When I recently moved to Sarasota from Iowa, my first order of business was finding an apartment close to the beach. My second order of business? Finding a coffee shop I could frequent on the weekends to meet new people. And that’s how I found my way to Palma Coffee.

It’s a special place—small and unassuming and off the beaten path, all of which adds to its allure. If you’re speeding by its South Trail location in the Coral Cove strip mall, you’ll miss it. It reminds me of one of those small, cozy beach accesses that tourists don’t know about until a local clues them in—once you find it, your life will never be the same.

Owners Manuel Montenegro and Amanda Govic had never worked in hospitality before opening the shop in 2022, which is surprising considering how homey and accessible the space feels. At other coffee shops, the baristas’ goal can be to get you in and out as quickly as possible. Here, there’s an unspoken invitation to linger, and the baristas pepper you with questions about your weekend plans, your new job or that recent road trip you took.

“One thing I stress with our employees is that I never want us to get to the point where we see a customer and roll our eyes,” says Montenegro. “The customers are the reason we opened the business. Originally, we thought this was just about making coffee, but it’s about hospitality, too. We’re providing a service.”

Montenegro, who is originally from Miami, credits Govic, who grew up in Sarasota, with the shop’s look, which is sunny and bright, with lots of tropical and floral flourishes. Wooden counters and details make the space feel warm and approachable, and retro details—like the shop’s curvy, cream-colored La Marzocco espresso machine—give it a lived-in feel.

“This was Amanda’s vision, and to see it become a place where people feel at home—it’s been so gratifying to us,” says Montenegro. In addition to serving coffee, the shop stocks a small but well curated selection of vinyl records for sale.

The drinks are consistently inventive, with intriguing seasonal specials like my recent favorite, the “smoked cold fashioned,” which is made with a smooth-as-silk Kyoto cold brew, barrel-aged maple syrup and bitters, and served in a smoked glass. Other recent highlights have incorporated ingredients like pistachio orgeat, a “figgy drizzle” and maple syrup infused with pine needles and juniper.

Coffee shops are essential institutions that can make a new city feel more like a home. On each visit, you begin to recognize baristas and your fellow customers, and that familiarity translates into becoming more familiar with your new hometown overall. Sarasota still feels new to me, but after visiting Palma just three times, the staff already knew my name, and I knew I’d found a coffee shop to call my own. At Palma, you’re not merely welcomed. You’re wanted.

Palma Coffee is located at 7362 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, and is open 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. For more info, follow the shop on Instagram at @palmacoffeeco.