Nichols Surf Cafe

My husband, our friends and I spent Labor Day weekend in New Smyrna Beach and walked past at least 5 times and wondered why they were never open. They close really early in the afternoon (2pm), which we thought was strange, especially over a holiday weekend with tourists in town. We DID get lucky one day that they were open and popped in so I could grab a coffee.
The interior is super cute and inviting, but that’s where the «inviting» aspect of my experience ends. When we approached the counter, I felt like I was bothering the gal behind the counter who had just finished cleaning out a sink. I asked her if they had almond milk, and she said, «Yes». I then ordered a small latte with almond milk, and she said she’d call me when it was ready. My husband and I then took a seat at a table near the window, where a nearby patron sat with his bare feet up on the seat across from him. Obviously, that’s not the fault of Cool Beans, but I would have thought someone could have nicely asked him to be polite and take his skanky bare feet off the chairs. Yuck!
When my drink was called, I went to go retrieve it, took a sip and YIKES! It was SO SWEET! I realized then that the barista used almond syrup, not almond milk, which was weird because I even asked about the almond milk before I ordered it. Not a big deal until I went back up to the counter to explain (with a smile!) that my latte tasted like almond syrup, not almond milk. The barista said, «Oooooh, you wanted almond MILK? That’s an easy fix.» Her tone was poor and implied that I made a mistake when I ordered it, which I did not. A simple apology would have been the kind response. Nevertheless, I waited at the counter while my drink was re-​made.
They’re getting 2 stars for the less-​than-​positive service, the lack of cleanliness by allowing bare feet on the furniture (yeah, I know it’s the beach, but still), and their horrible hours! Go to the café at Third Wave (on the other end of Flagler) and receive amazing service and great coffee in a clean environment!

Coffee was excellent, décor is great.

Nice décor, friendly staff, but the breakfast sandwich was pretty lame. May be better if you just want coffee and a snack.

Cool atmosphere. Great for just hanging, doing some work, or grabbing a quick bite. Walking distance to the beach.

Three stars for the creative décor and laid back feel but my breakfast bagel sandwich was el-​Lamoe-​oh! Don’t know if they nuke the sandwich but the bagel had the feel of Wonder bread. I make better ones at home with no effort. So… let’s make a decent bagel sandwich, it’s not that hard.

This little coffee shop is a great place to take a break and get off the beach for a while. They make a great iced latte with quality coffee and coffee ice cubes, and have decent wifi so I could get some work done for an hour or two, then get back to vacation.

Love this place, but check the hours… Unilocal says 6pm, but the keep closing earlier and earlier. Sadly, I now think thy close at 2pm on Sunday…

This place is no longer in business! Don’t waste your time on the new place it sucks and they can’t even update the Unilocal page with accurate info.

Love love love this funky little 1900 built coffee shop. The BEST coffee. Friendly service makes for a nice morning walk to get a cup of joe in the mornings

This coffee shop is a fun environment. I really like the beach/​surfing vibe and it’s on a fun block (Flagler Ave). I can’t help but be critical of the place, though. The coffee is just okay, the chai is just okay, my wife’s mocha was just okay. And it’s pretty expensive. A small coffee and small chai was almost $ 7. That’s more than Starbucks, which is often mocked for being expensive.
The one thing I did really like was coffee ice cubes for the iced coffee. And my wife said she liked the muffins. It’s not a BAD place, it’s not BAD coffee, it’s just okay. And that’s fine. It’s a fine cup of coffee while walking up Flagler Avenue.

Reasonable entry in the hip coffee house category. The 4^th Star here is mainly for the environment. Local personalities hold court and you can «sense» the sea and surf influence in this former surf shop. I enjoy the outdoor seating here which is all on a porch overlooking Flagler Ave, but the coffee quality was nothing special on my recent visit.

If all you want is coffee and a nice atmosphere, this is the place. If you were expecting food, go elsewhere. The «very veggie» sandwich had iceberg lettuce and tomatoes… they were out of cookies, chips and tuna salad before 1:00 pm… but for wi-​fi and coffee, this place is all right. They should probably just eliminate the food.

Indie vibe refreshing for a california girl who relocated to the sunshine state.
Makes me feel relaxed. Enjoy your cup of Joe, even if you pay a few extra dollars for the ambiance. Surf appeal walking distance from the beach.

Very cool eclectic little place. It used to be a surf shop, but it doesn’t show at all. I never knew I liked chicken salad sandwiches until I ate here. I’m personally not a fan of paying extra for a simple cup of coffee, but the Flagler Ave. Coffee is legit as can be.
A great place to come and have a cup of coffee and a sandwich on a rainy day or cold afternoon in the winter.

Quaint, great service and wonderful coffee. Sunny day at the beach and a strong cup of Joe. What more could you want?

stong little coffee house rocks flagler — a must stop and enjoy the Java

Excellent chicken salad on croissant and iced coffee made with coffee ice cubes! Very nice people and fun atmosphere.

Always head over here for coffee when I’m in New Smyrna Beach. Cozy with an eclectic throwback decorating style. Love the house blend coffee.

The coffee is absolutely terrible, we couldn’t even drink it, threw it away & went somewhere else. I also got a chocolate chip cookie, which I would think is difficult to screw up. Wrong! It had a strange, mushy styrofoamy texture.
Also, they allow dogs inside where they serve food. Totally unsanitary, yuck.

First of all, if you are looking for a hidden little place to just get away from it all, New Smyrna Beach is perfect! A sleepy little town where everyone really does know your name!
Walking up the rickety wooden steps might make you rethink your choice but once you are inside, you can exhale, and relax! A comfy couch that looks like it’s from someone’s spinster aunt’s front room sits against one wall, several wrought iron tables and chairs dot the main room with 1 larger table and really comfy leather chairs in the center all contribute the the «make yourself right at home, y’all» feeling. In the «back room» hidden by nothing more than a few bamboo strands divide the free wi-​fi area from the rest of the café. And, if you a ‘boomer’ (over 50) you will really love the music… made me not want to leave the place!
The decaf (yes, I am THAT person) is really good and really strong. Their offerings include hot and cold teas, hot, cold, and frozen coffees, muffins and a «lite» menu of sandwiches… the chicken salad is very tasty though a bit heavy on the mayo… but that didn’t stop me! Everything is made to order, too. The staff are very accommodating, too! My friend’s «usual» is an ice tea, no ice, with caramel! I also tried a frozen chocolate chip coffee (decaf) that was de-​lish! Believe me, you will be glad you made the stop!