Bean Traders

This is my go-​to coffee shop when I need a place to get work done or have a conversation with a friend. They’ve expanded the store so there are 3 sections– two with just tables and one where you order your drinks/​food. Sometimes it can be hard to find a table with an outlet if you come at a busy time but I’ve never had too much of an issue. The chairs are not super comfy but they do the job. The coffee is pretty good and the bagels are not bad. It also helps that it’s only a few minutes from my house and it’s right off of 40 so it’s a convenient meeting spot.

This is just a wonderful coffee shop to have in the neighborhood. They serve delicious coffee and have managed to keep the nice relaxed feel even after the renovations. I wouldn’t get any of the pastries or cakes though. They are too sweet for my liking. That’s definitely something they can improve on.

I have been exploring various coffee shops in the Raleigh-​Durham area for over five years now and Bean Traders is the one I keep going back to. It and Cup-​A-​Joe in Raleigh are my absolute favorites. The drip coffee at BT is always hot and fresh, even at 9:55 pm. They always keep four canisters of rotating blends out at all times – two regular, one decaf, and one flavored. You simply cannot go wrong. They also heat up the mugs they give you for the coffee, which is a plus. The lattes are great. They have a nice nutty flavor and the syrups they use are all made in-​house. I would also recommend the chai latte, which is the best I have had anywhere. Recently they started making waffles, which are amazing. You can get them plain or with toppings. I would recommend a plain waffle with maple syrup or the honey-​banana waffle. The pastries and pies are to die for as well. They have a wide selection and plenty of gluten-​free options. Of all of the coffee shops I have been to, BT has the best pastries and pies by far.
As for the environment, BT is very spacious and a great place to study or meet with friends. They recently expanded and now have three rooms. The one of the far right is where you order. They also have some seating there as well. The middle room has louder music and is a better place to sit if you want to have a conversation. They have a long table that can seat about 18 people. It is great for individuals studying but don’t want to take up a whole table. Finally, the room on the far left is great for people there to study since it is quieter. There is also the option to sit outside. Lastly, the employees here are always very friendly.

Very cool spot, always has plenty of seating, not to mention a variety of unique pastry choices that cater to dietary restrictions. Also, their music selection changes every day, and it’s always something unique.

Food: prices are pretty steep for so-​so food ($ 3.22 for a chocolate bagel with cream cheese– could barely tell the bagel was a chocolate bagel except for the occasional chocolate chip, they were skimpy on the cream cheese, bagel was chewy and did not taste toasted)
Environment: music was an eclectic mix of oldies, jazz, alt, all way too loud.
Service: long line to to order, waited a long time, not very efficient
Definitely won’t be back to study. After an unproductive hour here, I’m leaving to find another study place.

Bean Traders is a really funky café with a cool vibe and a great selection of food and drinks. If you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary and you like things spicy, I highly recommend the iced chocolate habenero coffee!
There’s plenty of seating both inside and out which is fantastic, but the wifi always give me trouble and the lighting is really dim for reading. Also, the prices are definitely a little high, even compared to other independent coffee shops.
So although I can’t justify making this my regular spot, I do enjoy treating myself every now and again and I would recommend you check it out too if you’re in the area!

What an awesome place! Huge space but has a cozy feel. Fun menu with things like Phunky Monkey & dirty hippie. Coffee was delicious, I had Brazilian light roast, black. We didn’t try any of the food, but will definitely come back because there were some interesting options & it looked so good. To top it off there was a little area for shopping with some cool things to buy like hand crafted cards, funny t-​shirts & coffee accessories which would make thoughtful gifts.

BEST WAFFLES IN DURHAM. I know it may be weird to rate this place just for their waffles, but I’m obsessed. They’re so good. The coffee is great, the store is nice, but the waffles… definitely something the southwest area of Durham needed. Bean Traders: please don’t change your waffle recipe. Ever. Love them.

Loved this eclectic coffee shop that screams positive vibes. It’s much cooler than the shopping center/​strip mall you find it in. Friendly workers, ample working space and tables, great natural light and fabulous coffee and snacks!
While they were OUT of bagels on Valentine’s Day (their bagel vendor’s oven broke), I didn’t hold this against them too much. They still offer oatmeal, quiches, pastries and waffles. I got the special lavender blueberry waffle. Y’all, this waffle was delicious. Not too big or rich, which my stomach thanked me for. It was a delicious choice that I highly recommend.
Also, coffee drinks were on par. I had an Americano with steamed milk (they charge $ 1 extra sadly) with some sugar free vanilla for extra flavor. Very tasty! Hubby had chia latte which was very good. The quiche piece was relatively small. Love the efficiency of the setup. You pick up your quiche at one station, waffles at the waffle end of the counter and coffee drinks at the coffee counter.
This definitely speeds up service and is a great system in my opinion!
Overall, great atmosphere and I will definitely be back when I’m in Durham.

Bean Traders is probably one of my favorite coffee shops ever. I have been coming here for about 9 years. Although I’m sad that their other locations in Durham have closed, this Southpoint location has always been the best location in my view (and that’s not just because I spent many days of my life studying for the bar exam here). They just did some renovations at this location and it’s as spacious (and inviting) as ever.
Most importantly, their coffee is just plain delicious. The best flavor, hands down, is toasted coconut (I seriously order that stuff online and have it shipped to DC), but you can’t go wrong with any of their coffees.
They also have a delicious section of baked goods, including donuts from the delicious Rise Biscuits and Popsicles from Loco Pops — two classic Durham establishments.
Don’t even think twice about going here if you ever find yourself in the Durham or Chapel Hill area!

I hate spending an arm and a leg to buy coffee, but when I am out and want a great cup, Bean Traders is my favorite place to go. The baristas are always very nice and helpful with suggestions. There is tons of seating since their expansion, so I never have trouble finding a spot. It can take a while to make the specialty orders, so be prepared to wait, or I am pretty sure I heard you can call in an order.
The chocolate habanero is my go to choice. The perfect amount of heat and sweet. I have not tried the food, but I plan to next time.

I’m happy to see this place doing well.
You can feel the love and attention that goes into each cup.
There are tasty sweet and savory options, novelty sodas, cold brewed growlers, vegan breakfast cereal, peanut butter and more.
Plenty of seating during the weekdays and speedy wifi.
It gets a bit crowded on the weekends with families, running clubs, and regulars.
Great place to people watch. There’s one of every kind here.

Came here last weekend and was really surprised I haven’t visited this place sooner. They have long tables perfect for a study session as well as smaller circular tables for casual chats or dates. I was here on a Sunday afternoon and the place was packed. I ordered a latte and it took a while before I actually got it. I probably waited 6 – 7 minutes. Next time, I’ll try to beat the crowd. The latte was delicious.

I work from home and am always looking for coffee shops to go to to escape the house. With the new expansion, Bean Traders might be the best place in Durham now to work during the day, eat delicious food, and drink coffee undisturbed. The staff was incredibly nice and there are lots of nooks where you can cubby yourself away with your laptop. One warning is that the Internet was adequate when I was here (3 Mbps download/​3 Mbps upload) but not fantastic.
Thank you Bean Traders for providing such a great local option for coffee, quiet work, and great food in Durham!

Groovy and Hippy decors coupled with nice folks behind the counter. They need to rethink about their internet. I had many drop in connections and the speed is average. May not be safe for work. Browsing should be good but you would find your home internet better.
I had a latte and it was quite strong. One day I would like to try their savories and pastries. Quite a number of people came up to ask for them. It’s a large coffee shop when you compare them to their peers.
Bottomline: Unpredictable internet, Amicable Barristas and quite hippy :)

Stopped by here for a morning coffee run— super packed— which was kinda overwhelming– all I really wanted was my coffee!
I didn’t see all the different coffee and tea flavors like their online website menu shows which was disappointing. In the store, the special menu was off to the side on a piece of paper, and their main menu was on the wall. Regardless the menu was not in sight. If you were standing in line, you would have to get out of the line to see it, so I do wish their menu was a bit more organized in that sense. It would not make a difference if the line was short, or if you were a regular customer, but for those that were ordering for the first time and from the guy that was taking orders on his iPad, then this would be an inconvenience.
I did have their autumn spice coffee which was great! Loved it and will definitely be coming back to get more! Totally recommend it! Their latte on the other hand was pretty bad
The autumn spice would itself make me give this place a 4 but the fact that I haven’t tried others and the only other one I tried was not that good– I’m giving a 3 star.

Was told to come here by my boss at mall. Boy was I surprised to see a crowded here at 8 in the morning on a Sunday! Would not be up this early if I didn’t have work.
Bean Traders reminds me of The Looking Glass in tens is interior. It’s a hodge podge of decorations and furniture.
I ordered the bacon quiche and chocolate habanero with a shot. The chocolate was deliciousssss! Quiche was a bit too mushy for my taste, but the bacon was great!
Baristas and staff were courteous and polite. Definitely a pleasant experience and will return soon!

A solid coffee shop to gain some energy and study on~
Note, I haven’t tasted their pastries yet– I usually come here to get caffeinated… So yeah haha
Of what I’ve tried, I will say that their drinks are on the stronger side.
I hate when I go to a coffee shop and end up tasting watered down espresso– how am I supposed to stay awake???
Anyhow, I never have that issue here.
I will say that both their iced and regular lattes need some flavoring added to gain some sweetness. I tried it plain once and ended up putting in a ton of sugar and honey haha
When I tried it with the hazelnut flavor, it tasted A LOT better hehe
Their affogato was pretty yummy but I think their was too much espresso for the amount of ice cream they put in.
At one point, I felt like I was straight up drinking espresso.
Mismatched furniture, a chalkboard wall, random posters/​décor, and very friendly baristas– yup they got that hipstery environment down!
F

I really enjoyed my experience at Bean Traders. A friend of mine and I stopped in on for a quick iced coffee. The line was really long, but it took no time at all to order and receive our drinks.
Typically I am not a fan of iced coffee, but August is pretty miserable in these parts of NC. I ordered a medium iced coffee and was not disappointing. It was not weak or flavorless. Even as the ice melted down, the flavor still lasted.
This place is pretty big and well equipped for studying, working or just surfing the net. The food also looked amazing, but we were in for a caffeine fix only.

Love, sincere, deep, true, love.
Walk in and you are enveloped by the wonderful aroma of roasted coffee. The case of baked goods is tempestuously decadent looking. Should I be good/​will I be good? Probably not. The bagels are dreamy. The décor is chaotic and fun and I’m pretty sure they used all the colors to paint.
I ordered the watermelon chiller, an everything bagel with bacon cream cheese and cucumbers, and maybe the truffle cake… Because why not?
The tea was refreshing and easy to drink on a hot day. The bagel was all the things I ever dreamed a bagel with bacon cream cheese and a cucumber could be. The truffle cake was so rich my brain did a summersault of joy. If I lived near here I would be that person that comes in two or three times a week and orders one of everything.