Quick Take:
Location: Winter Haven / Lakeland
What I ordered: Iced Coffee, Blueberry Muffin and Cheese Danish
Extra Order
(Wife/Katie's Order): Iced Strawberry Shortcake Latte and a Chocolate Croissant
Final Score: 5/5
Price: ~$1–10 per person
For my eighth stop on Mike’s Polk Food Quest, I visited Concord Coffee in Winter Haven (their new location; with their main location being in Lakeland).
I'm pretty big on coffee shops, so after visiting Unfiltered Coffee in Bartow last month I knew I needed to stop at one of the top spots in Winter Haven and Lakeland.
Concord just recently opened in Winter Haven in January, making it their second location [in Polk County].
Their Lakeland location, which is in Dixieland Mall Plaza, came in as the number one coffee shop in Lakeland in our Best Of Polk Food article breaking down the best coffee shops in Lakeland.
By the way: if you're new here, the concept of my Polk Food Quest is simple: every week I try a local spot, order the most common thing people get, try a few extras, and rank it on taste, value, vibes, and overall.
This week: Iced Coffee!
Which means I ordered a large iced coffee, blueberry muffin, & cheese danish and Katie ordered an iced strawberry latte and a chocolate croissant.
Katie usually does a specialty coffee while I stick to a plain iced coffee so we can try both — and then we tack on a few pastries (because we'd be crazy not to, right?)
How Does This Work?
I order the standard item for that category (for coffee that’s a regular iced coffee, a specialty coffee and a bonus pastry taste review), plus a few extras so I can get a full feel for the menu.
Then I rank the experience on four things:
Taste | Value | Vibes | 
Overall
Taste focuses on the standard item.
The rest reflects the entire experience.
Taste: 5/5
Concord Coffee didn't come in as the best coffee shop in Lakeland by having bad tasting coffee and food...
Both Katie and I agreed they deserved a 5/5 all around from iced coffee with a side of blueberry muffin & danish to a specialty coffee with a croissant, everything was amazing.
Here's a quick breakdown for my quick scanners, though:
- Coffee: Both the regular (iced) coffee and specialty coffee (Strawberry Shortcake) come in as a 5/5 from Katie and I.
- Pastries: The blueberry muffin, danish and chocolate croissant were all amazing.
- Bonus Recommendation: I've also had their overnight oats and HIGHLY recommend them as well.
They also stock Uncle Nick's bagels, which I reviewed not too long ago on my Polk Food Quest and raved about endlessly, which should tell you something...
Value: 5/5
Concord's value is already worthy of a 5/5 just because it's priced so well, but the fact that I'm also giving it a 5/5 for taste and vibes only bolsters that even more.
I've been to Concord for more than just coffee and a pastry (as I mentioned above I also know they have Uncle Nick's bagels and their overnight oats are amazing); and know their entire menu is priced right for a sit down and hang or just a quick drop-in.
One thing I want to begin making note of (for my oat and almond milk drinkers): The almond milk was an extra $0.75, but that seems to be a standard at coffee shops now, especially throughout Polk County, with some charging upwards of $1-1.50.
Still an easy 5/5 for value.
Vibes: 5/5
I'm a big fan of Concord's branding, spacious designs and vibes overall.
There are a few other coffee shops I've been to throughout Polk (I won't name drop here, I'll save it for individual reviews) that are extremely small and feel like they're meant to just be in and out the door rather than a sit down and do some work or hang with company feel.
The staff is always extremely helpful when ordering, when serving and helping clean up, and all around awareness for their surroundings.
Another 5/5 here.
Overall: 5/5
In case you missed it above: this one was an easy one that you should have seen coming being that it came in as the number one coffee shop in Lakeland in our Best Food In Polk breakdown [based on hundreds of local votes].
That said, I still wanted to be able to go in and review it for my Polk Food Quest so we have a good baseline moving forward when I visit more coffee shops!
Here are some of the new standards I like sharing in the Overall section:
Would I bring my visiting family there?
Absolutely.
This is an easy choice for us and it makes it nice and easy being that they have a Winter Haven location right across from Grove Roots Brewing and a Lakeland location in Dixieland.
It's also a great choice because you of how roomy it is if you're bringing family and want to grab a seat and hang for a little.
Here’s how I’d sum up Concord:
If you want a coffee shop you can actually settle into, this is the one. Great coffee, great pastries, and a space that makes you want to stay.
The iced coffee is exactly what it should be, the specialty drinks are worth every penny, and the pastries had us both wondering why we don't come here every weekend. Everything landed.
Concord is already our go-to recommendation when someone asks about coffee in either city. If you're in Winter Haven or Lakeland and haven't been yet, fix that soon. You'll thank yourself.
Before You Go....
Hey!
I want to know what you think of Concord Coffee.
Leave a comment below.
The more you share, the better, but anything is appreciated.
Each comment helps The Best Of Polk articles and eventually, the yearly awards!
Have a place you want me to try?
Make sure to comment that as well.
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