Perennial — Restaurant in Chapel Hill

Disappointing Experience at Perennial Coffee – Not Worth the Hype

I visited Perennial Coffee in Chapel Hill on July 30th with my family, hoping to enjoy a quality coffee experience as suggested by their polished Instagram presence. Unfortunately, what we encountered was far from what was promised online.

We ordered a variety of items: a green tea, a matcha latte, a pour-over, a cortado, banana bread, and a caramel scone. Sadly, none of them met even basic expectations for a specialty coffee shop.

The customer service was notably poor — the baristas lacked both hospitality and training. Their approach to coffee preparation was unskilled and careless. The pour-over, which I was most eager to try, resembled a regular drip coffee: dark, bitter, and with no apparent control over brew temperature or technique. It was served in a paper cup, completely missing the attention to detail and presentation you’d expect — no glass server, no tasting cup, no respect for the method.

The cortado was a major letdown: unbalanced, poorly prepared, and served without any visual care or proper ratio between espresso and milk. The matcha latte was average at best, lacking flavor and texture. As for the baked goods, both the banana bread and caramel scone tasted far from fresh.

As a coffee taster touring shops across Raleigh, Durham, Cary, and Chapel Hill, this was hands-down the worst experience. What’s most disappointing is the gap between their Instagram aesthetic and the reality — beautifully staged photos that do not reflect the quality of their actual product.

Perennial Coffee has potential, but it’s being squandered by poor execution and a lack of passion for coffee. If you’re serious about your coffee experience, I recommend...

Stopped here for a coffee while visiting chapel hill. While the space was beautiful, my drink was so so and OUTRAGEOUSLY EXPENSIVE. I mean VERY expensive. My husband did not like his drink and threw the rest out after suffering through half of it due to the astronomical price tag. Furthermore, what could have made these drinks so expensive was the fact that where you ordered I am assuming is 6 ft away, and they announce loudly would you like to leave a tip, I said yes she said how much? I said excuse me? She repeated herself, I said I can enter it in, she says oh I’m sorry we have to enter it…do you have a tip jar? No we don’t. (Cash tips are much better for employees as they get to keep the entirety and not have it taken by credit card companies) it was just an entirety uncomfortable experience and just overall a very unpleasant experience at this cafe. Two coffee drinks cost more then mine and my husbands entire lunch. Go on down the street to the outdoor cafe for a beautiful setting and fabulous reasonable drinks and a...

The setting on any day is beautiful! Weather rain or shine the high windows and high ceilings give a very natural effect that I adore. It may sometimes be a bit full so watch out for any open spaces but beware of the courtesy rule to order before you sit down!

The staff are friendly and even on a bad day will make some of the best coffee I’ve had! Their unique combinations of herbs will make your day-honestly I could spend a whole day trying each different one. From turmeric to mint to multiple other freshly ground herbs that make for a refreshing array of health-kick-y flavors this cafe is by far one of favorite places for a relaxing or even work-filled day. When I find the other cafes around town too busy-bodied the atmosphere of Perennial soothes that anxiety and is just a wonderfully quaint...