Open Eye Cafe

I tried this cafe for the first time and it’s really good! I got some of the spiced apple cider and the pumpkin bar and they were SO good! The lady who served me Natalie was really nice and polite and I felt really appreciated when she told me “it was nice to meet you!”. I felt VERY appreciated and welcomed and I will be back :)

Wide selection of coffees and treats. Usually quite busy. Has a nice terrace and a patio, too. Probably they serve the best coffe I had in the US. The coffees are made of Carrboro Roasters beans.

Great coffee, great atmosphere! There are plenty of tables, but it can get very busy.

My favorite coffee shop of all time! I think about this place often. If you're a student at UNC, GO HERE! You'll see people you know. The atmosphere is a work/chill environment. They have so many seats, and although it may seem fully packed, there is always someone leaving when you arrive (this was my experience pre-covid days and I hope it gets back to this at some point!). I live in Colorado now, and still will visit Carrboro to come here again :)

Very nice coffee shop, but everything comes in to-go cups and paper bags. Except if you ask for it and then only special sizes... I wish the store would keep better track of its footprint. Otherwise 5 stars.

My favorite place in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area!! This is for sure the best coffee shop around. The atmosphere is everything I want in a coffee shop: welcoming, warm, cozy, artsy, creative, humming with the hubbub of good people...I adore the variety of seats and tables and, even though it saddened me when I that option went away (for good reason and community safety during the pandemic), their outdoor patio was a perfectly lovely option. I've only gotten lattes bc I'm a creature of habit, but I can confidently say the lattes are amazing--so smooth and tasty and always a great temperature! Also the logo for Open Eye is so beautiful <3 Needless to say, I'm a big fan <3

WOW. Fantastic customer service!! I walked into this place slightly after close because some other customers were inside and there were a few different signs up for their hours on the door so I wasn’t sure. They told me to come in even though it was closed. I ordered a pumpkin spice latte with oat milk only to grab for my wallet and discover it was gone. I was panicking trying to retrace my steps in my mind. All the while frazzled and repeatedly apologizing to the barista (red haired guy with beard) that I had no way to pay for it. This guy was legit so nice he went on making the latte for me and was so positive and encouraging that I would find my wallet. Not only was the latte awesome, I did end up finding my wallet. I will def be going back next time I’m in the area and paying it forward to someone else! Thank you Open Eye Café for being so much more than a coffee shop but truly a light in the community!

Edited: I returned to the cafe a few weeks after this and gave them a $20 tip.😊

Outside - Nice cafe in the middle of Carrboro. They have a very sunny and open patio with big tables. The patio borders a street trafficked as frequently by pedestrians as vehicles which makes for a lovely morning experience. No outlets on the front patio. There's a back patio too which looked very sunny. The tables on the back patio were a little small but there were outlets.

Parking - There are 4 parking spots for the cafe and inexplicably 5 spots dedicated to curbside pickup. Nearby public lots make parking a non issue.

Food - Theres a single 9th Street Bakery-Style banana cookie available for purchase. Other than that no other food.

Inside - The inside wasn't that cozy. It was very open with smallish tables. The sunniest areas by the windows were lined with a counter to sit at so the tables were in darker regions. It seemed like all of the lights were off inside. I wouldn't want to sit there for a while. They seem to be takin covid very seriously

Coffee - The beans are from Carrboro Roasters. I had a cortado that was very good but was a little heavy on the milk for my liking. Love the mugs, they look nice The cortado was 4 dollars. They offered a "cold brew float" on the menu which I've never seen before. I had a very wonderful macchiato. Very solid and fresh coffee

Wifi - The caffe instructed me to use the open wifi network for the entire town of carrboro. I've never heard of this before!

The Baristas are very helpful and helped me choose a whole bean blend to purchase. They had a wide variety. My espresso came in a real mug this time, very good!.

A good, serviceable place with a good location. The couches for seating are a little dirty, but the coffee is pretty good. I've been maybe 15 times or so. Service is alright -- most employees are friendly but a few of them are really terse with me and seem annoyed for whatever reason. Not the best in the Chapel Hill area, but pretty solid for the money. 3.5 stars on a night with musical guests/open mic, 3 stars on a normal day.

Always loud, $4.00 for a 12oz ice coffee with room. Lots of seating but 30% of the seating is uncomfortable. People are nice.