Beyu Caffe at 335 W. Main Street opened in downtown Durham on January 16th. The manager, Dorian “DJ” Bolden left his job in finance to start his own business, taking various positions as barista, bartender, line cook, etc. to gain experience. In encouraging him, his friends would say “just be you bro,” which morphed into the cafe’s name, pronounced “be you.” It’s wonderfully decorated with a large dining room cleverly broken in two by a lounging couch area. They’re open for all three meals, and closed Sundays. Jazz is the …

Saladelia is a staple of Durham’s lunch scene with a bustling catering business in addition to their onsite food. It is a favorite of mine for a late breakfast also, as their breakfast menu is available until 2pm on the weekend. They offer sandwiches, salads, pastries, and desserts with a Mediterranean bent. Order at the counter and your food will be brought to you. Espresso drinks are available.

They recently completed some remodeling of their seating areas and counter. There’s now a lovely row of …

Amelia Cafe is an appealing spot for lunch or dessert if you are in the Brightleaf area.

The atmosphere is relaxed but sophisticated with smooth jazz playing and very comfy leather chairs at their tables.

They offer candy, sweet and savory crepes, gelato, and desserts all day but their sandwiches, soups, and salads are only available from 11-2. Espresso drinks, smoothies, shakes, beer, wine, and cocktails are all on the plentiful beverage menu.
Their setup is confusing at first: if you are eating in, you should grab a …

Numerous excursions to Bright Leaf Square and Morgan Imports had left me curious about Parker and Otis, whose shabby chic exterior is fully visible from the parking lot.  I did not have the pleasure of dining there until lunch on a Tuesday, however, and I am wondering why I did not explore it sooner.
Parker and Otis is reminiscent of Fosters in that they provide sandwiches and salads within the setting of a gourmet food market.  However, Parker and Otis’ selection of foods for purchase is far superior to Foster’s: …

Hard to believe, I know–the SouthPoint mall.  But where there is awesome, Carpe Durham will risk life and aversion therapy to get it.

Vita Dolce has been around for about a year and a half and I’ve been shamelessly enjoying it for most of that time without ever posting on it.  What once seemed like a bit of a secret within the mall, there is now a preponderance of advertisements for the tasty treats at the gelateria (incidentally, most of the ads are not for the gelato, exactly).  The marketing is pretty witty, …

This could be common knowledge or a totally unsubstantiated rumor, but I thought I’d throw it out there either way.  I just heard that the owner of Bean Traders on Ninth St. is going to open a kiosk in the outdoor stand outside of Alivia’s (beware that link, it contains annoying noises and seems outdated) at Main St and Gregson St.  Word is, the plan for now is to be open 6:30am til 11am (Alivia’s opens at 11am) and serve coffee to go.  Not sure when this is set to happen (if it …

Copa Vida Coffee is now open in Shade Tree’s old spot (in Erwin Terrace).  I hope this one sticks around, if just because there obviously needs to be a coffee shop this close to Duke.  The space is fairly similar to Shade Tree’s, except without the bar–the colors are slightly different but the atmosphere is still well-lit and open.  In the tradition of many Durham coffeeshops, Copa Vida offers Guglhupf pastries and Counter Culture Coffee.  They also plan to have live music some evenings, starting at about once a month …

Tanya Catolos, the pastry chef at the Washington Duke Inn, just opened Daisy Cakes, a mobile storefront (technically a 1978 chrome Streamliner) for her cupcakes and other baked goods, located a block up from the Farmer’s Market.

Here’s the Streamliner in context, on the corner of Foster and Geer, right across from the Manbites Dog Theater and the now-defunct King’s Sandwich Shop.

After some truly heinous cupcake experiences in the Triangle, I was really happy with Daisy Cakes. That’s the Pink Lemonade cupcake (lemon with raspberry buttercream frosting). The cupcake itself is …

Shade Tree has been a favorite study spot of mine for a long time. Most people who go there seem to go for the purpose of studying, so they are quiet. The lighting is good during the day thanks to two walls of windows. And, most importantly, they serve a very good cup of coffee.
My friend and I went there the other day for a reading sprint. Caffeine is helpful for that. She was also hungry (and it is hard to read on an empty stomach), so she decided to …

Durham’s own Counter Culture Coffee on 4911 South Alston offers a free coffee “cupping” every Friday at 10am. After the cupping they take you on a tour of the roastery. Cool.
They also offer free day long training classes where they teach you all about the proper way to make espresso. The next dates are on 3/22, 4/3, and 5/15.
You should also pick up a bag of their Twin Cities Express espresso, which is very very awesome.