The old wooden floors that creak, the rustic nature of the building — fabled by some to house ghostly residents — and the friendly, effervescent employees that greet you. Welcome to Cafe Lemont, home to the historic Village of Lemont’s tried and true neighborhood cafe.
As soon as you enter through the door, the camaraderie and fun is on display. The staff is talking to regulars and working hard on creating a meal, snack or coffee. It’s clear Cafe Lemont is a community hub: artwork is showcased and for sale by local artists, locally-made Moody Culture Kombucha is available by the can in a cooler, and the parking lot is always packed. It’s a staple meeting place for all walks of life — from Penn State professors, out-of-towners visiting for a football Saturday, and of course, the passionate and devoted residents of Lemont.
Cafe Lemont is a coffee shop and cafe in The Lemont House, nestled on the corner of Pike Street and Boalsburg Road in Lemont. Although it opened in 2010, I didn’t have the opportunity to visit until I moved back to State College in 2021. When I did, I quickly learned that it is one of the top-tier cafes in the area, namely, in my opinion, because of their breakfast sandwich and long list of fun lattes.
I’ll admit that I was a bit overwhelmed the first time I saw their drink list online. They offer coffee (hot, iced and cold brew), lattes, matcha, cappuccino, mocha, espresso, teas and Italian soda, just to name a few. They have so many flavors you can add to lattes (or their Italian sodas), plus they offer a whole list of cool specialty lattes like Dragon’s Breath, Nutty Irishman and Cinnamon Roll.
My go-to is the Chocolate Rose latte. I typically