| .
|
| . |
the java junkie
|
| . |
| |
Raleigh. |
|
Cup A JoeMission Valley Shopping Center, north section lower levelAvent Ferry Road Once a cyber cafe, it remains a comfortable slightly rundown dive, exuding a sense of dingy soul. It isn't pretty, but it feels like an old pair of jeans that you can't part with. Service by pierced alternative types is brisk and attentive. Clientel are a mix of computer geeks, students, and assorted java addicts. Not suburban by any standard. Cup A Joe has some drinks with up to 6 shots of espresso-- That's insane. Coffee quality is always great, but drinks with chocolate use Hersey's syrup. The place features an outdoor patio partially surrounded by plants, but with a fine view of the parking lot, and some shade for escape from the summer heat. Music inside is mostly alternative rock, some alternative rap and country. Cup A Joe is a monument to slacker indulgence. Click Here for their web site. |
|
Cup A JoeHillsborough StreetAn old converted building this location features old theater seats and mismatched chairs, and a slightly rundown ambience. True slacker chic. The best coffee anywhere. Service is the same as the other location-- pierced, any color of the rainbow hair, alternative types giving fast service. A lot of students from nearby NC State, and assorted java addicts, hang out. Some who fancy themselves to be writers, and some who probably are, seem to live in the place. Again, not suburban by any standard. Coffee menu same as the other location. Not much room outside---- a few tables along a skinny sidewalk. Great view of Hillsborough Street. Wake up and smell the deisel fumes. Inside, the smoking room is a deadly fog under a large mural. Local art in the other room. Music is traditional Jazz almost always, often from Shaw University radio. Cup A Joe on Hillsborough Street is their oldest location. It's their best store I think. This is where they roast their coffee beans at too, so the neighborhood often smells of roasting coffee----- it's heaven. Click Here for their web site. |
|
Third PlaceGlenwood Avenue at Five PointsThis older neighborhood shopping area is wonderful. Much of the old structure of the building is covered by an almost Starbuckian gloss of newer materials. Location next to Lilly's Pizza makes it a great after-dinner place to visit. Service is very good, but the workers don't seem quite as alternative as at other coffee shops. Coffee menu is basic, but the quality is always good. Desserts are good. Outdoor seating is really nice-- seperated from the sidewalk in a small corral. Good view of Glenwood and the busy sidewalk. This outside is perfect for people-watching. Inside is a little new looking, but warm and friendly. Free magazines to look at. The magazine table has lots of brochures to pick-up too, many for local art and music happenings. Local art on the walls. Music is diverse but leans to contemporary and light alternative. |
|
Tony's CafeNow closed. Reopened as some kind of java & wine bar. |
|
StarbucksHillsborough StreetLocated where the University Grill once was, the soulless Starbucks empire has put its steely corporate claws down along this rare section of alternative Americana called Hillsborough Street. Location is acrosss from NC State University. Not alternative. Thickly sweetened gimmick drinks make a mockery of coffee culture. Local art on the walls? Forget it! Actually, if you avoid the gimmick drinks, the coffee isn't bad. But why support the McDonalds of coffee? They have limited outdoor seating, and the typical plastic interior. Predictable safe Starbucks music---- a little Jazz, a little contemporary, but always boring. Outdoor seating does have a nice view of Hillsborough Street, the wonderful trees across the street at NC State, and you can get high on the exhaust fumes from all that traffic. Instead of spending your money here to support this spreading corporate evil, give your money to the drunk wino down the street. At least he's real. |
|
Carrboro. |
|
Open Eye CaféMain Street near Pops Ferry Road, just a few blocks south of Chapel Hill city limits.Located around a corner from the main business district is this wonderful, once very small but now relocated to a larger place just next door. Decor is better, with the most creative welded scrap metal counter around. Service is good, but when it's busy, expect a line. Desserts are really not a great value, but good. The coffee, on the other hand, is some of the best around. When there is live music it tends to go for the acoustic folky thing, some with a country twang, and some with a leftist bent. Music when not live is often the most creative, eclectic, and sometimes ethnic stuff around. The crowd has a lot of alternative artsy people, musicians, and college students. There is a book passed around the place that anyone and everyone puts their thoughts, drawings, doodles, and anything else in. Call it group art. Seating is comfy. There isn't a lot of outdoor seating. Their web page is www.openeyecafe.com |
|
Durham. |
|
Blue Coffee CompanyNinth Street near Duke University.Located in an older business district. The building itself is some sort of 1960's or 70's experiment. There are glass windows in the front, and others in the back that look into offices and hallways---- bizarre. Service is sometimes overwhelmed by the crowd, so it can be slow. Coffee drinks are very good. Most of the crowd consists of college students, but a few business people and old hippies as well. There are three seating areas. Upstairs is very limited, and tight. You might find the line next to your table-- annoying. Outside seating is limited, but great for people-watching along the busy pedestrian-orientated Ninth Street. Downstairs is like going into a pit. It has lots of free reading material, and much more room. Few people visit the basement, so seating is always open there. |
|
Clayton. |
|
The Coffee MillLombard Street near MainIn a historic building in downtown Clayton is one of the few decent places to go in Johnston county Most everything else in the area is commercial, and soulless. Service by some aging hippy or alternative people. Clientel are people who have by a mistake of fate found themselves lost (and living) in Clayton. Many people bring their kids. Coffee is good quality, but could be better. They use good quality flavor syrups (2 brands) and chocolate syrup. They also have gifts, candles, and art for sale. Limited seating, a few seats outside. This is a wonderful place to unwind. Wood floors of this old storefront location creak underfoot. Games like chess, and checkers are available to use for free. Local art typically graces the exposed-brick walls. Weekends often have free music. The Coffee Mill owners also own The Flipside bar in the back of the building. A perfect night can start with coffee in front, then switch to live music and wine or beer in back. This place is a rare jewel in the otherwise soulless Clayton area. Click Here for their web site. |
|
Coffee AnytimeUS 70Now closed (thank you). |
|
Cary. |
|
StarbucksBarnes and Nobles book store.Walnut Street across from Cary Towne Center Mall The evil book empire meets the evil coffee empire in the most soulless town in North Carolina. Service is typically overwhelmed on weekends. Sure, at least the people who work there can stand up to mindless suburbanites and still make decent coffee. Isn't there more to coffee than product? The crowd that goes here are SUV driving, chain store shopping automatons. Thought and originality are not part of this consumer parade. Their coffee is actually good when you avoid those syrupy sweet gimmick drinks on the menu. No art on display. Limited seating up on a raised section that nearly overlooks the store, but not quite enough to be interesting. The book store has couches but you're not really supposed to take your drinks there-- don't listen to that. Screw the Nazis! If you're a coffee addict, and you happen to be lost in the hell hole called Cary, and might be looking at books endlessly while allowing your local book store to die in favor of this corporate monstrosity, then, what the hell, get some coffee. |
|
Morehead City. |
|
Coffee AffairBetween Arendell and Bridge Streetsnear the 23rd Street Atlantic Beach Bridge. This is located in a relatively new shopping center. This is one of the few places I've ever found with espesso in Carteret county. Although the basic structure and location doesn't have much to offer, inside is live a big friendly living room. There are lots of overstuffed chairs and couches. Service has always been good, but may take a little while when busy. Limited seats outside offer a view of the parking lot and Bridge Street-- not very good, but if you must be outside, better than nothing. Chess and checkers available to use for free. Music inside is often the radio, typically a standards station (Bigband era and spare contemporary vocal music). Coffee menu is typical for most shops. Coffee beans are good quality, so the drinks are wonderful. There is some local art on display, but it's often pretty safe, unoriginal stuff. If you're a coffee addict, and you happen to be at this tourist destination (--Atlantic Beach, the seaport town of Morehead City, or Historic Beaufort--), then this is your spot. Note that their second location on the Morehead City waterfront is closed. |
|
Atlantic Beach. |
|
Caffeine CuisineAtlantic Blvd, one of the streets locally known as the Atlantic Beach Circle.Located on the boardwalk, overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. This shop is in a building with a bunch of shops selling mostly touristy, and some artsy stuff. Parking is sometimes tough. From Morehead City's 23rd Street bridge, simply go strait (crossing NC58) to the one-way streets that make up The Circle. Service is very good, and coffee drink menu is about typical of most coffee shops. Great coffee starts with decent beans, and they apparently have them. Service isn't slow, but when it's busy, they can be overloaded. This coffee shop features several rooms filled with comfortable furniture, and free magazines to look at. The outdoor patio is on the boardwalk-- great view. Best of all, this place is open year round for winter beach bums like us. Safe local art on display-- not terribly interesting stuff. They sell some boring coffee-related items. The nearby shops are connected to the side of this java hole through a small winding hallway of storefront windows. They're worth looking through, but the shops are filled with the typical nautical theme cliches. A few interesting items are around. A coffee addict's best choice at the beach. Get a jolt in your gut and sand between your toes while watching a parade of bikini-clad women. |
|
Havelock. |
|
Uncommon GroundsFontana Blvd., NC 1013 miles East of US 70 intersection. Located in a small shopping center in an out of the way corner of Havelock this small shop. Service is very good, and coffee drink menu is about typical of most coffee shops. They must be using decent beans, although I'm not sure about how fresh they are. The place has only indoor seating, free magazines to look at, and a cheesy attempt at coffee house decor. Music was an oldies radio station-- awful. There is some local art on display, but it's often pretty safe, unoriginal stuff, mostly photography. A coffee addict's only choice in Havelock. This military town has nothing else to offer as far as coffee, although it has a lot of little shops in sloppy shopping centers, and is surrounded by Croatan National Forest. A strange, easily forgotten sort of place. |
|
Greenville. |
|
PercolatorMartin Luther King. Jr. Drivedowntown, near East Carolina University Located in a downtown area more famous for college bars. Service is good, and coffee drink menu is about typical of most coffee shops. The coffee quality is good, but slightly burnt tasting. The location could be interesting, but I wasn't impresssed. |
|
Smithfield. |
|
Riverside CafeMarket Street, Bus. US 70downtown, 1½ miles west of I-95. Located in a fairly dead downtown area, but easy to get to from I-95. Service is typically good, and coffee drink menu is about typical of most coffee shops. The coffee quality is fair. The menu choices are limited, but the chicken salad is very good. No alternative types work in this shop-- very commercial for a local place. Recently more tacky merchandise was added. The place is in a new building added on to an older section of storefronts. Inside decor is about as appealing as some Starbucks-- not interesting. Outdoor seating area is decent but the chairs and tables are cheap plastic. There is some local art on display, but it's often pretty safe, unoriginal stuff, mostly photography. Music is contemporary, oldies, or Christian contemporary. Live music is sporadic at best. Mostly it's religiocentric acoustic, some traditional white cracker gospel, and many mellow cover bands. More recently there hasn't been any live music. In a phrase: Skip the live shows. The best shows were entertaining for all the wrong reasons-- ineptitude, and cliche driven self-rightousness. When you experience local color here, it's often old South. May not be a comfortable place for people who are not Christian-- Atheist, Jewish, Muslim, et al. Probably not the best choice for coffee and espresso. The downtown area features some interesting architecture, and a few good restaurants-- at least they're not big fastfood chains. |
|
Orchard HouseN. Third StreetJust over a mile from I-95 in downtown Smithfield follow Bus 70 West and turn right at Third St., in first block on left. Started off with a package shipping store, added a used book section, took over the rest of the building for a coffee shop and new book store, then add an art gallery. Plans in the works for a bakery too. Surprise: they really have great coffee. But, beyond latte and cappucino, don't expect every coffee drink under the sun. Breve latte? Forget it. Limited outdoor seating, lots of Christocentric books and T-shirts for sale. May not be comfortable for people of Atheist, Jewish, or Muslim faiths. Some live music on the weekend-- bluegrass, acoustic, country, gospel. There aren't a lot of coices for decent coffee here, so this is your best bet. |
|
Selma. |
|
The Rocket RoomDowntown SelmaLocated in the old business district famous for antique furniture sales this deli and coffee shop isn't far from I-95. Service is a little slow at times, and coffee drink menu is about typical of most coffee shops, maybe a little less than most as far as specialty drinks go. Their coffee is decent. The place has only indoor seating. It's primarily a deli, so you can get a decent sandwich here. No local art was on display. A good basic stop for coffee, but not much else. |
|
Back to the main node=home page or index |
|
| All contents on
this page, images, and HTML code Copyright © 2008 Robert S. Bodnar |
|
| |