Brownstones Spotlight: Blackwater Coffee
Tucked into the heart of downtown Sarnia is a place that doesn't just serve coffee it defines it. Blackwater Coffee isn’t simply a café; it’s a benchmark of style, quality, and entrepreneurial spirit. Long before downtown’s resurgence, Dave the visionary behind Blackwater committed to something greater than just brewing beans. He built an atmosphere. A vibe. A standard.
With a relentless work ethic and an eye for design, Dave created a space that feels as good as the coffee tastes. Every cup at Blackwater tells a story of craftsmanship, consistency, and community. And if you've ever been, you know the truth: once you've had Blackwater, you find yourself craving that next cup before you've even left the block.
At Brownstones, we know what it takes to build something meaningful in this city. That’s why we’re proud to spotlight Blackwater Coffee a true local gem and a cornerstone of what makes Sarnia special. Here's to Dave, to his incredible team, and to many more years of caffeinated excellence.
Bruce Wilson
Great coffee brewed by an old friend! Another reason to bring me back to Sarnia!!
Brian Booton
The place to grab a cup or fresh expertly roasted beans for home.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Kyle Healy
Overall great experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
F Rogers
The eclectic Blackwater Coffee cafe is a classic. Small, friendly, personal, Blackwater is more than a coffee spot, it's an oasis.
Sarnia is slowly reinventing itself. The kindness and enthusiasm at Blackwater makes you feel optimistic about the future of Sarnia's downtown neighborhood. Good vibes indeed!
Great coffee shop! Good coffee, amazing service and nice vibe. They even had gluten free bagels!
Dietary restrictions: They had gluten free bagels and they were good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mahi Mohammadi
I had the ice matcha and spinach & feta croissant, and they were among the best I’ve ever tasted. The flavors were spot on, and the croissant was perfectly flaky. On top of that, the customer service was brilliant, making the experience even more enjoyable. Highly recommended!
I've been to Blackwater coffee two times now and both times have been incredibly pleasant. The staff are very sweet, welcoming and knowledgeable about the items on their menu. The atmosphere is so cozy and the tunes are always bumping! The cashier also used they/them pronouns for me which was incredibly considerate. Their lavender matcha is incredible and the lemon poppy muffin is super yummy too! I will 100% be coming back in the future!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brian W.
Emily and crew always have a smile, and a welcome. Beans are roasted onsite and the Java is wonderful, and ethically sourced.
Baked goods are fresh daily and made with love. Keep up the good work downtown Sarnia. We need more businesses like yours!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fam Hommering
Great coffee. Nice atmosphere! Good coffee, a cozy cafe.
Nice and cozy place with a good vibe. Very lively.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Samantha Aaaahhh
The staff were pretty friendly but we weren't really fans of the coffee. I ordered a flavor shot with my latte but they gave us the wrong one, and the other cup had coffee spilt down the side when we got it. Altogether it was around $15 including tip for two coffees so we were expecting something more. The shop is also very hot and humid from the weather outside so it wasn't very pleasant either.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Allan Robison
Good, average coffee
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Melli F.
Loved everything! The coffee was great and the staff super friendly!
Brownstones Spotlight: Blackwater Coffee Tucked into the heart of downtown Sarnia is a place that doesn't just serve coffee it defines it. Blackwater Coffee isn’t simply a café; it’s a benchmark of style, quality, and entrepreneurial spirit. Long before downtown’s resurgence, Dave the visionary behind Blackwater committed to something greater than just brewing beans. He built an atmosphere. A vibe. A standard. With a relentless work ethic and an eye for design, Dave created a space that feels as good as the coffee tastes. Every cup at Blackwater tells a story of craftsmanship, consistency, and community. And if you've ever been, you know the truth: once you've had Blackwater, you find yourself craving that next cup before you've even left the block. At Brownstones, we know what it takes to build something meaningful in this city. That’s why we’re proud to spotlight Blackwater Coffee a true local gem and a cornerstone of what makes Sarnia special. Here's to Dave, to his incredible team, and to many more years of caffeinated excellence.
Great coffee brewed by an old friend! Another reason to bring me back to Sarnia!!
The place to grab a cup or fresh expertly roasted beans for home.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Overall great experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
The eclectic Blackwater Coffee cafe is a classic. Small, friendly, personal, Blackwater is more than a coffee spot, it's an oasis.
Sarnia is slowly reinventing itself. The kindness and enthusiasm at Blackwater makes you feel optimistic about the future of Sarnia's downtown neighborhood. Good vibes indeed!
Dietary restrictions: Coffee is uber low carb friendly!
Keto friendly.
Carnivore friendly
Paleo friendly
Parking: Parking on street usually easy to find.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great coffee shop! Good coffee, amazing service and nice vibe. They even had gluten free bagels!
Dietary restrictions: They had gluten free bagels and they were good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had the ice matcha and spinach & feta croissant, and they were among the best I’ve ever tasted. The flavors were spot on, and the croissant was perfectly flaky. On top of that, the customer service was brilliant, making the experience even more enjoyable. Highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Coconut Milk Mocha Latte, Spinach Danish
I've been to Blackwater coffee two times now and both times have been incredibly pleasant. The staff are very sweet, welcoming and knowledgeable about the items on their menu. The atmosphere is so cozy and the tunes are always bumping! The cashier also used they/them pronouns for me which was incredibly considerate. Their lavender matcha is incredible and the lemon poppy muffin is super yummy too! I will 100% be coming back in the future!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Emily and crew always have a smile, and a welcome. Beans are roasted onsite and the Java is wonderful, and ethically sourced.
Baked goods are fresh daily and made with love. Keep up the good work downtown Sarnia. We need more businesses like yours!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great coffee. Nice atmosphere!
Good coffee, a cozy cafe.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Nice and cozy place with a good vibe. Very lively.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The staff were pretty friendly but we weren't really fans of the coffee. I ordered a flavor shot with my latte but they gave us the wrong one, and the other cup had coffee spilt down the side when we got it. Altogether it was around $15 including tip for two coffees so we were expecting something more. The shop is also very hot and humid from the weather outside so it wasn't very pleasant either.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Good, average coffee
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Loved everything! The coffee was great and the staff super friendly!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great flat white!
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