Social Profile: 
✔️Breakfast ✔️Brunch ✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Take out
… View more
Cozy, storied spot serving popular breakfasts plus lunch, dinner & drinks to a UNC crowd since 1922.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 138 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Phone: (919) 942-6875
Website: http://www.carolinacoffeeshop.com/
Menu Photos
Photo Gallery
Related Web Results
Carolina Coffee Shop
North Carolina’s oldest restaurant, located in the heart of downtown Chapel Hill, serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and drinks. Join us!
Carolina Coffee Shop (@carolinacoffeeshop) – Instagram
Serving the Tar Heel community for 100+ years. Open for brunch 8am-3pm daily. · Photo by Carolina Coffee Shop in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Carolina Coffee Shop – Visit Chapel Hill
We proudly serve brunch, coffee, and drinks throughout the week. We embrace our roots as North Carolina’s oldest restaurants, while still enjoying putting …
Reviews
Emma
Was here for 45 min and saw our server twice. All three in our party got a coffee and water and we never saw her again to get refills. When the omelette came with all of the shredded cheese cold and not melted, I asked if she would mind microwaving it and the waitress said that it was “how it was served”. We politely thanked her and ate our cold cheese. After not getting checked on again, the food runner was kind enough to bring us our checks.
… morePatrick Murphy
Really nice place! First time here. It was very busy but worth the wait! Wife got the chicken and waffles and it was good! I got the burger w/goat cheese, fried egg, etc. It was delicious. Service was great. College kids. They get it done!! The place is very Historic. I felt pretty privileged to be there. Will definitely come back.
… moreLevi Reynolds
Awesome place with a great vibe. Iced Lattes were interesting – the flavors were more of an aroma or similar to an old fashioned – highly recommend stopping in, no matter if you’re a local or here for the day. I had the steak and eggs, phenomenal steak was on point.
… moreSusie Whorley
There are few things I like better than a hot Belgium waffle with tons of butter and syrup. And, well…Carolina Coffee Shop, while I had plenty butter and syrup, you missed the most critical element. It was stone cold when it hit the table. Now, to be fair you served it with DE-licious whipped cream and superb strawberries (even for January) and blueberries (you’ll have to take The Loved One’s take on this as, I no like). Maybe you didn’t intend for the butter I asked for to melt. And. It. Did. Not.
The Loved One has lived in and around Chapel Hill for decades and had never darkened your doors…so, as a post-procedure treat…there we went. Love, Love, Love the décor, the history, the total vibe. I mean, LOVE! We so wanted it to be a special place, but we left disappointed by the food…decided that the company is what mattered…but, isn’t that what you do when your hopes are dashed at a beautiful restaurant that doesn’t live up to its rep?
The over-medium fried eggs he requested coulda run a marathon. Our adorable and very attentive server replaced them without a beat and with a smile and apology.
The coffee, while served with plenty of half and half in an adorable pitcher, was, middlin’ at best. I didn’t finish my first cup.
He had been aching to try avocado toast but yours was a smooth, green, uninspired blob, smeared end-to-end on his choice of bread. You probably ruined it for him forever. Thank you, I hate avocados on principle.
My scrambled eggs came out hot and were delicious. They actually tasted like farm-raised and were cooked perfectly for me.
Back to the waffle, I took a pic and sent it to a friend who I eat waffles with on the regular to show here I didn’t finish the waffle OR the syrup. Yup, I couldn’t even finish it; left more than a quarter on the plate. Sad.
Please do better. I really wanted to love you.
… moreThe Loved One has lived in and around Chapel Hill for decades and had never darkened your doors…so, as a post-procedure treat…there we went. Love, Love, Love the décor, the history, the total vibe. I mean, LOVE! We so wanted it to be a special place, but we left disappointed by the food…decided that the company is what mattered…but, isn’t that what you do when your hopes are dashed at a beautiful restaurant that doesn’t live up to its rep?
The over-medium fried eggs he requested coulda run a marathon. Our adorable and very attentive server replaced them without a beat and with a smile and apology.
The coffee, while served with plenty of half and half in an adorable pitcher, was, middlin’ at best. I didn’t finish my first cup.
He had been aching to try avocado toast but yours was a smooth, green, uninspired blob, smeared end-to-end on his choice of bread. You probably ruined it for him forever. Thank you, I hate avocados on principle.
My scrambled eggs came out hot and were delicious. They actually tasted like farm-raised and were cooked perfectly for me.
Back to the waffle, I took a pic and sent it to a friend who I eat waffles with on the regular to show here I didn’t finish the waffle OR the syrup. Yup, I couldn’t even finish it; left more than a quarter on the plate. Sad.
Please do better. I really wanted to love you.
Jon Ratchford
The Carolina Coffee shop is such a cute little hole in the wall dinner. The food is amazing, the prices are more than fair, our server was named Lauren, and she was awesome! The restaurant was slammed and she was cool, calm and collected under pressure. Besides being super sweet, she got our food out to us fresh and hot and i never had to ask for a refill. I would recommend the Carolina Coffee Shop one hundred percent if you are going to be in the area. You will not regret it.
… moreAlex
If your a student at UNC and haven’t stopped here… you get an “F.” The food is awsome, the waitresses and hostess are cute!!!! Get the coffee house burger. Damn!!!! A mountain of goodness served with a beautiful smile. Wish I had more time to explain but this place needs no explanation!
August 27, 2025
Again, I had the fantastic opportunity to visit Carolina Coffe Shop. Again, we were served by the very cute and energetic Sage! I love the food and vibe of this place. My steak n eggs were the best I had anywhere. That says a lot. The workers in this place seem very happy so people, tip them well!!!
That’s by the Order of the Peaky Blinders.
Thanks again for the coffee Sage.
… moreAugust 27, 2025
Again, I had the fantastic opportunity to visit Carolina Coffe Shop. Again, we were served by the very cute and energetic Sage! I love the food and vibe of this place. My steak n eggs were the best I had anywhere. That says a lot. The workers in this place seem very happy so people, tip them well!!!
That’s by the Order of the Peaky Blinders.
Thanks again for the coffee Sage.
Isabella Grandic
Living in CH for a few years now, I really appreciate how reliable, cozy and decent CCC is. The town doesn’t have too much on tap, but CCC is a nice brunch, great booth seats, wonderful service, and pretty good prices! The food is nothing to write home about, but it’s also not an outrageous price. $10-14 meals. Coffee runs from $3. They have loads of breakfast set options, the eggs are real and fresh, and they have vegetables !! I feel like that is often rare for American breakfast dining.
This is a good spot for meetings and catching up with friends. Pretty much no need for reservations, except maybe some “busy” weekends (eg parent’s weekend or a big game).
Coffee is pretty good. Could be stronger. They have lattes, espressos, cold brews, teas, etc.
Eggs are good. What about the avocado toast? Man. It’s decent. I just thought as a civilization we figured out world class Avo toast- why haven’t we spammed the recipe everywhere?? Thankfully they provide a lemon. But the slice of bread needs to be a thicker cut. I think the avocado is also not 100% fresh, almost like it’s mixed with mayo or something. Salt, pepper, maybe some chili flakes. Although we are in the South so I’m not too surprised about the spice profile – you can try asking, the servers are super friendly!! You can (and should) add Eggs, your way. If you have opinions on poached eggs, keep them to yourself and order sunny side up.
Overall, if CCC were in a city like New York with more competition, it’s a 3-4 star review from me. But because of how rare and useful this atmosphere is in Chapel Hill, it’s a 5. Good subsistence breakfast spot to have a 1-2h conversation.
Oh and notably, the staff are phenomenal. So detail oriented and friendly.
… moreThis is a good spot for meetings and catching up with friends. Pretty much no need for reservations, except maybe some “busy” weekends (eg parent’s weekend or a big game).
Coffee is pretty good. Could be stronger. They have lattes, espressos, cold brews, teas, etc.
Eggs are good. What about the avocado toast? Man. It’s decent. I just thought as a civilization we figured out world class Avo toast- why haven’t we spammed the recipe everywhere?? Thankfully they provide a lemon. But the slice of bread needs to be a thicker cut. I think the avocado is also not 100% fresh, almost like it’s mixed with mayo or something. Salt, pepper, maybe some chili flakes. Although we are in the South so I’m not too surprised about the spice profile – you can try asking, the servers are super friendly!! You can (and should) add Eggs, your way. If you have opinions on poached eggs, keep them to yourself and order sunny side up.
Overall, if CCC were in a city like New York with more competition, it’s a 3-4 star review from me. But because of how rare and useful this atmosphere is in Chapel Hill, it’s a 5. Good subsistence breakfast spot to have a 1-2h conversation.
Oh and notably, the staff are phenomenal. So detail oriented and friendly.
Rouse
Carolina Café on Franklin is a fantastic spot for breakfast, especially if you’re near UNC. Their omelettes are flavorful and perfectly cooked, and the pancakes are fluffy and delicious. The café has a cozy atmosphere, making it a great place to start your day. Definitely worth a visit!
… moreDaniel Muñoz
I’ve been going to CCS weekly for my office hours this semester, after being a semi-regular for years. This place is a classic for a reason. They can get slammed at peak hours, so you might need a reservation, but the servers are great and the food is fresh and tasty. The Tar Heel Protein Bowl is my current favorite—love the greens and eggs. Too many excellent servers and hosts to name all of them, but Reagan, Josie, Dylan, Nicholas, Riley, and Shelagh have all been awesome on multiple occasions.
… moreSmrithi S
We went in this morning for breakfast and we got a table for two in the booth immediately. The place has a nice vibe, which surely got us excited. It was also an almost full house so we were really excited for having a wonderful time.
The server comes 10 minutes later, thumps 2 glasses of water and walks away. After waiting for another 10 minutes we asked someone if we are going to be asked for our order, then the server come another 5 minutes later asking for our order. We placed our order and it took a while for anything to come out. I completely understand it was a busy day with the game happening. Was it too much to just explain that ?
The Eggs Jennifer was ok. The muffin was dry and old, but the eggs were done well. The side of hash brown was good. The French toast was brilliant, I can surely come back just for those. We ordered two cocktails, the expresso martini was meh, the chocolate nut mocha was great!
Overall I wanted to love this place. But hopefully I will have a better experience if I try it again.
… moreThe server comes 10 minutes later, thumps 2 glasses of water and walks away. After waiting for another 10 minutes we asked someone if we are going to be asked for our order, then the server come another 5 minutes later asking for our order. We placed our order and it took a while for anything to come out. I completely understand it was a busy day with the game happening. Was it too much to just explain that ?
The Eggs Jennifer was ok. The muffin was dry and old, but the eggs were done well. The side of hash brown was good. The French toast was brilliant, I can surely come back just for those. We ordered two cocktails, the expresso martini was meh, the chocolate nut mocha was great!
Overall I wanted to love this place. But hopefully I will have a better experience if I try it again.