Fred and Larry’s Coffee

I stop by here whenever I get a pedicure a few doors down. The owners are always behind the counter and are incredibly kind and helpful. The coffee is delicious and exactly what I’m craving at that moment. The prices are a little less than Starbucks plus, it’s local and delicious. Definitely give it a shot! Go local! :)

«If you’re not shaking, you need another cup!»
Unfortunately Fred and Larry’s Coffee didn’t live up to the local reputation of quality java. We arrived shortly after hiking Linville Falls and in dire need of a pick me up. It was easy to find in the area and we were very excited when we arrived. It was oddly quiet inside, though there was a couple waiting for their coffee at the register. One barista ran the whole show and because his back was turned making drinks, we were not greeted and walked in to uncomfortable silence. The barista banged utensils behind the counter and after about 5 – 8 minutes finally rang the two out. Our time in line gave us the opportunity to view the meager display case to the right and the very dismal selection of beverages and desserts. Looking at the specials board, it appeared to not have been updated since 02/​20/​2013, a three day gap from the current date.
We quickly put in our order and the barista was nice enough, but he had to grab the specials menu placed at the front to jog his memory of what ingredients were in each of the Fred and Larry specials we ordered. He was honest when I ordered a large Salty Caramel Latte, explaining that they only had sugar free caramel syrup and I had no qualms. I gave him the go ahead and 8 minutes later our coffees were finally done. On the first taste it was okay, nothing too over powering and very mild in strength. After further consumption, the flavor became overwhelmingly salt ridden with a weird after taste. It basically reminded me of the watered down sludge that occurs after roads are salted to melt ice. I forced myself to drink half of it since I pledged $ 5+ on a coffee thinking I was going to get a legit cup of joe and then conveniently left it somewhere until it was tossed out.

My boyfriend and I stumbled in after a hard hike in Linville Falls and a failed BBQ run (place was closed). This café is located in a strip mall across from Food Lion, right next to a laundromat. Once inside, there are a few couch seats in the front and a couple of small tables around the room. Local art adorns the walls and most pieces are for sale. There’s soft background music playing while you wait.
We had a couple waiting for five minutes in front of us, while the barista made their drinks. I was craving something sweet, so I ordered «The Snowbunny». It was a peppermint flavored mocha drink (hot). My boyfriend went with a «Salted Caramel Latte,» hot and also off the specialty menu. Our drinks took about five minutes, so we wandered around the place while we waited. There are some funny little signs and interesting décor on the walls. The food offerings were not that impressive. I saw glazed donuts sitting inside the glass display, along with sodas and some odd plastic containers full of questionable foods/​liquids. There’s small containers of «to-​go» oatmeal on the counter and «chili» that was noted on the blackboard. To the left of the counter, there are pounds of coffee that you can buy, but prices are steep: $ 25.
Unfortunately, the barista was not very talkative and the only conversation we had was a dryly initiated «Where are y’all from?» This is all the barista had said to the previous couple, besides asking how they liked their drinks. I had originally wanted to hang inside and sip my drink, but it was way too quiet to do so. Also, it was odd that there were no mugs for patrons who wanted to enjoy their caffeine inside. I found my to-​go cup to be cheap.
The coffee drinks were not that impressive and had no touch of caffeine. Mine tasted like chocolate/​peppermint syrup and my boyfriend’s tasted like very salty caramel syrup. I’d stick with grabbing some java from the Kangaroo Express down the street, y’all.

This is the best coffee shop in Western North Carolina! Fred and Larry are kind and welcoming. It’s a fantastic place to come and relax. I just happened to stumble across open mic night tonight and it’s so great! There is so much talent and I highly recommend coming in to have a great cup of coffee or to just hang out!

What a great coffee experience! The staff is as warm and welcoming as the coffee and the talent for open mic night way exceeded my expectations. This is a great family owned coffee shop that will be getting my repeat business for sure!

Fantastic coffee and dessert, staff is fun, stumbled onto open mic night… amazing talent!