We got one from NextDoor. It's actually a wide storage ottoman, but the top is reversible so that one side is padded and the other is wood. (Better for eating on. Sometimes we feed the kids and put them to bed and have second dinner :-).Also better for folding laundry on--particularly good for this purpose as it has more surface area than a regular coffee table.)
If you are not handy enough to build one, keep trying Craigslist or Nextdoor if you have it, or thrift stores. You could always refinish or paint. Something good will turn up eventually if you are patient.
A coffee table is not, of course, a necessity. We went without one for a couple of years because our toddlers thought it was a launch pad. Still don't have one in the upstairs living room (the reading area), just in the basement TV room. So you can afford to be patient!
Of if you get super-impatient after checking all the Goodwills, see if your area has an upscale home consignment store. Good luck!