Cup A Joe Hillsborough

You can spot Cup A Joe from the street by its large logo muralled against the wall of the building. At the back of the building you’ll find a conveniently spacious parking lot that the cafe shares with Nice Price Books.

There are a few street-side tables crammed outdoors under the awnings, but your best bet is inside, perhaps at one of the small non-smoking tables (many of them old-timey student desks) that line the wall in front of the counter, where, between sips and conversations, you can take in the eccentric artwork and patched-together decor. The funiture in Cup A Joe looks like the accumulation of everybody’s great aunts’ attics. In a good way.

If you can stand it, venture back to the much larger smoking section. A counter, where you’ll most easily find an outlet for your laptop, lines the long storefront window, facing Hillsborough Street. Behind that sits a scattered assortment of large tables with non-matching chairs, perfect for group gatherings. Chat, study, have a couple cigs, people-watch Raleigh’s young and eclectic, and even try your hand at the functioning Pac Man game in the back corner.

The menu is vast and unreadable, but the staff will help you decipher it.