There are coffee shops you visit for the caffeine, and then there are the ones you visit because they make you feel something. This Iowa shop falls into the second category.
The drinks are excellent, the space is warm, and the mission makes you want to tell everyone you know. They hire people with disabilities and those coming out of correctional facilities, groups who face enormous barriers to work. Every staff member gets a fair wage, not dependent on tips.
Any tips that come in go to local non profits like the food bank. Ethically sourced coffee, biodegradable straws, thrifted furniture. This is proof that a coffee shop can be more than a place to grab a latte.
A Church Basement That Defies Every Expectation
Most people hear “church basement” and picture folding chairs and fluorescent lights. Labyrinth Coffee has absolutely nothing to do with that image.
The space is genuinely bright, open, and thoughtfully designed, with thrifted furniture that gives it a lived-in, comfortable feel rather than a cookie-cutter cafe vibe.
There are multiple seating options throughout the room, from cozy corners perfect for solo studying to larger tables suited for groups. Puzzles and board games are available, which makes it one of those rare spots where time actually slows down a little.
A dedicated play area for children means families feel just as at home here as college students cramming for exams.
The entrance is separate from the main church, so there is no awkward navigation through religious spaces to get your morning coffee. Accessibility was clearly a priority from the start, with a fully accessible entrance available.
The lighting alone sets the tone: warm, inviting, and nothing like what you might expect from a basement. It feels like someone genuinely cared about making this place right for every single person who might walk through the door.
The Hiring Mission That Makes This Place Truly Different
A perfect latte is easy to find in a college town. A coffee shop with a genuine hiring mission is something else entirely.
Labyrinth Coffee was built around the intentional hiring of people with disabilities and individuals coming out of correctional facilities, two groups who often face enormous barriers when trying to re-enter the workforce.
Every staff member is paid a fair wage. That is not a small detail.
It means the people making your drink are valued, compensated properly, and not depending on the unpredictability of tips to pay their bills. That stability matters, especially for employees navigating difficult life transitions.
The team here tends to be described as kind, personable, and genuinely friendly across nearly every customer interaction. That warmth is not accidental.
When people are treated with dignity in their workplace, it shows up in how they treat the people they serve. Co-founder Jen Hibben has spoken openly about the goal of doing the most good possible through this space.
Supporting Labyrinth is not just buying a coffee. It is participating in something that is actively changing lives in Ames, one shift at a time.
Where Your Tips Go to Local Causes Instead of a Jar
The tip model at Labyrinth is one of the most quietly radical things about this place. Staff are paid fairly, so customers are not expected to tip.
But here is the part that genuinely surprised me: any tips that do come in are collected and donated monthly to local non-profit organizations.
Past recipients have included the MICA Story County food bank, Ames Pride, and programs that purchase school supplies for kids. The amount changes depending on what the community needs most that month.
It is a rotating act of generosity built directly into the business model.
Think about how different that is from dropping a few dollars into a jar at a corporate chain. Here, that extra dollar you toss in might help a kid show up to school with a backpack full of supplies, or stock shelves at a food bank serving families across Story County.
The whole system is designed so that spending money at Labyrinth creates ripple effects throughout Ames. Every transaction, from a smoothie to a pour-over, feeds back into the community in a way that feels real and immediate rather than vague and corporate.
Sustainability Built Into Every Cup and Corner
Sustainability at Labyrinth is not a marketing buzzword slapped on a chalkboard. It is baked into how the shop operates from top to bottom.
The coffee is ethically sourced, meaning the farmers growing those beans were treated fairly long before the cup reached your hands.
Reusable cups are available and encouraged. Biodegradable straws replace the plastic ones you find everywhere else.
The furniture throughout the space was thrifted rather than purchased new, which cuts down on waste and gives the room a personality that flat-pack furniture could never achieve. Recycling and composting are both standard practice here.
For anyone who thinks about the environmental footprint of their daily habits, Labyrinth offers a genuinely guilt-free option in a landscape full of single-use everything. It is the kind of place where caring about the planet and enjoying a really good iced latte are not mutually exclusive.
The attention to detail here, from the straws to the sourcing to the secondhand chairs, reflects a values-driven operation that thought carefully about its impact before ever opening its doors. That kind of intentionality is rare and worth supporting with your regular coffee budget.
A Safe Space for Everyone, and That Is Not Just a Slogan
Labyrinth Coffee describes itself as a welcoming and safe environment for all, and the specifics of how they back that up are worth spelling out. Braille menus are available at the counter.
The entrance is fully accessible. A significant portion of the staff identify as LGBTQ+, and the shop is openly affirming of the community.
There is no religious expectation placed on staff or customers. The separate entrance from the church means there is no pressure, no signage pushing a particular viewpoint, and no uncomfortable atmosphere for anyone who might be wary of faith-based spaces.
It is just a coffee shop that happens to sit beneath a church.
One customer put it well in a review, noting relief that this was not one of “those” coffee shops with subtle conversion messaging. That kind of genuine inclusivity is harder to pull off than it sounds.
At Labyrinth, it feels effortless because it appears to be a core value rather than a calculated brand move. For students at nearby Iowa State, for locals, and for anyone passing through Ames who needs a place to simply exist without judgment, this spot delivers something genuinely uncommon.
The Drinks and Food That Keep People Coming Back
Everything at Labyrinth starts with good coffee, and the espresso genuinely holds up. The roast is solid, the temperature is right, and the milk ratio in lattes is the kind of thing you notice when it is done correctly.
All of the flavorings are made in-house, which explains why the flavored lattes keep showing up in glowing reviews.
Seasonal options rotate through the menu, so there is always something new to try. The blueberry lemonade has developed a bit of a fan following, and the smoothies are popular enough that there is a dedicated kids menu section.
A hot lavender white mocha, a maple iced latte, a classic cortado, a pour-over made with care: the range here covers a lot of ground.
Food options include muffins and lunch items that customers return for regularly. Prices are genuinely affordable, especially compared to major chains, with some orders coming in under five dollars.
Two large drinks for ten dollars is a deal that is hard to argue with near a college campus. The quality-to-price ratio at Labyrinth is one of the easiest selling points to make for anyone still on the fence about making the trip.
Why Ames Needed a Place Exactly Like This
Ames is a college town with plenty of options for caffeine, but Labyrinth fills a gap that most coffee shops do not even try to address. It is non-profit, which means profit maximization is never the primary goal.
The proceeds cover operating costs first, and whatever remains goes toward charitable work through Collegiate Presbyterian Church and across the broader Ames community.
Being close to Iowa State University without being directly on campus gives it a slightly different energy. There is parking available, which is a genuine luxury near any university.
The combination of affordability, accessibility, and purpose makes it a natural gathering point for students, families, locals, and anyone who wants their daily routine to mean something beyond just getting caffeinated.
Since opening in August 2024, Labyrinth has earned a perfect five-star rating across dozens of reviews, which for a brand-new operation is a remarkable start. People are not just rating the drinks.
They are rating the feeling of being in a place that was built with care for the community it serves. That is the kind of reputation that takes most businesses years to build.
Labyrinth seems to have figured it out from day one.
Address: 159 Sheldon Ave, Ames, IA
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