Drift Coffee Shop + Kitchen

 

Located at 221 North Front Street in Downtown Wilmington (with additional locations in Wrightsville Beach, Ocean Isle, and Mayfaire), Drift Coffee Shop + Kitchen serves up coffee drinks, smoothies, breakfast foods, and lunch bowls. It is open 7-5 Sunday-Thursday and 7-6 on Friday and Saturday. Online ordering is available.

 

Housed next to Bijou Park, Drift is an appealing location inside and out. It’s a bright, inviting space with a solid array of breakfast options. You can go light with a yogurt or toast, but you can also dig into a hearty sandwich, burrito, or bowl. The coffees may not have a lot of flavor options, but they do make some syrups in-house.

 

My wife and I opted for a bodega sandwich and pistachio latte and a breakfast burrito and raspberry vanilla latte, respectively, as well as a sunrise smoothie (mango, banana, vanilla, coconut milk, and orange) to share. Most of the food came out promptly, but the smoothie got lost in the shuffle, a mistake quickly remedied when I pointed it out.

 

The food and drink quality left no room for complaint. The burrito held together well despite being stuffed with deliciousness (egg, cheese, chorizo, black bean, cilantro crema). The raspberry vanilla latte featured a vanilla-raspberry-coconut foam with bits of real fruit, and the smoothie was refreshing.

 

That said, Drift’s prices are definitely on the high side, and they also keep quite busy. The hard-working staff seemed up to the task during our visit, but this is definitely not a “sit and chill” coffee shop.

 

Overall, Drift makes for a good downtown breakfast option. It’s too expensive to be a regular stop for most, but the location and ingredient quality are compelling.