Finally, a Good Cup of 'Joe' on the Forgotten Coast!

Yay! I have been saying for years that we need a cute coffee place to grab some joe on the island! Then, something amazing happened…Bayside Coffee!

At Bayside, not only will you have great coffee, but you will be welcomed by the friendliest people as well. Bayside is located across from Fisherman’s Choice in Eastpoint, On my first visit, I was greeted with such a welcome feel, and I ordered a latte and a cinnamon roll.

The latte was the perfect temperature (that is always important to me), and it had a great smooth flavor. The cinnamon roll was also delicious! Bayside Coffee has some bar seating inside the coffee shop, but I choose to sit outside at their picnic tables to enjoy the weather.

After I enjoyed my latte, I asked Matt (the owner) if he would tell me a little bit about the story of how Bayside Coffee came to fruition. He happily obliged. Before moving to the Forgotten Coast, he and his wife, Meghan, lived in Atlanta. They had lost their passion for their current jobs in the healthcare field. During their time there, they had also lost their little baby boy to a stillbirth. From this tragic situation, Matt needed something to keep him busy at home. With great joy, he started doing cold brews from home. As time went on, Matt sought out local coffee roasters where he was able to glean a ton of knowledge about the industry. Eventually, he started to roast and brew cold brews right on his back porch. The dreams and ideas started to really take place at this time. They also had the joy of welcoming another son into their lives. Meghan’s father happened to come across an old oyster house that was for sale in Eastpoint, FL. Meghan’s father was the visionary behind the oyster house and soon enough they had an accepted offer on the oyster house and the hard work began. Make sure you thank Meghan’s dad for his vision! It was time for Matt, Meghan, and their little boy to pack up and move to Franklin County where they would transfer this oyster house to a wonderful coffee shop. Their parents also followed suit and they also live close by as well. During my visit, I was able to meet Matt’s mom who was working in the back packaging some coffee. I love that the whole family is involved in making Bayside Coffee come alive.

Unfortunately, Bayside was just getting started when COVID hit. They powered through that time, as we all have, and thankfully they were still able to fulfill online and local coffee orders. Then, on May 8, 2020, Bayside Coffee opened its doors for the first time (insert the confetti)! Since then, they have also opened a coffee trailer on the island right next to Weber’s Donuts. After the strong success of both the Eastpoint location and the coffee trailer, they are now focused on setting up a new permanent location on SGI which will be located across from the Buccaneer Inn.

When I asked Matt why he chose Eastpoint and St. George Island as an area to serve coffee, he said they have vacationed in this area for many years, and they love the small town feel. They plan to eventually expand to other local areas like Carrabelle and maybe even as far as Panama City. But for now, Eastpoint and St. George Island have all the love and coffee! You can also purchase their coffee online and or grab a bag in many other retailers. So if you fall in love with their coffee while on a visit to Eastpoint/SGI, you can keep drinking it from all over the U.S. by ordering online.

Bayside Coffee is located at 327 Highway 98 in Eastpoint and they are open Tuesday-Friday from 7:30-2:00 and Saturdays from 8:00-12:30. You can check out their menu here. They even sell hats, tank tops, tee shirts, and, of course, coffee mugs.

The next time I am in town, I plan to grab a latte at the new location (I hope!) and go sit on the beach! Can it get better than that? I hope you will go check them out soon. Whether you need a latte during your St. George Island Beach Vacation or need to grab an iced coffee on your way home, you can’t go wrong with Bayside Coffee!