As much as it’s possible to be a hidden gem in downtown St. Pete, Lucky Cup Coffee Co is making it happen. The bright and welcoming cafe opened a few months ago inside the new Galaxy Hotel at 101 3rd Avenue North, and it has quiet developed a sterling reputation.
Lucky Cup is open daily from 7 am – 2 pm, though we should note that they are closed April 17-19 for one of the owners to get married. We had our first visit recently and came thoroughly impressed with both the product and the experience. We plan to return soon and try more, but we very much enjoyed our lattes, as well as a breakfast bagel and their avocado toast. Bonus points that all of their cold foams are gluten-free and dairy-free, which can be tough to find even in St. Pete.
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However, it’s not just the great food and drink that we loved. Lucky Cup is the kind of local success story we love to hear. The shop was opened and is run daily by a pair of best friends, April and Lauren, who turned their “we should open a cafe together” dream into a delicious reality.
They’ve both worked in the hospitality industry for years, and plenty of locals will recognize April, who opened the first Karma Juice Bar + Eatery with her mother, Josie, back in 2014. With that kind of background, we knew coming in that we could expect great things.
April ran an early pop-up version of Lucky Cup as far back as 2019 out of Karma’s Safety Harbor location. In 2023, she and Lauren got serious about opening their own place. After a couple years of planning, waiting, and building out their dream cafe, Lucky Cup debuted at The Galaxy Hotel, and it’s been a smash hit ever since.
The cheerful shop has largely retained its IYKYK status, but the secret is starting to get out. It won’t be long before the term hidden gem no longer applies, and Lucky Cup is deserving of that attention. It’s a perfectly St. Pete store, and we’re excited to see their addition to our outstanding local coffee scene.
Stop in any day to check out their specialty coffees, breakfast toasts and sandwiches, and rotating seasonal specials. We have the banana toast next up on our must-try list, while April and Lauren tell us the spring raspberry hibiscus latte (available as either matcha or regular coffee) is their new favorite.
