Lucky Cup Coffee Co. is located inside the Galaxy Hotel in downtown St. Pete | St Pete Rising

A new coffee shop has quietly opened in downtown St. Pete, bringing house-made syrups, matcha drinks, and breakfast sandwiches to a hotel lobby near Beach Drive.

Lucky Cup Coffee Co. is located inside the Galaxy Hotel at 101 3rd Avenue North and is run by longtime friends Lauren Kirk and April Lupkey.

The café softly debuted last July, turning a longtime passion into a business for the duo.

“We both love coffee and community, and we’ve always talked about opening a coffee business together,” Lupkey told St. Pete Rising. “This feels like a natural extension of who we are.”

The name Lucky Cup Coffee Co. carries personal meaning. Lupkey, who survived a life-threatening birth complication, describes herself as a miracle baby, and the concept of gratitude and good fortune is woven throughout the brand.

Lupkey first explored a café concept in 2019 at Karma Juice Bar and Eatery in Safety Harbor, owned by her mother, Josie Barber.

However, the location closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting Lupkey to begin planning a mobile coffee cart instead.

That plan shifted when an unexpected opportunity presented itself in downtown St. Pete.

longtime friends Lauren Kirk and April Lupkey opened Lucky Cup Coffee last year in downtown St. Pete | Lucky Cup Coffee Co.

“The Galaxy Hotel owner actually approached my mom to make it a Karma location, but Karma needed a larger space,” Lupkey said. “I also felt like people in hotels really want coffee and breakfast items. So we were like, what if we did coffee instead?”

Kirk joined the venture, bringing her background in graphic design to develop Lucky Cup’s branding and merchandise. She also plays a hands-on role in the kitchen, baking items like blueberry scones and muffins.

For the first few months, the café mainly served hotel guests.

That changed in October, when a TikTok video was posted by local influencer @maikadellic, introducing Lucky Cup to a much wider audience.

“Since October, when the video was posted, we’ve just been so busy that if we’re not here, we’re sleeping,” Lupkey said, noting that both she and Kirk enlisted their significant others to help keep up with demand.

The café’s corner space inside the hotel features built-in shelving filled with plants and Kirk’s personal knick-knacks, warm wood accents, wooden tables, and leather sofas.

The space is casual and comfortable, accommodating both conversation and quiet remote work.

Lucky Cup Coffee’s maple Match and Early Bird sandwich | Lucky Cup Coffee Co.

Lucky Cup’s drink menu includes cold brews, cappuccinos, lattes, Japanese ceremonial-grade matcha creations, and teas such as chai and hōjicha, a Japanese roasted green tea.

Seasonal drinks for February include the Luvr, featuring raspberry, vanilla, and orange, topped with raspberry cold foam, and the H8er, made with blackberry, Earl Grey, lavender, and blackberry jam.

In the fall, Lucky Cup will offer a sweet potato pie latte topped with non-dairy marshmallow cold foam.

“We’re deeply inspired by nostalgia and flavors that tell a story,” the owners shared. “Many of our ideas are rooted in the recipes and traditions we grew up with, and sometimes it feels like we’re letting our ancestors take the wheel as we bring those memories to life in new ways.”

The sweet potato pie flavor, for example, is based on a recipe from Kirk’s grandmother.

“For the year-round drinks, we’re using real fresh berries and the most wholesome ingredients we can find,” Kirk said.

Lucky Cup Coffee is situated inside the lobby of the Galaxy Hotel in downtown ST. pete | St Pete Rising

While many items are made in-house, Lucky Cup sources bagels from Pete’s Bagels for its breakfast sandwiches.

Food menu favorites include the Salad Sammie, made with tomato, cucumber, pickled onions, sprouts, avocado, and cream cheese; the Early Bird, a croissant with eggs, provolone cheese, and maple aioli; and the Breakfast Bagel with cream cheese, eggs, bacon, tomatoes, and hot honey.

Looking ahead, Lupkey says growth is hopefully on the horizon.

“The ultimate goal would be to grow our footprint and have our own roasting facility,” she said, adding that expanded menu offerings are also being considered.

Lucky Cup Coffee Co. is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In addition to the brick-and-mortar café, the owners will operate their coffee cart on Sunday, February 15th, at the Love Your Park Market, which will feature a local bake-off and kid-friendly Valentine’s Day activities from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m at Crescent Lake Park.

To keep up with new menu items and announcements, follow Lucky Cup Coffee Co. on Instagram and TikTok.