Warm Up at These Cozy Cafes in WashCo This Winter

Located in Tanger Outlets, Paper People Coffee is the newest addition to the Washington County coffee shop scene. The café’s cozy space is the perfect place to take a break from hectic holiday shopping and warm up for a while you sip on any of the café’s specialty winter drinks or munch on snacks like quiche, wraps, gourmet toasts, homemade baked goods and more.

While you relax, take a moment to admire the local artwork on the walls or shop around the store for trinkets, candy and more. Paper People has even been host to a few events since its opening in 2025, so be sure to check its socials for announcements on events like film screenings, live performances by local bands, holiday parties and more.

Photo credit: Paper People Coffee

Picture this – the air smells like freshly roasted coffee, snow is coming down, and you’re curled up in a quiet coffee shop with a good book and a hot drink by your side. Little City Coffee in Monongahela is that coffee shop. This café, roastery and bookstore is Monongahela’s ultimate gathering place during the cold months, and its stacked shelves and expansive café menu ensures you can stay as long as you want as you sample coffees, teas, smoothies, and an assortment of local baked goods.

Little City’s offerings are especially unique, as it offers not just standard espresso drinks, but coffee in forms like pour-over, French press, AeroPress, and even Japanese-style iced coffee. If coffee isn’t your thing, the café has an expansive menu of teas like rooibos, black teas, chai, hibiscus, chamomile, green, orange, Earl Grey and more.

Photo credit: Little City Coffee

A local favorite in both Canonsburg and Washington, Chicco Baccello is just as famous for its food as it is cozy drinks during the cold months. You’ll be back again and again as you work your way through Chicco’s specialty drinks and seasonal menu using beans roasted right in Washington, PA.

Don’t skip on building your own breakfast sandwich to go with your coffee or sampling any one of Chicco’s in-house baked goods with seasonal flavors. If you’re in for lunch, the café’s soups, salads and sandwiches come highly recommended by locals and visitors alike.

Photo credit: Chicco Baccello Washington

When in downtown Washington this winter, you’ll find warmth in front of a cheerful fireplace and plenty of delicious things behind the counter at The Table. Among plenty of high-quality espresso drinks, this café’s +200 rave Google reviews mention the spot’s breakfast sandwiches, which feature ingredients like gouda, hummus, creamy pesto and veggies in addition to eggs, sausage or bacon and are even available in gluten free forms. The café even makes its own coffee syrups!

Beyond drinks and sandwiches, the café’s baked goods are also a source of popularity. Enjoy all sorts of locally-made, seasonal muffins, scones, loaves and more in both regular and gluten-free forms.

Photo credit: The Table

Here’s a unique one: Fresh Start Café in Canonsburg. Beyond serving up great coffee to the community, this café has a greater mission. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit run completely by volunteers, Fresh Start is dedicated to giving back to the Canonsburg community by providing aid and donations to student youths and their families, plus contributing to a donation match fund for select local projects alongside other local businesses. All tips given at Fresh Start are considered donations, so giving back to the community is as easy as ordering a cup of coffee.

If you're holiday shopping on the streets of Canonsburg, Fresh Start is the perfect place to take a break and grab a warm drink…. and one of the café’s famous Johnny Waffles, of course. Similar to a Belgian waffle in texture, Johnny Waffles are coated in crunchy sugar before being served warm in parchment – no plate or fork required.

Photo credit: Fresh Start Cafe

Located inside the George Washington Hotel in downtown Washington, Kouzina Greek Bistro is another local favorite and one of our favorite places to grab an often much-needed fresh bite in the dead of winter. The bistro and coffee shop serves up all kinds of Greek-inspired cuisine, plus a few American favorites with that signature Greek twist. Menu favorites include a braised lamb, egg and feta breakfast sandwich, hummus plate, grilled cheese on pita bread with goat cheese and red peppers, and, of course, baklava.

Beyond all sorts of delicious and fresh eats offered at Kouzina, the bistro has a full menu of espresso offerings for all sorts of coffee and tea lovers. Sample from classics like cappuccinos, cortados, lattes and macchiatos, or try AeroPress or flash-brewed, Japanese-style coffee. Tea people can pair a warm cup of rooibos, Earl Grey, assam or sencha with other baked goods like banana bread or freshly-baked cookies.

Photo credit: Kouzina Greek Bistro