Smelly Cat Coffee

They have a 5 star rating for a reason, this roaster/restaurant is top notch. Between the excellent service and amazing coffee, this is a place to go to. I was privileged enough to meet the owner who is extremely kind and knowledgeable about her products. If you're looking for a cute spot to work or grab a quick bite to eat, this is your spot.

I was in town for a couple of days and wanted coffee before starting our adventure for the day. We got 2 breakfast items and 2 coffees. 25$ btw Got the coffees right away and it was BAD. It was very bitter and we didn’t even get half way through before throwing them away. They made us step aside for the food so that they can serve the customers behind us in line. Well we waited… and waited… and there was no indication our food was done other than the fact that people that stood behind us in line were getting their complete order and no one ever said anything to us. We went back to barista at the window that had our food sitting behind her the entire time!! Halfway back to the car we realized we were missing half of the order so we had to walk all the way back parking was full so we were 2 blocks away. luckily the quiche was actually pretty tasty so they mildly redeemed themselves. Over all, not a great experience. This is a place where if you judge it by it’s cover it should be good but in reality the looks surpass the quality. Go to Amelie’s instead.

Finally got a chance to try Smelly Cat and it did not disappoint!! I got the Ethiopian cold brew which was fantastic. My parents got herbal teas. I didn’t get to try any of the food as we had just come back from Amelie’s so I can’t speak to that. Service was very friendly, helpful with suggestions, and patient with decisions even though they were busy. They had ample outdoor seating which was really nice but I couldn’t tell what was going on with the indoor seating. The door to the inside looked to be locked and there was a sign saying that anyone who wanted in could get assistance from the barista. Maybe still a covid thing? Anyway, can’t speak to the inside aesthetic either but I will definitely be back for more Ethiopian cold brew!

I had high hopes for this place. I just couldn’t understand it. We had reservations to eat inside. We had no idea where to go. The doors were locked. We saw a woman carrying a tablet who took another table of people inside, so we thought we just had to wait for her to come back out to seat us. She never did. We went up to a window to ask what we needed to do. That guy told us to go up to the other window, skip the line, and tell them we had a reservation. I did that. The person at that window said we needed to wait in line, order our food, and then we’d be let inside. What was the point of having a reservation if we had to be in the same line as everyone else? When we finally got inside, my friend received her food and coffee, and I didn’t receive mine. My friend sat there not eating until an employee walked by and asked why she wasn’t enjoying her food. That was the only reason I ever even got my food. The breakfast burrito was tiny, but the coffee was good. We walked down the street and got Reigning Doughnuts immediately afterward because we were still hungry. All in all, it was a disappointing stop. Love the coffee mural on the side of the building though!

Don't order tea here if you like black tea, better bang-for-buck sausage breakfast burrito can be found down the street at Rhino Deli Market imo mcdonalds might even have better bfast burritos..., but apparently the coffee is pretty good

This place looked amazing online but was a little underwhelming, sadly. The place is still beautiful, and the employees are incredibly kind. The parking is non-existent, the setup is inconvenient, which if the coffee was amazing I would completely look over. I drink black coffee and dark roasts are my go to, but I think there was something not right with this coffee. There was something about it that was bitter/almost burnt, that left a bad aftertaste after each sip. The breakfast options are a great idea, I do wish there were options for adding something spicy, different sauces, etc. As far as I could tell there weren’t any listed on the board.

This place is my favorite coffee shop in Charlotte. I'm always impressed with the quality of the drinks and the swiftness of the staff. A very friendly staff as well. Unfortunately today 9/1/22 there was a middle aged woman taking orders and her presence seemed to bog down their whole operation. Every person who ordered was handed shots of coffee to try, which was a nice sentiment, but certainly increased wait times. I love coming to this place, but one disruptive element certainly threw off the shops flow today.

This spot had probably one of the best if not the best espresso shots I've had in my life. I came back a second day to make sure it wasn't a fluke - it wasnt. Their drip was on point too. I ended up picking up some beans to brew at home and have been loving those so far as well. I'll probably make it a point to visit this shop every time I go to Charlotte now.

The Smelly Cat Coffee House was highly rated, so my crew and I went out of our way to visit. I ordered an espresso in a ceramic cup and two pour overs to go. After 20 or so minutes and the other folks getting their drink at various times, I inquired on my drinks. The espresso was sitting in a paper cup waiting to come out with the pour overs that were still not done. When I reminded them that the espresso was supposed be in a ceramic cup, the took the old espresso and dumped it in a ceramic cup. It was cold and no good- a waste of money. The pour overs were just okay. I was super bummed. It did not live up to the hype.

This place is super popular but honestly the way it’s set up is odd to me. Also one of the doors is just locked unless an employee lets you in but the one next to the parking lot not the sidewalk is unlocked? It’s just odd. Also, why should you have to order outside if you’re going to go sit inside? However if you want to sit outside it also works well with the order and pickup windows preventing too much congestion in one area. Food items are overpriced but the drinks are standard pricing and tasty so not much of a complaint there.