Respite Café

I want so badly to give Respite a great review. I enjoy the atmosphere, the drinks and the wifi. But why are the employees so angry? I recently relocated from Southern California to Durham and was super excited to find Respite right up the road. I’m a work-​from-​home employee so it’s nice to have a change of scenery. I’ve probably been to Respite 10 times now and without fail, the employees have been downright unfriendly. Am I inconveniencing you to purchase a drink? I’ll likely continue to come but only because of the wifi.

Absolutely adorable local spot! Great (inventive) coffees, particularly if you like lattés. Great options for vegans and vegetarians. Came back to try out their cold-​pressed juices and was really happy with the low sugar options. Lovely atmosphere, good spot to sit and study or write letters! :)

This is a great place to grab a delicious cup of coffee and a snack if you need one. They have locally made raw juices, sandwiches, light fare and desserts. They have dairy free alternative milk to go in your coffee. It is great meeting place with nice nooks, WiFi for working and lots of tables for seating. There is even outdoor seating for warmer days.

Not a huge fan of their drinks. I got an iced chai tea and my boyfriend got an iced Americano. We’ve had better and I barely touched my drink. My iced chai tea just wasn’t good. :(
However, this is a great place to study! WiFi is fast, plenty of tables, and not too loud.
Friendly staff! If I go back, I want to try their smoothies. Hopefully I have a better experience than last time.

A very pleasant spot to work for an afternoon, Respite was indeed just that. I sat and sipped a sour espresso while 99 Luftballoons played in the background. A pretty blond winked at me. There was an over-​sized lamp in the shape of a light bulb. While nothing to write home about, it’s certainly got an attitude that made me want to hang around.

Coffee was great, the pastries were delicious, but lunch-​y options were limited. The grilled cheese sandwich was tasty, but $ 4 or so for a sandwich I’d offer a child, no sides, no garnish, nada, is a bit delusional. Atmosphere, quiet, and wi-​fi is what would bring me back. Certainly easier to get something quick and seated than Parker and Otis up the street.

The coffee is decent and the interior is mildly intriguing. Only thing is the pastry selection is abysmal.

I walked in the sweltering, humid summer heat to get here, so that means something! Good coffee beverages and a limited selection of food and bakery items. I appreciate that they have several types of milk substitutes available.

The coffee has been very good every time I’ve been. The location is great– it’s always great to have another coffee shop in downtown Durham. I’ve gotten good work done there when I’ve been able to find a seat, but seating can be an issue. I’ve been stuck on a hightop backless bench a couple of times and have walked in to find no seating at all. Overall, though, the baristas are very nice and fast, and I love having another coffeeshop option in downtown.

THIS IS BY FAR, is one of my FAVORITE PLACES to hangout at in the Triangle.
It has been over a year or so that I have had the pleasure of chilling, sipping, and tasting at this warm & lovely spot nestled within the fringes of the downtown area of Durham. I really don’t know how they’ve put up with me for so long but they are a lovely bunch, so kudo’s to them for showing such mercy.
I usually go there and have a large, hot-​salted-​caramel latte. They are artisans and make it so creamy and tastey! I’ve never been disappointed. It seems most of them have been trained through the tutelage of Counter Culture or something to that affect. They are very consistent with their art and they have the most interesting foods on display that I’ve rarely seen in many of the coffee café’s I’ve visited as of late.
Respite is a place of casual relaxation, fun & games (yes, they actually have board games and puzzles there), and business meetings (separate room which you can actually reserve for a block of time). I love the owner because she is so nice to me and the staff seems to know what I want before I can get the words out of my mouth (heck, they even know my name by now… heh heh heh).
PUT RESPITE ON YOUR LIST OF PLACES TO VISIT… you’ll be happy you did.

Given its location, this place should probably be packed from open to close, and it just isn’t. The coffee is really mediocre and the décor screams office break room. I have been there over a dozen times because of its proximity to my residence, and every single time they are playing these ultra-​sad break-​up music playlists that genuinely make it hard to linger for long before depression sets in.
By far the worst thing about the experience, though, is the persistent smell of urine. It’s been months and months and months and it just hasn’t been addressed. Visit once and you’ll see exactly what I’m saying– the first thing you smell upon entry will not be coffee (how is this even possible?!?), it will be stale urine.
My advice to Respite: buy a mop or some Febreze and use it, stop serving low quality beans, and please, PLEASEEE stop playing music that is designed to make people grieve.

Respite has a cool ambiance and great working environment — especially with the small study room off to the side. I got an egg log latte while I was there which was really good. If you are there during the winter, definitely ask for it.
Other times I’ve been here, I’ve gotten lattes that taste like cheap espresso, milk, and syrup, but I prefer more rich lattes and flavorings that don’t come from a pump bottle. I’ve heard their tea selection is better, but I’ve never ordered tea here.
Respite is a cute place, but don’t expect much quality when you come here.

I love Respite. Their Baristas are super friendly ad know everybody’s name. Their caprese sandwich is the best! If you’re not feeling great, ask for the «Health Blend» tea. If you need to meet up with some friends, they have a great meeting room.
Very nice, comfy place.

Pleasant little place especially if you’re on foot. Parking is difficult but I often get lucky and find a place right in front. Lots of regulars here who’ve made themselves a «home.» The owner and baristas are dedicated to serving a fine coffee or exquisite tea. Ali and Jenn bring warmth and laughter as they deliver up their delicious concoctions. Pastries from Ninth St. bakery and other specialty items including vegan and gluten free-​something for everyone here, even a light lunch.

I visited Respite shortly after moving to downtown Durham and receiving a «free coffee» welcome coupon. The barista acted as if he did not want to serve my friend and I after I revealed the coupon. The coffee was okay, but I will never return because of the way that we were treated. It’s unfortunate, because I could walk to Respite every day. Cocoa Cinnamon supplies my coffee fix — the coffee is amazing and the baristas are the friendliest in town. I hope that you learn the value of quality customer service, Respite.

Very affordable and great place to relax… Very cozy environment and great staff… Had a tea that was just awesome…

It’s definitely a cozy place to stay for a cold afternoon. They have variety bakeries and tea choices for you to choose. I had their coffee which is locally cultivated by carborro. I have to admit it is not something I like but I will come back for the lovely atmosphere

Respite is right around the corner from where I work, and a very convenient place to stop and grab a coffee on the way into the office. The employees that work there are fabulous, super friendly and very welcoming. I can definitely sense that this place is heavily frequented by regulars. There’s not a ton of space, but it’s cozy and the big windows allow for a lot of natural light, making it a nice place to enjoy a cup of coffee and do some reading. They have some beautiful artwork from local artists hanging on the walls as well.
I wish I could like this place more, I really do. As I said, I think the staff are great, but the coffee just doesn’t do it for me. I have tried it there three times now, and gotten a different drink each time, and I just can’t get into it. I drink a lot of specialty drinks (my favorite being vanilla iced lattes) and unfortunately I just can’t get into the Respite flavor. The other bummer for me is that it seems that most of the bakes goods they sell contain nuts (which I am allergic to) and the staff never seems to be able to tell me what has nuts and what doesn’t. I have asked about a couple of different things and my usual answers are «I’m not sure» «maybe» or «probably,» so I of course cannot take my chances. I wish that if they were going to sell baked goods they were aware of what they were selling.

I am not a coffee aficionado. So, for the occasional coffee drinker this review will be on your level.
The staff seems to know a fair bit about coffee… but just not necessarily their own coffee. The gentleman behind the counter didn’t seem to have a grasp on their inventory of coffees as well as how to ring up certain things on the register. He was really nice, but it just seemed like he was elsewhere mentally that day.
I won’t speak too much to the coffee, other than to say that my «V60» (poured through some kind of porcelain vortexing pour-​over device?) didn’t amaze this admitted simpleton and really seemed more gimmicky than anything else.
I had a bowl of Bull City Burger’s chili. THAT was good. Way to go for local flavah!
I think my whole experience and my negative attitude toward Respite was really cemented and exemplified by the fact that when I found a seat in an alcove in a musty-​looking couch, I got a whiff of… urine. Yeah. I think that made my time at Respite kind of hard to spin positively.
Others have commented on the décor or lack thereof. I will add my voice to these. There’s a shabby chic/​vintage kind of look, but then there’s frat house/​garage sale furniture thrown together because presumably it was cheap. To me, Respite’s interior is devoid of charm and I think I go to coffeehouses for doses of both coffee and ambience.
I hate to be a downer on a business I was so pumped to try. I don’t think I’ll make an effort to return, though.

I have really mixed feelings about this place. No, I have some very strong negative feelings about this place except for the coffee, which is impeccable.
Good:
I think I just experienced the best latte in Durham.
Bad:
As others have mentioned, the ambience is lacking. I was really put-​off by the smell of the place, which seemed to have more in common with a WalMart stockroom than a coffeeshop. If I hadn’t needed my cup of coffee so badly, I probably would’ve left; there was nothing that welcomed my palate. Why pay for this?
Also, I had a vegan macaroon (wonderful), but I would’ve liked a clearer, appealing display of their dessert/​snack options. Maybe I would’ve even bought more!