The Bottom Line
Cup A Joe is a coffee shop with two Raleigh locations, both of which are convenient to NC State University. The shop caters to the college crowd: expect beat-up, hand-me-down furniture, bad lighting and chipped coffee cups. The coffee starts at $1.40 for a 12-oz cup.
Pros
- Decent coffee, served hot and fresh.
- Outdoor seating area
- Wi-fi access
Cons
- Staff can be snippy. One gal actually hung up on me when I called the Mission Valley location.
- Ambiance is lacking, unless unkempt dorm room is what you're looking for.
Description
- Cup A Joe's Hillsborough St. location (3100 Hillsborough St Raleigh) is roomy and very smoker-friendly.
- Cup A Joe Mission Valley Shopping Center location (2109-142 Avent Ferry Road Raleigh), is a non-smoking cafe.
- Cup A Joe offers a full range of coffee beverages, including lattes, espressos and iced coffee drinks.
- Cup A Joe offers a limited menu of sandwiches and baked goods.
Guide Review - Cup A Joe Coffee Shop Raleigh -- Review of Cup A Joe Coffee Shop Raleigh
A mid-morning visit to Cup A Joe's Mission Valley location (the shop is tucked into a small space at the rear of the Mission Valley Shopping Center, next to the movie theater) yielded a hot cup of fresh-brewed coffee, no small feat at 10:45 a.m.The coffee was flavorful, although it was surprisingly expensive: $1.40, not including tax. The most expensive drink on the menu, a large cappuccino, costs $4.15 before tax. These prices are neck and neck with Starbucks' prices, although any comparison with the Starbucks' chain ends there--smiling baristas and soothing muzak are nowhere to be found at Cup A Joe.
Cup A Joe is dimly lit, low-ceilinged and cluttered. The outdoor seating area (nestled between the sidewalk and the parking lot) is only slightly more cheerful.
Though it's not necessarily a place I would choose to linger, Cup A Joe is a perfectly decent place to get a cup of fresh-roasted, freshly-brewed coffee.
