First Look: After two years as a coffee pop-up, House Brew opens downtown brick-and-mortar next week

House Brew founder Manning Bergeron got into the coffee business in 2024 in part because coffee is one of those things that makes people happy.

“You serve it to them, and they’re smiling the whole time,” Bergeron says.

The young entrepreneur also likes the idea of the coffee shop as a social haven, a place where friends gather, strangers meet and conversations flow.

“In Europe, they were even called liberty cafes,” Bergeron says.

After launching House Brew as a mobile cart, then a pop-up with an extended residency in the Mid City bar Pelican to Mars, Bergeron is finally realizing the coffee house dream. Next week, a brick-and-mortar version of House Brew officially opens at 278 North St. in downtown Baton Rouge. The storefront is situated in a state-owned building that also houses the Charles Lamar YMCA.

A soft launch is planned for August 11 with a grand opening on August 15.

Bergeron says the move to downtown will allow House Brew to expand into breakfast and lunch. The coffee shop owner is hoping to attract some of downtown’s 3,000 state workers, required to return to the office since last July after an executive order effectively eliminated state remote work.

Along with hot and cold coffee and tea, House Brew will serve cinnamon rolls, cookies and other baked goods from CounterSpaceBR, breakfast burritos from Lona Rai’s Kitchen & Bakery and seven specialty paninis in flavors like caprese chicken and Mediterranean veggie that are made and pressed in house.

Local artist Astrid Guerrero created the interior mural, a cartoon rendering of a girl and a coffee cup that evokes the shop’s breezy, welcoming vibe.

Bergeron will continue to source beans from Smoky Bean Roasting Co., a small-batch Baton Rouge roaster, and loose tea from Adornleaf Tea Co., another local company. The shop will also sell energy drinks.

Supporting hometown businesses is a big part of House Brew’s culture, Bergeron says, and that extends to fellow coffee shops. Bergeron would rather see java lovers patronize local options rather than national chains. House Brew even sells bright blue branded stickers at the cash register promoting “community over competition.”

The coffee menu features third-wave essentials like the top-selling latte, along with Americanos, affogatos, cappuccinos and other standards. Order a doppio for a double shot of espresso, or an Undertow, an espresso shot poured over cold milk that creates a layered hot, then cold, sensation in the mouth.

Bergeron had been working on the move to a permanent location since January and liked the idea of being back downtown. House Brew’s first iteration had operated out of a spot a few blocks away on Florida Street near the iconic sandwich shop Poor Boy Lloyd’s.

Bergeron worked closely with the Downtown Development District and negotiated favorable terms with the state for the North Street storefront. The space had formerly held Social Coffee, a now-closed concept that first operated as a pop-up in Chow Yum before moving downtown. Before it closed in 2024, Bergeron had been one of its patrons.

“It’s a great space. Lots of light,” Bergeron says. “I hope people will come enjoy it.”

House Brew’s grand opening is August 15. Its regular hours will be Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.