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In January of 2025, La Barista Coffee celebrated its 30th anniversary. They opened their doors to West Des Moines in January of 1995. The local coffee shop industry is a competitive market. In Des Moines, coffee shops flood our city. La Barista Coffee is a family-run and veteran owned coffee shop located at 1963 Grand Avenue. If you are local to the area, it is extremely close to the well-known Valley Junction gathering place.  

La Barista Coffee offers a drive-through option as well as a cozy seating area inside. According to Google Reviews, locals say the dining room inside gives them “grandma’s cozy kitchen” vibes. The shop is small but super welcoming. La Barista Coffee’s wooden floors and soft seating make the shop a homey study location.  

La Barista Coffee’s drink menu is full of espresso drinks, lattes, cappuccinos and blended beverages. That is not all! La Barista Coffee serves breakfast foods such as burritos, sandwiches and bakery items. Their most popular pastry is their homemade everyday cinnamon rolls. Their beverage options are endless, with a variety of toppings and flavors for customers to truly make drinks their own. 

When you arrive at La Barista Coffee in the morning, you will either witness their busy drive-through line, or their twenty-minute rest period from all the local rush. They have a QR code at the drive-through that leads to their full menu and website. La Barista Coffee provides their coffee menu at the drive-through window where you are greeted with a friendly smile every time. Their service is very efficient as well. There was a line of six cars when I entered the drive-through. By the time I arrived at the window, only about five minutes went by to get through the line.  

Pricing seemed to be good at La Barista Coffee. To keep things fair, I headed to Starbucks to compare their seasonal drink to La Barista Coffee’s specialty drink. At Starbucks, I ordered a grande, (Starbucks branded name for medium) Caramel Brulée Iced Latte with oat milk. At La Barista Coffee, I ordered a medium Iced Turtle Mocha Latte with oat milk. La Barista Coffee’s medium drink was $6.70, and Starbucks’ medium drink was $6.90: a 20 cent difference between the two locations.  

I highly recommend visiting La Barista Coffee and giving it a try. If you love real and delicious coffee, this is the place for you. Their coffee is Arabica and is grown worldwide. They have been purchasing the beans from the same master roaster since they opened in 1995. I think it tastes better than most coffee chains. La Barista Coffee’s coffee flavor is fantastic. Their pricing is fair compared to large coffee chains. If you have any questions, the staff will steer you in the right direction of what popular food and drink options are and what is available for customization. They can provide nearly anything you ask for in your desired beverage. 

 La Barista Coffee has 4.8 out of 5 stars with over 200 Google reviews. They are open Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

So, what makes a local coffee shop successful? I would have to answer that question with genuine pride, love and care towards a business and its consumers.