By Madisyn Fecko
Looking for a local coffee shop where you can find more than your typical Starbucks hussle? Cup A Joe Raleigh is for you. This local coffee house has been pouring quality brew, delicious snacks, and interesting local artwork before the chain coffee shops knew of this town.
This hidden gem is located on Hillsborough Street across from NC State’s campus. Don’t let the location fool you- it is not cram packed with college only students.
The shop has a lively urban scene mix of people, young and old, from artists to coffee addicts to hip college students. They have awesome hours, not typical for all coffee shops and are open at 6am, close at 10:30 p.m.
It is awesome finding a shop that has late night study hour times! If you are looking for a clean cut coffee shop spick ‘n span this place is not for you. A typical visit includes ordering your drink to a tattooed barista specialist, getting your drink in a big chipped mug, while sitting against a huge painted mural on an old school student bench- all in which are reasons this shop gets better in better.
Their menu consists of a wide variety of drinks from a simple drip coffee to a king coffee drink serving up to six espresso shots in one! They have a variety of teas, including a customer favorite, the Chaider. It’s a ½ chai, ½ apple cider mixing into a beautiful blend.
My favorite being the Voltaire is homemade hot chocolate poured over hot espresso with homemade whipped cream.
I could sit in Cup A Joe all day long and drink them on repeat. Stop in and check out what all the hot talk is about, you won’t be disappointed!