The Optimist Raleigh

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2024-10-22

Great coffee and chai. Shop is well done; someone creative had fun designing the interior. Tried the three amigos and basic breakfast sandwich. Preferred the three amigos as the salsa was tasty. We were sad that the pastries were unavailable the day we went.

⭐️⭐️

2024-11-10

the food portions were soooo small it was laughable! i got their fig english muffin and it didn’t come with the bacon that was supposed to be on it. my friend got their avocado toast and the bread was super thin. i just don’t feel like i should’ve paid $10 for this lil english muffin… coffee was also mid. service was wonderful though!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2024-08-13

The Optimist in Raleigh offers a pleasant atmosphere, making it a great spot to study or get some work done. The setting is comfortable, with plenty of seating options that encourage productivity and relaxation. However, there were some quirks that didn't quite align with the positive vibe you'd expect from a place called "The Optimist." For instance, there are signs all over the place, and the WiFi password is “this place sucks,” which felt ironic and a bit off-putting for a place that's supposed to radiate positivity. During our visit, we tried **The Fig** ($10), an English muffin with fig jam, goat cheese, and mint (we opted for no bacon). We also had **The Hulk Smash** ($10.50), which is a sourdough toast topped with avocado, green tomato, arugula, cabbage, and chili crisp. To drink, we ordered two versions of **The Stacey** latte ($5.50)—one hot and one iced. This latte is made with espresso, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk. While the food tasted great, I found it to be significantly overpriced for what we got. Paying $10 for a small English muffin and $10.50 for a piece of toast is hard to justify, especially in North Carolina where you can find similar offerings at much more reasonable prices. The portions were modest at best and left us feeling like we didn’t get our money’s worth. To add to the disappointment, the lattes were not enjoyable at all. Neither my husband nor I liked them, which is unusual because he's generally not picky when it comes to coffee. We ended up throwing them away, which only compounded the feeling that we’d wasted our money. For the three items, we paid $35, and it simply wasn’t worth it. Overall, while the atmosphere was nice and the food was tasty, the overpriced food items and disappointing drinks mean I won’t be returning to The Optimist. There are plenty of other coffee shops in the area that offer better value and a more cohesive experience.