Daughters Coffee and Books — Restaurant in Durham

I've been looking forward to visiting this shop since I'm both a coffee snob and a bookworm. If you're looking for a good place to sit and work, this is it. It was almost too quiet when I walked in and only the music was heard (think library quiet), so if that's what you need, then this will probably work well for you over some other local options. It came off as uninviting and uncomfortable to me personally. Even those who weren't on laptops but were sitting with a friend were being really quiet while talking, as if they were intentionally trying to keep their voice down as to not disturb anyone around them. Maybe it was just the day I visited and this isn't the norm. It's just not what I usually see/hear in other local shops.

It felt like the books part was a bit of an afterthought since there wasn't much of a book selection and that was probably the most disappointing thing to me since I really came to browse their used books section. The prices on their used books were good though and the quality of those books seemed like-new condition, which was a nice change. I didn't end up buying any books, but I did order a latte. I wasn't a fan of the roast they use. I've been told it's a local roaster, but it wasn't that great to me and was bitter. There are far superior coffee roasters in our area than the one they went with. Sadly, I don't think I'll be back for coffee, but I'll likely stop in again to check out their current used book selection in the future.

2 stars for the coffee, 4 stars for the books, 4 stars for a quiet...

Coffee was good, the atmosphere is really cute. The draw for me was that it’s advertised as kid-friendly. However, I was unimpressed with the staff.

Longer story: I had a day off with my kid so we checked it out. While there, there were 2 kids total and both were well behaved. Mine spilled a little juice on the table, we cleaned it up. Knocked over a couple toys, cleaned it up. No meltdowns, nothing crazy. While playing in the designated kid area, one of the staff members said “of course I’d get scheduled for the day when everyone comes in with their children!” And the other said “I know, I’m excited because I’m getting out of doing story time next Tuesday!” Now, you don’t have to like children, but to openly complain about the kids when you work at a place advertised as family friendly and there were two behaving children there? I was unimpressed. There were literally adults being louder than the kids were. Hell, the employees were being louder since I heard this conversation so clearly. As a side note: I ordered a croissant, an oat milk caramel latte, and a juice box. I had to repeat my order 3 times because they couldn’t keep it straight. I didn’t think much of this until after I over heard the conversation, but then I realized the service altogether...

Since it's opening, Daughters has quickly become a regular stop for us. We love having a local coffee shop near us the fact that it's also a bookstore is perfection!

We love exploring their seasonal favorites, which are always fun puns for literary lovers. They have a great selection of new and popular releases, fun book-ish and cozy gifts/activities to purchase, plus a pre-loved book section that's fun to explore. If a book you want isn't in store, they can order it for you and you'll 10% off the sticker price. Our three year-old loves the little kids play area in the back and "making coffee" for us while we wait for the real thing.

The staff are always kind and helpful to us. We especially appreciate Frances, their bookseller, who always has great recs if you're not sure what to read next!

One tip: I wouldn't suggest arriving super hungry since the focus is coffee and books. They do sell some amazing baked goods, including some items from Chef Chick's and Ninth Street Bakery but don't have...