Cafe Ahora — Restaurant in Shallotte

I visited Cafe Ahora several times during my week long vacation, and each time the drinks and the service was worse than the previous. On my first visit, it took about 10 minutes to have my order taken, and another 25 to get my simple smoothie. The smoothie tasted good so I let the long wait slide. That should’ve been a clue. My next visit took even longer. I went with friends and together we ordered 3 drinks, all on their specialty menu. The cafe was busy but not swamped. We waited 42 minutes to get all three drinks. Two of the drink were missing both the chocolate or caramel that were included in the recipe AND the extra drizzle we paid for! When we brought it to their attention, we only got a sorry. No offer to remake the drinks or to refund the money. Very poor customer service. On the third visit, once again they were busy but not full. We placed our order and then waiting 50 minutes for our drinks. The staff never checked in to update us on the wait or status of the order, or apologize for the delay. We also noticed that the employee taking the orders would leave the register and immediately start working on drinks WITHOUT washing her hands. I guess she doesn’t realize just how nasty money can be. Just as we were ready to cancel the order and request a refund they drinks came up, so we just took them. Not a single one of them (5 this time) was made correctly. None had the standard or extra drizzle (again) and started very basic. This time the staff was just plain rude to multiple customers, and never apologized for any of it. This was our first yer visiting Holden Beach, and Cafe Ahora was a blight on our family vacation! DO NOT WASTE YOUR...

I visited a café today hoping for a quick and relaxing bite, but instead, I left frustrated and disappointed. From the moment I walked in, things felt off. The place wasn’t especially busy—just a few scattered customers and some background chatter—but somehow, my simple order ended up taking over 30 minutes to arrive. I had only asked for a bagel and a coffee, expecting to be in and out in no time.

As I sat there waiting, I kept glancing at the counter, wondering if perhaps they had forgotten about my order. Other customers who came in after me were served before I was. I even checked with a staff member to make sure my order had gone through, and they just said, “It’s coming.” No apology, no explanation—just a vague reassurance that I found hard to believe. The worst part was, it wasn’t even a hot meal that needed cooking.

Eventually, someone behind the counter called my name and handed me a small paper bag. I opened it to find my bagel cold and uncut, with a tiny container of cream cheese on the side. I looked around, confused, and noticed a toaster station tucked into a corner of the café. It turned out I was expected to toast the bagel myself—something they didn’t mention when I ordered. I stood there, awkwardly waiting for a turn at the toaster, now more...

While on vacation, I stopped by Cafe Ahora to recharge and get some more caffeine. When I walked in, I could tell that the staff member was extremely attentive to her customers and also knew her stuff. She was able to talk to them about what they liked and give them her recommendations based on it. For me, I wanted a chai. She recommended their cookie butter chai. I added pumpkin cold foam. Im glad I went with her recommendation! While it was on the sweeter side, it was still very good! And the pumpkin cold foam was a perfect mix with the cookie butter. The prices were really decent and reasonable. My only wish is that there was more outside seating, so I could’ve enjoyed my fall drink outside on a beautiful fall day. But with the limited space, I understand why there is only one table available outside. The next time I come this way, I will be stopping by Cafe...