The Optimist Raleigh

Great coffee with outdoor seating. The indoor area is quite loud but it's very peaceful outside.

A very cute coffee shop with a wonderful atmosphere. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to stay and enjoy it, but it's definitely a good place to sit down and enjoy your coffee if you have the time! I ordered the monthly special - Root Beer Float Latte. I was curious how well they could incorporate that flavor into coffee so I totally had to try it. It only comes in a small size so if you are looking for a large coffee, you might need to try something else. While I was disappointed in the small size I was not disappointed in the flavor. It tasted just like a root beer float (except warm and with a hint of coffee). It was delicious and despite it being small it still took me over an hour to drink it because I wanted to savor every sip. The only other downside was that it was fairly slow service. I didn't mind too much as I'm not super impatient, but if you are in a hurry it can get a little frustrating. I was able to order almost immediately when I got in the door but it took about 15 minutes to get my coffee. Overall though this place is really cute, has great coffee, unique flavors, and I think I will try it again.

Wow!! What a scam. $8 for avocado toast that is just grocery store avocado spread smeared on a squashed sad piece of bread? Absolutely do not waste your money here.

This place sucks! No, just kidding. It’s definitely a vibe.

Best London fog I’ve had in the triad area.

I like to try a new coffee shop/ cafe every weekend.
I bought the monthly special of rose pistachio latte and the bacon, egg, and cheese on English muffin. I was disappointed by the latte. It did not taste like rose pistachio. I couldn't taste anything until I reached the last sip.
However, the breakfast I ordered was very good. The English muffin seemed to be homemade, the bacon was real, and the eggs were seasoned and scrambled (never had scrambled on a sandwich but wasn't disappointed by it).

Such a great little place! It was the first coffee shop I went to when I moved here and I’ve tried others but the coffee and aesthetic is unmatched. It’s an absolutely amazing place to chill or get some work done. Sometimes the toilet paper is on the wrong way but I think I can overlook that.

My absolute favorite coffee shop in Raleigh and I LOVE the breakfast sandwiches. My husband is both frugal and picky about his coffee and this is one of the only places he’ll willingly agree to go for coffee because it’s so good. And consistently good - he’s never complained about the coffee (he finds some other places hit and miss). Plus the vibes are 👌🏼 💀 🪴

The optimist is the place for good vibes for friends and family , here we can have outdoor or indoor dining with lot varieties of dishes from different restaurants in the hall ( which used to be a old factory renovated as the food place )

The barista the Asian Dude made the best Coconut Coffee ever ! The place is very original , super clean , super sharp great variety of coffee, the desserts my god the cookies were ridiculous tasty , as always local businesses are thriving post pandemic, southern charming And Hospitality, probably the best in the country , real cute coffee joint , people do there to work as well since they offer free WiFi . Great job fellas , I loved your place , we are back to Ohio Now , and exited that we picked North Carolina as our second home and soon we will make the move as soon as my last kid gets off high school , anyway great job :) and thanks again see you soon

Love this place even thought it always busy and hard to find indoor seating. Great coffee and vibe