Sir Walter Coffee Now Open on Fayetteville Street

Sir Walter Coffee brings vibey coffee and cocktails to City Plaza.

Fueling Fayetteville Street’s momentum, find Sir Walter Coffee’s long-awaited second DTR outpost bookending Main Street—opposite newly opened Birdie’s. 

Delivering an all-day affair ideal for a to-go coffee and pastry, leisurely brekky or lunch, evening happy hour meeting, date night, or anything in between, the new hot spot promises to percolate an otherwise sleepy section of DTR. 

“We’re excited,” says co-owner Kevin Frazier, who came from the bar world (think Charlie Goodnights and City Limits Saloon—to name but a couple) up until he “got tired of the 3am” and hoped to get some of his “Starbucks coffee money back” in 2016. “We feel really good about it and we love the location. We’ve [already] seen a lot of traffic down here.” 

And, not shocking because, in short, it’s a vibe. Intentionally counter to everything the typical coffeehouse is, SWC swaps the standard “white subway tiles, crappy furniture, and either phenomenal or a little pretentious baristas” for its intentional “coffee, craft, comfort” MO, says Frazier. 

To wit, an exterior patio alive with uplighting, massive orange underlit umbrellas (“because orange is such a warm color,” he says) and tunes welcomes people to stay and play—or even work. Patio tables and Adirondack chairs surrounding a repurposed firepit border accordion doors and windows for that indoor-outdoor alfresco feel. “Highwoods wanted a Sir Walter Coffee but elevated, so we’re a Sir Walter Coffee but elevated,” says Frazier. 

Inside, find a thoughtfully crafted concept with ample cozy nooks and seating ops, from church pews and a UK-flag adorned leather couch (a nod to Sir Walter Raleigh’s British roots—though, fun fact, the cafe/barroom’s moniker is actually dubbed for Sir Walter Raleigh Tobacco, a nod to what Frazier’s father smoked, not to the English statesman) to custom-made booths and coffee trays, classy bar stools and beautiful finishings.

Building further on Sir Walter’s OG Davie Street locale, the core menu, served till 4pm, features elevated food options across breakfast and lunch. Think bagels shipped directly from New York, sandwiches, breakfast tacos, avocado toast, salads and more—transitioning to such late-night bar bites (from 4–10pm) as bruschetta, potato skins, deviled eggs and spicy sausage cheese balls, not to mention daily blue plate specials like meatloaf Mondays and fish taco Fridays. 

On the bar side, aka Sir Walter’s “alter ego,” dubs Frazier, find five coffee cocktails (hello, espresso martinis!), five specialty cocktails and five classic cocktails—plus three cocktails, four beers and prosecco on tap. Rounding out the bar program, there’s mimosa flights, Tiki drinks, and a “funky G&T” feat. St-Germain and served for four via an Oscar Award-esque vessel that will promise to make you a regular.

And, of course, at its very core, there’s coffee. The Charter Square spot will keep churning out the coffee and espresso drinks for which it’s known, complete with eight specialty blends of its own branded Cardinal Sin espresso and abundant housemade syrups. “We’re not reinventing the wheel, but we’re definitely doing coffee a little differently,” maintains Frazier. And Raleigh is here for it. sirwaltercoffee.com 

Fun fact: Sir Walter Coffee is not actually named after Sir Walter Raleigh, but the cans of Sir Walter Raleigh Tobacco Frazier’s dad used to smoke. 

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