Eau Claire likes coffee. Fortunately, the city is graced with many great places to get a fix of caffeine. Some of these places have excellent atmospheres with live music and nooks and crannies to study. Others have killer drinks and the friendliest of staff. Here is my very biased list of Eau Claire's five best coffee shops:

1. Acoustic Cafe

A well established place for coffee and lunch in downtown Eau Claire, the Acoustic Cafe has great coffee and bakery. They have plenty of great seating and live music on a weekly basis.

2. Grand Avenue Cafe

Underrated and truly grand, the waiters and baristas are some of most genuine people around. They have excellent breakfast and lunch items with cheap coffee and free refills.

3. Caffe Tempo

With a location downtown and new one about to open on Water Street in the immediate future, Caffe Tempo has late night hours and local coffee.

4. Eau Claire Downtown Coffee

EC/DC, part of the Lismore Hotel, has a contemporary design and friendly staff. I believe their smoothies are some of the best in town. Although they're a tad more expensive than some of the other places in town, their specialty drinks are usually worth it.

5. Racy D'lene's Coffee Lounge

The ultimate bohemian coffee house, Racy's is laid back and dog friendly! Their wi-fi is pretty slow, but their seasonal drinks are delicious.