By Arden Berry | Arts & Life Editor
I have a confession: I do not drink coffee.
However, the common threads I noticed while looking at my class’s Baylor Bound Instagram page back in 2024 were that prospective Baylor students love Jesus, hanging out with friends and drinking coffee. At The Baylor Lariat, we are for the students, by the students, and if representing the student body means delving into this drink, so be it.
Fortunately, the recommendation I reviewed this week made it easy. For Keeps Coffee & Bakery at 3619 Bosque Blvd. offers not only a great cup of joe, but also a perfect atmosphere for studying.
Coffee
As an inexperienced coffee drinker, I approached the menu with a bit of trepidation and ordered the drink with the most words that I recognized: a toasted milk latte. When the drink was ready, the presentation was simple, yet elegant.
As I went to take a sip, I braced myself for bitter, scalding hot liquid on my tongue. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The coffee was rich and flavorful, not too bitter and not too sweet. Somehow the drink was the perfect temperature for drinking as well. Despite my prior hesitation, I found myself sipping on the coffee as if I had been drinking it all my life.
In considering the flavor, it is worth noting that For Keeps recently switched to in-house roasting. If this cup was any indication, their unique roast is very good. And so, not only was the coffee good, but it is likely one cannot find anything exactly like it anywhere else.
Atmosphere
For Keeps offers a spacious area with a variety of seating options from couches to long community tables along the wall. However, the seating options that should stand out most to the studious student are the booths. These spots offer cozy spaces inside arches, keeping students and their study materials partially closed off from the world as if in a small cave.
As for the rest of the building, everything from the music to the muted colors lends itself to studying and conversations over coffee. The music and decor are nice without being distracting.
Other considerations
The coffee prices are a bit higher than what one might find at Starbucks, but the quality of the coffee and the atmosphere of the location make For Keeps worth the money.
The bakery also offers a variety of baked goods, from bagels to muffins. However, because many of the options are house made daily, they can sell out.
The flagship location I went to is also about 15 minutes from campus, so I would recommend visiting if you want to commit to staying there for a bit. However, there is another location at 1815 S. Fourth St. right inside the Baylor Baptist Student Ministry building if you want to make a quicker stop. While it does not have the same space as the original and its bakery menu is more limited, it does provide similar coffee offerings.
For the curious coffee lover, both locations are open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week.
