"Perfect to grab a caffeine pick-me-up before heading out onto the water or to skip the lines at the original location." That's how Alabama's Beaches describes the second Beach Girl, inside the Legendary Marina ship store at 335 Waterway West. It also describes most of what changed with coffee in Gulf Shores this year. The new places didn't line up along one busy stretch. They opened where different kinds of mornings start: at the boat slip, along the Parkway, on West 1st Street downtown and on West Beach Boulevard. Their hours fit those spots, so you'll save more time by knowing when each one opens and closes than by knowing which one is newest.
One coffee shop, two kinds of morning
The best way to see this is to compare the two Beach Girl locations. The original drive-thru at 3500 Gulf Shores Parkway is listed as open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. The marina shop is listed as open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, according to Beach Girl's locations page.
That's a nine-hour day on the Parkway against a four-hour weekday window at the marina. It's the same coffee with two different jobs. The drive-thru is for the commute and the school run, and it's open long enough to catch the early-afternoon slump. The marina counter is open during the hours boats are heading out, and it closes around the time they start coming back.
If you're used to the drive-thru line on a Saturday and you're heading out on the water anyway, the Waterway West shop is the stop the tourism bureau has in mind. Just keep the noon weekday close in mind. Show up at 12:30 on a Tuesday and you'll find the doors shut.
The Parkway gets a place to sit
Not every new coffee stop is about getting in and out fast. Anchored Coffee House opened at 1229 Gulf Shores Parkway, Suite 101, and AL.com reported in late January that it was open and serving locally roasted coffee along with breakfast and lunch. The Alabama's Beaches listing adds pastries and light fare, with coffee "iced, hot, or frozen."
That puts two very different coffee stops on the same road. Beach Girl's original location at 3500 is built around the car window. Anchored, further south at 1229, serves lunch as well as breakfast, so it works as a place to sit down, not just a cup to carry out. If you have a mid-morning meeting, need to fit in some work between errands, or have family in town who want more than a pastry through a window, that's the part of the Parkway to head for.
Downtown, the drink changes
Surfside Nutrition opened on Sept. 12 at 1404 W. 1st St., owned by Brianna Blake and Cole Smith, Gulf Coast Media reported. It isn't a coffee shop. The menu is built on customizable loaded teas, which the paper reported carry 200 milligrams of caffeine, plus protein shakes, collagen drinks, electrolyte hydration drinks and protein snacks.
It earns a place on this list because of its hours. Gulf Coast Media listed Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and weekends from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. On weekdays, that 4 p.m. close is the latest of any shop here with published hours. It runs an hour past the Beach Girl drive-thru and four hours past the marina counter. If your caffeine run tends to happen after lunch, this is the West 1st Street address to remember.
West Beach Boulevard gets a familiar name
The beach road is where a franchise brand set up shop. Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii took the space at 520 W. Beach Blvd. that used to be L.A. Pizzeria, Gulf Coast Media reported in January. The paper described a menu of hot, iced and frozen coffee, tea, sandwiches and breakfast items.
The opening date moved more than once. Tom Wylie was quoted in January aiming for around April or May. Then a company release from April 28 set it for early June. That release names AWA Investments as the operating group and Wylie as a co-owner. AL.com's coverage of the announcement said the Gulf Shores café is part of a 10-unit agreement covering the Alabama coast and the Florida Panhandle. If you know the Orange Beach store, the Gulf Shores location is the same brand on West Beach Boulevard. Gulf Coast Journeys' running guide to what's new on the coast now lists it as open. Check the shop's own pages for current hours before you go.
This winter brings coffee you sit down to taste
All the shops above sell you a drink to start your day. The one still to come is built around tasting. Caffeinatrix, a coffee roastery and tasting room, is coming to 3757 Gulf Shores Pkwy., Unit BC, with a "winter 2026" opening listed on its website and repeated in Gulf Coast Media's Oct. 16 restaurant roundup.
According to the roundup, you'll be able to watch coffee roasted in small batches and try rare and limited offerings. The company's roastery page lists single-origin coffees, organic Arabica, limited-edition micro-lots, Gesha and Excelsa, plus roast-to-order options. Its homepage highlights organic and fair-trade sourcing. Gulf Coast Media named Josie Taylor as the owner in a 2023 profile.
This finishes the pattern. The drive-thru covers the commute, the marina counter covers the boat launch, Anchored covers a sit-down meal and Surfside covers the afternoon. Caffeinatrix is aimed at an unhurried stop where the coffee itself is the point. Since "winter 2026" is the only timeline published so far, the roastery's own site is the best place to watch for a firm date.
The morning by the clock
Here's how the shops with published hours line up across a weekday:
- 6 a.m. The Beach Girl drive-thru at 3500 Gulf Shores Pkwy. opens first.
- 7 a.m. Surfside Nutrition at 1404 W. 1st St. opens, an hour later on weekends.
- 8 a.m. Beach Girl at Legendary Marina, 335 Waterway West, opens.
- Noon. The marina shop closes on weekdays and stays open until 2 p.m. on weekends.
- 3 p.m. The Beach Girl drive-thru closes. So does Surfside on weekends.
- 4 p.m. Surfside closes on weekdays, the latest weekday close among these listings.
Anchored Coffee House and Bad Ass Coffee don't have hours in the coverage cited here, so call or check their pages first.
Hours can change with the season. Earlier this month, Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin on Oct. 9. Orange Beach reported minimal damage, according to OBA, and AL.com reported that many Gulf Shores businesses reopened the day after the storm. The storm did cost the city its 53rd National Shrimp Festival, which was canceled ahead of landfall. By the Alabama's Beaches update on Oct. 15, most local businesses were open. As the slower months begin, posted hours are the place to check before you drive across town for a cup.
I meet a lot of folks over coffee, whether they're thinking about a Gulf Shores condo or just want to talk about a house near the marina. If you'd like to sit down at one of these shops and talk about what you're looking for, Contact Me at Robin Roberts. I answer my phone, and I'm glad to buy the first round.
