Sola Coffee Cafe

They have a very large menu for breakfast lunch and dinner, which I love about a cafe because I think it’s very unique to find that here. I ordered an iced latte with oat milk, the avo smash, and the yogurt parfait. Everything was good except I wasn’t a huge fan of the avo toast. My boyfriend liked it and also loved the salmon bagel he ordered.

Busy but super fast, friendly service. My skim pumpkin honey latte was perfectly flavorful and not too sweet, and the shareable maple apple scone was divine! I'll be back to try more.

Staff is very friendly and attentive. Food is quite good and unique with many locally sourced ingredients. A little pricy. Service line can get quite long at times. Decent seating inside and outside. Pets are welcome outside.

Coffee was okay. Not bad and not special. I ordered an Americano so maybe that's why. Barely any oat milk in it so had to ask if they could put some more (maybe leave it out for patrons to add as much as they want?). Also - a coffee place that turns its wifi off intentionally on Saturdays is, well, not a proper coffee place in my book. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Figured that out after we ordered the coffee!

Otherwise the outdoor section is very pleasant.

Best breakfast and coffee in Raleigh, hands down. Lunch is great too. Try the Sola shake!

Sola is the best combination of community coffee shop and good coffee. Try the doughnut minis and an espresso .

The best coffee in Raleigh for sure and the toast bar👌

I'm sure the coffee and food are great, but they don't offer WiFi during working hours. I get it but it's not advertised anywhere. Slightly disappointed.

Sola is run and staffed by the nicest people. Great atmosphere, lots of outdoor seating, good coffee, creative food. The Staff Eggwich is an explosion of flavor.

This is hands down the best coffee shop I've ever been to.

*Avoid like the..."

The yellow #WARNING tape on the door is appropriate.

If Sola's goal is to make their guests as comfortable as the incessant threat of a global pandemic instead of providing a respite or oasis from same- they are succeeding brilliantly.

Upon arriving at our patio table- a young lady came over to place a "Needs Sanitizing" sign on our table. She explained that it was necessary to show that our table required sanitizing after we departed.
Charming👻

All of Sola's Covid-19 "Precautions" were designed with exactly two parties in mind- Covid and Sola.

The garish, handwritten signs (IN RED IN CAPS!!) strewn about the property actually do an exceptional job of conveying the bleakness of our present dystopian circumstances, if you're into that aesthetic.

Coffee: Due to Covid, I presume, there's no opportunity to prepare your coffee to taste. They'll do it- but in my case, not as requested. The result: bitterness. Literally and figuratively.

Wi-Fi: If you enquire (you have to- there's no signage visible) they'll tell you it's been spotty for months...
A coffee shop in 2020, with 1990's WiFi? C'mon Sola! 🔋🌞

Power: There are #zero power outlets available for guests.
There is an outlet box outdoors, crudely locked shut with twisted wire.
If you ask- you'll be informed that the outlet is for 'OUR USE ONLY'- and by that she was actually saying- 'That outlet is NOT for YOUR use.'

Sola Surveillance State:
Despite there not being a single power outlet for guest use on the entire rear patio- Sola's management did determine that their guests would enjoy being surveilled and monitored- perhaps to feel safer as they looked in vain for napkins, sugar, creamer, a trash can, Wifi, a power outlet or a bathroom?

It would've been simple enough to run power down from their #BigBrother camera and installed a few outlets for emergency #Pandemic😷 recharges- but that would've required considering the wants and needs of their patrons- which Covid has clearly decimated.

Bathrooms: If you ask about restrooms, be prepared to be brusqely directed to a Food Lion across the parking lot with that timeless "sorry, not sorry, idgaf about your problem" vibe.

I've visited Sola in years past and always enjoyed the experience.

Based on today's experience, I'll let Sola fully recover from this pandemic and get back into the business of providing thoughtful accomodations for their patrons before I return.

I don't see any need to pay good money to be treated like a human Coronavirus.

All that said- most folks there appeared quite satisfied (resigned to) with the state of affairs.

Dear Management:

I genuinely empathize with your plight, despite the fact that you seem to have given very little consideration to mine😉

When I stepped into the dining room (oops) there were 8-10 adults, masked and unmasked, going about their business.
Aside from the woman placing the #YouAreABiohazard marker on our table, I never witnessed a single employee engaging with a guest in a constructive manner aside from:

- "No Bathroom for You"
- "No Power Outlet for You"
- "Doubtful Wifi For You"

Honestly, I've only penned 2 or 3 critical business reviews in my 45 years. I arrived at Sola in a great mood.
It takes alot for me to stop what I'm doing and suggest that our neighbors temper their expectations with a business. But here we are.

I'd be happy to share my thoughts with you (gratis) on how to #Resist the pandemic while ALSO providing your guests with an A+ customer experience.

It seems to this point that you've considered those outcomes as mutually exclusive- they most definitely are not.

I left my business card behind to assist you in straightening out your Wi-Fi- your guests and employees will thank you later.

Thanks for letting me share!

IC