The Daily Grind Espresso Cafe

One of Best coffees! I have become addicted to their lattes. I never realized how watery Starbucks was till I came here. This is a great cup of coffee. They even give real macchiatos ! Sooooo good. When you order a macchiato its a small shot like size cup that’s how that are supposed to be. It’s perfect and really amps my my studying game. There is always a long line but I mean it is great coffee!

This is one of my most favorite coffee shops – due to… the coffee!
If you are a student or work on or near UNC this place is worth the trip, it’s heaps than Starbucks, naturally.
A plain cup of joe is nice, (and not burnt or bitter) as are their sodas. Don’t get a smoothie – it’s just syrup and not fruit. Try a taco and DEFINITELY try their baked goods. I love their gargantuan cinnamon rolls, carrot whole wheat muffins and round vegan cookies. YUM.
Service: The coffee is wonderful, but there is a certain largely unfriendly – rather sullen barista that dislikes working with customers. The rest of them are amazing! I feel scared when she glares at me.
You had better not go to Alpine (yuck) eat at a place that is actually part of UNC and taste what coffee is meant to taste like, ok? Wouldn’t you rather help fund the University instead of a company with specious values.

While I was a student, The Daily Grind was super awesome and convenient. The employees are always down to help me decide on a drink, or recommend new drinks based on what I already liked. They are friendly too.
My only negative point is that it is cramped. Regardless of which entrance you use to order, it gets busy and the space is already small. But, The Daily Grind has a cozy college feel to it and serves great coffee! Check it out next time you’re at the Pit.

I go here whenever I need caffeine, don’t have the opportunity to brew my own, and can’t stomach the swill that’s served in the little convenience stores on campus.
The coffee is about average. It does not wow me, but it is definitely better than what rolls off the assembly line at a Starbucks. The desserts and snacks are middling. The staff ranges from icy to acceptably polite, depending on who you get. I’m honestly not sure I’ve ever seen the same person working there more than twice. I get the sense that they have high turnover, since there’s a built-​in stable of part-​time job seekers right there on campus. Perhaps I’m just not observant enough. Either way, service is usually very average to a little unpleasant, but the interaction is very brief.
All in all, it might be the best place to get coffee on campus. If Alpine is open, though, theirs tastes about as good and their cashiers are usually friendlier. Might be worth the few extra steps, but I never seem to have it in me to stand in their line inside the Student Union.

Best coffee place on campus in terms of variety and quality. Great outdoor seating with umbrellas for shade.

I go every Friday when I work on campus (I work in Carrboro the rest of the week.) the folks selling the regular coffee up front are always friendly and have a great sense of humor. The coffee is mediocre, but I put cream and sugar in anyway, so it hardly matters. I still feel like giving it five stars. For what it is, it’s great.

its much more expensive than starbucks and coffee does not taste well… i mean. wat??? monopoly coffee shop in unc?

Good coffee. I just wish they had better hours. At the beginning of the semester they close at like 4 PM on weekdays or something like that. Their drip coffee is good, but I’m a sucker for flavored espresso drinks and they definitely do those well (try the Snickerdoodle — it’s a caramel /​mocha /​hazelnut latte, if I recall correctly).

When I’m lazy and don’t want to take the five seconds to brew my own coffee in the coffee pot I set up in my on-​campus office, I walk the 10 minutes to Daily Grind because that makes sense.
I don’t drink fancy drinks, so I almost always get a brewed coffee in my to-​go mug. And it’s always delicious. Best part about getting brewed coffee is you can skip the fancy drink line and go straight through the express lane. Also, I like buying coffee with my OneCard so it’s deducted from my paycheck. It’s like I never even really PAID for it! Sort of. Not really.
I like it when they have blueberry bagels because then it saves me the horror of standing in line at Alpine Bagel. I’ll do it if I have to, but I won’t like it.
Not into caffeine? I’ve had their Wild Berry iced tea as well and that’s pretty good and I THINK caffeine free. At least I hope so.
Before I discovered this special place, I was getting on-​campus coffee at either Alpine (gross) or Starbucks (GROSSER), walking to Franklin St., or suffering a slow death while waiting for the day to end.

i would not have graduated if this place hadn’t supplied me with inordinate amounts of caffeine every single day of my undergraduate career.

Call it sentiment or whatever, but The Daily Grind is what introduced me to the world of coffee. I didn’t drink much coffee until college, and out of convenience, I would buy coffee here whenever I needed a caffeine fix.
Since then, I’ve been exposed to more coffee, and I’ve come to realize that The Daily Grind serves a pretty darn good cup. It’s nice and strong, with deep flavors.
Their flavored magical mocha drinks are very tasty too. My favorite is the grasshopper (white chocolate, green mint).
The seating area is definitely minimal, especially inside, which can be frustrating if you just want a place to sit. And ordering can induce claustrophobia for the weak-​hearted, but I think it’s all worth it.

This is the BEST brew of coffee I have ever had… the counter culture roasters really know what they are doing and made a great signature blend for the daily grind. I love to get a large coffee and an everything bagel (brought in from Bagels on the Hill). If you ever get a chance, stop by this place and try the coffee… you will be amazed at how smooth it tastes! I have never had a bad cup there… since they are always busy, the coffee is always fresh and never gets that yucky burnt taste.

Go to the DG for your on-​campus caffeine fix. I drink only brewed coffee so I can’t speak to the espresso drinks, but the coffee is always fresh and hot, and they brew Counter Culture, which is the best around.
Yeah so the inside is cramped and pretty inefficient, but it’s better than the old one. I would not suggest sticking around (unless it’s nice and you can get a table outside) so if you need a spot to sit and study just take your coffee to the library or Union and enjoy it there.
Best to stop here in the middle of classes so you don’t have to wait in a massive line. Sometimes the Student Stores inside counter has less of a wait.

When I got to UNC as a freshman I was still one of those kids who refused to go to any coffee place besides Starbucks. Oh what I didn’t know at 17!
One day I decided to be adventurous and get some coffee before one of my 8am classes at the Daily Grind. Let me just say Milky Way Mocha=HEAVEN! I had never tasted coffee so delicious. And this place was the coffee shop that got me into chocolate covered espresso beans. Starbucks you should give the Daily Grind a call and thank them. If it wasn’t for this place, I wouldn’t like coffee so much and wouldn’t have spent so much money trying to recreate that Milky Way Mocha off campus, which no place does as well!

The Daily Grind, situated within the UNC Student Store, is a decent coffee-​related place. Closer to the northern part of campus than the campus Starbucks, it does serve a caffeinated purpose in keeping students (graduate and otherwise) awake and hopping through the day.
One thing I particularly appreciate — the Magical Mochas. Yes, it’s just a coffee with first a chocolate shot (hence the mocha) and then another shot of your choice. But, you can make exciting things, like Mudslides (not the real thing, just a shot of Irish cream syrup, but still good :)).
A few other thoughts
— I appreciate the food selection, though the Cosmic Cantina burritos (also in the student store) are a little pricey for what you’re getting.
— I like that there’s a trivia thing based on coffee for a free 8oz. So if you know it, you get a little extra shot of coffee :)
— There’s a little area for sitting down, though more chairs are on the other side if you use the window in the Student Store.
Overall, it’s a nice place to get coffee and drinks. Prices are comparable to Starbucks, but you’re getting something a little more unique here as well.

Fantastic location and decent drinks. Unfortunately, this means that it is always busy/​crowded, and it closes before it would have a chance to get less so.
But then, you’re not going to drink the coffee in there anyway (they have places to sit but the place is too hectic to want to hang around). You buy coffee or tea and take it with you. During the winter, this is pure joy.

Not a coffee drinker, but I love the smell and the taste when mixed with sugar, flavor syrups and whipped cream.
My current addiction are the frozen blended versions of lattes (decaf for me).
There are no lines now that it’s summer school time.

As a self described addict and borderline snob, I’m not a big fan of Daily Grind. Located in the same building as Student Stores (just off of south, and opening up onto the Pit if you know UNC), many Tar Heels swear by this brand of Joe.
First the space, even the newly renovated version is too small and entirely inefficient. The cream and sugar is located right in the midst of the only seating (which is a modest set of 3 – 4 bar stools, and the line (and there’s always a line) must either cramp into an awkward corner, or stretch out the door.
There is sufficient outdoor seating, though, and the portion of the addition that opens up into the bookstore is a nice touch; it adds some seating and lessens the burden on the main window.
All this could be easily nullified by a cup of java worth the wait, alas it is not. The best part about their brew is that it’s fair trade, which they trumpet at every chance. Other than that it’s below average in my opinion.
Now, I go for the plain coffee, but if you prefer the froo-​frooy, sugar laden version Daily Grind has some nice options that change frequently. Their seasonal drinks are quite delicious and popular on campus.
Personally I prefer the Larry’s Bean brand they serve across the Pit at Alpine, but that’s me.