PH Coffee

PH Coffee is the neighborhood coffeehouse of Pendleton Heights in Historic Northeast Kansas City, open since November 2019 at the corner of Lexington and Brooklyn. Four local co-owners built it explicitly as a gathering place rather than a coffee brand — pay-what-you-can Neighbor Nights, an after-school crowd of students, a glass-jar deposit system instead of paper cups — and since 2025 the same room turns into “Public House,” a Friday–Saturday evening bar with cocktails, local beer and a share-plate menu.

Description

PH Coffee sits in a corner storefront at 2200 Lexington Avenue, the northeast corner of Lexington and Brooklyn in Pendleton Heights, the Victorian-house neighborhood on the west end of Historic Northeast.¹² The official site calls it “the gathering place of Pendleton Heights” and states the house rule plainly: “You are seen, welcomed and respected.”² Co-owner Jarred Donalson has described it the same way to the Northeast News — “at the core, a neighborhood coffee shop,” a place that does not get random passers-by and therefore knows its regulars.³

The coffee program runs four brewing styles daily and a rotating “Coffee of the Month” (a Guatemalan Ceiba lot in September 2025), under the tagline “Coffee with presence, not pretense.”⁴ The site also lists a “Guarantee Minimum Rate” for coffee sourcing and free alternative milks.² The menu board is short: drip, espresso drinks, cold brew, a house-made chai, matcha, a London Fog, two tea specials, a list of loose-leaf “Spirit” hot teas, house-made scones, muffins, cookies and gluten-free bars, plus a food side branded “PHood” — three house-made burritos (breakfast, vegan sweet potato, brisket burnt ends), smoothies, panini-pressed grilled cheeses and sandwiches, and pastries bought in from local makers: Mr. D’s Donuts, Farm to Market croissants and conchas from Aurora Bakery.⁵ At opening the pastry case was stocked by KC Baking Company, Mudpie and Taos Bakes.⁶

The shop’s most distinctive policy is its Glass Jar Program: every to-go drink carries a $2 deposit for a returnable glass jar rather than a disposable cup.⁵⁷ The other is programming. PH hosts a free “Neighbor Night” on the second and fourth Fridays — pay-what-you-can meals, neighborhood discussion, family activities and a featured nonprofit — and a monthly “Songwriter’s Sanctuary” open stage with the Heartland Song Network on third Sundays.⁸ The Pendleton Heights neighborhood association ran a biweekly “Meet Your Neighbor Night” series there in early 2025.⁹ Through partnerships with Kansas City University and Lead to Read, the shop has hosted toddler story times and college scavenger hunts, and the Northeast News has profiled it as an after-school “safe space” for neighborhood students.¹⁰ Co-owner Eric Rosell has also organized the “Pendleton Cup,” a 3-v-3 youth soccer tournament, from the shop.¹¹

Ownership and history

IN Kansas City reported in July 2019 that a 2,200-square-foot coffeehouse called PH Coffee was being readied for inspections in Pendleton Heights, one of the first new businesses in a neighborhood then filling with renovation crews; co-owner Jarred Donalson said the partners “thought it would be cool to have a coffee shop in that space” and decided they should be the ones to open it, since the area lacked a general gathering place.¹² The Northeast News’ pre-opening story named the four co-owners — Adeison Bliss, Eric Rosell, Jarred Donalson and Alex Merrell — and placed the shop on the northeast corner of Lexington and Brooklyn, with “community connection” as the stated goal. Merrell, it noted, is also a part-owner of Hammerhand Coffee in Liberty, Missouri, where he does the roasting.¹ Whether PH’s beans come from Hammerhand is not stated on the PH site.

The shop debuted in November 2019 with specialty coffee, tea, pastries, soda and doughnuts, and opening hours of 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday–Saturday.⁶ Rosell, described as an owner and “one of its original founders,” has explained the motive as personal: “There wasn’t really a place for us to hang out, relax and cool off, especially in our own neighborhood … we wanted to build a gathering place for the community where everyone could drop their shoulders, take a deep breath and feel safe.”¹⁰

The evening concept came later. The Northeast News reported that PH Coffee and its Public House occupy 2200 and 2202 Lexington, with the Public House created to give the neighborhood the same gathering experience at night.¹³ The site describes Public House as a “neighborhood-built bar” designed around customer input, open Friday and Saturday 6–11 p.m. with cocktails, local beer, wine, alcohol-free options and a food menu “designed for sharing”; Dave, Nicole and Hannah are named as the team who work with private-event clients.¹⁴ The Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce has featured PH Coffee & Public House as a small-business spotlight, quoting its mission — “Serve well. Support each other. Strengthen our community.” — and the line “we’re in the people business; coffee and drinks are simply the vehicle.”¹⁵

Links

• Website: https://www.ph.coffee/
• Menu (official, image boards): https://www.ph.coffee/menu
• Public House: https://www.ph.coffee/public-house
• Recurring events: https://www.ph.coffee/signature-events
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phcoffeekc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phcoffeekc/

Menu

Last verified: 2026-08-29 · Source: the two menu boards published as images on ph.coffee/menu (“Menu” and “PHood”), transcribed · Confidence: High for items and prices; the Public House evening menu is not published online.⁵¹⁴

Coffee drinks (PH Favorites)

• Drip Coffee $2.99 · Americano $3.95 · Latte $5.25 · Mocha $6.00 · Espresso $3.65 · Traditional Macchiato (3 oz) $3.89 · Cortado (4 oz) $4.00 · Cappuccino (6 oz) $4.50 · Cold Brew $4.50 · Iced Coffee $3.50
• Housemade flavors $0.99: vanilla, caramel, honeybear, lavender, seasonals; sugar-free vanilla and seasonal. Milk options included: whole/skim; oat/almond/soy. Extras: extra espresso $2.00, breve $1.00, whip cream (V) $0.99.

Tea

• Matcha Latte $6.00 · Housemade Chai $5.50 · London Fog $5.25
• Tea specials: The Peachy Keen (iced green tea, passion-fruit syrup, peach ring) $6.25 · The Hulk (sparkling limonata, lavender syrup, shot of matcha) $6.25
• Spirit hot teas: Rosella (hibiscus, lemongrass, licorice root) · Peppermint · Malabar (ginger, lemongrass, turmeric, peppercorn, licorice) · Honey Orchid Oolong · Jasmine Green · Earl Grey

House-made pastries · Kids

• Scones $4 · Muffins $4 · Cookies $4 · Crumble bars (V, GF) $4.75 · Rice Krispy Treats (GF) $4.75 · Kosmic Brownie (V, GF) $4.75
• Kids 8 oz: Hot Chocolate/Steamer $4.50 · Milk $2.75
• “All to-go drinks will have a $2 deposit for glass jar.”

PHood

• House-made burritos $10–12: Breakfast (scrambled eggs, thick-cut bacon, hash brown, flour tortilla) · Vegan Sweet Potato (roasted sweet potato in chimichurri, black beans, spinach, hash brown, vegan provolone, spinach tortilla) · Brisket $12 (brisket burnt ends, smoky BBQ sauce, smoked gouda, roasted red pepper, hash brown)
• Smoothies $6.50: Strawberry Banana · Chocolate Peanut Butter (add espresso +$2) · Tropical
• Grilled cheese & sandwiches (add chips $1.75): Artichoke Spinach (V, GF) $10 · American Classic $7.50 · Ham & Swiss (croissant) $9 · Vegan Classic $10 · Smashed Apple (pepper jack, apple butter, croissant) $9 · Breakfast Sammie (eggs, bacon, gouda, aioli, Tajín) $11
• Specialty pastries: Donuts (Mr. D’s Donuts) $4, bottomless-drip combo $5 · Croissants (Farm to Market) $6, combo $6.50 · Conchas (Aurora Bakery) $6, combo $6.50 · Bagels $5, cream cheese +$0.75

Sources

Footnotes

1. “Coffee shop to open in Pendleton Heights with goal of connecting people,” Northeast News, 2019 — Confirms: co-owners Adeison Bliss, Eric Rosell, Jarred Donalson and Alex Merrell; NE corner of Lexington and Brooklyn; Merrell part-owner and roaster at Hammerhand Coffee, Liberty. (Site blocked to automated retrieval on 2026-08-29; facts taken from the indexed text — verify on a manual pass.) ↩ ↩²

2. PH Coffee — official website, home page. Retrieved 2026-08-29 — Confirms: “the gathering place of Pendleton Heights”; “since 2019”; address 2200 Lexington Ave, KCMO 64124; phone 816-723-1243; emails; hours Mon–Sat 7–6, Sun 8–5; Glass Jar Program; “Guarantee Minimum Rate”; free alternative milks; event-space rental; Instagram/Facebook handles phcoffeekc; no online-ordering link. ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. “PH Coffee, a neighborhood coffee shop to the core,” Northeast News — Confirms: Donalson’s “at the core, a neighborhood coffee shop” framing. (Blocked to automated retrieval; indexed text.) ↩

4. PH Coffee — official website, “Coffee Program.” Retrieved 2026-08-29 — Confirms: four brewing styles daily; “Coffee with presence, not pretense”; Coffee of the Month “Guat Ceiba” (September 2025). ↩

5. PH Coffee — official website, “Menu” (two image boards: “Menu” and “PHood”). Retrieved 2026-08-29 — Confirms: every item and price in the Menu section; $2 glass-jar deposit on to-go drinks; pastries from Mr. D’s Donuts, Farm to Market and Aurora Bakery. ↩ ↩² ↩³

6. “PH Coffee makes Pendleton Heights debut, with coffee and tea and more,” Hoodline, 2019-11-13 (syndicated via Yahoo News) (original: hoodline.com) — Confirms: November 2019 debut at 2200 Lexington; opening offerings; opening hours Mon–Sat 7–7, Sun 8–4; pastries from KC Baking Company, Mudpie and Taos Bakes. ↩ ↩²

7. “PH Coffee Brews Change with Innovative Glass Jar Sustainability Program,” Northeast News — Confirms: existence and framing of the glass-jar program. (Blocked to automated retrieval; headline only.) ↩

8. PH Coffee — official website, “Signature Events.” Retrieved 2026-08-29 — Confirms: Neighbor Night on 2nd and 4th Fridays (pay-what-you-can meals, nonprofit spotlight); Songwriter’s Sanctuary with the Heartland Song Network, third Sundays 2:30–6 p.m. at the Public House. ↩

9. Pendleton Heights Kansas City Neighborhood Association — “PH Coffee Meet Your Neighbor Night” event listing (Feb 14–Apr 25, 2025, biweekly, 6–10 p.m., 2200 Lexington). Retrieved 2026-08-29 — Confirms: the 2025 series and venue. ↩

10. “A Neighborhood Hangout: PH Coffee Provides Safe Space for Students in Northeast Kansas City,” Northeast News — Confirms: “established in late 2019”; Eric Rosell as owner and original founder; KCU and Lead to Read partnerships; “drop their shoulders” quote. (Blocked to automated retrieval; indexed text.) ↩ ↩²

11. “PH Coffee Hosts Northeast Soccer Tournament During World Cup Event,” Northeast News — Confirms: Rosell’s “Pendleton Cup” 3-v-3 youth tournament. (Blocked to automated retrieval; indexed text.) ↩

12. “Buzz Is Building About PH Coffee Coming to the Eclectic Pendleton Heights Neighborhood,” IN Kansas City, July 2019 — Confirms: 2,200 sq ft; pre-inspection build-out; co-owner Jarred Donalson quote on the neighborhood needing a gathering place. (Page blocked to automated retrieval on 2026-08-29; facts taken from the indexed text.) ↩

13. “A New Glow Behind the Green Door at PH Coffee,” Northeast News — Confirms: PH Coffee and Public House at 2200 and 2202 Lexington; Public House created for night-time gathering. (Blocked to automated retrieval; indexed text.) ↩

14. PH Coffee — official website, “Public House.” Retrieved 2026-08-29 — Confirms: “neighborhood-built bar”; Fri–Sat 6–11 p.m.; cocktails, local beer, wine, alcohol-free options, share-plate food menu; private/semi-private events; Dave, Nicole and Hannah as event contacts. ↩ ↩²

15. “Small Business Spotlight: PH Coffee & Public House,” Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2026-08-29 — Confirms: 2019 opening; coffeehouse by day / public house by evening; mission statement; “people business” line; Neighbor Nights twice monthly. ↩