiday light display. The park sits about 1.3 miles from the Retlaw. A coffee from ReachOut on the way makes a decent warm-up for a lake walk.

Choosing by mood

Pick Just Love when you want a hot plate and an outdoor patio, Lavish when you want a house-made syrup and room for the kids, and ReachOut when the plan includes a book, a gift or a long sit. None of the three replaces the others, and none sits right on the lakefront. On a January afternoon with the high near 25 degrees, any of them does what the bottom of the lake demands: it gives you a warm place to sit.