One thing about me: I am extremely passionate about getting myself a little treat. I am a little treat aficionado, if you will. The best little treat consists of a pastry and a latte from a local coffee shop. Almost any time I leave my house, you can be sure I’m searching “coffee” on Google Maps and hitting up the nearest café that calls my name. Because I frequent so many coffee shops, here are some favorites I have been to around Philadelphia that I’d recommend for your little treat of the day.

Persimmon Coffee, Fishtown
Order: Iced vanilla oat milk latte and croissant
This one isn’t in my usual neck of the woods, but when I had to drive to the vet’s office to pick up a prescription for my newest foster cat (yep, I have another one! Her name is Lunchbox.), I justified a little treat to myself. My usual order (an iced vanilla oat milk latte) was good, if quite pricey, but the pastry I picked out was absolutely divine. I don’t remember what they called it, but it was a croissant with a caramel glaze and a vanilla creme filling with chocolate chips. Absolute chef’s kiss. The best coffee shop sweet treat I have had in a while and worth the price tag.

Get a Gato, Queen Village
Order: Iced vanilla oat milk latte and churro
This coffee shop ranks highly for me because of the cat lounge in the back … the coffee is good, too, but every time I have been, I’m there primarily to play with the kitties. Get a Gato is a nonprofit cat café that opened in May in Queen Village, and it has been such a wonderful addition to South Philly. The shop sells cat-themed stationery and merchandise and cat toys and is a full-service café serving Colombian-inspired food (the churros are my snack of choice) and all the usual drinks. You can book time in the cat lounge, where plenty of adoptable cats from Fishtails Animal Rescue reside until they find their forever homes. Every inch of this place is thoughtfully designed and decorated to create a cat lover’s paradise. I welcomed my first foster cat, Cannoli (who has now found a loving home), into my home after meeting him at the café and hearing he would prefer to be in a foster home, and my current foster, Lunchbox, is scheduled to move to Get a Gato once she’s been medically cleared. So to say I love this place is an understatement.

The front café area of Get a Gato.

Playing with Horchata and Cortado (both since adopted) in the cat lounge.

Rival Bros, East Passyunk
Order: Oat milk mocha and cinnamon toast
Back when I was a dog walker, my main dog-walking territory was the East Passyunk area, so I tried every coffee shop in the vicinity, and Rival Bros came out on top. The baristas know what they’re doing, and I’ve gotten latte art on every hot drink I’ve ordered there. The coffee from Rival Bros is simply a cut above the rest, and on top of that, they sell cinnamon toast made with brioche from The Mighty Bread Co., which is absolutely decadent. The perfect blend of sweet and tangy, my girlfriend and I always split it because one slice is so thick.

Latte art on my mocha from Rival Bros.

Batter & Crumbs, Newbold
Order: Iced vanilla oat milk latte and coffee cake
Batter & Crumbs, a vegan bakery and café in South Philly, is one of my favorite spots for treats and caffeine despite not being vegan. You can’t even tell the pastries are vegan (i.e., they still taste delicious), and as an oat milk drinker, oat being the default milk is my favorite part of this place. The coffee cake is ridiculously thick and super yummy, and they make a delicious latte. They often have seasonal syrups and flavors, a plus if you’re adventurous (I am not — I like what I like!). Since moving neighborhoods, I don’t go here as often as I used to, but it still stands out to me as one of the best coffee places in the city.

— Hannah Gruen, advertising & events coordinator