barista pouring milk into coffee in an orange coffee cup

Smelly Cat Coffehouse & Roastery

Buy the Same Great Beans for Brewing Coffee at Home!

Experience It For Yourself

The Best Cup of Coffee in Charlotte

smelly cat coffeehouse spring street view

01Our Coffeehouse

Smelly Cat is a cozy cafe that’s been an important part of the NoDa neighborhood for decades. Approachable and welcoming, it’s a great place to enjoy a delicious cup of our house-roasted coffee and a home-made bite to eat.

coffee bean roaster roasting coffee beans

02Our Roastery

We roast our own ethically-sourced coffee and craft in-season single origin and blends. We also mastermind our own nitrogenated cold brew coffee. From seed to cup, roasting coffee is as much as art as it is a science.

breakfast bowl with scrambled eggs, tomatoes, and avacado sitting on a table in front of two breakfast biscuits

03Our Menu

We have coffee and tea, but we also offer a breakfast menu featuring classic, made from scratch buttermilk biscuits, other baked goods and snacks along with a cocktail menu for hot and cold spirits and a cold brew tap list.

Monday-Friday: 7 am – 2 pm
Saturday-Sunday: 7 am – 5 pm

The indoor space is reserved for guests who want to stay a while. Place your 90 minute reservation online!

Walk-ups are still welcomed via the pick up window on the deck. Order ahead for even faster service!

Community Causes We Support

We strive to provide great coffee and great service, but we are also very passionate about having a positive impact on our community and fostering a giving state of mind.

Fan Favorite

Coffee

Best Selling

Breakfast

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C'mon Get Smelly

We are Charlotte's longest-running coffeehouse and we've been roasting our own beans since 2012!

Say it with coffee!

Need to say thank you or include a gift in a card? Say it with coffee!
Get a Smelly Cat Coffeehouse gift card for the coffee lover in your life.

What Customers Say

  • The breakfast bowls are excellent. The folks behind the counter are always welcoming and lovely. Excited to have this as my neighborhood coffee shop

    Gabriela Horta Avatar Gabriela Horta
    June 17, 2022

    The coffee was very good. I had the Ethiopian (both hot and cold brew)! I had the bacon, egg cheese on a toasted plain bagel. It was very good, aa well. The atmosphere was great! Positive vibes.

    Lisa Wood Avatar Lisa Wood
    June 5, 2022

    They have a 5 star rating for a reason, this roaster/restaurant is top notch. Between the excellent service and amazing coffee, this is a place to go to. I was privileged enough to meet the owner who is extremely kind and knowledgeable about her products. If you're looking for a cute spot to work or grab a quick bite to eat, this is your spot.

    Dacia Zimmer Avatar Dacia Zimmer
    May 26, 2022
  • Wonderful, welcoming and cozy atmosphere. Do not come in if you're in a rush ... This is not Starbucks. It's designed to be an experience. Take a break and truly savor. They have the best blueberry muffin I've ever eaten. The sausage egg and cheese burrito was excellent. My husband enjoyed the Vietnamese iced coffee with a splash of caramel. I swoon for the dirty chai latte. Width stopping by if you're in the area. Will definitely be back!

    Kristi Smith Avatar Kristi Smith
    March 13, 2022

    Can I say it??? Ima say it…. This coffee is the best coffee I have had🙌🏾 sooooooo good and strong. This is my second time coming and I can finally leave a review. I had to wait until the second visit because the first was just too good to be true! I couldn’t even get a good picture of my Spiced Brown sugar oat milk latte. I blinked and it was gone😂

    Gabriele Gavin Avatar Gabriele Gavin
    February 21, 2022

    Good ambience, coffee and breakfast. Great place for a coffee date.

    Bhuvana Bhadragiri Avatar Bhuvana Bhadragiri
    February 7, 2022
  • Great service!!! Also the coffee was amazing. I had an iced brown sugar latte that was delicious. The sausage, egg, and cheese burrito was the perfect breakfast. I will be back!!

    Andrea W Avatar Andrea W
    January 28, 2022

    I asked for a strong not bitter coffee. I received a very bitter coffee. I was not impressed.

    Rex Davenport Avatar Rex Davenport
    December 28, 2021

    I am visiting Charlotte and I walk to Smelly Cat every morning to get coffee when I am walking my dogs. After the first day, Caleb and the other people working there called me by name when I walked up to the window. Amazing, friendly service and great coffee.

    Deborah R. Wood Avatar Deborah R. Wood
    December 28, 2021
  • Smelly Cat Coffee House & Roastery was very good place. Coffee was awesome and service also fine.

    Ranger Turcotte Avatar Ranger Turcotte
    December 28, 2021

    First time here. Just Passing through. Wish inside was open! Dreary morning standing outside. But it's ok. Ordered the Black cat coffee in a pour over. It's good! Definitely will go back next time in the area to try other things! Almost thought there might be smelly cats running around 😂😂😂 #smellycatcafe

    Theresa Hall Avatar Theresa Hall
    December 28, 2021

    Coffee was absolutely amazing, vibes were incredible, staff was super sweet and friendly. Now, if you need somewhere to absolutely CLEAN your stomach out, go to this place. I don’t know what MAGIC, is in their beverages but my gut is clean, clear and my body is EMPTIED…..of all toxins after I drank this beverage. 12/10 recommend, absolutely amazing for the gut health.

    michaela damore Avatar michaela damore
    July 10, 2021
  • This was a very cute little walkup spot. Very friendly ladies working the order & pickup windows. Wrote a really cute note on my breakfast bag. Made me smile! Glad I went there.

    Taffi Guinyard Avatar Taffi Guinyard
    June 25, 2021

    Traveling into town for my first time and couldn’t resist this place by name only. 4 minutes from my Airbnb and great staff, atmosphere and neighborhood!! Highly recommended 🙂

    Laura Blankenship Avatar Laura Blankenship
    June 13, 2021

    We totally had to visit smelly cat based off local reviews and appreciated the friendly service! Really convenient location in a fun corner of Charlotte. Loved the cool eclectic decor and seating outside for some fresh air! Thankful for some actually really good decaf!

    Tibor Gal Avatar Tibor Gal
    May 19, 2021
  • Great outdoor atmosphere to have a coffee with the legal team to discuss punitive damages on contract violations regarding Venmo text arguments. I recommend the Vietnamese cold brew with no ice. Definitely the best place to drop $6 on a coffee within 3.47 nautical clicks of Banfshire rd.

    Kevin Scotese Avatar Kevin Scotese
    May 19, 2021

    The fact that they even have a cortadito on the menu is worthy of a 5 star, but the coffee itself was really smooth and flavorful.

    Kristina Vasquez Avatar Kristina Vasquez
    May 5, 2021

    Best walk up breakfast place, we came back twice on our trip to NoDa. Plenty of first come seating around the building also

    Ted Cohen Avatar Ted Cohen
    May 3, 2021
  • Love this place! Been here a few times and now it's my go to coffee spot. Asked for recommendations and the staff was super friendly and knowledgeable, made me feel welcome. They're environmentally friendly and don't give straws (except metal/silicone ones you can purchase for $2) and the patio is dog friendly. I always ask for a pupiccino and put a cookie in it. Outdoor seating is enough to appease the crowds and the wait time is minimal, not to mention there's free wifi. I recommend looking at their specialty menu, the alcoholic drinks are awesome! Didn't even taste too strong like other drinks I've tried. The parking is usually ok but keep in mind they close kinda early and will close off the parking lot by 5pm. Overall great spot for some affordable tasty coffee.

    Daisy Colorado Avatar Daisy Colorado
    April 18, 2021

    Cute and modest version of NYC “Central Perk” - great coffee and ambiance! Excellent execution with COVID - there is now a to-go window on the patio which is also adorable and spacious with lots of flowers 🌸 Grab a pack of stickers or some swag if you’re visiting from out of town! ☕️

    Sarah Watson Avatar Sarah Watson
    March 22, 2021

    Absolutely my number 1 cafe in charlotte. Super friendly staff and very good coffee with some food options. Love the vibes!

    basil cratoon Avatar basil cratoon
    March 16, 2021
  • Delicious coffee and food, all in a fun location. Have a walk up window which makes things easy during this crazy COVID time. 2 thumbs up!

    Eric Reeder Avatar Eric Reeder
    January 24, 2021

    Love the play on the TV show Friends. They have many coffee options as well as choices with liquor in them, great cure for any hangover! There is a cute seating area outside as well and it was a great place to relax for a little bit. Staff was friendly.

    Kelsey Pabin Avatar Kelsey Pabin
    November 17, 2020

    Fire. Period. I had the best dirty chai I’ve ever had in my life (and I’ve had a lot of them) at this joint. Beautiful Sunday afternoon, outdoor seating, tunes were on point. If I could recreate the moment every single day I’d be the better for it. Never change Smelly Cat!

    Roger Hawkins Avatar Roger Hawkins
    September 20, 2020
  • i love this place, great food & service. this place has a nice feel to it.

    Judy Hester Avatar Judy Hester
    September 18, 2020

    I'm a big fan of local places that aren't chains. My wife and I have been going here for years and it's a great place. Great coffee and when they open the inside back up they have Wi-Fi and board games. With covid 19, they have chairs outside and you can still access their Wi-Fi. Definitely check it out if you haven't had a chance to yet. By the way, you can also by bags of their coffee beans. We get the Noda Nights for our espresso machine and they grind it their for us.

    Rich Stiener Avatar Rich Stiener
    September 18, 2020

    Pretty good coffee, good people.

    Joshua Hall Avatar Joshua Hall
    September 13, 2020