Carolina Popcorn Shoppe

My friends and I were driving by looking at apartments when I noticed this little shop and decided I had to stop by and see what they had and I was not disappointed! We sampled a bunch of different flavors and the only disappointing one was the birthday cake which was way too sweet for its own good. I walked out with honey vanilla cashews, pickle popcorn, and sriracha caramel popcorn. The lady (I believe her name was Holly) who was working was very nice and helpful and told us a bit about the place. I will definitely go back to get some different flavors because there just wasn’t enough time to try them all!

We had been weekly customers for a year. The shop has been through some unfortunate circumstances but that being said after a bit of time should not affect the quality that has gone very south. When you purchase gourmet popcorn you don’t expect the bag to have 40 percent unsifted kernels that break your teeth! I agree with another review that stated the woman working was friendly but incompetent. We never paid the same amount twice even though we purchased the same flavor and amount. There is another shop called always poppin popcorn on Lead Mine road that will exceed your expectations! Check them out!

Not many other popcorn places out there that compare. Love having a tin on hand in my house for guests that come through. Their Jalapeño Cheddar is to die for if you like something with a little kick. Reasonably priced, great service!

No matter what flavor I try it’s always delicious. The Guinness Caramel, the cinnamon, pumpkin spice, cookies & cream– you name it, it’s delicious! The staff is very friendly and always has a smile on their face. Locally owned!

One of my friends raved about this popcorn, and being a huge popcorn lover I knew I had to order a few bags. We tried both the Kettle Corn, and the Caramel/​Cheddar and they exceeded our expectations substantially. The Kettle Corn was really good, clearly made with very fresh ingredients, and maintained the classic Kettle Corn taste even though it was apparent that it was much higher quality than the kettle corn of my childhood. The Caramel/​Cheddar was fantastic! I had never really pictured these two flavors together but they really killed it with this flavor. Will definitely be re-​ordering!

First class popcorn shop! If you like it hot try the caramel siracha !
I’m a longtime customer of Western Ave location, but have since moved to the west coast. I got to missing Jon’s caramel siracha so I had to order it through their website.
I was not disappointed, same amazing flavor I remember!
Thanks Jon!

This is and always will be my go to for the BEST popcorn in town! I introduced my friends to the Chicago Mix (MY FAVORITE), Jalapeño Cheddar, White Cheddar and Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch. They lost their minds and it was so good and they ate it all before the end of the school day! You guys rock and thanks for such a great product and great customer service! PS… Tell Mom she rocks too! See you next week!!!

Jonathan was extremely helpful as i tried to narrow down which popcorn flavors i wanted to purchase. I came for the Caramel/​Cheddar mix and left with the Garlic Butter, Jalapeño Bacon Cheddar plus the Caramel Cheddar Mix i originally came for! He let ME sample the Carolina Dill Pickle, That’s right a pickle popcorn and even it tasted delicious! I sampled the Garlic Parmesan & MY new favorite The Caramel Cheddar Crunch. All the popcorn was fresh and flavorful. I think i have found MY Go-​To Gourmet Popcorn Shoppe!

Just happened to stop in Carolina Popcorn Shoppe by chance as I was driving through NC. Very glad I did! The woman behind the counter was super friendly and let me sample as much as I wanted-​I ended up buying a bag of «Carolina Cheddar» (I believe this is what it was called-​cheddar popcorn coated in caramel!) and «Bacon Cheddar Jalapeño.» Both were amazing! After leaving, I decided I wanted to send some popcorn to my family for a holiday gift. I left a voice mail which was returned early the next day, and my questions were answered thoroughly. Wish I lived closer! Whether you like sweet, savory, or just friendly conversation-​this is the place to go.

Absolutely incredible popcorn! I discovered them a few years ago when searching for Christmas presents, and it has become a yearly (much anticipated) family tradition. Family members swear there is some secret special addictive substance. There’s not obviously… it’s just REALLY good popcorn. Try it you won’t be disappointed. My only negative would be their shipping costs if you want to order online. I have tried to order small bags (not big tins or anything elaborate) to ship as random «treats», and the shipping is VERY expensive. More than the product itself. Not always convenient for me to drive here, but absolutely always worth the trip when I can.

Worth the trip from wake forest. Saw this company originally at NC flea market liked their flavors and had a groupon for this location. Great flavors and service.

I appreciated the variety, the service was great and the place smelled divine, but the popcorn itself just didn’t do it for me. We actually bought about 6 different flavors, one of which was toffee. About half way into the bag, I started to taste dill??? And let me tell you, toffee and dill are two flavors that should never, ever come together under any circumstances. I was a little traumatized… :(

This popcorn shoppe is the best. The freshest popcorn ever. New Slim Pop should be changed to «Super Sea Pop» It doesn’t taste diet at all!
All the flavors are outrageous… Kettle corn is great for adults and the Confetti all color pop is delicious for the lil kiddies.
Promoting this business is a great way to fundraise for your non profit. Everybody knows and loves Carolina Popcorn Shoppe.

Addicted. This place is an adorable mom and pop shoppe, and you can tell they are keeping up with the times. They have your standard flavors of popcorn (caramel, cheese, etc) and a few interesting ones (chocolate covered strawberry, toffee almond)!
The lady who was helping me was adorable, and friendly! I accidentally came before it opened, (it opens at 1 on Saturdays) but since I was only 7 minutes early, she let me in and let me look around. They let you sample everything. You could tell the lady enjoys what she does, because she kept saying how excited she was about their liquid nitrogen ice-​cream that they are introducing (like i said, keeping up with the times!)
I was a little disappointed because I wanted to get some chocolate popcorns, but they stop making chocolate popcorns from March — November due to the weather. It is a valid reason though, since they only sell freshly flavored popcorn! They just introduced a Sriracha popcorn which I am excited about gifting to people.
Will definitely be back here for some guilt free snacks and gifts!

This is a great place! They have every flavor of Popcorn you can imagine. Soon they will be serving Ice Cream too. Its mostly «Shoppe» but you can also sit down and enjoy your popcorn (and soon ice cream) and have a cold drink. You can also sample as many popcorn flavors as you like. Keep this shop in mind when you are looking for that special gift for the person on your list who has everything. Could they really have fresh, flavorful popcorn already? I think not! There are gift tins and gift boxes to choose from as well.
From what the super nice girl at the counter was telling me, the Ice Cream Counter is really unique… the ice cream is made instantly in front of your eyes using some process involving Liquid Nitrogen. Now THAT is different! They hope to open that part in May, I think.
Its a fun and different place to stop in at if you’re on the Cary/​Raleigh Border, not far from the Fairgrounds.

This is a great find! They make popcorn fresh on site daily (and also sell at the flea market). Try the triple cheddar — especially in the Chicago mix (caramel and cheddar), if you enjoy kettle corn theirs is delicious. In addition to the standard popcorn flavors they offer chocolate, candy coated, and even bacon among others. Be warned, you can’t just visit once!

Kettle corn is GREAT!!! They make the Chicago mix right before your eyes. You must visit.

I just discovered this place a week go and I’ve already been back for more! Their popcorn puts any movie theater, homemade or gift tin popcorn I’ve ever had to shame.
The staff was extremely personable, letting me try any of their many flavors I wanted before purchasing. I learned the store has been owned by the same man for 20 years before which he bought it from his boss.
They have so many delicious options to choose from just writing this review is making me want to drive over and pick some up. Some I remember include Bacon Cheddar Jalepeño, Triple Cheddar, Kettle Corn, Cake Batter, White Cheddar, and seasonal options like Double Chocolate and Chocolate Strawberry. And this isn’t even half their options!
They have great prices and gift ideas. Will probably be purchasing for stocking stuffers for the family.
the only reason I am giving them 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the location. It is off the beaten path and might be hard to find because I myself stumbled upon it.

Popcorn. It’s hard to go wrong with it when it’s fresh. It doesn’t matter if it’s plain or flavored. It’s a nearly guilt-​free indulgence even when mixed with sugary flavorings. It’s popcorn, after all. What are a few spoonfuls of caramel or chocolate or nuts? Because some of the flavors use air-​popped corn, that means there’s no guilt. The calories evaporate when it’s air-​popped. At least that’s how I convince myself it’s okay.
Carolina Popcorn Shoppe helps you feel better about indulging. They use all natural ingredients (except for the vanilla flavoring in the popcorn that uses it) and it’s made fresh. Anything more than a couple of days old gets thrown out. Since there are no preservatives, the product won’t keep long and the Shop doesn’t make a lot of it in advance. If you’re willing to wait, though, they’ll make you a fresh batch. On average it’s about a 15 minute wait while they fire up the popcorn popper and get things going. I haven’t been there while they’ve done that, but the smell of popcorn popping is one of those «yum» aromas that might make the wait a must-​do.
If you decide to wait while they make your particular flavor popcorn, or put together a tin or a few big bags to take home or give as a gift, the shop has 3 or 4 tables and a refrigerated cooler with soft drinks for purchase.
You can buy the popcorn in nearly any size from a couple of ounces to a pound or more. The hours it’s open are limited, but you can always go online and order. It’s also available at a couple of shops in the Triangle (e.g. Southern Season, NOFO, Gingham and Posh) so you’ll never be too far away from a popcorn fix.