Heard about this place from a friend so we had to check it out! Fast friendly service!!! Great breakfast, cool retro diner! Will eat here again!! read more

We were only in town for 2 nights, so we went one of the mornings, but wished we'd gone to Dunkin Donuts instead. It's a cute little breakfast spot for locals. It's been their spot since 1926 and I'm not sure it's been cleaned since. The food was ok, but not delicious. The ladies room was so filthy that when I opened the door - I turned around and walked right back out of it trying not to touch anything. Good coffee & good service, but the toast was stale, only 1 kind of jam, flavorless hash browns, flat omelette. My husband got 2 eggs - cooked correctly - but also flavorless. (They didn't use any seasoning on anything, not even salt & pepper.) He said the sausage was ok, as was the sausage gravy. I got a Philly cheesesteak omelette (ok but not great) and asked for my hash browns we'll-done. They overdid the outside but the potatoes were uncooked & flavorless in the middle. This place belongs to the locals, save yourself and let them have it. read more

See all

Well...these folks are friendly...its a very very old traditional diner. Typical cool diner food. Apparently an old old institution in Sylva. For my progressive friends...you will find a confed flag or two pictures on the wall....some "old south" memorabilia...pics of Robert E. Lee. I was like...ugh...but then saw a pic of Johnny Cash and felt better. Really nice waitress...called me hun...and gave me a burger that was really great. read more

The Coffee Shop - Like Going back in time.., - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Sylva, North Carolina

See all

The name tells the story. This is the local eatery that's been here forever, does basic food well, offers a good value, and is small town friendly If you are looking for a trendy restaurant, go to Forager's for the farm to table experience-- not here. If you want a great traditional $5-10 breakfast, a sandwich at lunch, or a piece of pie-- this is the place. Barb is the new owner as of last month. She's doing everything right to carry the Coffee Shop into the future. Quick, friendly service along with keeping the value menu as it's been for years is definitely the way to go. My go to breakfast is the number 3- two eggs, bacon or sausage, and two pancakes. Add coffee and you are good to go for the day. One more item re: a lousy review you'll see here on yelp -- There is a bunch of parking that's not an issue as long as you don't tie up a space and head to somewhere other than the Coffee Shop. If you choose to ignore the multiple posted warnings you'll be retrieving your car across town. The customers appreciate your cooperation! Stop by and check it out. read more

I am wondering if the city is aware of how The Coffee Shop is treating its tourists. I had parked in a space adjacent to their many unwelcoming signs, in a spot that did NOT bear a no parking sign. Mind you, there were many available parking spots directly in front of their business which I avoided. We crossed the street so my boyfriend could partake in one of Sylva's great small businesses--to grab a craft beer at Innovation. I even left my car running knowing I would only be a couple of minutes--with the intention to cross back and grab a coffee from The Coffee Shop for myself. Within minutes and without even giving me the opportunity to come get my coffee, they had put a boot on my car with (Minnesota plates--clearly a tourist!) and demanded $50 to take it off, and didn't even offer a receipt. Not only did they lose my business for life (I am a frequent visitor, as my dad now lives in the area) and thereby cost themselves more money than they robbed me of, but they put a sour taste in my mouth for a community that would allow a business to do such things. It wasn't the greatest way to introduce my boyfriend to a community that I had just finished telling him was so adorable. If I was in charge in Sylva, I would be very concerned about the way that this business is treating its guests and patrons, and that they might be pocketing cash and not reporting it and thereby not paying taxes on it either. A business should not be authorized to boot whomever they want and demand cash for it. It's dishonest, it's illegal if they are not authorized or paying taxes on it, and it's a disgusting practice when they weren't even in need of spaces in the first place. It was clearly a gross display of their jealousy of their neighbors' business, and at the cost of Sylva's tourists. read more

This is the first place we went as newcomers to the area. The food was good and the server Angie was so friendly and attentive. The food came out quickly and hot off the grill. The prices were very reasonable. We will be back! read more

The service is terrible. The food is sub standard. Why would you eat here? Amazed they are still in business. Avoid these people at all cost. read more

I have a weakness for diners. It's true. There's something about that "salt-of-the-earth" honesty that I fall for every time. Maybe it's having watched Alice when I was a kid. Who knows. Regardless, when a diner is an option - I'll opt for a diner. So - on this special day, I lunched at The Coffee Shop (check out the history - it's pretty cool). sizes on the inside are diminutive - much like a 737-300. It's readily apparent when visiting the men's room that people in the mid-fifties were still human-sized. My 2XL self was having difficulties navigating the pathway to/from the toilets. Another proclivity of mine is sitting at the bar - right behind the short-order cook. On this day, I had the pleasure of watching the action in real time. I ordered a rib-eye medium rare, but soon learned they were out of ribeye so I changed it up to the river trout. I should have ordered the trout from the get-go. Absolutely fantastic. It came with O.K. fries (I didn't eat them). the trout was perfectly fried with no hint of oily taste. that means they change the oil out regularly. The decor is honest and true to the locale. read more

See all

What a horrible scar on an otherwise great town. Rude staff and even worse management. Food is horrible and attitude from staff is worse!

We came here on a recommendation of the locals. Homemade pies, breakfast is amazing, lunch stellar. Nuff said...

HORRIBLE NEW OWNERSHIP Horrible rude business owner. I've been coming here for two years enjoying the meals and have had no problem whatsoever with any waitress or service or the food. My fiancé and my son and I absolutely love it here. And then today I came in at 1:20 and while eating my lunch, the lights shut off at 2 PM (which only had given me 40 minutes in total to be served & eat with my son). He's two years old and I've never had a restaurant shut the lights off on me, leaving me alone rushed to eat, while I scram to finish eating because all employees are packing up, leaving, and locking the door. I paid money to have lunch there, you'd think they'd be courteous enough to *considerately* wait a little for their last customer to finish up. If they didn't want me to sit down at a certain time, then they shouldn't of allowed me to sit down period. After I questioned about the lights being off, the owner (closing the register down) tells me it's on a timer and there's nothing she can do about it and that's how it's been set from the previous owner. She then proceeded to tell me they close at 1:30, not 2pm. (??) Yet if you look online it clearly states they close at 2 PM. She then told me that it was her choice not to want to fix the automatic light shut off at 2 o'clock, and that she prefers for the light policy to stay that way, regardless of customers. She then decided to tell me that I needed to leave, and that there's nothing more to say. I told her that I felt that it was very rude and unprofessional to have to rush somebody out the door when they're paying good money to eat there. I have a two year old and I couldn't get him to eat any faster. They close at 2 o'clock and I was out by 2:15. After all that, she THEN decided to verbally come back at me saying that she saw me in the car for a half hour before I ever even entered the restaurant to eat, trying to say to me that I had been wasting time before coming in to eat. That was a horrible totally shocking and ultra rude, most bizarre thing to say to a customer. First it sounded creepy, like she was spying on a customer. Second of all it was a total lie and there's no way that I would've been able to have my two year old sit in a parked for a "half hour" with me on my phone, without him flipping out. He was hungry and so was I, and I needed to get in there ASAP. The ABSOLUTE WORST PART of this whole thing, is that right after she made that outrageous spiteful unnecessary accusation, I simply replied to her for me to see the video cameras accusing me of sitting in my car for a half hour... She then decided to start calling the police on me(!!?!). I left almost in tears and in shock, telling her how disappointed & shocked I was by the treatment I was receiving. I am a mother and for her to do that to me made me sick to my stomach. I've been a loyal customer for two years and I never met her before, but I've always had wonderful interaction with the waitresses there. I even always clean up all my dishes and organize it for each waitress before they give me the bill. I now feel like I'm never going to go back there again, because I'm disgusted. Sadly it was a local place that I absolutely loved. But for an OWNER to treat their customers like trash without any remorse, makes me never want to look at that place the same again, & definitely to not recommend it to anyone. I left completely depressed and hurt by it, and I hated to feel that way in front of my son when I got into the car. It's now a place that I'm no longer going to feel comfortable ever going to, all while living in my charming adorable town of Sylva, in which I love so much. read more

How do you leave minus zero reviews? Stopped to grab breakfast and decided to check out brewery across the street first. Had a $50 boot on the car after finished eating. Crappy food and d*ckhole owners. Cute town but keep passing through. There is far better down the road. read more

This place is down home good! The service is excellent & friendly, the food is tasty & the prices are low. What more can you ask for? It has a warm cozy 1950's atmosphere that makes this place "country" adorable! read more

The Coffee Shop in Sylva,NC; in it's hey days in the 60s & 70s it may have been good. But by todays stands it is mediocre at best, while the service is very good [ to good for this place], the Omelettes at breakfast were oily and watery. Don't complain; because the owner Garry will tell you not to come back. There have been others told never to return for complaining. I guess it's easier to remove customers then to correct the problem with the food. We have had good breakfast there but today 18th March 2017 was not one of them. In this case not a problem we will be going to McDonalds, Waffle House, Taco Bell, or any other breakfast restaurant in Sylva at lease the food is cooked without extra grease and drama... read more

Okay little diner. Ignore the bad post, you will not get booted for parking while eating at location. This is not a PUBLIC parking lot. It is private property for the diner. So no they do not boot your car like other post say. The food was yummy. Staff was pleasant. Decor old style southern diner. Enjoyable. read more

I haven't been to The Coffee Shop in almost 20 years. I was pleased that it was exactly as I remembered it. The food was diner style and delicious "stick to your ribs". If you can see through the duct taped orange vinyl seats, you will be pleased with your meal. You can even sit at the "bar" in spinning chairs. I ordered the hamburger steak with country green beans and mashed potatoes. Smothered it all in brown gravy and "sopped" it all up with a couple of dinner rolls. read more

Ok this is your old school chicken and dumplings great biscuits and home cooking kind of place. Lovely staff that make you feel at home . I have lived around big cities and small towns and I would highly recommend this spot read more

We weren't greeted when we came in...the place was packed so sat at counter. Waitress was sweet (Phyllis?). We were amazed watching the short order cook do her thing. We even tipped her...you know you should do that. BUT...her prep guy was not fun to watch. No gloves on and he kept wiping his hands on his dirty jeans. He would reach into cooler and pull out a sausage patty to put on grill and then go pull toast out of toaster and put on plates. Cross contamination is no joke. We're just passing through so won't be eating there again. Food was ok...just ok read more

I normally try to stay away from "greasy spoon" restaurants but last year when we were in town this was one of the few restaurants open...it had a lot of cars in the parking lot so we decided to try it out. It was great! We decided to come back again this year and it did not disappoint. The bacon and eggs were perfectly cooked! The pancakes were just okay. Overall great spot of you don't mind the fact they haven't remodeled in decades. read more

Read a couple reviews of people complaining about thinking they should be able to use this business for a parking lot. Just becouse your from elsewhere to funny! This old local restaurant has operated for many years the down home country cooking is great no matter what time you get there and is highly supported from the locals as well as law abiding travelers the parking lot fills up very quickly! As they own all this property if you would take time to read the signs it plainly states if your not eating here don't park here but some feel entitled then moan if they get called out or towed again funny! I have lived here many years and not once thought about using this as my personal parking lot that's what down town is for park there we don't even charge you while you window shop on your way to or from elsewhere.. read more

I was looking for a breakfast place that wasn't a chain, and as soon as I saw it I knew. This is a real diner, with real regulars, and great food. You know it's good and reasonably priced if the highway patrol eats there, which they were doing when we walked in. That also makes it the safest place in North Carolina. The service is quick, friendly, and I definitely plan to continue eating there. read more

Great food for a great price, glad to see waitress wearing 2nd amendment tshirt protecting our freedoms at breakfast starts my day off right! read more

Loved this place! The placement was odd and had always been a turn off for me, but I decided to try it one day. Did not disappoint! It is a very old school southern diner, but the staff was VERY friendly and the BBQ & onion rings I got were delicious! Cheap too! read more

This place has it all: a cool history, prompt and friendly service, and home cookin' like you wouldn't believe! I've been a patron of The Coffee Shop for years, and I've never had a meal there that I didn't love. From a plate of chicken livers, to a chuckwagon, to roast pork, to a good ol' cheeseburger. Everything that comes out of that kitchen is golden. Just get there early for lunch because seating isn't abundant! read more

History and great food! An awesome place to check out if you're in the area. Just like grandma used to make! Reasonable pricing with a good helping too! Highly recommended. read more

Very rude people here. If you care about friendliness at all avoid this place. Maybe if you're a local regular it's fine but they're not welcoming to tourists. "lucky me" I must have been wearing my "I'm not from around here" hat. read more

Rude owner. Terrible service. Their food was miserable. Coffee terrible. Will not be back.

Fine local diner. Looking for fancy? Won't find it here. But if you're after a good meal, reasonable prices, and a welcoming staff, this is your spot. read more

Although the food was good, the service was terrible, and after finding what appeared to be rat feces in the bathroom I will not be back. Way better options in the area. read more

Don't park anywhere in their area. They have a guy specifically sitting there to boot your car. He gets a commission from the cars he boots. Instead of setting up a parking station and making a few dollars per person to park ... they choose to be divisive to the community... bad community vibe... not making money from selling coffee read more

Remembering back, way back to the summer of 1954/'55. The Coffee Shop was a log building structure located where the present restraunt is. Mr Cicero Bryson and Mr Bill Collins owned/operated the business. In 1955 or 1966 the old log structure was demolished and a new modern restaurant was built. My first public job (age 14) was working at the Coffee Shop in 1954. Mr Bryson hired me as a 'Dish Washer and a 'Curb-Hop' and my pay was .50 cents per hour. The Coffee Shop was a busy restaurant. Velt's Cafe, Park Lunch Room and Troy's Drive on Skyland Drive were the only restaurants in Sylva. Sylva was a quiet country town back then. Life was good and life was easy in Sylva in 1954. I am happy I was born and grew up in Sylva. I have not visited the Coffee Shop in many many years, but I'm planning to drive to Sylva and check out the Coffee Shop. Cheers, bb read more

If you love home cooked diner style food that is cheap and no frills then this place is the place for you. Great simple home style food, low prices, not fancy but very nostalgic 1970's feel to it. read more

VERY UNFRIENDLY! We parked there during our great tour of the town. Had a lot of fun at other places, but when we stopped here and parked, first wanting to see the cute boutique near by... and we did not have the same experience as the woman yelled at us for parking there, and I asked her what the issue was... she only had two customers. We left! Sorry Sylva... with people like that in town, you won't have much commerce! read more

We drove through Sylvia looking for lunch. The Coffee Shop looked busy and that caught our attention. We went in and ordered a hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and green beans; my wife ordered the meatloaf special. While ordering, the waitress noticed a guy who had been waiting at a table behind us. She stopped taking our order midstream and took his. While I understand her not wanting him to wait, it still seemed a little weird. But I guess I kinda get it... I think. The food came and the turkey sandwich was very salty, I only ate half of it for that reason. My wife said her meatloaf was very good. The weirdest thing was when we went to pay. A woman cashed out a customer ahead of us and simply walked away when we stepped up. She went and started putting napkins in a basket. So my wife, being much more forward than myself asked very loudly if we could pay our bill. Our waitress cashed us out while my wife recounted the walk away experience. I did find it fairly humorous when the waitress called out the other lady for walking away instead of cashing us out. Then my wife joined in. Good times, but I am pretty sure I wouldn't go there again. But if you like a good crap shoot, have at it. read more

Great breakfast! Eggs, bacon, sausage, and grits were cooked properly. We plan to come back for dinner while we are in Sylva.

This is a great place to eat with great home style meals! They are always busy when we drive by and in fact I haven't been able to eat here in awhile because they are always packed! read more

The food here is delightful, especially the pancakes and bacon. The service was good--a little slow, but the place was packed! We never felt ignored. The pies are amazing, too. read more