Cafe Southside

Great little neighborhood coffee shop. Made from scratch sandwiches. Love the décor, gives it a local warm feeling but nothing fancy.

Service is pretty bad. They’ll either ignore you to chat with their friends or they seem irritable and unhelpful. Snack selection is pretty meh.
Convenient location though and the outdoor seating looks like it would be very pleasant in good weather.

If you’re queer you need to be here. If not, you should be here anyways because the coffee and food is great.

Café Southside is a great commnity café! Their breakfast sandwhiches rock… especially when you add salami :)

After the 30 or so min walk, it was worth it. As soon as we walked up to the counter I see trans safe space & realize yup we are in a good place. Coffee is just right. They have a nice selection & the most expensive coffee is only $ 4.50. You can also get a bite to eat. Menu starts at $ 1.25 to $ 7.50. Great prices & relaxing atmosphere. They even have board games & desktop computer.

A designated LGBTQ «safe zone» coffeeshop? Had no idea, but cool. It’s only once you get to the register that you notice this: it’s not a theme-​based coffeeshop, rather a coffeeshop that makes an extra effort to let LGBTQ individuals know that they’re welcome here. But can they make a decent latte? Sure can.
Have to be honest though, I only ended up here because I forgot Blue Ox closes an hour earlier on weekends. Otherwise it would have been a while longer before I got around to trying this place out. Glad I remembered this place was just four blocks up the street, because I was needing a latte and there aren’t too many options in Powderhorn. But hey, turns out there is one that was close by with plentiful seating and wi-​fi: love how there are more and more little local spots dotting the neighborhood. They have a cute garden and seating area out front too.

Love this place — incredible community, warmth, great food, and good service. If you’re looking for something outside the box, check out Café Southside.

I love this place for its cozy tables, its lovely light, and its incredible people. I have had many a deep conversation over a cuppa here, played bingo with queer youth and the Sisters of St. Joseph (you kinda had to be there), and shared smiles and pleasantries with many lovely baristas. The vibe is open, welcoming, comfortable and loving. I would argue that this is *exactly* the kind of business and community that brings neighborhoods together. I hope they stay open for a long, long time. Also, very yummy salad with chickpeas.

They were closing in 8 min and the server didn’t want to make food and asked me to leave instead. Not necessarily mad, was just hungry and wanted something quick, and because of this will probably not come here again.
Granted most people probably aren’t starving and trying to grab something to eat at 6:52 when they close at 7. Rated 2 stars because it was cute inside.

From the outside, this place is nothing special. (Bear with me, as you can see, I gave it five stars.)
Timidly, yes, timidly, I walked in, not knowing what to expect. Would there be a snotty barista behind the counter? Would I have to wait in a long line, looking over a cutesy but too-​long menu, biting my nails, hoping not to get snapped at when I got to the counter, still undecided? Would a handful of 20somethings armed with expensive Apple computers but trying to dress down to buck the establishment see my awesome Jack Spade bag and fashionable accessories and scowl at me, thinking I was «the Man?»
None of those things happened. The interior of Café Southside is warm and inviting. Currently, there are lovely photos on the south wall of local birds taken by local photographers. When I got to the counter, the lovely human greeted me with a kind smile, and simply said, «Hey! How are you?» Relieved, I smiled back and said, «I’m great, thank you. First time here.» A quick reply, «We are so glad to have you. Take your time, and just get my attention when you’re ready.»
What? A barista that told me to take my time? What… the what just happened here?
I ordered a chai. A large one. And it came out in a bowl with a handle on it. This cup was SUBSTANTIAL. And cheap. GREAT quality, HUGE quantity, and service with a smile? What more could one ask for, you say?
Lemme tell you.
First, a ham and cheese sandwich on a croissant. I’m not sure what it was. Maybe, just maybe, it was made with love. That’s what I’m sticking with. But it was one of the best ham sandwiches I’ve ever had.
And because I hate being that person in the coffee shop that parks at a table with my laptop and sits there for two hours nursing one cup of coffee, after I finished my sandwich, I had to indulge in a hot chocolate (also huge!) and a piece of crème brûlée pound cake. I could have eaten my weight in poundcake.
Something unique here was an immediate sense of community. People kept coming in that knew the baristas, and the baristas knew them all by name. I didn’t feel like an outsider here — I felt like I belonged, and was part of the Café Southside family. Anyone who visits will surely also have a similar feeling.
Did I mention that the music selection here rocks? And that they’re probably the most GLBTQA-​community focused coffee shop that I’ve ever visited in my life? I particularly loved the «Transphobia ends here» sticker at the counter. Indeed it does, and indeed, it should.
If you’re reading this, and you ever want to check this place out, message me. For real. I plan to start visiting this place every Friday, if not more frequently. I would NEVER need an excuse to come back — trust me, you WILL love this place.

I always love supporting local cafes, and this is one such fabulous place that has a nice ambiance, great service with a smile and delicious treats (both drinks and eats).

Residents of Powderhorn, ya’ll have a gem of a coffee shop in Café Southside! I fortunately ducked into this charming hideaway one snowy afternoon to do some work, and I found so many things to love there.
–I received a ginormous coffee cup (maybe holding 16 oz?) filled to the brim with eye-​awakening coffee for only $ 2. Me like.
–I tried to devour an enormous and tasty summer salad –which has an assortment of veggies and a protein of your choice– that only set me back $ 6. I believe I eat faster than the average person, and my salad had me lookin’ like a bison grazing on a pasture for almost an hour.
–The barista played classic Singers and Standards and Brazilian Jazz throwbacks from artists like Etta James and Bebel Gilberto, respectively. I couldn’t stop head-​bobbin’ while I worked.
–It’s an incredibly welcoming and safe space for my GLBTQ brothers and sisters to work and chat.
–They have super friendly and knowledgeable staff! Don’t worry about asking too many questions.
–There’s a computer for anyone to use for free.
–Next to the bulletin board, there are plenty of interesting books to read and classic board games to play.
–Café Southside won an award for giving back to the community. Props!
–They support other small businesses by selling their goods.
–I was blown away by the beautiful pieces of art that exist both inside and outside.
The next time I’m in the area, I will definitely make a visit. Can you tell I’m a fan of Café Southside?

I love that this place is so LGBT friendly! They have tons of resources and a great community feel. The café au lair was pretty good as well. I’m not always in the area but I may need to make a few special trips.

At first, my wife and I weren’t sure if this little place was open and then we saw people inside. We were excited to see that they sold Fair Trade Coffee and decided to take a chance. Service was a little slow but staff were very friendly! Great little café to sit down and get some work done. The place still looks like it needs a little more work put into it but overall has ALOT of potential to be a local go to for your caffeine fix!

Just checked the place out, just moved to the twin cities from the South and this place is amazing. Great affordable beverages and rad staff. Super queer inclusive total bonus and definitely something that set this place apart from the plethora of coffee shops in the area. I def be coming back!

Sweet. Kind. Tasty. SLOW. Will return, but not when I want timely service

This place will be out of business soon. It’s 7:41am. Second say in a row I have stopped by for a morning cup of coffee. Neither day were they open yet (official opening is 7am). Yesterday they opened the doors at 7:40am. Today, I doesn’t look promising even now. I’ve seen 3 people walk up, try the door, look confused, and walk away.

Love it! Very LGBTQ friendly. Great staff/​besitiful garden. Great gluten free options. Free wifi and a desktop computer customers can use for free.

A great little spot just a short waddle from our house. We had a nice vegan meal with a sandwich and salad, both hand-​made on the spot. There aren’t many vegan options, but the folks there know what you are talking about and do it up well. I’m already looking forward to spending more time in this neighborhood coffee shop.

Sometimes the cafes you’ve never heard of before end up being joyful little gems that you promise yourself to return to soon. So it was with Café SouthSide.
Café SouthSide is nestled in the Powderhorn neighborhood on Chicago Avenue, just two blocks from Powderhorn Park. The café shares the building with a second-​hand store and is next to a community garden that the café facilitates. The café seems to be very neighborhood focused and you can feel that just by spending more than five minutes inside. The inside is so cheerful that it’s hard not to smile regardless of how you walk in feeling. All of the signage (of which there is a lot!) is artistically hand drawn. There are murals on some walls, and framed art on others. There’s a computer with internet and a shelf full of board games. There are a few normal tables, two squishy armchairs (yay squishy armchairs!), and a window seat on the huge west-​facing window that lets in great afternoon sun.
I ordered a 16oz Americano ($ 2.25) and my mom, who joined me, had a small hot cocoa ($ 2.25). From what I can tell they brew Equal Exchange coffee, but I didn’t ask if it’s the only thing they brew. The coffee was not super amazing, but it was definitely good; I enjoyed it, and would order coffee here again. They offer a menu of breakfast, salad, sandiwches, soup, and plenty of non-​caffeinated beverages. I think this would be a great spot to have lunch with a friend.
The most notable part of Café SouthSide was the staff. The woman and man behind the counter were thoroughly entertaining and beyond friendly. The woman answered my questions about the community garden while she finished off my espresso, and encouraged my desire to dance throughout our visit. This desire was spurred by the music on the PA. The radio was initially tuned to KDWB (Top 40 music) and had me and the male worker belting out «Call Me Maybe.» However, when he needed motivation to sweep the floor he turned on some dance music… and by the time Gangam Style came on we were both ropin’ it up in. (I have to clarify that my mother and I were the only ones in the coffee shop – other people had come and gone before and after the dance party moment). As my mom and I left, the man on staff yelled out «HAPPY HOLIDAYS!» It was by far the most fun I’ve ever had at a coffeeshop courtesy of the staff, and I can imagine they also enjoyed it on such a slow holiday afternoon.
In only a few words, Café SouthSide won my heart.