Fort Lauderdale is filled with hole-in-the-wall shops and restaurants, and some are the city’s best kept secrets. Undergrounds Coffeehaus is definitely one of those places.
Coffee and tea aficionados flock to Undergrounds for some of the best coffee in the city and a unique atmosphere.
With big comfy chairs, shelves lined with books and vintage board games, Undergrounds’ attic-like atmosphere is “like going to grandma’s minus the mothballs.” But the food and drinks here make a visit to Underground’s far from your average trip to grandma’s.
Undergrounds Coffehaus is easy to miss. Located on the east side of US-1, one plaza south of Oakland Boulevard, Undergrounds is hidden away in a small second-floor loft, but the search for Undergrounds is seriously worth it.
The staff at Undergrounds isn’t like your typical cranky baristas, and, when it comes to coffee and tea, they know their stuff. Going to Undergrounds is a completely different experience from stopping by a Starbucks or a local café. You won’t be sipping your coffee alone in a corner with your headphones on because the staff and other patrons at Undergrounds are engaging, and the place is often full of local artists and musicians for you to meet.
The atmosphere and conversation at Undergrounds are all great, but what really makes Undergrounds worth it is the drinks. From Honeysuckle to Marshmallow Root, Undergrounds has a massive variety of loose leaf teas. They also offer classic caffeinated teas like Earl Grey, English breakfast, and green tea, as well as decaf options like cranberry apple and vanilla nut crème. In addition to the huge selection of teas, Undergrounds offers crazy and delicious coffee flavors that are, arguably, the best in Fort Lauderdale. The Grasshopper Latte, a mint chocolate coffee, and the Peanut Butter Cup Cappuccino, which tastes just like a peanut butter cup, are my two to-go coffee flavors whenever I’m at Undergrounds.
If you’re not in the mood for coffee or tea, Undergrounds still has something for you. Iced ciders are wildly popular at Undergrounds, and I have yet to find anywhere in South Florida that does them better than Undergrounds. If you want something a little more decadent, try one of their iced or regular hot chocolates that come in flavors like almond joy, banana split and white chocolate cranberry.
And what’s good coffee without good food? Undergrounds offers a variety of desserts to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth from sugary snicker doodle cookies to warm fudge brownies topped with whipped cream and strawberry sauce. But, as great as these sweets are, there’s one thing that will really keep you coming back for more: tater tots. Coffee and tater tots definitely sounds like an odd combination, but trust me, these tots are too good to pass up. You can keep your tots tame, by ordering regular flavors like salt and pepper or bacon bits, but if you’re feeling adventurous order “loaded” tots, in outrageous flavors like Blackened Redfish Magic or Mango Lime Seafood. There are more than 30 different types of tater tots, and once you’ve tried one type, you’ll definitely be back to try them all.
Between the delicious coffee, great atmosphere and locally famous tater tots, I’ve never left Undergrounds Coffeehaus disappointed. Despite being one of Fort Lauderdale’s best kept secrets, people are always in and out of Undergrounds, whether it’s people coming in to grab tater tots on a lunch break or a group of local high school students looking for a place to study. The hours are convenient, allowing you to grab a quick coffee whenever. Undergrounds is in open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. until 11:30 p.m., from 9 a.m. until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 4:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. on Sundays. Be sure to check their schedule for special events like art shows and musical performances. There is always something going on at Undergrounds.
Undergrounds Coffeehaus is a hidden gem in a town where you can find a Starbucks on every corner. Once you try any of Underground’s coffees or teas, that Starbucks latte you used to buy every morning will be a distant memory.
