Downshift Coffee

My favorite coffee shop ever! Downshift makes the most exquisite and incredible coffee/espresso drinks, and the baked goods they sell are delicious too. I visit every time I'm in Belfast, and cannot possibly recommend Downshift Coffee enough!! The café is also in a beautiful space with lots of natural light and a beautiful view of the water. Truly the best coffee shop I've ever been to!

Downshift felt fresh and new. What I really liked was the vibe being seemingly part bike shop, part coffee, part fun. I enjoyed one of the tempting cookies with maple and it was just soft enough and the maple flavor was about right. The shop was not opened inside but take out was available, however, it looked like the owners had done a nice job creating an inviting space.

I’ve visited downshift twice and have had lackluster experiences both times. The first time I ordered an americano, which caused a lot of confusion with the barista, and she was visibly frustrated and made a snippy comment to the cashier. I attempted to clarify what I had wanted and the barista was very irate/curt. I wrote this off to me ordering “off menu”, but it struck me as very odd that an americano would be such a difficult order for a speciality coffee shop.

The second time I ordered a cappuccino which was just OK. Nothing special and wasn’t worth the almost $5. I went to pay with cash to get change/leave a cash tip, and was told they prefer cards - which is fine, but there was no indication anywhere of their preference. The staff were very friendly and chatty with regulars, but much more abrupt and curt with others.

Every time we go in we meet new people, nee staff. Very friendly place. Great coffee whatever your choice may be. The pastries look and smell wonderful. This is our goto coffee shop whenever we are here

Wow!! Highly recommend this coffee shop. Even though we couldn’t go inside due to COVID (thank you for being so responsible and keeping us all safe!), the interior of the shop was really cool with a great vibe. The service was wonderful - such a friendly team.

Menu - finally a great cup of coffee for an affordable price. Roast coffee, cappuccinos, etc. I ordered a Mocha even though it’s not listed on the menu and they made it perfectly.

Only thing worth noting - the largest size isn’t very large. It’s more like a medium. But for the price you can easily get 2 larges if you really need and it’s probably still cheaper than Starbucks or another fancy coffee shop.

Very much looking forward to returning.

I always want coffee when I pass by, then I realize they're closed. "We Ain't Up That Early & Bikes" or Downshifted Too Many Gears Coffee" might be a better name. Never very impressed, always disappointed. Can someone open a real coffee shop in Belfast?

Great, flavorful dark roast and excellent scones served by friendly staff. Nice to have coffee with a view of the harbor on their back deck, but this would still be a 5-star review. Great place and bicycles too!

Over two visits, I ordered a Honduras drip, Ethiopian drip, espresso, and some pastries. Both drips had distinct tasting notes and complexity, and the espresso was nicely balanced with juicy acidity to it. The pastries were very good as well!

I visited Downshift while traveling the Maine coast, and it's easily in my top 5 Maine coffee shops. It's not as fancy as Tandem in Portland, but the flavors are clear and very much "specialty"!

One thing I didn't find as enjoyable — while the space is bright, it could feel a bit cramped at times, even with folks hanging in the outdoor space. But it was minor and probably limited to certain times of day.

Must visit: excellent coffee, excellent baristas, great location grab a coffee and sit outside to see the water, or its a short walk to get to the bay-side rail trail. Best coffee spot in town

Great coffee and cool concept of bikes + coffee. Espresso is on point and barista is very friendly and welcoming. Good bar seating inside (finally open!) to watch the action, a patio our back, great little parklet out front, and green space across the street!