It took quite a while for this to happen, but Zion Coffee Co. has finally opened in the historic Union Depot Hotel building on SW Adams Street. I think it was supposed to open up there last summer, but that window of opportunity came and went and now as spring is on the horizon, Zion Coffee Co. has finally opened their doors to the public! And that can only mean one thing here in MIBP-land: Coffee Talk Episode!

Zion is located here on the corner of SW Adams Street in the building that once was the Union Depot Hotel. Nice to see the building being used for a local business!

I really like the way this place is decorated. It’s somewhat minimal, but classy and casual all at the same time. I wandered up to the front counter and met Blake who was doing counter-duty that day and told her about the idea behind these Coffee Talk episodes, which is basically getting a coffee drink, that even a non-coffee drinker like myself would enjoy. She told me that Christen would be happy to make that happen and so...

Here’s Christen! Everyone here is very friendly and I explained to her about wanting a coffee drink that even a non-coffee drinker would enjoy and she suggested an iced vanilla latte. I told her that sounds good to me and she quickly sprung into action down there at the end of the counter!

They’ve only been open a week, but Christen has had experience at other restaurants and coffee shops and as you can see, she definitely knows her way around a vanilla latte! And she serves it up with a pretty smile! But our expedition isn’t over quite yet, for in addition to coffee, they also have something unique in here that I don’t think is available anywhere else in town and that is...

A toast bar! They have two state-of-the-art, four-slice toasters with all kinds of toppings available, so I thought I’d try a slice to have with the coffee! There’s different breads to choose from including Sourdough, Seeded Semolina, Rye and Brioche. There’s also a large variety of toppings such as: House-made jam, nutella, granola and honey nut spreads. I chose Sourdough with butter and spiced sugar for a topping.

Kaitlyn was on toast duty and here she goes making our slice happen! After it sprung out of the toaster she buttered it up, added the sugar mixture and just a touch of pepper and then put it on a plate. Now it’s...toast!

Large windows line the front wall and I decided to sit at the bar that faces those. There’s a nice view of Adams Street and downtown Peoria outside. I decided to try the toast before the coffee and I don’t think I’ve ever had a slice of toast quite like this in my life! The bread was thick but light and airy and the topping was drenched in melted butter and it mixed with the granulated sugar mixture deliciously! I’ve never been so impressed by a slice of toast in my life!

Okay, now on to the vanilla latte. It had a faint coffee taste coming through, but the vanilla helped to counteract that and it was a really refreshing drink! I enjoyed it, but I still...

Can’t get over the toast in here, it was so good! You definitely need to stop by and try it out! Plus they also have other snacks, plus beer, wine and cocktails! We’ll have to stop back to sample some of those items in the future!

After the toast and coffee I took a few more shots of Zion Coffee Co. and check it out, there’s a second floor in here! Let’s walk up the stairs and take a look.

There’s more tables up here, a couch and coffee (what else?) table and a comfortable couch up here. It’s like a little lounge! I leaned over and took an aerial view of the coffee bar and tables below.

Before the coffee bar here opened up, Zion was selling their coffee online and that continues to happen. Click on this link to find out more about buying coffee and other utensils and goodies online!

On my way out I met Trudy, who I had met a while back while in Lacon, Illinois! Trudy told me that Christen is her daughter and that Christen is an artist and photographer! Check out Christen’s photography by clicking here. Great to see Trudy again and thanks to everyone at Zion Coffee for the hospitality, great iced coffee and most importantly, that great toast! We’ll see you all tomorrow!