What a CUTIE local coffee shop! Everything we had was delish, and I'm pretty picky when it comes to coffee. The bagel and strawberry, banana smoothie were the icing on the cake. Joe and his team are so kind, and they have beautiful local prints and cards. I'll for sure be back next time I'm passing through! read more

Cute coffee shop with a earthy vibe! Tried this coffee shop after driving the tail of the dragon, staff was friendly. Coffee was a little too sweet for my liking but the flavor of the espresso was nice! read more

Cardinal Coffee - Seating area - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bryson City, North Carolina

This is worth looking for, a quaint, unique place with good coffee and outstanding bagels. The owner, manager Joe, was great. Support independent, local businesses whenever you can. read more

Great coffee shop! Exactly what I had in mind when i started looking for a quick coffee and snack. Not a lot of options in the area, but even still, it would stand out in a busy town. Will totally go back when in the area! read more

Stopped at this adorable coffee shop on my way to Bryson city. Great vibes & they have so many options. The coffee has been nothing short of AMAZING both times I've stopped. Best pumpkin spice latte I've ever had! Everyone's so warm and welcoming. My go to coffee shop from here on! read more

Cardinal Coffee - Pumpkin spice latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bryson City, North Carolina

Such a cute little coffee shop and the coffee is honestly delicious! The barista was so sweet and the service was fast. Would absolutely recommend getting a hot latte with oat milk, white chocolate and toasted marshmallow! read more

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Best coffee ever!!!! Kind service staff and inside is so comfy!!! They have great ground coffee to go also!!!

Joe who was running the shop is an amazing guy! Good energy, friendly, genuine. Bagel was the best from my travels cross country.

Love this place! They make a great cup of coffee! Staff is super friendly! Only takeaway the line can become incredibly long very fast!

This place used to be awesome, as a local it was one of the few places to get decent coffee and see friendly people. It seems like lately they act like they hate locals and only cater to the tourists which is understandable. However when you go in somewhere and look a certain way and they treat you different because of how you look it's time to find a new coffee shop. I hate leaving this comment cause I've been going here for a few years now but honestly i would t waste my money. read more

Cardinal Coffee has a friendly warm and cozy atmosphere. There are many options for drinks . It is clean and there is a nice place to sit and relax. There are also unique crafts and delicious treats. The owner is welcoming and neighborly. This place brightened up my cold and rainy day! read more

Strawberry banana smoothie and an iced latte with oat milk and almond+vanilla flavoring..... perfection. Latte was amazing. The inside was adorable! Highly recommend stopping by here read more

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Good friendly service. Only has bagels as a food, but tons of coffee options with lots of additives.

A wonderfully little coffee shop on the side of the road. Very little cell service and no Wi-Fi, but you don't go for coffee for those things. I ordered a caramel mocha latte and I can say it was one of the best I have ever had. My friend ordered a chia tea latte and he said it was much better than Starbucks. They do have a bathroom singular outside by the drive thru building. If I am ever in the area again I will stop here in a heart beat. Great coffee and great staff. read more

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Great coffee! Service is always good & friendly. As with any small business that preps food/ drinks, wait times will vary with how busy they are. Added bonus: the shop looks incredible at night! read more

We never miss an opportunity to stop at this wonderful coffee shop. They have great coffee, sweets and local art. Beautiful halfway point for us heading to visit friends and family in western NC. read more

Cardinal Coffee - Coffee Bar - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bryson City, North Carolina

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Ahh. I wish I could give this place more than two stars. Let me share with you why. First, pros & cons. Pros: coffee and bagels are legit. Very good. I tried their cold brew coffee and it was smooth. Not bitter like other coffee locations that sell cold brew. Cons: the customer service was what brought the review down..... not very friendly here. I noticed there were other reviews mentioning the staff also being rude to another reviewer. Barista seemed annoyed by our questions. Here was another experience: If you look at the pictures, you'll notice the coffee shop has displayed a rule about the capacity of people at the entrance of the coffee shop. "3 person maximum capacity." However their rule did not apply to all customers. When my husband and I walked inside there were a total of four people. We were asked to step outside since it was over capacity. We responded, sure no problem. The group that was before us (4 people) and after us (4 people) went over capacity. However, no one told them to step out. I kindly mentioned I was planning to write a review and wanted to make sure I understood why they allowed two parties in, one before us and the other after us, that lead to over capacity. But we were the only ones told to step outside. Their response: we can't man the doors all the time... We have no problem with rules. We completely respect the rules, especially during a pandemic. We felt like the way and manner in which the rules were communicated and the lack of consistency with their customers, lead to a bad experience for us. read more

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Cardinal Coffee are an awesome community staple!! Today, in aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Western NC, Some folks from Cardinal Coffee came to Asheville with large jugs of city water & drinking/cooking water to give to homes in Western Asheville- this helped my friend there a lot! They dont have power, or water or internet and most stores are closed. Thank you for your kindness Cardinal Coffee!! It is much appreciated to have such good neighbors!! read more

Cute little coffee shop! Latte was really good! Staff was friendly. There was a little bit of a wait time but good fresh coffee takes time to make. Definitely recommend stopping in. read more

Cardinal Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bryson City, North Carolina

Stopped here on the way home from our trip and everything was delicious! The Iced Latte with almond milk and vanilla was so good!! I like sweet coffee and this did the job. Bagels were yummy too! Def recommend stopping by if you can! :) read more

Cardinal Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bryson City, North Carolina

We wanted to love this place. Took our lunch break there after NOC wilderness class took a pause...Service was slow (no one in there) and then they wouldn't heat up the baked goods when asked because two other people had come in "it's too busy I haven't got time) . The sign says positive but this person serving wasn't feeling it Bagel was good. The almond pastry was fine. read more

We come through this way all the time on the way to our cabin & never got to stop by until today! This shop is so cute & different for this area! Prob easily the best coffee in Bryson city & they have all sorts of items on sale like jewelry, clothes, art, soap, chocolate, etc They make your standard coffee shop drinks like lattes, cold brews, drip, espresso, matcha, etc. They also have a few extras like bagels, mate latte & more The cold brew is not as strong than some of our favorite shops in Atlanta but probably the best coffee I've found within an hour of this spot so worth a trip if you're up here rafting or hiking or horseback riding. Staff was friendly & prompt Plenty of parking and so easy in and out as it's right off the road read more

Amazing coffee/espresso and fantastic bagels. Really great stuff. Pretty good smoothies too. Went for breakfast first two days on recent trip to Bryson City (June 2023) and loved it. Would be an easy 5 stars, but when we tried to go back on our 3rd day (a Thursday, when schedule says they are open), they were randomly closed. (No explanation other than a sign saying "closed, open tomorrow".) My guess is staffing issues (only one person was working on Wednesday, which led to a pretty long line), which I understand can happen. But still disappointing if you plan your morning around this. If you are nearby, definitely go. (But if it's a decent drive, maybe call ahead to verify they are open.) read more

Most of the stars are for ambiance. Super cute coffee shop. I wanted to give 4 stars but can't. Two in our group of 4 had flavored iced coffees that were decent, but the plain latte tasted a bit burnt and did not have a very strong coffee flavor, oddly. The kids working the bar seemed a little befuddled. Maybe they are new. Fun and quaint atmosphere. Don't regret stopping, but we won't be back. read more

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I love this place! Friendly staff, cute atmosphere, and some bomb coffee and chai! It's now one of my go to places

Yelpers shout it from the inter-web-tops, this is the place to go for java! Finally we have a great coffee shop in the area! Finally I've found a real Chai Latte! Finally Cardinal Coffee is here! Ever since Corner Coffee in Andrews closed I've had a hole in my heart for espresso and tea specialties. We've searched the hills of the south for a Chai Latte that was even close to what we had at Corner. Our search is over, thank you Cardinal, Thank You! read more

Cardinal Coffee is a cute coffee shop located right on US-74 in the town of Bryson City. They have great smoothies and bagels, and also sell nut butter bars and various chocolate bars. I enjoyed a toasted bagel, coffee, and a smoothie. All smoothies come with frozen bananas and then you can pick another fruit to go along with it, your choice of milk, and add-in a superfood if you wish. The latte I tried was delicious, it was their special at the time, named the Salted Haystack, with caramel, coconut, and hazelnut. It had a really unique flavor and I enjoyed it very much. I think they were serving Café Campesino at the time I visited. They have coffee beans for sale and also a few other market goods. This coffee shop is very rustic, almost like a coffee cabin, but they sure make a good cup of coffee. They didn't have much staff when I visited, perhaps because of business needs or maybe because it's such a small space to begin with, so depending on how busy it is when you stop by you might have to wait a little for your order to be ready. All in all, Cardinal Coffee is a great place to grab coffee at when you're in the Bryson City area, and it was just the roadside coffee stop that I needed! read more

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Paid Starbucks prices to get crappy coffee. stopped by to get an Americano and the girl poured a ton of milk in it. she didn't even ask how much cream I wanted so I thought she would hand me the creamer but nah.. they just assume that everyone wants a milkshake instead of a coffee each morning. Don't charge $5.45 for a coffee when you don't know how to make one. Just another hippie shack with no talent. read more

Typical Carolina place... closes early on random days despite their posted hours. Bad business practice, give someone else your money instead of this place. read more

Such a sweet team! Well priced and delicious. Hits all major points as a local coffee shop. Really glad I didn't have to get gas station coffee while at NOC read more

The ambiance is super cute but the employees do not want to be there. My first stop here, they were not helpful at all.. I placed an order for 4 people and wanted to use the bathroom in the meantime. After waiting for some time I knocked and realized it was empty but locked. I told the employee whose response was we unlocked this morning. I went back and knocked again with no response.. Looked under door.. No one. When I went back and told them it was definitely locked but empty.. They begrudgling came to unlock it.... It was empty. My second time we place an order and we are waiting like 20 mins and ask about order and they forgot to put the bagels in... no Im sorry. Just oh we forgot will . We heard them joking only 4 more hours here. Basically good product but bad service. Young employees who don't care about service at all. read more

It is incredible! I love everything about this place and my only complaint is I found it driving out of town. I wish I realized it was there sooner and would've come in every morning! This is seriously the best coffee I've had in my life. I ordered a mocha and a chai latte. The chai is the tastiest thing I've ever had. I also tasted my child's strawberry smoothie with coconut milk and another one that was blueberry with reg milk and both were yummy. Someone in our party loved their everything bagel. This place is the coolest thing in the entire town and I love it. Also have little gifts for purchase as well. Including local items. You cannot go wrong here. Also very covid minded and clean which I really appreciate. The sign as you walk in is so funny. Glad to see it. read more

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Badass little upscale coffee shop in the middle of nowhere! Friendly staff. Muffins, bagels, vegan milks. Come here for coffee! read more

Cardinal Coffee - Menu board! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bryson City, North Carolina

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My friends and I rented an Airbnb in this area for the weekend while hiking the SMNP. We loved this spot and so glad we found it on Yelp. They have a sign on their front door outlining clear directions for COVID protocols, so we appreciated that especially. In many of the areas we visited in NC/SC people refused to wear masks, so it was a breath of fresh air to find this spot! read more

Cardinal Coffee - Inside - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bryson City, North Carolina

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We love the coffee here. Oh, and the bagels! Really just the whole vibe in the store is awesome. It's near the Nantahala Gorge, so just pop in while you're headed to vacation at ERA. read more

Great lattes today! We live north of Atlanta so anytime we are passing though this area we try to stop in and get our favs- lavender latte and chai tea latte with almond milk. Sooo good! "Extraordinary in a cup" to quote my hubby Keep up the good work and see you next time we come through! Julie and Blake read more

Cardinal Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Bryson City, North Carolina

We stopped in almost every day of our vacation and everything we tried was great! (The maple spice latte and chai latte were my favorites!) Wonderful coffee, friendly people, and adorable shop at reasonable prices! They also have a selection of artwork, cards, etc. - so this would be a great spot to pick up a gift! read more

Long time drive by, first time stop in. Coffee was outstanding. Great flavor and excellent service. Bummed that the shop was closed, but thankful they still had their drive up open. read more

Loved the coffee and vibe when I was here last year so was excited to stop in again. This time, felt a little less welcoming. Asked for a suggestion and ended up not liking it. Bitter coffee and strange syrup combo. Left the $8 latte on the table. I know everything is expensive now but pretty sure last year the handmade mugs were not $50 each or small, simple stained glass ornaments $125. read more

Love love love this place! Stopped in on our way to the Smokies for breakfast and coffee and I'm so glad we did! The staff is so friendly and helped us decide what to get. I got a French toast bagel and an iced maple spice latte which was AMAZING. My friend got the golden latte and loved it. Their food selection is pretty limited - just bagels and some pastries - but there is an extensive coffee and smoothie menu. Their logo is really neat (we got a couple stickers!) and the atmosphere of the shop is welcoming and unique. The perfect place to sit and work on a laptop or for friendly conversation with the locals. They also sell local goods like chocolate, honey, and bagged coffee. Highly recommend. Will definitely be stopping here the next time I'm in the area! read more

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