Port City Java

Update: we have since visited again. Yesterday, I ordered the sausage and egg breakfast sandwich on a bagel. Very delicious and satisfying… a soft fresh bagel, just enough spice to the sausage, and topped with melty cheese. This morning, I tried a blueberry filled croissant. It was warm, sweet, and delicious with my coffee.

Decent cuppa joe.
This is a quaint little coffee shop in the middle of the action in downtown Wilmington. They serve coffee, teas, and smoothies. We went on a weekend afternoon, and the place was fairly packed, with about a 5 minute wait for a drink.
There were lots of comfortable couches and chairs to sit in. You could tell a lot of the people there had been there for a while, studying for exams, or writing a novel or something. There seemed to be a lot of students studying, but we did go in the midst of finals.
The artwork is fresh and fun. It seems to be local artists, and all the pieces are for sale if you’re interested in taking some authentic coffee shop art home with you.
Parking was difficult, as the street only offers limited parking. We had to walk a ways to get here.
They do offer coffee for sale by the pound, but it seems to be nothing too fancy, but at fancy prices.
I was happy to see that the place was clean, all the tables were wiped down, and there were nice places to sit.

Went there a few times .i wanted the wifi password before I ordered and was told it was «For customers who order.» Redundant.

I overheard someone complimenting the sea salt caramel latte that she had the previous day. She proceeded to order another one. So I decided to order one of those and a cranberry orange muffin. Both the drink and the muffin were delicious! It is located on the corner of Front & Grace, across from the equipment store. Both were used in the filming of One Tree Hill.

Coffee was ok, selection was on, nothing to write home about. I’d still take another local coffee place or Starbucks of this place any day.

Had the apricot tea. Darn good and inexpensive. Nice atmosphere and relaxing. Had no distractions while working on my paper. Nice spot for sure.

This one’s not as big as some of them but it still had even have some outside seats the coffee and the Danish is great everything is fresh all the time my friend just sold these franchises to somebody else but they seem to be still running them pretty well I’d pick up coffee here if I need one before I would hit a convenient store that’s for sure. Nice staff a lot are still the same working there as from the old owner of the franchise great people good stuff

In the late 90s my friend who worked here was sued for giving away a drink to a homeless man.
The owners should be ashamed of this but continue to expand thier shite coffee into the mountains in asheville.

Today was my first time here, I got a Green Wave smoothie and loved it, service was a little slow for no more busier than they were, but everything was being made fresh right in front of you. There were a lot more coffees and smoothies I will be returning to try.

Best place in the world. I come here three times a week and all the employees are super nice and kind. Forever customer!

Went to this location when my go-​to closed at noon on MLK day. This is a smaller location, still downtown but closer to the community college. It was great and just like the other location, great coffee and non-​coffee items. Something about the employees at these locations, they are nice but not really outgoing. Kind of give off a vibe. However, still better than other places to get coffee and an easy walk for me from my place.

Most American coffee shops can make a mediocre espresso, this one can’t. Watery weak and flavourless with a ‘barista’ that had no clue how to make a brew. Very disappointing.

I love when I find an awesome coffee place that is not Starbucks. Me and my friend found ourselves here because we are huge fans of One Tree Hill and they have filmed at this café several times! I ordered the Carmello Leche espresso drink because I wanted something that tasted like coffee but had some sweetness to it. So the manager recommended that I do half the syrup and sugar and it turned out to be the perfect amount of flavoring. He gave us great insight on the history and the filming of OTH was very helpful and friendly overall.

This place is BOMB. Not only was my pumpkin pie latte delicious, but the barista was extremely friendly, helpful, and willing to share his experiences from the filming of One Tree Hill, which is the main reason why we came to visit Wilmington and PCJ in the first place. He was great to converse with, and my friend and I felt very welcome. Thanks for a great experience! Definitely nice to get coffee from somewhere other than Starbucks.
Service: ¹⁰⁄₁₀!!!
Ambience: ⁷⁄₁₀
Taste: ⁹⁄₁₀

I went in here the other day. The muffin I got was good. However, I waited in line for 20 minutes. Now, if there had actually been a long line I wouldn’t have complained. I was one of 3 people in line. The people in there were running around like crazy while not actually getting anything done. Then, once my friends and I ordered it took
another 15 minutes to get our orders. The place is nice and the baristas were nice but so slow.

I’ve visited several other Port City Java locations throughout the city and this location is great! The music is cool and laid back, the atmosphere is conducive for both groups who want to chat it up and individuals who just want to study, the selections are great. Everything is fresh (the baked goods) every morning and the customer service is great.
Every time I’ve been I’ve always been warmly welcomed and treated respectfully. I’ve never had a negative experience.
Since it’s located right in the heart of downtown, you have access to about a million other places to shop/​dine at, too. It’s pretty much great all around. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a chill place to grab a coffee or fruit shake. The ONLY downside is that purchases can run a little high, but that’s expected for any chain coffee place.

It’s so nice to get away from a Starbucks every once in a while and check out a local café. At least that’s what I thought this place was when I first entered, but according to their website, they have locations in South Carolina, Maryland, DC, and even internationally in Costa Rica, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates. Sort of random, but of course they had to skip over Virginia (where I currently live). In any case, I loved the atmosphere, and the more I learn about them through their website, the more I love the company. Port City Java is indeed headquartered in Wilmington, so there’s that at least.
They have a large variety of syrups, and a large variety of flavored lattes to match. On this visit I went with the Caramel Leche. It was $ 3.95 for a tall with whole milk and had two shots in it, unlike the Starbucks tall which only has one. What’s up with the Starbucks drink-​size naming conventions? Anyway, it tasted perfectly ordinary, but if I wanted something different I should have really ordered one of the Milky Ways, Joyfuls, or Crème Brulees because I can’t imagine what a coffee version of those things would taste like, especially the Joyful. Does that just mean more caffeine and sugar? That sounds like a cup of joyful to me.
I’m not sure where they get most of their coffee beans from, but they pride themselves in the fact that they roast their «global» beans in the Carolinas. You can buy them too for up to $ 18 per pound, and there’s quite a selection with names that imply origin. The green label appears to indicate fair trade and organic varieties. Some of them are Guatemalan Chajulense, Mexican Chiapas, Peru Cajamarca, Nicaraguan, and Sumatra Gayo. I really should have bought one while I was there, but there is the website:
What’s neat is you can specify how you want your beans, whether you need them whole, ground, or even in espresso-​ready form. If you don’t have your own coffee grinder though, I would recommend getting one. $ 18 a pound is not the type of coffee you want to fall victim to oxidation right away, so whole is usually the way to go.
I wasn’t hungry at the time, but I did notice a good selection of food on the menu. The website shows a dozen different sandwiches, so already they have upped the entire Starbucks menu without even getting to the wraps, salads, and pastries. They even got the chocolate genre covered, with hand-​dipped selections from a company called South n France. It’s a pretty complete café. If the had one in Hampon Roads, I’d probably go there at least for the beans.

Conveniently located in downtown, and adjacent to the waterfront and its hotels, this coffee shop is something of a three state chain, and while each location is very different in terms of layout, the offerings here are very similar to what you find at other major coffee chains: brewed coffee, espresso drinks, iced drinks, and a number of baked goods. All competently made, but your experience will vary greatly by location.
This particular shop boasts a number of bright, sunny windows and is basically a run style space with a long row of tables against the windowed wall, while the other side is encapsulated by the bar and prep areas for the staff. There is a small area of couch seating right up front, which would be nice for a face to face visit. The tables are nice, but my only complaint is the lack of power plugs near each table. It can be hit or miss to find one of those, if it is your intent to stay a while and open a computer.
The coffee and espresso options here are very similar to what you find at the other guys, with a few interesting twists available. However, as mentioned in other reviews, I found the staff during my visits to be just a bit off-​putting with the attitude. For example, I looked up at their coffees of the day and asked for the Ethopian roast, only to get a stare back of disbelief and an explanation that said brew would be about 5 – 6 minutes out as they were just making it. I had planned to stay awhile, so I said, «Fine. I’ll wait.» That didn’t elicit the friendly response that I expected, just more of a shocked look that I was okay to wait for it and an, «Oh, okay.» Geez, thanks guys.
I also ordered a bran muffin to go along with it and the barista asked if I wanted that warmed. Great idea, I thought, until it came back after a lukewarm 15 seconds in the microwave. It hardly seemed worth the effort.
Luckily, the coffee was extremely fresh and properly brewed to really show off the nuances of the beans and the roast. So I was able to set up my laptop and work the morning thru. Hence, this spot is okay for its stated purpose, but it’s definitely not trying to stand out, especially in competing for the hearts and minds of the customer.

I like their lattes. It seems the locations downtown (there are two I believe) generally have more disgruntled workers. That is my biggest complaint about this company. It’s very hit-​or-​miss with the staff — just not quite up to par with their biggest competitor (you know which one I mean, probably the swankiest, and most powerful coffee company in the U.S.).

I love me some Port City Java, and this particular location is probably my favorite in the Wilmington area.
This is clearly largely due to its location on the corner of Grace and Front right across from the Cotton Exchange and in the jumping off area for the main area of downtown Wilmington. No, it’s not as big nor spacious as some of the other Port City Java locations and it’s not open as late as a second location just a bit further down Front Street, but it’s big enough to seat a bunch of people while remaining small and quaint enough to make you feel like you’re getting away from it all. There are also some great windows in the front that afford you the opportunity to people watch or catch some of the warmth of the sun as you study, read, or chat your afternoon away.
The coffee drinks are far above par, and the staff is always friendly and ready with a smile (ok, so there was one barista that was pretty rude and prone to dead stares but I like to think that she was an anomaly). They offer a surprisingly wide selection of salads, wraps, and sandwiches should you want some munchies.
Bottom line is that I tend to hit up this Port City Java location when I’m in Wilmington, and I’m always glad that I did! Other embarrassing bottom line is that I also whimsically think of «One Tree Hill» whenever I’m grabbing some java in this café… but don’t tell anyone that part.