From popular chains brewing grab-and-go cups to independent artisans making mind-blowing java Charlotte is full of unique places to fuel the hardiest coffee addiction. Whether you prefer name brand coffee or ethically sourced and locally roasted labels, the city is full of coffee shops that cater to every taste, making it a coffee-lover’s dream. Remember, life is too short for boring coffee, so here are some of the city’s top spots to try for excellent coffee.
Brakeman's Coffee & Supply
Brakeman's Coffee & Supply is a popular gathering place for great, organic, and fair-trade craft coffee drinks and tea with a charming old bungalow in downtown Matthews. Boasting cozy interiors and a lovely outdoor setting on a grassy front lawn, the cute little coffee shop serves a variety of freshly roasted and brewed coffee, specialty coffee drinks, such as lavender lattes and ice-cold brews, imported teas, and other beverages.
Light bites include mouthwatering pastries, sweet treats, and smoothies, and a monthly Feature Coffee Program sees rotating selections of coffee every month and roasters twice-a-year. Brakeman's Coffee & Supply is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Monday through Saturdays.
Brakeman's Coffee & Supply, 225 N Trade St, Matthews, NC 28105, Phone: 704-841-7867
Central Coffee Co. - Plaza Midwood
Located on the corner of Central and Louise Avenues in Plaza Midwood and with another location in South End, Central Coffee Co. - Plaza Midwood has been serving up excellent, ethically-sourced coffee from Triangle roaster Joe Van Gogh since 2009. Both locales have warm and welcoming atmospheres, cushy sofas on which to relax, and friendly baristas working their magic.
The menu boasts all the favorites – American, espresso, and macchiato, as well as their signature Central Shorties, which are lattes infused with whole milk and a dash of vanilla. Snacks include freshly baked pastries, vegan cakes made with flaxseed, traditional baklava, and homemade quiche.
Central Coffee Co. - Plaza Midwood, Plaza Midwood: 719 Louise Ave, Charlotte, NC 28204, Phone: 704-335-7288
Coco and the Director
Located in the Charlotte Marriott City Center in the heart of Uptown Charlotte, Coco and the Director is a super-cool place to hang out, socialize and sip great coffee. Boasting soaring ceilings, wooden beam, and staircase seating, as well as traditional tables and chairs, this caffeine stop’s vibe is ideal for both a business meeting and a long lazy Saturday brunch.
The stylish spot serves aromatic locally roasted coffee, gourmet sandwiches on freshly baked bread, and a range of sweet delights such as pastries cookies, and kronuts (deep-fried croissant/donut hybrid) from the local baker Sugarman. Coco and the Director is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week.
Coco and the Director, 100 W Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202, Phone: 704-353-6003
CROWN STATION Coffee House & Pub
Located in historic NoDa, CROWN STATION Coffee House & Pub serves organic fair-trade coffees, teas, and chai. With easy access to the light rail, the coffee shop is popular with both locals and tourists alike and has a full-service bar with a variety of well-brewed craft beers, and premium cocktails and hosts live entertainment every night.
The coffee house serves a variety of freshly roasted and brewed coffee, specialty coffee drinks, imported teas, and other beverages, as well as light fare for brunch and lunch. The full-service bar comes alive at night and serves a range of craft beers, casual wines, and innovative cocktails made with high-end spirits. Crown Station Coffee House & Pub is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week.
CROWN STATION Coffee House & Pub, 3629 North Davidson Street – Charlotte, NC – 28205, Phone: 704-910-2249
Julia's Cafe & Books
Julia's Cafe & Books is a quirky, welcoming spot that combines a café and a bookstore with comfy and cozy loft seating. Located next to the Habitat ReStore on Wendover, Julia’s Café & Books serves delicious locally roasted coffee from Magnolia Coffee, specialty coffee drinks such as lavender lattes, and organic breakfast and lunch options.
The store also has a large selection of used books to browse and buy with all proceeds going towards Habitat for Humanity and offers free wireless Internet around the store. Julia’s Café & Books is open for breakfast and lunch, seven days a week.
Julia's Cafe & Books, 1133 N Wendover Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211, Phone: 704-295-4585
Mac Tabby Cat Cafe
Mac Tabby Cat Cafe is a cool and eclectic coffee shop that combines great coffee and cat cuddling. The charming little café serves a variety of freshly roasted and brewed coffee from Pure Intentions Coffee., assorted teas, specialty coffee drinks like cold brew, espresso drinks and drip coffee, and a variety of beer, wine, fruit-infused drinks, and kombucha.
A separate room is home to several cats that patrons can cozy up with and adopt if they feel the need, and the café hosts a variety of cat-related events, yoga classes, and other functions throughout the year. Mac Tabby Cat Cafe is open for breakfast and lunch, seven days a week.
Mac Tabby Cat Cafe, 3204 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205, Phone: 704-890-0373
Mugs
Located in Park Selwyn Terrace, Mugs is a local, independently owned coffee shop in the South Park neighborhood that serves locally-sourced, ethically-produced coffee from North Carolina's Magnolia Coffee, along with freshly baked pastries and sweet treats from local bakeries.
The café has a relaxed, laid-back vibe with a rotating selection of artwork from local artists on the wall and comfy seating at tiny coffeehouse tables, and serves breakfast and lunch, house-roasted coffee, assorted loose-leaf teas, and several craft beers on tap. The always casual and friendly café is open for breakfast and lunch, seven days a week.
Mugs, 5126 Park Rd #1d, Charlotte, NC 28209, Phone: 704-733-9014
Nordstrom Ebar Artisan Coffee
Located in SouthPark, Nordstrom Ebar Artisan Coffee is a hip, stylish coffee bar that serves artfully prepared espresso drinks, house-roasted coffee from ethically-sourced beans, and fresh, locally sourced pastries.
The grab-and-go counter-serve coffee is ideal for a quick break from shopping, offering espresso, specialty coffee drinks, smoothies, fresh fruit juices, locally sourced pastries, and healthy light lunch fare. Nordstrom Ebar Artisan Coffee is open during store hours, serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch.
Nordstrom Ebar Artisan Coffee, 4400 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211, Phone: 704-442-6000
Not Just Coffee
Opened in 2011 by a husband and wife team, Miracle and James Yoder, Not Just Coffee is a family-owned coffee chain with six locations around the city, each with a cool, laid-back vibe and a comfortable ambiance in which to enjoy a variety of freshly roasted and brewed coffee North Carolina’s Counter Culture Coffee, specialty coffee drinks, imported teas, and other beverages, as well as light fare for brunch and lunch.
Signature coffee drinks include chai latte with oat milk, vanilla sugar latte, nitrogen-infused cold brew, and light food like of avocado toast with sundried tomatoes, and freshly baked pastries. Not Just Coffee is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week.
Not Just Coffee, 2230 Park Rd Suite 102, Charlotte, NC 28203, Phone: 704-900-7500
Queen City Grounds
Located SkyHouse Uptown’s ground floor, Queen City Grounds is an independent coffee shop owned by musician Paul Waggoner and Matt Mahoney that serves locally-sourced coffee, pour-overs, specialty lattes and light bites in a relaxed, airy space.
Sourcing coffee beans from Fud at Salud in NoDa and roasting them in-house, Queen City Grounds serves seasonal signature sips like the cococcino with espresso, coconut milk, and coconut shavings. Light bites include freshly baked pastries from local bakery Sugarman and world-famous kronuts and vegan doughnuts from Move That Dough Baking Co’s. Queen City Grounds is open for breakfast and lunch, seven days a week.
Queen City Grounds, 644 N Church St, Charlotte, NC 28202, Phone: 704-324-3231
Smelly Cat Coffee House & Roastery
Smelly Cat Coffee House & Roastery is a quirky little coffee shop located in the heart of NoDa that roasts their own ethically-sourced coffee and homemade biscuits and is renowned for serving the best dirty chai (chai tea with a shot of espresso) in Charlotte.
The colorful and much-loved coffee shop opened its doors in 2000 and has been serving a wide selection of pour-overs, frappes, specialty espresso drinks, and cold brews in an arty setting ever since. Smelly Cat Coffee House & Roastery is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week.
Smelly Cat Coffee House & Roastery, 514 E 36th St, Charlotte, NC 28205, Phone: 704-374-9656
The Grounds Bookstore and Cafe
The Grounds Bookstore and Cafe is a Christian bookstore and coffee shop that offers a warm and welcoming spot with comfy sofas and armchairs where guests can relax over great coffee and a book. The Grounds Café serves a delicious café menu featuring organic, fair-trade coffee from around the world, specialty drinks like Warm Cinnamon Toast Chai and Iced Fit Frappes, and melt-in-your-mouth pastries.
The bookstore has a wide variety of literature for the spiritual explorer and the Christian theologian alike, and the café is open for breakfast and lunch daily.
The Grounds Bookstore and Cafe, 8335 Browne Rd, Charlotte, NC 28269, Phone: 704-598-9800 ext. 117
The Hobbyist
The Hobbyist is a casual neighborhood coffee bar and bottle shop set within an old renovated warehouse in Villa Heights.
Owned by husband-and-wife duo Bryson and Julie Woodside, the coffee shop has a vintage industrial feel with custom-made woodwork and serves a variety of freshly roasted and brewed coffee, specialty coffee drinks, imported teas, along with a selection of local and regional craft beers on tap and wine by the glass. An attached bottle shop offers a carry-out selection of local craft beer and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week.
The Hobbyist, 2100 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205, Phone: 704-526-0073
Undercurrent Coffee
Set in a comfortable, refurbished house in Plaza Midwood with ocean-inspired décor and cool blue hues, Undercurrent Coffee is a comfy, laid-back spot that serves sustainably and ethically sourced coffee beans and coffee-related products.
The drinks menu features a variety of freshly roasted and brewed coffee, specialty coffee drinks like cold brew, smooth espresso drinks, creamy lattes, and drip coffee, assorted teas, Matcha green tea-based drinks, house-made sodas, accompanied by homemade pastries like buckwheat banana jam scones. Undercurrent Coffee is open for breakfast and lunch, seven days a week.
Undercurrent Coffee, 2012 Commonwealth Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205, Phone: 980-498-7328
Kokomo's Coffee House
Based in the Henry J. Biddle Memorial Hall, Kokomo's Coffee House is the university’s first on-campus coffeehouse that provides a relaxed and laid-back spot for students to kick back over great coffee and conversation.
Founded in 2010 by Tiwanna “Koko” Hagans, the menu features a variety of items from locally-roasted coffee and healthy smoothies to assorted teas, fresh fruit juices, and a selection of baked pastries and sweet treats. The café has comfortable indoor seating and a lovely outdoor terrace for alfresco dining and is open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Fridays.
Kokomo's Coffee House, Henry J. Biddle Memorial Hall, 100 Beatties Ford Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216
