I recommend Price’s 100%!!!!!!!!!!! Have you seen that Feb 8 on FN Bobby Flay is doing his taste of Charlotte and he visits the Coffee Cup!

quote:

Originally posted by Kenny Joe

I’m happy to see that there’s an uptown location. It was a long bus ride out to the wilds of University Place. The article also explains why the owner ended up in University Place: "Wilson was able to open quickly at University Place by moving into a recently closed restaurant building and getting a temporary certificate of occupancy."

I’m going to be in Charlotte for a few days in February- I look forward to checking out the Coffee Cup’s new location as well as Price’s Chicken Coop and Hopefully Spoon’s BBQ as well.

I’m happy to see that there’s an uptown location. It was a long bus ride out to the wilds of University Place. The article also explains why the owner ended up in University Place: "Wilson was able to open quickly at University Place by moving into a recently closed restaurant building and getting a temporary certificate of occupancy."

Apparently the new uptown location of the Coffee Cup has just openened
http://www.charlotte.com/274/story/387748.html

Kenny Joe-
You are right that soul food in Pittsburgh is practically non-existent. But you may want to check out a new place in the Strip (on Penn Avenue right at the base of the 16the Street Bridge) called Big Mama’s House of Soul. I have been there there once and while the service was slow (everything is take-out), the food was actually pretty good. I know that many of the Steelers who grew up in the South have become regulars.

Thanks again for all the info on Coffee Cup. Once I make it there, I will give you a report back and let you know what I think.

I remembered reading about the old sign, so I looked around for it but did not see it.
This was my first visit to the Coffee Cup, so it may well be that although I enjoyed my meal, the quality of the food has declined. If that is the case, it would confirm my opinion about the odds of finding anything worthwhile in sterile developments such as the one the Coffee Cup now calls home. And I am certainly no expert in soul food. In fact, one of the reasons I picked the Coffee Cup is because, as you know, opportunities to eat this fine cuisine in Pittsburgh are limited. In any case, I hope you visit the Coffee Cup and share your opinion. Also, if you haven’t found it, you should check out the Carolina Thanksgiving/BBQ Bonanza thread before heading to Charlotte

Kenny Joe-
Thanks for getting back to us with the info on Coffee Cup’s new location. And I’m glad to hear that for the most part, the food is still good. It has been mixed reviews at best on here lately. Did they hang old classic Roadfood sign at this location?

For not having a car, you sure did get around!

The Coffee Cup is indeed open at 9311 JW Clay Blvd. I was in Charlotte Saturday and headed to the Coffee Cup for lunch. As I got farther and farther out Tryon St, I became less and less confident of finding a spot worthy of a Roadfood review. The development that far out is the kind that favors chains, and indeed is sometimes restricted to national chains. Nonetheless, I found the Coffee Cup nestled in a new unremarkable brick building much like its chain store neighbors. Although the physical ambiance may not have been Roadfood quality, the human ambiance and the food fit the bill. I had the croaker with greens and yams. The croaker wasn’t that great, but it would have been hard to improve on the yams and greens. If I ever get back here, I might be tempted to go with a vegetable plate.

Despite the fact that I have no car, I had dinner at the Penguin Drive-In. I was lucky to find a single stool at a counter; the place gets very crowded on a Saturday night. Taking my cue from the big BBQ sign, I ordered a BBQ plate. I have not had Carolina style BBQ in years, and it took a few bites for my mouth to accept that it was not going to be filled with thick, sweet, spicy BBQ sauce. That was a good thing, because such a sauce would have killed the fine subtle smoky flavor of the tender pork. The hush puppies and beans that came with it were also very good, but I could have passed on the slaw.

Unfortunately, the third place I wanted to visit, John’s Country Kitchen, was closed for Thanksgiving weekend.

Kenny Joe-
I would appreciate if you could report back what you found out about the Coffee Cup’s current situation. I am planning on a trip to Charlotte in December and I am very curious about the place.

Thanks, Otter. Following BB’s suggestion, I called and found out the telephone number on the website has been disconnected. I was gonna give up until I got your message. I’ll assume that the Coffee Cup is now open at the University City address listed in the first post of this thread, despite the information on the website and the email and telephone issues.

the coffee cup moved out to university place, near unc charlotte. not far from i-85, harris blvd exit.

There has been no "my car" for many years, so I will probably check out Lupie’s and the Penguin Drive-In instead, unless someone else has another suggestion. I was interested in the perch sandwich offered by Bar B Q King, though. It doesn’t look like I’ll find a fish sandwich of any kind at the other two joints.

Kenny Joe-
I did not receive a reply to the email I sent, which is a little disappointing. You might have to call. If you go, please let us know what you found out.

I don’t remember any indoor or outdoor seating at BBQ King, but I haven’t been there in four years. You will most likely be eating in your car.

I will be off to Charlotte after Thanksgiving and have three burning questions:
(a) Any update on the status of the Coffee Cup?
(b) If the Coffee Cup is still open somewhere and you could only eat only one breakfast in Charlotte, would you go there or John’s Country Kitchen?
(c) Does the Bar B Q King have any seating or are you of out luck if you don’t bring your own?

WJ-
That does seem odd. I just tried calling and I got the answering machine. So I sent an email instead. I will let you know what they reply.