The Best Coffee Shops in Charlotte

There’s nothing more relaxing than a good coffee shop. Whether you’re knocking out some work, meeting up with an old friend, going on a first date, or just getting a caffeine or sugar boost, there are so many reasons to spend time in a coffee shop.

Charlotte has a magnificent number of coffee shops that are suitable for every possible reason you might want to visit. Here are some of our favorites…

For more recommendations on where to eat and drink around Charlotte, check out our city page.

Sunflour Baking Company

As the punny name suggests, Sunflour prioritizes its baked goods, and it shows! Everything here will rock your world.

First off, the breakfast sandwiches! Sunny’s Special is topped with egg, sausage, sundried tomato pesto, and arugula. This is impeccable no matter the bread, especially the Rosemary Sourdough or the Cheddar Biscuit. Also throw in a Cinnamon Roll, their brioche dough rolled up with cinnamon sugar and iced with a cream cheese frosting. You can also get Cold Brew, Dirty Chais, French Press Coffee, which they’ll even let you press yourself, and much more!

Not Just Coffee

Located in the historic Atherton Mill (keeping with the Dilworth area’s theme of modernizing the interior of old buildings), Not Just Coffee, as the name suggests, has more than just coffee drinks. You can get something classic like an Americano or take it up a notch with an Oat Milk Vanilla Latte. Save room for their killer pastries, like Banana Bread or whatever else is fresh that day.

Bitty & Beau’s Coffee

Coffee shops are generally judged by the quality of their beans or how they brew a cortado, but Bitty & Beau’s is best described by its remarkable mission. 

Founders Amy & Ben Wright are the proud parents of four children, one of whom was born with autism, and two others, Bitty and Beau, were born with Down syndrome. Because over 80% of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities are unemployed, the Wrights created Bitty & Beau’s to offer opportunities for people with disabilities to work somewhere they can be proud and valued. Now, with 20+ locations across 12 states and 400+ employees, thousands of customers can support a tremendous organization that makes a mean coffee, frappe, and smoothie.

Undercurrent Coffee

Undercurrent Coffee sees coffee as a journey, not a destination. That’s why they’re constantly in their lab, the Specialty Coffee Association Premier Training Camp, honing their own craft and inviting others to do the same.

With such an emphasis on the process of making phenomenal coffee drinks, you shouldn’t be surprised to learn they make them well and even bake their pastries from scratch. Check out other menu items like their spicy Avocado Toast or their “Plough Boy’s” Grit Bowl, with roasted tomato gravy and Holly Grove chèvre cheese.

Mocco Bistro

Mocco Bistro is a family-owned Greek bakery, so coffee should be only where your order begins!

Accompany your fresh Americano or frothy latte with Kourabiedes, or Greek Wedding Cookies, and of course, a piece of Baklava. The Greek Wedding Cookie has a unique chalky texture with a subtle almond flavor and a surplus of powdered sugar on top and the Baklava is beautifully sweet but not excessively so, perfectly flaky but won’t dissolve until it gets into my mouth. They also make a mean gyro, which may not be what you’re looking for in a coffee shop but it certainly doesn’t hurt.