The Java Break

Super friendly and personable. Great place to come and take a breather.

Don't even bother with the Starbucks up the street. By any metric, Java Break is a much better coffee shop.

The atmosphere of the place is a weird, strange, wonderful blend of 1950s diner, modern coffee shop, and, for one of the rooms, free speech wall. It seems like every room has a different theme. Each room seems to have a varying degree of quietness/loudness, so if you're here to bring your laptop and study for that exam you totally didn't procrastinate studying for until the eleventh hour, you can totally do that, and if you're here to bring all your friends and chatter away, you can do that too.

The menu offers more than just the usual coffee and pastries. They have a pretty large panini menu, and a cereal bar, at which you can combine several different breakfast cereals and toppings, which include fruits, candies, and nuts. Sounds weird, but give it a shot. The coffee itself is many pegs above Starbucks coffee, and the pastries are fresh and tasty too.

Overall, it's a fun place with good coffee, plenty of other great offerings on the menu, and a unique environment. Give it a try.

Still as friendly and high quality as ever now with improved outdoor seating!
Get the affogatto! You won't regret it.

We stopped at downtown Lawrence to treat our taste buds with some good coffee. We found ‘The Java Break’. This local coffee shop provides you a very cozy feeling, a not so big shop has pretty decent setting for everything, they also have patio sitting which is pretty cool actually. The view from patio is awesome. We loved the coffee, we ordered mocha and cappuccino, both tasted great.

Great place to chill and awesome selection of coffee that taste great. Highly recommend!

Delicious latte at this very fun and unique spot. Truly the best latte we had in Lawrence! Loved the kitschy indoor space and lovely outdoor garden for relaxing with your coffee. We especially enjoyed visiting with the owner/barista! Very charming and a must stop!

Fantastic spot for a casual drink, get some work done, or meet up and chat with some friends. They've got a tasty list of Italian sodas and snacks. The cereal bar is very underrated and worth a try if you want something a bit more fun!
The vibe and decor has changed a lot over the last 10 years or so. I miss the old design, but overall it's still the same Java Break!

Very eclectic little spot excellent for studying, meeting friends, or getting some later night coffee before heading out into the town. I cannot understate how important it is to me to have late-night coffee spots — which is something that Lawrence seems to struggle with.

Love these people! As well as all their drinks and baked goods! The cookies and scones are amazing.

The best coffee place in town, has been around for a while, and for good reason! If you need to spend time downtown, stop by. Keep in mind they are understaffed, but this is beyond Java Break's control, not worth docking a star. Arm yourself with patience, and you will be rewarded with awesome service and good drinks.