My family lives on the island so I've been coming to Drift for years. It's a bit pricey, but you…read morecan tell they use high quality ingredients and whoever curated the menu put a lot of time into it. The avocado toast, the veggie breakfast burrito, the coffee cake, the smoothies, and the iced black amber are my go to's and they never miss. The service is quick, even though I know they get crazy busy during the summer. As someone who understands service/cafe biz, I will always give leniency to workers who are busting it during high volume seasons. The people who don't understand that a wait will be expected when you have one good coffee shop on an island that hosts thousands of people every summer are dense. Be kinder to your service workers, people. The most recent time I visited Drift, I was excited to try the Acai bowl. After I ordered, I was told that unfortunately they were out of Acai. They refunded my money and I ordered a smoothie instead. I was ready to pay for my smoothie when the employee told me the smoothie was on the house since they were out of Acai. Great customer service. I've been visiting Ocean Isle since there were rinky-dink water slides in operation across from what is now Drift. It's been wonderful to see a successful, quality coffee shop on the island.

We chose Drift based on Yelp reviews and the menu choices available…read more It's a little coffe shop with a limited, but thoughtful, menu. The coffee was a good, bold brew. Mr. And I both ordered the market bowl. Quinoa, sweet potatoes, avocado, tomato, and a spring mix w a fried egg on top. It was beautiful! Then we bit into it. The sweet potato was barely on the brink of being frozen. The Quinoa was also cold...not just room temperature, but ice-cold! Avocado was way too cold as well. So, you can imagine what this did to the beautifully cooked egg... yep - turned it cold in a heartbeat. Really off-putting to bit into. Mr. went back inside and asked if they had a microwave to heat it up and the 'workers' just said that was they way it was supposed to be. Mr. tossed the entire thing in the trash and simply said "well, it's disgusting". You would think there would be a simple offer to heat it up, or some kind of remedy for the situation. They didn't give a crap. I'm pretty sure they flipped us the bird on the way out. Nice.

The employees were looking at me weirdly while I was getting my order. I hate how people look at me…read morelike that!! It's this new generation that's very rude and mean. The service was okay, not the best. They were also being racist because I'm a bit brown, so I was a little confused, and they charged me extra for no reason. I think it's because it was the spoon, but it didn't make sense!! never coming back. I also found a fly. A FLY in my frozen yogurt, and when I was putting my frozen yogurt in my cup, I swear it was a bit brown for vanilla, and once I was done, I saw a roach. Also, the atmosphere was very moist; it did smell a bit funny, and when I put some hand sanitizer on it, it smelled horrible. TERRIBLE. It smelled like a dead animal!!

Traveling from out of town and decided to swing by for some ice cream…read more They have the Hershey's glass cased ice cream which looked great but unfortunately did not get. We went for the frozen yogurt machines where they had a few good flavors. If you are familiar with Sweet Frog, the concept very similar. 2/5 star rating because the toppings were not fresh tasting or quality like. Oreos were not actual oreos but alternative like Oreo branded cookie. Brownie was super hard and dry and eating into it crumbled immediately. I got hot fudge and the pump seemed to encounter some issues as the worker said she just filled it but after 10 pumps of air, I received maybe 1 pump worth. I gave up on the hot fudge. The environment itself was great. Very kid friendly, colorful, and had a lot of heart to it. It was roomy and looks like the host birthday parties there as well. Again, unsure if I came on a bad day but it was not enjoyable and wish I had saved money and got the Hershey's scooped ice cream instead.

I was so thrilled to find this spot in Oak Island / Southport area! We live in SoCal but come to…read moreSouthport to visit my in-laws every Christmas, and I only wish I found this place sooner. It's always great to have a little healthy "break" from holiday heavy foods. I had "The Charles" smoothie (coffee, choc protein powder, and pb) and a sample of the Swamp smoothie (I think that's what it was called, it was a green smoothie with mango) and both were delicious. Also was cool to see they carried other healthy speciality foods like Bitchin Sauce, probiotics and to-go smoothie packs. I will be coming here every time we are in town!!

Yes, this is a great local business with products you won't find elsewhere on the island, however,…read morecustomer service is lacking. Like others have said, the owners are very unfriendly and not helpful. It seems like they don't like each other or anyone who asks questions. They're weird and we refer to the store as "No Inergy Market".

I got the carmella latte and the Oak Island acai bowl, and both were incredible! My mom got a…read morenormal hot coffee with caramel and she said it's one of the best brews she's had. The staff are all so sweet and it's such a cozy atmosphere. Menu options are added :)

Friendly service Had the iced Jamican Me Crazy -- yummy!…read moreAlso had a croissant Recommend

They are so friendly, and I love the amazing selection of drinks. My daughter is a big fan of the…read moreshark drink. I love too many to name! They are also well priced, much cheaper than Starbucks. And it's nice to go to a locally owned small business.

These people are great! So many drinks to choose from. I told them what I was looking for and did…read morenot even realize there was a drink special available that matched it so well. The lotus caffeinated drink wasn't very sweet but I liked that there was a sugar free option and it was great for this heat. They are from utah, which is flooded with drink stations, so I am so excited to have one just down the road now here is Shallotte. Pelican Snowballs is currently closed/sold so it's great to have another new place for family fun refreshments and a drive thru when there are a bunch of littles in the car.

This place is what the kids call "vibey". It is immaculate, with pink being a theme and a very…read morepositive, happy vibe. It leans more to the glowing healthy aesthetic as opposed to the gym bro aesthetic (although it does have a bunch of protein/"muscle" smoothies). I got the Recovery Smoothie, which was a next-level strawberry banana smoothie. The price was $14, which was surprising (I am from NYC and that is what smoothies cost in midtown Manhattan). The smoothie was delicious and even had seeds and things which added a fun texture. It was very fun for vacation, if I lived here, it would be a very rare treat just because of the price point. The service was fine.

Literally spent $20 on a smoothie bowl--insanely overpriced. While the smoothies and bowls are…read morestill good, the pricing policies have become frustrating. Swapping almond milk for coconut water now costs an extra $2. The same upcharge applies if you swap almond milk for cold brew. For a simple substitution, that feels excessive. Almond milk doesn't work for me due to oxalates, and the only "equal" swap offered is oat milk, which is highly processed and high glycemic. Coconut water, while not perfect, is the best option for me--yet it still comes with a $2 upcharge. At that point, the total is almost $20 for a smoothie bowl, which I can't justify. The quality is still there, but between the high base price and extra charges for basic swaps, I don't go nearly as often anymore.

Delicious açaí bowls. Very friendly staff. My daughter loved her kids bowl as well. We will…read moredefinitely be back.

Great place with lots of healthy options including acai bowls. They also have some great smoothie…read moreflavors. My only complaint was I wanted a protein shake and they only had vanilla protein powder and weren't very helpful offering other suggestions.. the girl working the counter seemed to have zero Interest being there and was not the least bit friendly. Hopefully she was just having an off day. We tried a smoothie and an avocado toast and they both were very good.

I'm giving the coffee a five star review for taste. I got the Hateras, which was sweet and creamy…read morewith the coffee ice cubes. Definitely on the pricey side just under $10 over 10 with tip. I will say these cups are very flimsy and the lids do not stay on well just going from my car to my apartment. The lid came off twice. Definitely a recipe for disaster. The girl working at the counter was super nice.

The coffees we got were delish. Had a coconut no sugar iced coffee that hit the spot. Service was…read morenice & the spot is well-decorated. Small tables at the windows allow for watching the world go by.

Visited from out of town and trying to be a little more health conscious while traveling, this…read moreplace jumped out compared to other shake/smoothie shops. 24 grams of protein, low sugar and added a creatine boost! Got the mocha caramel. It was so good my husband took a sip and kept asking for more! The true stamp of approval. Might have to pop in again during my trip!

First time here and the staff were so friendly and knowledgeable of what they make and sell. The…read moreplace is beautiful, peaceful and you just get that relaxed feeling. Quiet and cozy to get work done or chat with a friend. I haven't tried food yet but the drinks were sooo good!

Sitting in restaurant as I am writing this . This is second consecutive time within 7-10 days that…read moreI have ordered online and when I arrived , there was only 1 person working . It was around lunchtime and 6-8 people waiting on their order . Took 15-20 minutes to get my order. There should've a way to cancel the order online . I don't want to distract the one person working and delay others in getting their order.

Food was mid mid could have been better the chicken wasnt hot it was cold no chesse was added to my…read moreorder