Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii

Coffee ice cubes are the menu item to pay attention to here. Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii on South Limestone in Lexington uses them to keep iced drinks from watering down across a long study session, which matters when the bulk of the customer base lives in the UK Hub dorm across the street and orders a single latte to last two hours.

The room is teal, brightly decorated, meant to read Hawaiian even when the parking lot is full of Kentucky license plates. Big glass windows wrap the corner storefront. Tables have outlets. Some regulars call the space cozy and a little artsy; others find it more hangout-leaning than quiet-study-leaning, depending on the afternoon and how many students are deep into a midterm.

Order the iced latte with lava-top cold foam. Order the Bacon Egg and Cheddar breakfast sandwich. The Caramel Wave and Beach Bliss lattes lean sweet and tropical, which is the point. Dragon fruit lemonade and Hawaiian teas are there if espresso isn't your direction. The Hawaiian-style coffee is the chain's pitch, and the menu doesn't apologize for the sweeter end of it.

The catch is the access. There's no dedicated parking. You're either walking from the UK Hub side or paying two dollars an hour in a public lot a few blocks away, which is fine if you walked over from class and a hassle if you drove in from the suburbs. WiFi has been spotty enough that at least one customer couldn't connect at all, which can derail a study afternoon you planned around being there. The fit is obvious. UK students between classes, people who like tropical chain-cafe energy, anyone who wants their iced coffee strength to last across an afternoon. Drivers needing easy parking and remote workers who can't risk dead WiFi should plan around the friction or pick a different stop.