Williamsburg offers a wide range of coffeehouses, cafes and bakeries that provide coffee, tea and other beverages of varying quality. The Flat Hat conducted a survey consisting of 138 students at the College of William and Mary to assess the frequency of cafe visitation and the popularity of each cafe. Respondents were asked a series of questions about a select number of popular cafes in Williamsburg, including on-campus options like Cold Pressed and Column 15. Here’s a look at what they said.
Respondents were asked to classify each cafe they had visited as ‘very poor,’ ‘poor,’ ‘average,’ ‘good’ and ‘very good.’ These were indexed into a scale from 1-5, where 1 corresponds to ‘very poor’ and 5 corresponds to ‘very good.’ Respondents rated Aromas most favorably at an average of 4.31, which corresponds to the range between ‘good’ and ‘very good.’ Other on-campus options like Boehly Cafe and Starbucks (ISC) received lower average ratings.
The survey also captured which locations students frequent most often. Aromas was again the leader, with 131 respondents having visited, closely followed by the on-campus Column 15 at 129 visitors. Bake Shop and Cold Pressed were also popular stops, each visited by 124 students, whereas locations like the Secret Garden Cafe (57 visitors) and Boehly Cafe (42 visitors) saw significantly less traffic from respondents.
Interestingly, opinions on cafes varied only slightly across different class years. Graduate students expressed the highest average approval rating, 3.61, with the class of 2028 close behind at 3.57. The classes of 2026 and 2027 shared an average approval of 3.39, while the class of 2025 had the lowest average at 3.33.
Lee Allenberg ’28 shared their preference for Column 15 over other on-campus choices, appreciating the “cozy atmosphere” and noting it had “that seating that allows people to congregate together and slow down…” They also liked the affordability of Column 15 over other options and their offering of half-priced baked goods.
Finally, the survey looked to settle the debate between coffee lovers and tea fanatics. Out of those surveyed, coffee came out on top with 101 respondents choosing it over tea. The diverse landscape of coffeehouses at and surrounding the College reflects the complex equation William and Mary students solve daily: balancing cost, convenience, quality and the desire for spaces that foster community or focused study. The heavy use of on-campus spots like Column 15 reflects the powerful draw of multi-use study spaces. These choices paint a picture of a student body navigating priorities, seeking value and connection and ultimately shaping the character of the campus’s social and academic hubs, one coffee (or tea) at a time.
