Black & Brew has been a Lakeland favorite for locally roasted coffee and signature sandwiches for 16 years, and they finally have a location on the southside. The all new Black & Brew, which enjoyed its soft launch this week, is located at 4602 South Florida Ave. near the Polk Parkway in the former home of Krispy Kreme.
In addition to a large inviting outdoor patio and charming cafe inside, the new location features the unique Express Lane. It should not be mistaken for a drive-thru, but is instead for customers who place their order ahead of time through the Black & Brew website or the third-party Toast Takeout app. All customers have to do is tell the barista at the Express Lane window their name and within moments they are enjoying fresh items like a caramel macchiato or avocado tartine.
The new location includes an Express Lane dedicated to customers who order ahead on either the B&B website or a third-party app.
Black & Brew was founded in 2006 by Lakeland-native brothers Chris and Michael McArthur. The then 23-year-old and 21-year-old duo started their first location in Downtown Lakeland, inside a historic 103-year-old building across from Munn Park. Chris, now the sole owner, opened a second location at the Lakeland Public Library in October 2018.
Black & Brew has long been known to feature some of the city’s best local products. In addition to homemade Patriot Coffee, they have sandwiches made on freshly made products from Born & Bread Bakehouse and they use honey from Kelley’s Apiaries. The renovation of the building was spearheaded by locally owned and operated Waller Construction.
The new location is open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.