It was Friday, and there were two presentations and one exam standing between me and spring break. In my opinion, midterms require more endurance than finals, since midterms are stretched out across three-ish weeks, opposed to the singular final’s week. Over the course of midterm season, I had spent my fair share of time in every on-campus study location, and I knew it was time for a change of scenery. So, some friends and I decided to take our study tools to Sola Coffee in Raleigh, NC!
In case there is a specific dish you would like to scroll straight to, here is a list of what we ordered:
Coffee: Iced Maple Cinnamon Oat Milk Latte, Iced Lavender Oat Milk Latte, and Iced Almond Oat Milk Latte
Toasts: Blueberry + Goat (aka Blueberry jam, goat cheese, whole grain bread)
Bowls: Breakfast Bowl, Acai bowl
Smoothies: Green
Juice bar: Flu Shot
Coffee: 7.3/10
After discussion with my friends, they both gave their coffees 7 out of 10’s, and I gave mine and 8 out of 10, making our final coffee score approximately 7.3 out of 10.
The reasoning:
Both of my friends who ranked their coffees 7/10 had the same critiques: needs more of the almond and lavender flavor, less milk, and more of the espresso flavor to shine through. From having taken a sip of both of these coffees, I definitely agree. While both being delicious coffees, I did wonder what flavor they were supposed to be (especially after having a sip of the almond one). I often do find coffees too sweet, so I do commend Sola for being cautious with how much of the flavored syrups they include. From this experience, next time I go I would ask for an extra pump of the syrup, and then my ranking would soar up to a 9/10.
I ordered the maple cinnamon, and this flavor was definitely the most prominent out of the bunch. I really enjoyed my coffee and thought the flavor of the espresso was lovely. But if there was more of the maple cinnamon flavor, then my 8/10 would become a 9/10 as I stated above. I also think that next time I will get a hot latte, because those look excellent, and I think that is where Sola really shines.
Toast: 10/10
For my breakfast I got the Blueberry + Goat toast, and my oh my, it was the star of the show. From the perfectly crunchy yet soft piece of whole grain bread to the fresh flavor goat cheese and sweet homemade tasting blueberry jam, this toast alone has had me dreaming of going back there. It was a wonderful pairing of flavors, and the fresh herbs sprinkled on top really put the flavor profile of this dish through the roof! I highly recommend this dish!
Bowls: 10/10
My friend got the breakfast bowl, so I don’t have too many notes on it, besides the fact that it looked fantastic, and my friend absolutely loved it! Taken directly from the website, which states that the bowl included, “ARUGULA, AVOCADO, QUINOA, JAMMY EGG, TOMATO, PEPPADEW, MAPLE SRIRACHA, FETA, LIME, CILANTRO, ADD CHOICE OF PROTEIN” (protein: either bacon or sausage from when we were there). It was very colorful and looked wonderful. If I didn’t have such a breakfast sweet tooth, I totally would have ordered this bowl. Guess I’ll just have to go back there for lunch sometime…
Then my other friend and I split the acai bowl, which was truly fantastic. One of the best, if not the best, acai bowls I’ve ever had. And you would be sorely mistaken not to add the peanut butter on top! The flavor of the acai bowl was so bright, it really tasted like the highest quality fruit and couldn’t be mistaken for sorbet or artificial in any regard. The toppings were delightful, all ranging in the size they were chopped to be, which really made for a fun eating experience. Additionally, the peanut butter is so good, it’s crazy. It’s like a crunchy, super healthy version of the peanut butter in a Reese’s. Amazingly delicious!
Smoothies: 9/10
I don’t have too much to add here, because my friend was the one who got the green smoothie, but from the sip I had it was awesome, and it literally felt like a sip of pure health. The ginger notes were just the right amount of strong without feeling burning, and the avocado allowed the smoothie to have a creamy milkshake-like consistency. My friend gave it an 8 out of 10, and from my one sip I gave it a 10 out of 10, averaging it out of 9 out of10.
juice Bar: 10/10
Do I really think that a shot of healthy juice will give me superpowers? Deep down no, but I certainly won’t stop trying them anytime soon! This juice shot was really delicious. It is called the “FLU SHOT” and the website lists that it contains, “APPLE, LIME, GINGER, TURMERIC, MINT, SPINACH, OJ, HONEY,” which was awesome, since I’m allergic to pineapple and at most juice bars that is an ingredient in every one of their juices. I thought it was really good, and fairly priced coming in at $3.50, cheaper than many juice shots I’ve even seen at Target.
Should you go? 100% yes!
I absolutely loved Sola, and my friends and I cannot wait to head back! I highly recommend everything on the menu, and in addition to the food being delectable, it has a very chic, minimalistic, yet artistic atmosphere. One important thing to note though if you do plan to study there is that Monday-Friday they have Wi-Fi after 1pm, Saturday they have no Wi-Fi, and the cafe is closed on Sunday’s. We got there at about 11am on Friday, so we used a Wi-Fi hotspot on our phones until 1pm, and then switched over to the cafe’s Wi-Fi and that worked seamlessly. We had an awesome experience and cannot wait to go back!
Check out their website here: Sola Coffee Cafe