The Third Place Coffee Shop — Restaurant in Raleigh

This is my neighborhood coffee shop - a great place to meet colleagues or friends mid-week, or to walk in for breakfast on weekends. The coffee is good, I'd say, the house blend is usually medium roasted. I see many people ordering specialty espresso drinks - not my thing. The bacon, egg and spinach breakfast burrito is my usual food pick. It is packed with spinach, and is a bit bitter, but the optional bacon makes it also indulgent. My kids always go for a bacon, egg and cheese bagel, and they share a cinnamon twist - a reasonable balance of nutrition and sweetness. :-)

To me, the ambiance is also a great draw. I like walking there with my dog, and use one of the outsider tables; or I use an inside table for work meetings, and I sit on one of the loungy couches if I am there with family or friends. David, the owner, is a cool dude - calls patrons by their name, shows art from fledgling local artists and neighbors, and somehow seems to recruit and train interesting, complex, diligent staff.

All out, my favorite place to drink coffee and...

Third Place is on my way to work and when I have time to spare I always try to stop in because not only is the espresso/coffee EXCELLENT but the quirky little gifts/trinkets and the incredibly friendly staff/owner make for a wonderful start to the morning. Today, on my way to my car I dropped one of my lattes in the parking lot (lol) and when I went back in to purchase another the owner and his staff both immediately insisted on making me another one at no charge and refused to let me pay. Genuine customer service like this is almost impossible to find anymore and they have gained a customer for life. If you're in need of incredible local food/coffee and a pair of Betty White socks or a pen with a cheeky saying, this shop is the one for you. Maybe my 2024 resolution can be actually waking up earlier so I have enough time to stop by and support Third...

I was only there with a friend for lunch for a very short time, but I enjoyed it. It's more like a real coffeehouse, and less commercial. The food is also heavily skewed to the vegetarian and vegan end of the scale. The people are friendly, the atmosphere is relaxed, there is wi-fi, and curiously enough they use an iPad to check you out.

I was a little disappointed that they didn't have any loose leaf tea, but they're not known for their teas. I ordered a ginger tea, a hummus and tabouli wrap (served with nachos and fresh pico), and a slice of banana bread. The tea was OK, the hummus and tabouli wrap was good (but not very good), but the banana bread was EXCELLENT.

So I encourage everyone to go. If you're not a big fan of vegetarian and vegan cuisine, you probably won't find much to entertain you on the menu. However, the banana bread is definitely...