Downtown Riverside on Foot: Coffee on Main Street and Market Street

Thomas Garner

Oct 7

10 min read

Ornate Mission Inn facade with balconies and pink bougainvillea in downtown Riverside California

Photo: Maliagould, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Arcade Coffee Roasters runs its Downtown room at 3870 Main Street, suite 101, Riverside, 92501, open every day from 7 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon. Copper Goat Coffee is on the same street at 3563 Main Street, open 7 to 4 Monday through Saturday and 8 to 3 on Sunday. A few blocks over, Stray Dogs Coffee and Matcha is at 3225 Market Street, suite 101, open into the evening four days a week. Those three addresses are downtown Riverside coffee on foot.

Downtown is the one part of Riverside built for walking. Metrolink's guide to the area calls it a mecca of history, arts and culture, with walkable streets, two historic performing arts centers and more than a dozen sites on the National Register of Historic Places. The Main Street pedestrian mall runs through the middle of it, and the Mission Inn fills an entire city block. A visitor who parks once, or steps off a train, can reach every coffee stop in this piece without moving a car.

I wrote this as a walking guide rather than a ranking. Each shop is named for its address, for hours posted on its own pages, and for praise from its own pages or from the local press. My companion posts cover the university side and the neighborhood side of the city. This one stays downtown.

Downtown Is Built for Walking

Metrolink's page on downtown Riverside describes an area that offers a rich blend of history, architecture and culture and serves as an urban hub of the Inland Empire. It points to two historic performing arts centers managed by Live Nation, a range of bars, restaurants and entertainment, and walkable streets. That is the setting for every coffee stop in this guide.

Riverside is a city of 316,241 people on the latest American Community Survey five year estimate, and most of it is organized around cars. Downtown is the exception. Its coffee is built around foot traffic: office workers stepping out at midmorning, visitors between a museum and a show, and weekend crowds drifting between the pedestrian mall and the hotel.

That changes what a good coffee guide looks like. On the neighborhood side of the city, the useful question is which stop is on the drive. Downtown, the useful question is which stop is a short walk from where you are standing right now, and what time it closes.

The Main Street Pedestrian Mall

The Main Street Pedestrian Mall stretches along Main Street from 5th Street to 10th Street, and it opened in 1966. The city renovated it in 2008 as part of a larger downtown program called Riverside Renaissance, and City Hall and the convention center sit at its opposite ends.

Metrolink's description of the renovated mall is a good summary of why it matters for coffee. It says the mall is lined with unique local small businesses, including shops, restaurants and museums. A street closed to cars and lined with small businesses is exactly where a coffee stop earns its keep, because every person on it is already on foot.

Main Street is also the street two of the three coffee stops in this guide use for their addresses. That makes it the natural spine of a downtown coffee walk, with Market Street a few blocks over as the second leg.

3870 Main Street: Arcade Downtown

Arcade's Downtown room is at 3870 Main Street, suite 101, Riverside, 92501, and its phone number on the company's locations page is (951) 394 3809. It posts hours of 7 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon, Sunday through Saturday, with the kitchen closing at 2 in the afternoon.

The company describes the room in its own words as the place where it all comes together, with an elevated food menu, pastries and what it calls a killer coffee program, right in the heart of downtown Riverside. The room's own page adds that it serves specialty coffee and an elevated brunch and food menu on Main Street.

That makes Arcade Downtown a sit down stop as much as a coffee counter. For a downtown worker, the 2 in the afternoon kitchen cutoff sets the lunch window. For a visitor, the 7 in the morning opening makes it an easy first stop before the museums and shops open their doors.

3563 Main Street: Copper Goat Coffee

Copper Goat Coffee is at 3563 Main Street, and its own pages post the hours at the top: Sunday from 8 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon, and Monday through Saturday from 7 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon. Its phone number is (951) 744 4364.

The shop describes itself as a coffee shop in downtown Riverside offering bold flavors and a cozy atmosphere, and it prints its motto large: Wake up, be bold, stay goat. It also offers online ordering and a sweet treat section on its own pages, which is handy for anyone who wants to order ahead and pick up on the way through downtown.

Two coffee addresses on Main Street give downtown walkers real flexibility. Someone parked near one end of the street and someone walking up from the other each have a stop within reach, and both open at 7 on weekday mornings.

3225 Market Street: Stray Dogs Coffee and Matcha

Stray Dogs Coffee and Matcha is at 3225 Market Street, suite 101, Riverside, 92501, near Market and Second. Its own pages post these hours: Monday from 7 in the morning to 5 in the evening, Tuesday through Friday from 7 in the morning to 8 in the evening, and Saturday from 9 in the morning to 6 in the evening, with Sunday off.

The shop calls itself a Korean inspired coffee shop, dog loving and faith driven, and says its drinks and pastries draw on Korean and sometimes Japanese flavors. Its menu covers lattes, matcha, hojicha, cold brew and espresso tonic, with oat and almond milk available, and its September drinks included Asian Pear Pie, Strawberry Cheesecake, Banana Pudding and Oksusu.

The shop also states on its own pages that 10 percent of profits go to foster and shelter organizations in Riverside to help dogs off the streets. It offers catering and posts evening events it calls Stray Nights. For a downtown walker, the practical point is the evening hours: service until 8 in the evening, Tuesday through Friday, at 3225 Market Street.

What the Local Press Said About Market Street

The Raincross Gazette, which describes itself with the line always know what's happening in Riverside, featured the Market Street shop on March 25, 2025 under the headline Coffee Shop Goes to the Dogs (In the Best Way), with a byline from Ken Crawford.

The story praised signature drinks including a Greyhound Latte made with an Earl Grey infused syrup and a Melona Matcha made with a house made melon flavored syrup, along with miniature cakes and Japanese cheesecakes. It described a dog friendly room that welcomes well behaved dogs and keeps treats for them, and a charitable mission that includes community events focused on finding homes for stray animals.

That kind of coverage is worth knowing about as a visitor. It tells you what to order, whether you can bring the dog, and why the shop's name is more than a pun. For a walking guide, it also explains why Market Street belongs on the map next to Main Street.

The Mission Inn as a Landmark

No downtown walk is complete without the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa, at 3649 Mission Inn Avenue. The hotel describes itself as spanning an entire city block in the heart of downtown and calls itself a National Historic Landmark, with towering domes, sweeping archways and arcaded corridors. It runs six restaurants and lounges and offers daily historic tours.

For coffee planning, the Mission Inn is most useful as a landmark and a calendar. Its Festival of Lights runs from November 21, 2026 to January 3, 2027 this season, with illuminated courtyards, live music and a holiday market. That is the stretch of the year when downtown is busiest in the evenings, and the stretch when the posted closing times of the coffee stops matter most. The hotel also notes that its Mission Inn Restaurant was named one of OpenTable's Top 100 Best Outdoor Dining Restaurants in America, a reminder that a downtown day here often mixes a morning coffee with a long courtyard meal.

A visitor heading to the festival after dark should plan around posted evening hours. On Market Street, 3225 Market Street posts service until 8 in the evening, Tuesday through Friday. On Main Street, 3870 and 3563 Main Street post afternoon hours, which suit a coffee earlier in the day before the lights come on.

Arriving by Train

Downtown Riverside has its own rail station, and Metrolink publishes walking directions from it. The Riverside Downtown station is at 4066 Vine Street, Riverside, 92507. From there, Metrolink's directions are to head south on Vine Street, turn right onto Fourteenth Street, and then turn right onto Lime Street to reach the downtown area.

That makes a coffee on the way in or out a realistic plan for a rail visitor. A traveler arriving on a morning train can walk into downtown and reach the Main Street stops as they open at 7, spend the day on foot, and walk back to Vine Street without ever needing a car.

It also means downtown's coffee customers include commuters and day trippers who never drive into the city at all. A shop that names its street, its cross street and its hours plainly is the one those visitors can find from a phone on the platform.

A Morning and an Evening Route

Lay the posted hours side by side and two simple routes appear. In the morning, start at 7 on Main Street, at 3870 Main Street or 3563 Main Street, walk the pedestrian mall, and cross to 3225 Market Street once it opens, at 7 on weekdays or 9 on Saturday. On Sunday, the Main Street stops are the plan, with Copper Goat opening at 8 and Arcade Downtown at 7.

In the evening, Market Street is the anchor. The shop at 3225 Market Street serves until 8 from Tuesday through Friday and until 6 on Saturday, which makes it the stop for a coffee before a show or a walk to the Mission Inn's courtyards. The Main Street shops post closings at 4 in the afternoon, or 3 on Sunday at 3563 Main Street.

Arcade also runs a lunch restaurant called Backstreet at 3735 Nelson Street, with posted hours of 11 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon, Monday through Saturday, and Sunday off. It is a restaurant first rather than a coffee counter, but it is worth knowing about for a downtown midday.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Arcade Downtown in Riverside?

Arcade's Downtown room is at 3870 Main Street, suite 101, Riverside, 92501, phone (951) 394 3809. It posts hours of 7 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon every day, with the kitchen closing at 2. The company describes it as right in the heart of downtown Riverside, with an elevated food menu and what it calls a killer coffee program.

Where is Copper Goat Coffee and when is it open?

Copper Goat Coffee is at 3563 Main Street in downtown Riverside, phone (951) 744 4364. Its own pages post hours of 7 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon Monday through Saturday, and 8 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon on Sunday. It describes bold flavors and a cozy atmosphere, under the motto Wake up, be bold, stay goat.

Where is Stray Dogs Coffee and Matcha and when is it open?

Stray Dogs Coffee and Matcha is at 3225 Market Street, suite 101, Riverside, 92501, near Market and Second. Its own pages post Monday 7 to 5, Tuesday through Friday 7 in the morning to 8 in the evening, and Saturday 9 to 6, with Sunday off. It calls itself a Korean inspired coffee shop and offers catering.

Does Stray Dogs Coffee and Matcha give to animal rescues?

Yes. Its own pages state that 10 percent of profits go to foster and shelter organizations in Riverside to help dogs off the streets. The Raincross Gazette's March 25, 2025 feature described community events focused on finding homes for stray animals and a dog friendly room at 3225 Market Street that welcomes well behaved dogs and keeps treats for them.

What did the Raincross Gazette recommend ordering on Market Street?

The Gazette's March 25, 2025 story, Coffee Shop Goes to the Dogs (In the Best Way), praised a Greyhound Latte made with an Earl Grey infused syrup, a Melona Matcha made with a house made melon syrup, miniature cakes and Japanese cheesecakes at 3225 Market Street, suite 101, a few blocks from Main Street. It also noted that the room welcomes well behaved dogs.

What is the Main Street Pedestrian Mall?

It is a car free stretch of Main Street in downtown Riverside running from 5th Street to 10th Street. It opened in 1966 and was renovated in 2008 as part of the city's Riverside Renaissance program, with City Hall and the convention center at opposite ends. Metrolink describes it as lined with local small businesses, shops, restaurants and museums.

Where is the Mission Inn and when is the Festival of Lights?

The Mission Inn Hotel and Spa is at 3649 Mission Inn Avenue and describes itself as spanning an entire city block in the heart of downtown, a National Historic Landmark. Its Festival of Lights runs from November 21, 2026 to January 3, 2027, with illuminated courtyards, live music and a holiday market, which brings evening crowds downtown.

Can I walk to downtown coffee from the train station?

Yes. The Riverside Downtown station is at 4066 Vine Street, and Metrolink's own directions say to head south on Vine Street, turn right onto Fourteenth Street and then right onto Lime Street to reach downtown. From there, coffee sits at 3870 and 3563 Main Street and at 3225 Market Street, all reachable on foot, which suits a rail day trip with no car at all.

Where can I get coffee downtown in the evening?

On posted hours, 3225 Market Street, suite 101, serves until 8 in the evening Tuesday through Friday and until 6 on Saturday. On Main Street, 3870 Main Street posts 7 to 4 daily and 3563 Main Street posts 7 to 4 Monday through Saturday and 8 to 3 on Sunday. Plan evening visits, such as the Festival of Lights, with those hours in mind.

What should a downtown Riverside cafe put on its own page?

The street and cross street, such as Market and Second or Main Street, the suite number, the ZIP code 92501 and the posted hours, including kitchen cutoffs and evening service. Downtown visitors often arrive on foot from the pedestrian mall or from the Vine Street station, so plain walking landmarks help. Hillcane can help build that page.

Work with Hillcane

Downtown Riverside coffee is a walk: 3870 and 3563 Main Street, 3225 Market Street, the Main Street pedestrian mall from 5th to 10th, the Mission Inn's city block and a train station on Vine Street.

If your downtown Riverside cafe wants a page that names its street, its cross street and its hours for people on foot, reach Hillcane at hillcane.co/contact or call (256) 384-2449.