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How to find Brewster and unlock the Roost in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

The 2.0 update to Animal Crossing: New Horizons packed in far more content than anyone could’ve anticipated. From new mechanics like cooking to farming and even a new camera system, this update has breathed fresh life into this game that already had so many people hooked. Some of the new additions are obvious and can be accessed immediately, while others take a little time and effort to earn. Perhaps the most substantial addition, The Roost, is just one of those new features you may not know how to get right away.

Brewster the pigeon, the owner and operator of The Roost coffee shop, was heavily featured as part of this update. Now that it is out, though, there are almost no clues in the game itself of how to find him and actually open up his cafe. Whether you’re a caffeine connoisseur or not, The Roost is a perfect hang-out spot that you will certainly want to have access to on your island. To help you find Brewster and unlock The Roost for your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, we’ll show you all the steps that you need to do to set up shop.

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What is The Roost?

A Villager drinks coffee at The Roost in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Before getting into the details, you may be wondering what The Roost even is and why you’d want it. Aside from the allure of it just being a new thing you can add to your island, The Roost does serve some more practical uses.

Being a coffee shop, The Roost is obviously a perfect place to go and grab a cup of coffee. The initial, standard cup of coffee is just 200 Bells, which you can drink on the spot. After you visit and have a drink on three different days, you will get the ability to get your coffee fix to go, but it will cost you an extra 100 Bells to take it with you. You should spend time in the cafe when possible, though, because your other villagers will often show up for a drink themselves. Take a seat next to them and have a friendly chat.

If you want to invite specific characters for a coffee date, you can call them over using a yellow phone inside The Roost. This will prompt you to scan either an Amiibo or Amiibo card of the character you want. You can also chill out with your real-life friends. There are reserved group tables in The Roost held specifically for you and visiting friends. You can even decide if one of you wants to cover the bill or split it up.

Prerequisites

Just having the 2.0 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons doesn’t mean your island is ready to add The Roost. Before you can even find Brewster to get things started, you need to have done a few things. None of them are particularly hard, and if you’ve been playing for a while, these shouldn’t even be a concern.

The first is that your island needs to be rated a minimum of 3 stars. You can do this by getting at least seven more villagers to become residents of your island, keeping things tidy, planting flowers, and essentially making your island a better place to live. You can check your current rating with Isabelle if you’re unsure where you’re at.

The next step is to make sure you have unlocked the art wing for your museum. This is accomplished by donating 60 or more items to the museum, prompting Redd to show up on your island.

Finally, the last requirement is also museum-related. You must have donated at least one of every type of item to the museum. By type, we mean at least one bug, fish, sea creature, and piece of art.

How to find Brewster

A player riding in a boat with Kapp'n.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Now, starting up a coffee shop isn’t a simple task. Once you’ve got your 2.0 update installed, you will find no hints or clues about Brewster or The Roost almost anywhere. To actually begin, you need to go to the museum and speak to Blathers. He will be trying to brainstorm a way to draw more people to the museum, lamenting the fact that his pal Brewster has vanished and closed his coffee shop. He will task you with finding his old pigeon pal, and the only clues he can offer is that he likes gyroids and a picture of him for reference.

Gyroids will be a familiar element to those who played previous Animal Crossing games but don’t worry if you don’t know what they are. The next step is to head over and take an island tour with Kapp’n for 1,000 Nook Miles. He’ll bring you to a mystery island. Brewster will always show up the first time you take this tour and is certainly not hiding. Just wander around until you spot the bird on a quest for gyroids. After talking to him and getting your first gyroid fragment, he will agree to come back to your island once you tell him Blathers was looking for him.

How to unlock and build The Roost

Brewster stands in front of the town hall.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

After a quick boat ride back home, report back to Blathers with the good news. He’ll let you know that he will need to close up the museum for two days to complete the construction of The Roost. Once that time has passed, head back to the museum to find the new cafe up and running.

Don’t worry if you forget, because Isabelle will remind you of the grand opening during her morning announcements. You can even host the grand opening ceremony by talking to Tom Nook in the Resident Services building, complete with you, Brewster, and Blathers giving little speeches. Or you can forgo the entire event and just relax with a quiet cup of coffee served up by the big bird himself.

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Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…
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