Gnarly. Just plain gnarly. Joe Van Gogh roasts coffee for one of our favorite coffee shops in Charlotte and we were stoked to find this local beanery close to where our first stop was in Durham. Kitschy interior, friendly hipster-y staff, tons of killer bottled beverages to choose from, Japanese style pour over coffee (iced pour over, and an awesome display of beans you can buy by the pound. One aspect of this shop in particular is that "upstairs" seating area. It really splits the inside of the coffee house and gives a bit of a gallery-ish feel. Best part? 32oz bottles of cold brew concentrate available for purchase. We hastily and happily nabbed one before departing and it's amazing. Cold brew is a thing of beauty and JVG is doing it right. Plus, the bottle makes for a baller decoration piece. Can't wait to go back and visit the roastery in H-boro! read more

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Due to travel, I haven't been to my local neighborhood coffee shop (JVG) in two months, but I noticed yesterday they are installing new tables, counters and benches to make it better for those looking to hunker down and get some work done. The coffee is great and they roast it themselves, I think the fresh batches come in on Thursdays for buying in bulk! I usually get the single origin Americano so I can see what new roast they are featuring. This is definitely my working cafe - people certainly come here to meet and chat with friends, but you will see a lot of people sitting and working hard, so be prepared in case you came just to chat! They're also really friendly and have a nice rewards program for bulk coffee and espresso drinks. read more

This isn't a bad place to go if you're looking for a place to get work done that isn't too crowded. I'm here on a Saturday afternoon and most tables are vacant. Food/Drink Options: The coffee selection is pretty standard, with a couple of specialty drink items such as Tanzania Peaberry House Coffee and Iced Blueberry Chai. You can buy coffee beans by the lb here (~$12-16/lb). This isn't a place to get a meal and there are only a few pastry options, nothing special or particularly enticing. Think cookies and bagels. Environment: This is more a place to get work done than to bring a friend. The tables are pretty cramped together and the lighting is dim. There also aren't a whole lot of power outlets, which could be an issue for those with laptops. One noteworthy feature - there's a pretty neat elevated area by the windows, which seems like it would make a nice place to work during the daytime. read more

Joe Van Gogh - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I have a soft spot for Joe Van Gogh coffee, because I've been having it since I was a cool high schooler and cut class (ha! not). This location is great. I really, really enjoy their drinks. My lavender latte on my last visit was beautiful and so smooth, but I always love a good iced coffee too. They have great brews. Staff is always very nice. Great location for studying, though space can definitely get tight. I also wish the parking lot next to it were bigger, because you will sometimes find it difficult to find parking. read more

A small alternative coffee shop located on the north end of Broad street near the famous pool bar "Green Room" (famous because of the scene in Bull Durham that was shot there). Joe Van Gogh serves up reasonable coffee in a stretch from the ninth street fare. It has a small upper deck that has four tables that looks out of the shop. Rest of the seating are inside in a dimly lit area that is fairly much void of any decor. There are outdoor seats when the weather is good. The view out is limited except for the remarkable funeral home across the street that you will look at. Reasonable coffee, less than stellar views. There is wifi for those who wants to stay here for the 'atmosphere'. The service staff are variable in friendliness. One of the girls just doesn't smile. read more

Joe Van Gogh - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Entering the doors, you are greeted with sight of coffee beans and a warm smile! Joe van Gogh has excellent coffee and special syrups. The only downside to this location as many great coffee shops have is parking and seating! There is free parking in front and on the side of the building. But when you do find a parking spot, the challenge of finding a table to yourself will be challenging. I feel like alot of people end up sharing because there are just a limited amount of space. I do love the nook that is elevated a little bit. I feel so tall! P.s. they also have loco pops and FREE STICKERS! read more

Worst service. I arrived at 9:10 AM and left at 9:45am because I never got a simple hot chocolate and a slice of banana bread. They had the time to make so many lattes and so many Americanos to distribute between the ones that were there after me, but did not take the time to make a simple hot chocolate. Also, I noticed I was the only person who was asked to give a tip, but everyone else behind me did not get asked a single question but greeted with respect and taken care of instantly! read more

Hands down BEST iced coffee in town! Awesome friendly servers :) Nice place to study or get some work done if you can get a seat that is. ;) read more

Joe Van Gogh - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Very good cappuccino I like this place for my morning coffee The place is quiet and the staff is very nice read more

Terrific coffee shop in Durham! The coffee is delicious and carefully prepared by charming, friendly baristas. They make good use of the small space-it's comfortable for studying, work groups, or just hanging out. Very conscious of earth-care; plasticware is compostable, and they are diligent about recycling. Overall-one of my new favorite spots! read more

When I moved a block away from JvG, I figured this would be my office away from home. Turns out, I'm lazier than I thought! I'm perfectly happy to keep my sweatpants on and work out of my home office (and other times, out of my bed). But on those days when a nicely brewed pick-me-up -- or the companionship of a co-working space -- is needed, this is the place to be. Friendly baristas (they do exist!); lends itself to laptops. What more could you want from your neighborhood coffee camp-out? read more

Local, good. Coffee, better than average, but not outstanding by any means. Often crowded at Broad St location and I've rarely found a seat outside odd hours. Big negative? All their packaged coffee is sold in non-recyclable, foil lined bags. That brings them to a three--average. But they tout their sustainability focus on their website. Selling bags of coffee in packaging that doesn't recycle, let alone compost? I contacted them and they claim these bags are best for their product. Odd, as nearly every premium roaster uses bags a little more environmentally friendly. Two stars. read more

This coffee is so perfectly roasted and prepared that you will break up with milk and sugar and move to drinking your coffee black. Simply delicious. Very welcoming environment. read more

I had a pretty good experience at the Joe Van Gogh located on the Duke University campus, so I thought this location would be pretty similar. Unfortunately, it wasn't.. The service here is pretty lacking. The barista seemed pretty impatient while I was trying to decide on what to order and gave off the vibe that she had better things to do. The cafe itself is nice though, but seemed to be always pretty packed. I went at its peak time so there was nowhere for me to sit and study. That being said, I just went ahead and took my coffee to-go. Coffee was alright. They did have the option to use macadamia nut milk instead of regular milk, so that's a plus. However, given my options of the two locations, I would stick to the JVG at Duke. Overall, my time here was short, but not sweet. read more

The Espresso is rich and tasty; it's a perfect brew every single time. The kind of perfect where you look at your cup in your one hand and with the free hand release the two finger salute to Satan. Staff is cool, They are knowledgeable on their varieties with my incoherent requests. "I want high octane but not too bitter, I need your most Caffeinated bean." I'm never disappointed. There's a lot of laptops so it's safe to say they have Wifi. I get a discount for bringing my own coffee cup. I never get to chill here but if I could I would. read more

JVG is pretty much my go to spot for coffee given its proximity to my place, and I am so very glad that such a great cafe exists in my neighborhood! They are big on the whole "farm to the cup" philosophy here and also cultivate a great community vibe--these two aspects score major points in my book. The coffee roasts are varied, unique, and all very good. I'm pretty much a straight coffee guy (I can't afford the more pricey specialty drinks), and I am always pleased with the brews here. While I cannot personally attest to their quality, I've been here with baristas from other establishments (or other past lives) and they have been uniformly impressed by the staff and drinks here. As for the baristas at Joe Van Gogh, they are easily the friendliest and most laid back of the breed. No hipsters acting like serving you is the most arduous task in the world and the last thing they want to do. Score! There's also a limited selection of baked goods which sell out pretty quickly most days. If so inclined, you can also buy some coffee brewing gear or JVG official apparel here in the store. In store and through their website, you can buy whole bean coffee from a wide variety of different regions so you can keep your taste buds guessing. To further train those tastebuds, the cafe also holds regular "cuppings" (like a wine tasting but for coffee!). One possible downside is that there is limited seating available so it's not completely inconceivable that you may show up and have nowhere to sit. But hey, can you blame the masses for wanting to enjoy some high quality caffeinated awesomeness? read more

Very good coffee with charming and knowledgeable baristas. I drove an hour away to pick up coffee from this location, on a special someone's request. Absolutely worth it! read more

Joe Van Gogh - Capuchino art - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Excellent coffee! I don't care about the difference between a Flat White and a Latte. read more

While I'm typically a little stressed on my way here hoping there will be a spot open to park, I calm down once I get into the coffee shop. Then I get all pumped up with caffeine. I.Love.The.Lattes. Iced or hot with two shots of espresso and some vanilla syrup. They are always soooo smooth. The baristas are super nice, the prices are great, and you can also scoop your own beans for grinding and brewing at home. And they support local artists. There's also limited seating, but not really more limited than your typical coffee joint where people want to set up shop and stay a while. read more

Love this coffee shop. Best latte I've had in a long time. Great atmosphere and the staff is friendly, especially Tracy. She makes a great latte and always greets me with a smile. The prices for their coffee are great too! It's a bonus that it's on my way to work. read more

I moved from Austin, TX to Durham, NC in August of 2010. In Austin, Counter Culture, Cuvee and Intelligentsia own the land of roasters. People salivate over latte art competitions and ache over neatly made cappuccino's from Frank's. I came to Durham knowing I would at least have two things: 1) seasons and 2) a bounty of good coffee from Counter Culture. For a while, I was crushed. No one seemed to serve espresso as well as I hoped. I am not pretending to know a lot about coffee or espresso I just know what I like and what I don't. ALAS.. I found Joe Van Gogh! And they serve their own roasted beans! Amazing. They have wonderfully light roasted beans and single origin selections for Americanos. They have baristas who know how to make you a downright day changing, taste-buds pleasing, eye-catching cappuccino. The baristas are all either adorable personalities, overtly attractive, musically innovative, or downright wonderful humans (or all of the above, duh). The layout is great: two levels, one perfect for studying and the other for chatting wtih a friend all day. The music is generally good (whoever plays Neutral Milk Hotel on Sunday afternoons rocks my world every weekend, basicamente) although sometimes there can be some random classic rock stints that are a little much.... In the end the answer is YES, go to Joe Van Gogh. Its the kind of place I want to write a terrible review for so that I have it all to myself. EDIT: there are few locations of these, and over all the barista- quality is not super consistent. Still love my neighborhood JVG in broad street in Durham. read more

Always get my magic morning beans here. Locally roasted, fair-trade beans with friendly baristas trump that corporate overrated stuff. Their bean selection is good. It's made me a coffee snob as well as my co-workers. It's a staple at the j-o-b. Sunrise is my favorite. I only wish they had the 1 thing that other place does...a drive through, but that's my own tardiness in the morning speaking. read more

5 stars if I'm taking it to go: Espresso is great (smooth and a little caramelly), pastries are delicious, staff is great. Prices are very reasonable. Love it. On the ambience, I have to agree with mj b.: "the layout here is lame. not cozy. tiny tables and if people are there with laptops the vibe is hideous." Yup, gotta agree. Somehow it feels like awful cubicles to me, with everyone ignoring each other and slaving away til 5. (There are some characters and some friendly folk, but I've seen less of that recently.) read more

A disclaimer: I recently moved to Durham and just starting to check out the coffee scene. The first thing I noticed when walking in was the elevated booths to the left. Wooden benches all over to sit and work. About everyone here is on their laptops working. Definitely an wifi hub for laptop + coffee connoisseurs. Outlets everywhere right above the booths. Barista was incredibly friendly and suggested the Rosemary Latte (a special)? My partner got a latte and was pretty good, not too milky (coming from a true coffee snob). The Rosemary latte was not what I had expected but I decided to be adventurous. I will definitely come back for coffee beans, as they have barrels of them that you can take home and grind yourself. For me, another really nice touch was that the bathroom was GENDER NEUTRAL. Super progressive, JGV. Terrific! read more

Joe Van Gogh is your picturesque (I couldn't help myself) neighborhood coffee shop. I stopped by because I was in Durham and I like to deviate from the McDonland's of Coffee aka Starbucks. It's a small cafe and I was immediately greeted with the strong smell of coffee because they have their loose beans for sale right by the door. It came on strong and I liked it. I had a mocha and a orange cream cheese tart they were calling a croissantini or something. They did a nice foam pull, order for here if you've never seen one, and the croissantini was hand made and the star. Instead of a sweet mixed filling, the cream cheese was plainish with fresh oranges, a brown sugar topping, and a salty flaky crust. I like it, you can take a whole bite and have balanced flavors or eat different bits at a time for variety. JVG is everything you imagine a neighborhood cafe should be, coffee made by hand, a small friendly staff, and warm friendly environment. read more

Looking for a coffee shop in the area? Well, there aren't much to choose from, but this place makes some great coffee and great espresso drinks and is pretty laid back that you can post up shop here and do a little work. This kind of environment really is pretty rare in the area, but this cafe also is not the biggest in the world. So if you do come here to do a little work, don't be one of those people who comes here and buys one coffee and sits there for 5 hours...there are lots of people who need coffee and work space in the world, and sharing is caring! It can be slightly tight quarters working here too depending on how many people are there, but the service is great and friendly, you can tell tons of regulars come here where the baristas know them by name (my goal in life! but then that means I am spending a lot more weekly on coffee ha), and there are enough outlets to go around to help people get their productive work ethic on. So thanks for making tasty coffee and giving me some working space! read more

Great tea, fast free wifi and a friendly staff. Fair trade is always a plus. read more

My go-to coffee place. Great coffee. Tasty baked goods from Guglhupf. Friendly staff. If I had one complaint, it's that said baked goods arrive at unreliable times in the morning, meaning that if you get there before 9:30 or 10, it's anyone's guess whether they'll be there or not. Not much the JVG folks can do about that, really, but it's annoying. read more

When they're good, they're really good. Unfortunately, the quality of the drinks varies dramatically depending on the barista. I'd like to be able to count on the temperature (hot) and that my latte is actually filled to the top. If I had wanted a 12 oz., I would have ordered (and paid for) one. Otherwise, I like that their snacks are fresh and from local spots (e.g., Guglhupf). I would just like to not cringe when I see certain people behind the counter. They have free wifi for customers and plenty of outlets. Seating isn't especially comfortable or plentiful, but if you're trying to get some work done, that can be a good thing. I also like the new coffee-colored walls. They have a frequent flyer card, but you have to ask for it, and then give it to them when you pay -- they won't remind you. read more

Yes, parking can sometimes be a problem; and yes, seating is a precious commodity. But there is nobody else in the area that makes better coffee or espresso...period. I just don't get the whole Counter Culture thing...I have never had a cup of their coffee that I was happy with...maybe it's just the way people are brewing it. But JVG is consistently good. If I am in the mood for something more than a pastry, I will quite often stop at JVG just for the coffee and take it it with me to enjoy with my bacon and eggs at place B. read more

Back to five stars. Current staff is awesome - drinks are prepared properly and service is quick and efficient. The fresh paint inside looks good, the wifi is reliable and the music they play is diverse, eclectic and good. My favorite coffee shop in the Triangle once again. read more

Wow. What an awesome atmosphere. I'm officially coming here to work all the time. Bright, cozy, and happy ambience. Plus, I had the best soy latte of my life here. The texture of the foam was perfect and the latte art was beautiful. Skilled baristas for sure. read more

Joe Van Gogh - Soy latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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I hesitate to review Joe Van Gogh here because I want it to be my own little secret. JVG provides the best coffee and espresso drinks in North Carolina. Their beans are Fair Trade, and they roast them locally themselves. They are true connoisseurs of their craft. My personal favorites are the latte and Americano. Every latte they have made for me has been a delicious work of art. I buy all my beans for home here, too. They are serious about their beans. For example, they don't sell any artificially flavored beans (you can, however, get a flavored drink made for you); the beans are always fresh with the roast date indicated; they offer a wide variety of blends and single origin beans. The staff could not be friendlier or more professional. They are happy to talk to you about specific beans or drinks, and they will make any drink to order. I have been served by about nine or ten different people at their Durham location and every one of them has been friendly and has a genuine sense of humor. They have outdoor seating and they display art by local artists. I do wish the Durham location were larger. Perhaps in time it will be. The Chapel Hill Cup A Joe location is perfect for sitting down with a drink after a movie at The Chelsea Theater. BOTTOM LINE: Joe Van Gogh is among the best local businesses in Durham. I love it and I recommend it highly. read more

UGGG, yes I forgot, this is the place to go to study- if you stake out a table soon enough. It's frick'n tiny and cramped, so choose well. If you don't get here in time you are out of luck. I don't recommend coming here just to get coffee and chat with a friend (which I made the mistake of doing). We were about to get our coffee to go since there wasn't a place anywhere to sit down and it didn't look like anyone was going to move for hours. Luckily a table did open up. The coffee is still tasty. My single shot espresso was a little small in portion- I guess it looks bigger in a real cup. read more

I love this little spot. It has beautiful light, well functioning WiFi, and well crafted drinks. I had a rosemary brown sugar latte, and while I wish the rosemary came through stronger I thought the latte was delicious. I also enjoyed a ham and cheese scone or biscuit and that was heavenly, super fluffy and perfectly baked. I hope to be back soon! read more

I love coffee and trying out different brews! This is a great place to do so. Quiet atmosphere for studying or work. Love that they also sell some baked goods from Scratch and Guglhupf! Great community presence as well. I see their coffee brewed everywhere around Durham! Baristas are always nice and friendly. read more

Great spot along Broad Street. I don't feel the need to go into great detail. Nice outdoor seating out front, Broad Street view, decent seating indoors, lots and lots of great and different coffees. It's a hit! read more

Joe Van Gogh - Within the wonderful nooks and crannies of Durham. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Joe Van Gogh is a wonderful place to drink great coffee, meet friends, and study. I'm not a coffee expert but I would rank Joe Van Gogh and Cocoa Cinnamon as the highest quality coffee in Durham. It's a small but very welcoming environment and you can get a lot of work done if you manage to snag a table in the loft. Internet is typically very good, even when the place is packed. Like Mad Hatter, Joe Van Gogh tends to attract a more academic crowd so if you get distracted by conversations about Duke politics it may be good to bring headphones. If only Joe Van Gogh could double in size, it would be the best place to work in Durham. read more

Stopped in today for the 1st time while in the area. Thought the Mocha was good (not the best) but I also got the cherry cheese danish - That was out of this world good!!!! I would get that again and again. I sat outside where they have a few tables with umbrellas for some needed shade. A nice place to stop in and relax for a bit while enjoying coffee and amazing pastries! read more

Coffee was just OK but I was suprised that there were no baked goods at 9:30AM except a very firm oat hazelnut scone. The counter person looked at me like I was crazy when I asked for jam or butter even. I gave it a go and regretted it. The setting felt a little sterile to me or maybe it was just trying to hard. read more