Just Love Coffee Cafe

Just Love Coffee Cafe sits on the corner of The Fountains at Gateway, that walkable little pocket of shops and fountains off Medical Center Parkway, and it has the feel of an oasis from the first sip. The brand was born right here in Murfreesboro in 2009, when founder Rob Webb started hand-roasting coffee as a business built to help others, and the now-signature waffle-iron menu came later out of pure creativity in a small kitchen. You will still find that here: hand-roasted coffee, signature lattes, and an all-day menu of waffled omelets, sandwiches, wraps, and of course fluffy waffles.

What makes this Fountains location its own is the people behind the counter. The owner hand-rolls the bagels from scratch, a craft tied to his Portuguese roots, and regulars will tell you to order the everything hammie on his homemade everything bagel. It is the kind of place where someone already knows your order by the time you reach the register.

Then there is the setting, which is half the reason it stays so busy. Out front, patio seating gathers around a fireplace that is perfect in the cooler months. Around the back, a quieter patio sits under the trees, shaded and lovely on a slow afternoon. People meet here, work here, and catch up here, and when the cup is empty there are shops all around the courtyard to wander.