Stopped in on a road trip and felt so welcomed! A refreshing, eclectic space with friendly staff, we also messaged them a question before stopping in and they responded quickly and kindly! Croissants were nice and airy, tried the barista special, a pomegranate espresso tonic, it was well balanced and you can tell they put care into crafting quality espresso!!
Luis Hernandez
Love the drinks and food. Literally the only coffee shop my wife will go out of her way for. The biggest con is the seating… they never have any. While for most places that’s a good thing it’s not here. 95% of the seats are taken by people not eating or drinking… they are just working on laptops. Smh… we always end up eating in the car.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 3
Angelina Noble
While the coffee is good...the service and friendliness of the employees is AWFUL!!! Such rude unfriendly people ever!! First and last time!!
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 1
Makayla Mack
Not sure why this place is so hyped. I added an extra star because my bf likes it. Anyway, I’ve lived within walking distance to the Optimist for a while and have eaten their food numerous times which means they’ve had multiple chances to get it right and they have failed, in my opinion, to do so. Which is absolutely fine, I can go to another coffee place that I like more but I’m writing this review today because I just had an unfriendly and kind of rude service experience. My bf ordered online, I went to pick it up. For context: this is my second, maybe third time going to pickup in person. I walk up to the pickup window and a few things happened that were off putting: the person working the window took several moments to end her conversation with her coworker even while i greeted her first and was trying to make eye contact with her. once she acknowledged me, i told her i had an online pickup and she replied with something like “oh i think you have to pickup inside” you think? don’t you work here? it was 8am so it wasn’t busy or anything. and i was so confused by the worker’s behavior and felt it was pretty rude for like no good reason. I don’t write negative reviews, but I really didn’t understand the entire interaction and why she couldn’t grab my order and pass it through the pickup window to help me out. Isn’t that what it’s for? Do the workers not get paid enough to help out the customers? I literally work in customer service so I do empathize. I told my bf about the situation and he was like “oh yeah…that’s how they are there” i grew up for 20 years in Raleigh and the population at large has some seriously unfriendly and snobby energy and the cherry on top is that everything is expensive while quality and community go down the drain.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Colette Jackson
Love this place. I'm glad that spring is here. I si enjoy going for coffee here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shante'
Amazing chai.
Abdul Khan
Had a table outside and was never told the drinks would not be brought out. When I went in the drinks had been sitting there for over 10 min and were lukewarm at best. I got a specialty latte with fig, brown sugar etc but the latte was very flat and tasted like it. The food when it came was tasteless and overpriced for two sandwiches. Do not recommend at all. Save your money and go somewhere else.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
KEEPS CLEAN
Okay, it’s been hard to find a good solid coffee spot but the moment I walked in, I felt it in my BONES. From the staff, to the ambience, the coffee, the food and let me also mention Jose, he brought our food out and really made an impact without him even knowing it. This is the place to be!!!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ross
Drinks aren't consistent but it's got the vibes. Would go elsewhere bc I know I'll get the same drink every time I order.
Stopped by today for the first time as I needed to kill some time and hadn’t had a caffeine fix yet..I was not disappointed! I’ve never sat in a coffee shop before- I’ve always taken mine to go. The atmosphere felt like in a movie or in a tv show- people doing their work, catching up with a friend, enjoying a nice handcrafted drink. The aesthetic is pleasing- cozy without feeling old & stuffy. The staff was friendly- Hannah greeted me immediately with a smile when I walked in. I let her know I was a first timer and received such a warm welcome, chatted about the menu and recommendations. I went with The Stacey- which was very yummy! I get my hair done next door and certainly plan on coming to try more menu items after my future appointments, or even just stopping by when I need to get out the house.Looking forward to stopping by again! ☕️Dietary restrictions: There are non-dairy milk options available at a very reasonable cost!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Jennifer White
Excellent cappuccino and service! Gorgeous interior, and I loved their merch. I will definitely come back when in Raleigh for work. Super close to a great dog park too for my pooch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marian M.
Awesome place on all counts! Warm and efficient service, delicious menu, hip customers. Loved!
Kelly M.
I really enjoy The Optimist, and so do others as it can be difficult to find seating sometimes. However, there is some outdoor seating in the back. The baristas have been very friendly and quick with service. I have had a latte both times I've gone and enjoyed it as well as the cute coffee art. I would recommend this place!
Deja A.
Coffee shop recommend for small meetings or to work remote. Establishment gets busy sometimes hard to find a table but the atmosphere is worth it.
So far the best matcha latte in
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Stopped in on a road trip and felt so welcomed! A refreshing, eclectic space with friendly staff, we also messaged them a question before stopping in and they responded quickly and kindly! Croissants were nice and airy, tried the barista special, a pomegranate espresso tonic, it was well balanced and you can tell they put care into crafting quality espresso!!
Love the drinks and food. Literally the only coffee shop my wife will go out of her way for. The biggest con is the seating… they never have any. While for most places that’s a good thing it’s not here. 95% of the seats are taken by people not eating or drinking… they are just working on laptops. Smh… we always end up eating in the car.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 3
While the coffee is good...the service and friendliness of the employees is AWFUL!!! Such rude unfriendly people ever!! First and last time!!
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 1
Not sure why this place is so hyped. I added an extra star because my bf likes it. Anyway, I’ve lived within walking distance to the Optimist for a while and have eaten their food numerous times which means they’ve had multiple chances to get it right and they have failed, in my opinion, to do so. Which is absolutely fine, I can go to another coffee place that I like more but I’m writing this review today because I just had an unfriendly and kind of rude service experience. My bf ordered online, I went to pick it up. For context: this is my second, maybe third time going to pickup in person. I walk up to the pickup window and a few things happened that were off putting: the person working the window took several moments to end her conversation with her coworker even while i greeted her first and was trying to make eye contact with her. once she acknowledged me, i told her i had an online pickup and she replied with something like “oh i think you have to pickup inside” you think? don’t you work here? it was 8am so it wasn’t busy or anything. and i was so confused by the worker’s behavior and felt it was pretty rude for like no good reason. I don’t write negative reviews, but I really didn’t understand the entire interaction and why she couldn’t grab my order and pass it through the pickup window to help me out. Isn’t that what it’s for? Do the workers not get paid enough to help out the customers? I literally work in customer service so I do empathize. I told my bf about the situation and he was like “oh yeah…that’s how they are there” i grew up for 20 years in Raleigh and the population at large has some seriously unfriendly and snobby energy and the cherry on top is that everything is expensive while quality and community go down the drain.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Love this place. I'm glad that spring is here. I si enjoy going for coffee here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing chai.
Had a table outside and was never told the drinks would not be brought out. When I went in the drinks had been sitting there for over 10 min and were lukewarm at best. I got a specialty latte with fig, brown sugar etc but the latte was very flat and tasted like it. The food when it came was tasteless and overpriced for two sandwiches. Do not recommend at all. Save your money and go somewhere else.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Okay, it’s been hard to find a good solid coffee spot but the moment I walked in, I felt it in my BONES. From the staff, to the ambience, the coffee, the food and let me also mention Jose, he brought our food out and really made an impact without him even knowing it. This is the place to be!!!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Drinks aren't consistent but it's got the vibes. Would go elsewhere bc I know I'll get the same drink every time I order.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Stopped by today for the first time as I needed to kill some time and hadn’t had a caffeine fix yet..I was not disappointed! I’ve never sat in a coffee shop before- I’ve always taken mine to go. The atmosphere felt like in a movie or in a tv show- people doing their work, catching up with a friend, enjoying a nice handcrafted drink. The aesthetic is pleasing- cozy without feeling old & stuffy. The staff was friendly- Hannah greeted me immediately with a smile when I walked in. I let her know I was a first timer and received such a warm welcome, chatted about the menu and recommendations. I went with The Stacey- which was very yummy! I get my hair done next door and certainly plan on coming to try more menu items after my future appointments, or even just stopping by when I need to get out the house.Looking forward to stopping by again! ☕️Dietary restrictions: There are non-dairy milk options available at a very reasonable cost!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Excellent cappuccino and service! Gorgeous interior, and I loved their merch. I will definitely come back when in Raleigh for work. Super close to a great dog park too for my pooch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Awesome place on all counts! Warm and efficient service, delicious menu, hip customers. Loved!
I really enjoy The Optimist, and so do others as it can be difficult to find seating sometimes. However, there is some outdoor seating in the back. The baristas have been very friendly and quick with service. I have had a latte both times I've gone and enjoyed it as well as the cute coffee art. I would recommend this place!
Coffee shop recommend for small meetings or to work remote. Establishment gets busy sometimes hard to find a table but the atmosphere is worth it.