Royal Bean

Went for live music, took FOREVER to get a coffee and hot chocolate even though we were there before the crowd got bad. Only 2 people working, and moving slow at that. Then got a small instead of the medium we paid for. Definitely didn’t seem prepared for more than about 10 people. Hot chocolate was just ok.

«Love Potion # 9» Not the song, NOT the Movie, not the Purfume… The Drink! Coffee with Cinnamon, «White Chocolate» or Dark Chocolate… OR if you are RodO… BOTH! ! ! Here the Coffee gets 3 ½ stars rounded UP to 4
No Reflection of Unilocal stars for my Review :
Under New Management so expect more Changes! Like? I HOPE so! All the Art that was on the Walls was GONE today, with just the white spots covering the holes in the Purple Painted Sheetrock, Music (canned) was OK, so I do not care about Music unless it is Really Good usually I do NOT say anything and I do NOT expect a Coffee Shop to cater to my Musical Tastes (I like the CoffeeHouse stations Style) Plenty Comfortable!
From the old photos (on Unilocal) you know this place has Décor Potential, it is a Medium sized Coffee Shop! As long as it is reasonably safe and comfortable the way a Coffee Shop looks does not factor in to my reviews Unilocal star rating unless it is a Positive, in other words it can look awful and I will NOT take away stars
Service is NOT that important either, as long as the Flavor is of the Coffee is GREAT ! In fact when workers/​Servers are Rude it is Entertaining to me, though everything else being equal I enjoy Excellence in Service, yet in the Food Service Industry you win NOTHING on my Unilocal star rating for being so!

I love this space it’s huge. Great little coffee shop across from Meredith college. I stopped by to meet some folks the other day and ended up staying a few hours to catch up on work. The space is cozy and quiet which I love.
I ordered up a nonfat latte it was nothing special but tasted good and was just what I was looking for. They do give student discounts on bevvies, boo me for being old. I saw some patrons sipping on smoothies as well as other coffee drinks.
The espresso machine for some reason seems to be obnoxiously loud not sure what that’s all about but that is why I knocked it down a star. It was pretty annoying to hear time and time again. Good thing I had my ear phones though that helped drown out the noise.
By the time the clock struck 5pm the college crowd starting arriving to chat and study. This place definitely caters to the students which is great they are in the center of everything. The space has plenty of small and large tables for groups as well as some really comfy couches.
During the day I will continue to frequent this place. Perfect spot to chill for awhile.

Closes after 10, even though it says otherwise. Been here before during the day, coffee is good.

I’ve only tried their latte, which is decent. But I love how much space there is, the couches, and the classical music. It’s never too loud and it hasn’t been too crowded. It’s a really relaxing place for me to work.

This is an awesome little coffee shop. There is a LOT of room in here. It’s a great place to get some work done on an afternoon and not feel awkward for camping out a bit at a coffee shop. There are high ceilings, colorful artwork on the walls, and a few couches. Most of the space is taken up by aluminum tables and chairs – great for a group get together or to do a bit of work or studying. Also, the wifi is much quicker than at a lot of coffee shops.
The coffee was good, the staff was friendly.
It’s also in a cool historic building that was a 1960s bakery. The parking underneath is a bit awkward (garage is just a tad bit sketchy), but the building itself is nice and different. The coffee shop is tucked in a corner to one side.

I really do like to coffee, service, and location. Also, I LOVE the reward card. That is the main reason I will continue to go here. The only drawback is, as others have mentioned, the lighting. It is dark inside even on a sunny day. I like coffee shops that are bright and sunny not dim and mysterious. I never want to sit inside or hang out there which I like to do at coffee shops usually.

Atmosphere/​clientele:
This is a decent coffee shop. Even for the commoner! There’s no need to belong to the nobler classes in order to drop in. I love the open floor plan which makes the whole shop feel very spacious. It looks like a gigantic living room! The customers were like me, quiet students, middle aged people and a few teens. There are tables for spreading out work and studying.
Overall description:
The shop only seemed to have 2 – 5 customers at a time during the afternoon and this was fine with me. There were a few friends lounging on the sofas and a few people working quietly. Forget corporate coffee or the other well known indie shop – this is the place to actually work and enjoy a cup of joe! It’s very clean and the atmosphere is actually conducive to talking, working or relaxing in peace. Also, there are no creepers lurking around outside (or inside) asking for money or staring. Nice people who mind their own business? Who could guess!
Service:
Ugh, the pretentious hipster guy who was behind the counter. He’s gotta go. I didn’t let him ruin my experience though, because the girl at the counter was very pleasant. She was not overly chatty and made great suggestions regarding food and drinks.
–1 Star for hipster dude. He needs to visit other local coffee shops and become schooled in the art of customer service. i’ll give him another chance though – perhaps the issue was miscommunication? I love leaving surreptitious tips at coffee shops and perhaps in the future this shop will be deserving of a few greenbacks…
Negative aspects?
Royal Bean is bit dimly lit, and if coffee makes you sleepy the dim lighting doesn’t help. The strip mall location is a bit strange, but it did not bother me. I’d like to see more art inside and perhaps something to block the view from the mall? I don’t know about you, but I like feeling isolated in a coffee shop because it helps me work!
Visit/​skip?
All in all, this is not the best coffee shop in Raleigh, but it’s great for the kind of shop that it is. I hope that it does well and remains an option for those of us looking for a caffeine fix.
It’s worth a visit and has an actual parking lot with you know… places to park! Some of my other favorite shops are lacking in this area. I will definitely drop by the study in the future. Don’t let the exterior dissuade you – it’s worth the visit.

In my no way expert opinion, Royal Bean is a good but not great coffee shop. After reading some stellar Unilocal reviews, I very much wanted to fall in love with this café. However, I’m sad to report that the chemistry was lukewarm at best.
Don’t get me wrong – there are a lot of good features of Royal Bean. There is a ton of parking, the interior is spacious, tables and outlets are abundant, and there’s free wifi. Plus the coffee (that’s why you’re here, right?) is quite good, and the staff is very friendly. Although I did not partake during my visit, they also offer up freshly made panini and sandwiches. Plus there is live music on the weekends.
However, all that simply did not do it for me. Maybe it’s the fact that the shop is in a strip mallish type of plaza or perhaps it was the fact that the very funky hanging lights were cool but quite dim (thus making it difficult to get any work done despite those sizable tables, free wifi, and outlets aplenty).
In any case, I enjoyed my coffee but that was pretty much the only thing giving me any positive buzz. Maybe in time I will warm to Royal Bean…
Fun fact tip (as mentioned by some others): the cream and/​or half and half is found in the fridge to the right of the «fixins» station. Now you can act cool and as though you knew where the dairy was all along (unlike this guy)…

I never knew this place existed until two weeks ago, all thanks to a meet-​up group! Hidden between to Ben & Jerry’s and BrickHouse, is a delightful, little coffee shop with ample room to work and plentiful power strips!
My Red Eye had the perfect amount of caffeine to fuel my drowsy self — by the end of an hour-​and-​a-​half, I was perky almost to the point of giddily leaping about the place! I was sad there weren’t any sandwiches to fuel my hunger, since I was running off solely a breakfast biscotti + banana. I guess they don’t serve their weekly offering of sandwiches on the weekend — which doesn’t make sense to me…
I love the wide selection of seating: dark, cozy couches with coffee-​tables, 4-​seater mini-​tables, and long tables (perfect for large groups). The eclectic, purple lighting inside perfectly matches the hip feeling this café strives for, along with the interesting art that adorns the walls.
In terms of space to work/​relax, I prefer this coffee shop over the neighboring Cup A Joe down the street — less of the «entitled hipster» feel, nicer interior, and friendlier employees.
***If you’re looking for creamer to add to your coffee, they have a few cartons in the drink fridge on the left wall: half-​and-​half and some other creamer.

This is such a cute local coffee shop with a great vibe. I was in the area helping out at another location than where I usually work, and discovered this place on my lunch break. The reviews were fantastic, and I wanted to use their free wifi, so I decided to check it out.
Around 1pm on a Thursday afternoon, the place was moderately crowded, but it was really easy to find a table. Parking was not a problem, as the parking lot was really large. Being right across the street from Meredith and close to NC State, the place was filled with most college students, some hanging out, some working on homework or reading. Besides myself there was one other man who looked like a working professional, but this place definitely caters to a younger crowd. The place is a little dark with charcoal colored walls, but very welcoming. They have tables as well as couches, so you can get comfy while you enjoy your coffee.
They offer an array of pre-​made sandwiches, that come with a bag of chips. I got a turkey sandwich with havarti cheese and it was decent, nothing to brag about. The coffee was really good though! My vanilla iced latte was so good, sweet but not too sugary, and just tasted amazing. It was so much better than I expected.
If you happen to find yourself in this area and are looking for a great local coffee shop check out Royal Bean!

Love Royal Bean!
I always love the coffee locales that are not chain. This place is spacious, has super parking options, and is on the less busy end of Hillsborough. The staff is always friendly without being cheesy. They have great coffee, but in addition to that, they have scrumptious smoothies and scones! Chocolate chip scones are my fave!!!
The place has plenty of table options and lots of places to sit and work in quiet as there isn’t loud music or loud people running all around like some of the heavy traffic coffee shops.
They also support local art students from Meredith College since it is right across the street so you can always find superfab art hanging which is always cool!

Coffee Fit For A Queen
Visit: November 27
Yesterday afternoon, Andy and I were riding our bikes on the greenway that winds along the border of Meredith College and saw the sign for Royal Bean. Yep, this would be a good time for a coffee break. I was a little unpleasantly surprised that there wasn’t a bike rack to lock our bikes. This ‘complex’ of businesses, some catering to the college crowd, is directly across the street from a college and down the road from another university. Isn’t biking a major mode of transportation? Hmm. Oh well, we found a sturdy tree that would do. My mild irritation quickly dissolved as soon as I walked in the door to the warm, welcoming, lofty space… I instantly felt comfortable. I really liked the color scheme of charcoal gray walls with periwinkle blue accents. There were 6 large, cushy, black sofas arranged in intimate sets of 2. Further back, there were lots of tables filled with serious people working on computers taking advantage of the free wifi. I opted for a change in my usual and decided to try the seasonal special of a Peppermint Mocha. Andy ordered his usual, café Americano. The nice young woman working behind the counter told us she would bring our drinks to us. That’s a nice touch. We set up camp on one of the sofas and put our feet up on the scarred wooden coffee table littered with magazines and the ever so useful and trusty dictionary. (Normally I wouldn’t put my feet on a coffee table, my mom taught me better, but this old wooden chest (and it was scarred) looked like it was begging for my feet.) There was classical music faintly playing in the background. There was a large screen tv but it wasn’t on. Our coffee was served in big, white ceramic mugs. The flavored latte was A-​mazing, absolutely delicious… just the right level of peppermint. The latte was sweet but not too sugary. It tasted like dessert with the added benefit of caffeine. Yeah! Andy enjoyed his black coffee which he told me was robust and full flavored.
Before heading back on the trail, I went to find the restroom. It’s not ‘inside’ the Royal Bean. You need to exit the back door/​door leading to the interior mall, turn right when exiting the door and then left. The bathroom door is locked so grab the key from the counter next to the cash register attached to a little blue or pink plastic teddy bear.
The Royal Bean offers a variety of beverages including frappes, iced drinks, tea, fresh squeezed orangeade and lemonade, and sandwiches and sweets freshly baked by Manhattan Bakery. Definitely, a coffee house fit for royalty…

This place is great. Not only do they allow laptop loitering, they actually encourage it with plenty of comfortable seating, outlets (and extension cords) everywhere, and fast free wifi. The coffee is excellent, and as they’re on the far west end of the Hillsborough strip, parking is no issue.
They seem to have a fair number of community events here (open mics, readings, etc), though I’ve yet to attend one.

Nice space, but the day I went it was much too quiet. Perhaps I went at a slow period. Coffee is good, but I can’t study in places when it’s too empty.

This is a great coffee shop in Raleigh:
* Always easy to find a seat — plenty of tables
* Easy to find outlets
* Chill and nice employees
Excellent place to study and the coffee is quite good also.

Came here on recommendation of a friend and really want to like it, so I’ll probably try it again. Unfortunately, I had a few issues with the place:
1. Very low lighting in a dark space. Trying to study here made me super sleepy.
2. Ordered a lemonade, but there were no lemons, had to go with the orangeade… not so good. Tasted like orange juice that had been watered down with sugar water.
3. Tried the coffee my boyfriend ordered, but did not like that very much.
On the plus side:
1. Big tables with reasonably comfy chairs.
2. Friendly employee that helped us through the menu, and didn’t make me feel stupid for being a newbie.
3. Lots of room. There were tons of tables and chairs, and even comfy areas for relaxing.
I know, I ordered a non-​coffee offering at a coffee place, I shouldn’t expect it to be that great, but hey, a girl can dream, and why put the item on the menu if it’s not very good?
Anyway, yes, good place to study, not so sure on the beverages so far.

Royal Bean occupies a deceptively large space between a Ben and Jerry’s and the Brickhouse Sports Pub. You may not get the best impression from all the decal sinage on the windows, but inside you’ll find a surprisingly swank and comfy coffee shop!
A large menu hangs on the wall above a long semi-​circular bar. In addition to the usual coffee shop fare, they have lots of sweet-​tooth style ‘frappes’ made from candy bars, seasonal drinks like hot apple cider or fresh-​squeezed lemonade. They even a small selection of pre-​made cookies, sandwiches and chips in case you get the munchies.
The staff is pretty nice and will make things ‘less sweet’ or use honey instead of cane sugar without any grumbles.
The place can get pretty packed and I hear they occaisionally have live music (but I’m not sure how this space could handle that much noise.) On the downside, you need a key connected to a stuffed animal to use the mall’s bathroom and one of the machines back behind the bar freakin’ SCREEEEEAMS whenever it’s used, so that can be a bit jarring.
Otherwise, it’s a pretty chill spot to study /​work /​meet with a small group.

When in Raleigh, do as the «Romans» do, get a cup a joe!
Yes, this place is the «IT» place in Raleigh… I’m just sayin”! But seriously, I would never have expected something like this place in a building like this. The outside does not lend itself to the likes of the fancy schmancy places to get a cup a joe, but I like it, I love it and I want some more of it!
So much, that a local BNI business group meets there and I think I will join! Very stylish, comfy seating, and a very relaxed atmosphere for business and personal connections to be made!

— Most appropriate for: students and young professionals who appreciate serenity and a moderate degree of sophistication
— Location: Exit # 3 off I-​440, across from Meredith College, between Ben & Jerry’s and Playmakers, visible from the road. Ample parking next to building.
ATMOSPHERE: A «Simpsons» comparison
Coffee shops have different personalities. Starbucks is a white-​collar man who values conformity and the motto «time is money.» He finds comfort in familiar colors, lite jazz music, and the ease of drive-​throughs. His laptop, carried in an expensive leather bag, allows him to revise corporate memos, analyze data, and prepare presentations while biting into biscotti. He is «Smithers,» Mr. Burns’s executive assistant, minus the ambiguous sexuality.
On the other hand we have local favorite, Cupajoe’s, the rebellious wild-​child with numerous piercings, who criticizes the president while puffing on a cigarette between sips of a cappuccino. He rocks ripped jeans and an indie rock t-​shirt, just like all his friends who drive their bumper-​sticker laden cars to meet him there. He is «Bart Simpson.» Pulling down his britches, he declares, «Eat my shorts!» No one bats an eye. Yawn.
Royal Bean is the quiet individual who is serious about the future. Dressed in simple yet current fashions, she types away on a laptop, writing essays for school, drafting a small business plan, or updating an online graphic arts portfolio. Low-​key and private — yet friendly, she sits alone or with an equally determined companion. She is «Lisa Simpson», and she is going to be something great one day.
Decorated by rotating local artwork, this café is inviting to students, civilized social clubs from
, and studious professionals. The bulletin boards are always packed with advertisements for local groups, small businesses, current events, etc. I admit I picked up a business card for a Passion Party (a social event involving the sale of sex-​toys — uh, I mean, «adult sensual products.») Are there children reading this?
— Best attributes: No smoking! Live music (mostly acoustic guitar) on Saturday nights! Wifi out the ying-​yang!
— Mild-​inconvenience: the restrooms are outside of the shop, in the hallway shared by the businesses in the building.
COFFEE AND TREATS
Well, let’s just say your body needs sugar to fuel your creative brainstorming, n’est-ce pas?
The middle of the menu board boasts a long list of «Sweets» if you like for your coffee to delight your sweet tooth. Don’t worry, the classics are always there; you’d have no problem getting these fair-​trade coffee drinks made to order.
I prefer the Royal Bean Mocha due to my life-​long white chocolate «Homer Simpson”-esque fetish. «White-chocolate…mmmmughhmmmm!»
If you get the munchies, the assortment of danishes, brownies, candies, etc. will entice you. It would be nice to see some healthier alternatives, however. A little fiber now and then never killed anyone (note: I didn’t fact-​check that).
WORKERS
Every time I visit The Royal Bean, the barista is always very warm and accommodating. I am greeted before approaching the counter, and my order is made immediately after I place my order.
The employees seem to usually be college students, neatly dressed in normal clothes. They work either alone or with one other person; I hope the owner allows them to study during down-​times. The café is always clean. I have never so much as seen a wrapper on the floor.
***Skye’s Scoop***
A little birdie told me there recently was a customer who upon every visit to the café would lock himself in the women’s bathroom, alone. Seems a cool café attracting Meredith’s female population might entice a man to lose his discretion. Please don’t get the wrong idea, this area is completely safe, and I was assured that the matter is resolved.