The Workshop

Can not say enough good things about The Workshop! The food and drinks are top quality, the staff is always so welcoming, and the space is beautiful! A Wilmington staple and it hasn’t even been open for very long! Highly recommend, it’s a must if you’re coming to visit from out of town as well!!

Absolutely LOVE this little shop! Fantastic service! Fantastic smoothies and coffee! Best Cold brew on the island! An now serving sandwich's! Can't say enough great thing, a must see spot when visiting WB!

I’ve been on a mission to find the best espresso in the Wilmington area. As of this posting I’ve tried half a dozen places. So you can understand this review, let me tell you what I’m looking for from an espresso:

It shouldn’t be bitter. It should have a thick crema. Ideally the crema should be somewhat brown, not blonde. However since the crema color is affected by the darkness of the roast, this isn’t automatically a bad thing. I always order a double shot, since they’re easier to pull and to be more consistent with when making. A double shot should produce around 60 mL of espresso and should take 25-28 seconds to make once the first drop hits the cup. When the espresso is coming out of the machine it should stream out with roughly the thickness of spaghetti. If it gets to straw thickness or drips out, one can tell the shot has not been dialed in correctly and that the grind size is inaccurate.

At The Workshop I would be wary of ordering an espresso by itself. First off, there were a few grounds around the side of the cup before drinking and a few more in the bottom when I finished. The extraction was too fast and the resulting espresso too thin, along with a crema that was likewise thin. The taste was the familiar bitter and somewhat burnt taste I associate with places like Starbucks. Furthermore, the person in front of me ordered a drink with a decaf espresso. They pulled the decaf coffee from a jar of preground coffee and the extraction happened very quickly. Just eyeballing the shot one could tell it was thin and watery. I didn't get the sense that the staff knew how to, or really, cared, about pulling a great espresso shot.

I really wanted this place to have a solid espresso but it let me down. If what you want is a great espresso, one worth making a special trip for, this ain't the place. The best place in town that I've found so far is The Luna Caffe. See my review on their listing for more. (For what it's worth, I'm not associated in any way with The Luna Caffe. I'm just a coffee nerd in search of great espresso.)

We loved this place so much we made it our morning stop while visiting the area for a week. Great selection of drinks, smoothies and food! Excellent customer service, wifi and great indoor and outdoor atmosphere.

Excellent coffee and food with some incredible local hand made jewelry and sharks teeth!!! This place is a must visit if you are visiting Wrightsville Beach!! The locals already love it here!!!

Best coffee I've had so far anywhere in Wilmington. I love to go and hang out while I drink my coffee. The shop has a great vibe to it with all the fossils and jewelry on display.

Good coffee and great atmosphere

Audrey is super friendly. They are speedy and have a nice selection of coffee, smoothies and quick bites for breakfast or lunch. Great stop before you hit the beach.

This is the place the beach has needed for a long time. Amazing coffee, out of this world food, and customer service that makes you feel as if you're family. My only complaint is I don't live near here so I can't go everyday

Really a gem of a place. A nice small little shop, staff is friendly and fun. Really cool personal videos of at least one of the staff members on one of her dives! Totally recommend for anyone looking for a good cafe with a exciting twist!