Arrowroot Coffee Flies Straight Into Downtown Springfield, Illinois

Howard Bryman | March 4, 2026

Photo by Joe Kally @joe_kally, courtesy of Arrowroot Coffee.

There’s something for everyone and no substitute for quality at Arrowroot Coffee Co., whose first brick-and-mortar cafe opened last month in downtown Springfield, Illinois.

Simplicity, transparency and comfort guide the lounge-style cafe, where specialty coffee meets careful consideration of dietary needs and taste preferences. Oat milk is the default option, chosen in part because it avoids dairy, soy, gluten, nuts and other major food allergens.

Photo by Mason Wickham @masonwickham, courtesy of Arrowroot Coffee Co.

Dairy-free cream cheeses seasoned in-house have become a popular breakfast add-on, while allergen-conscious cookies and muffins are made from scratch, reflecting the company’s roots as a baking-forward business founded in 2019, before coffee moved to center stage.

“The name ‘Arrowroot’ serves as a reminder that details matter in everything we do,” Arrowroot Coffee Founder Jacob Dinardo told Daily Coffee News. “Arrowroot Coffee Co. started from my own personal journey discovering food allergies as an adult. Arrowroot is a common ingredient in gluten-free baking, and originally, the business involved roasting coffee and baking allergen-friendly treats. As the business grew, so did my interest in specialty coffee roasting, and that side of the business took off.”

The space was transformed from its previous life as Recycled Records, yet the browsing mindset still applies. Customers can take a beat, scan options and build a cup around what they like and what works for them.

Photo by Jacob Dinardo, courtesy of Arrowroot Coffee.

Clean, washed process coffees, daring co-ferments and sweet, familiar coffees are roasted on-site by Dinardo in a 10-kilo Typhoon roaster in a separate 800-square-foot room connected to the cafe.

“We love the difference in flavor fluid bed roasting gives as well as the sustainability of being fully electric,” Dinardo said. “Having a fully electric roaster has allowed us to roast on renewable energy by purchasing solar from our local utility company.”

Those coffees land in retail bags labeled with botanical, textbook-style line drawings and circles of color meant to communicate each coffee’s flavor profile. In the 1,800-square-foot cafe, a tall white brick wall displays the Arrowroot plant logo beside a lounge area furnished with leather chairs and a homey rug under warm wicker pendants.

Fresh roasts also fill the hoppers of dual Mahlkönig E65W Grind by Sync espresso grinders and a Mazzer ZM grinder for batch and pourover filter coffees. Espresso drinks run through a La Marzocco Linea PB machine that’s been powder-coated green to match to match the bar paneling and the “Earth Tones Espresso” label design, with artwork created in collaboration with local artist Allison Penrod.

Photo by Jacob Dinardo, courtesy of Arrowroot Coffee.

Through social media, data cards and barista conversations, Arrowroot shares information about processing methods, origin characteristics and the farms behind the coffees on bar.

“At the lounge, we offer a range of consistent daily repeatable coffees as well as unique seasonal experiential coffees. Our priorities involve sustainability and community education,” said Dinardo. “We want to help guide our community to great coffee and communicate what makes each roast so special.”

Photo by Zach Adams @1221_Photography, courtesy of Arrowroot Coffee Co.

As the shop expands its food program, Dinardo said he is looking forward to deeper partnerships with local farmers and food producers, while building more structured education through classes and other events.

“I’m excited to grow and train with my staff to be able to offer even greater quality here,” said Dinardo. “We’re also planning to do coffee education days and brewing classes to help teach the community about specialty coffee. Mostly we’re just working to serve great coffee every day and help build a space for community-building in downtown Springfield.”