Port City Java

Port City Java is like that bottom-​left box on a Monopoly board. Yes, PCJ is like Monopoly Jail; everyone is happy JUST VISITING, never stay longer than they should, unless you are there on purpose.
(Tell me honestly, did I just make you break out the Monopoly game or at least use Google Image just to check if I am right?)
PCJ sits conveniently in the middle of the busy Downtown Raleigh, on the corner of Fayetteville St. and Martin St. It really is the corner of the game board that everyone passes through. Whether you are having a lunch break, or just heading to your next meeting, more than likely you have stopped by and have these folks pour you a chilling Iced Café Mocha when the sun is blistering during summer, or warm up with a Café Espresso Macchiato when you trying to get out of the rain.
So as I live and breath (well actually more like sit and sip) right now, the nice folks who work at Port City Java is powering through their last day as baristas here. I just talked to the proprietor, and it seems her feeling is half sentimental, half relief;, because the rent hike.
One thing I will miss here will be the free Wi-​Fi connection; I used to come here, find a window seat, plug my work laptop in, sipping on my Mocha, and occasionally doing a little people watching. What I don’t miss, however, is that bathroom key attached to a red basket. I supposed since this corner is TOO convenient, a lot of foot traffic just cut through this corner and peruse the bathroom without paying patronage to the coffee shop.

Poor, poor Port City Java.
Port City must get hassled all the time. A sign on the door informs you that there are no public restrooms. A sign on the register tells you that they won’t give you change except for what you purchase. A sign on the trash can commands you not to throw away the plastic trays. Somehow the other downtown coffeestops stay in business without all the signage, so Port City must have it worse than everyone else.
They’ll let you sit down, but only begrudgingly. You won’t want to stay here longer than necessary. The line for the register winds among the tables and the chairs are less than plush.
Imagine an off-​brand café in an airport terminal on a busy morning. That’s Port City Java, minus the airport and the busy. The place exists to feed and caffeinate passing commuters, the last type of folks who are going to check a Unilocal review before deciding where to stop.
On the brighter side, I have heard talk about interesting late-​night goings-​on: poetry readings and even salsa dancing. The prices are reasonable and the service isn’t too slow. A close friend with brown skin tells me that Port City is the only coffeeshop she feels comfortable in downtown.
If you’re looking for excellent food & bev, go to Crema (1.5 blocks north on Fayetteville); if you want to linger, Morning Times is 1.5 blocks away on Hargett; if you want tremors, there is a starbucks a few blocks south on fayetteville. If you’re in a hurry and Port City is on your way: this is your spot.

Sad to see this place has such low reviews. I had a coffee and a sandwich and both were great. The sandwich really surprised me!

They made me a really, really good skinny cap.
They were nice and fairly quick, and cheap.
But it’s not a super nice café where you’d go to impress a girl on a first date. Glad it’s there though!

Lots of space in this coffee shop for people to sit, work, or just enjoy their coffee. The cappuccino I had was tasty, but nothing spectacular. Definitely better than «spend some» bucks coffee, but that isn’t difficult.

Nice location, good lattes. Customer service was good, nice people running it.

Blech. Seriously? I can’t imagine paying for any variety of espresso drink here with the ah-​mazing Morning Times just a hop skip and jump away. My boyfriend and I ordered an iced mocha here as we had never been and were in the area…
…we threw it out. (And I hate to waste coffee!)

Walked a long ways to get to this place for some coffee and was pleasantly surprised, my lunch was decent but the iced coffee i got was perfect! and way better than Starbucks! and most importantly they have Wi-​Fi here…

I had 30 minutes to kill before my haircut appt so I stopped here on a chilly and windy day. The cappuccino was ok. It could have been better. The place looked clean and their lunch smelled good but I did not have any.

PCJ was the first place on Fayetteville to offer wi-​fi to their customers, and it’s a very reliable network. For this reason it tends to be popular for business meetings and web development contractors of the not-​so-​hip variety.
Unfortunately, the coffee in this location is not good. The baristas seem to be much better trained at making breakfast sandwiches (which are tasty and cheap-​ish) than they are at making coffee. In fact, I think they are quite talented in this arena, and it’s the only alternative to long lines at the Café Carolina if you want to grab a quick bite on your way to work downtown.
It’s better than Starbucks by a long-​shot (no pun), but there’s no reason to go here for coffee when you’ve got The Morning Times right around the corner.
I know it’s a chain… but it’s a local chain, and this location was open long before Fayetteville Street became popular again. I have to give them props for casting a vote of confidence in downtown.

Well, I’ve never had great coffee at Port City. To me this place is really a step down, as far as quality and taste, from evil multinational corporation Starbuck’s.
I really expected my experience here to be different from the experience I’ve had at the Port City in Cary, inside of a Harris Teeter. Unfortunately it was about the same, baristas who didn’t really care and screwed up my drink order, and too much milk in the mocha.
With so many choices to grab a great cup of coffee in the city, I don’t think I’ll be back to give Port City another chance.

I was working downtown on Saturday and needed someplace to eat lunch. Port City seemed to be one of the few places open on a weekend. Most of Fayetteville Street seemed shuttered. The atmosphere was nice. It was bright with a nice, modern vibe. There were plenty of tables and a small seating area in the back corner with a sofa and a couple of chairs.
I had a thai chicken wrap. It was tasty, but nothing special. The lettuce was nice and green, and it was fully stuffed with chicken and salad items. The dressing tasted like the same Newman’s Own ginger sesame that McDonald’s uses on their Asian chicken salads. So, this wrap didn’t seem particularly «thai» to me, but it wasn’t bad. It came with a choice of a variety of chips or pretzels. I had an iced milky way mocha. It was pretty good. Unlike some places, the flavorings didn’t completely overwhelm the coffee flavor. It wasn’t the best coffee drink I’ve ever had, but it was nice.
The service was very friendly, and the place was very clean. The owner was out frequently wiping tables and counters whenever there was a lull in the action. Overall, not a bad spot for coffee or a lunch, and it’s definitely a good option if you’re downtown on a weekend ;-)