Global Cup Cafe

It is on unc campus. Coffees are just fine and sometimes it’s a quiet place for study but most of the time, I ‘d rather go to starbucks.

When the Global Cup Café first opened here in Chapel Hill, it was a small coffee shop, mainly focused on the coffee, and a few quick «to go» items (mainly packaged snacks and refrigerated drinks), that you could get easily and then head on to your classes or meetings around the campus of UNC Chapel Hill, etc. Now, it is a thriving coffee café, similar in style to a small Starbucks, after a revamp of it’s interior.
It’s a great place to grab a pastry with your coffee, and they also have water, soda, and an abundance of seating inside and outside of the café, where you can work via your laptop with WiFi access, while enjoying your coffee and snacks.
Even better, this café is situated within the Global Education Building, and opens into it’s main lobby, where it feels as if you have entered a luxury hotel. You can take a seat there with your coffee, and relax, while viewing the artwork on the walls, and the amazing architecture of the building.
The baristas are friendly, and can make a variety of coffee favorites. This is definitely a great place to go.
Keep in mind that this is located within the University of North Carolina’s campus, so parking is not available around the building unless by special permit. There is no street parking available. There is a garage for parking, but it is paid parking, and may only be for those that work in the building. I have not used the parking garage in the global education building since I walk on campus. There are several parking decks on campus where parking is available, especially along Franklin Street, and then you can walk over to the Global Education Building where the Global Cup Café is located.

It’s the closest coffee to where I work on campus for the last 6 years, so I’ve gone there regularly since it opened several years ago. Coffee is excellent (just like the Daily Grind), and there’s much more room for studying/​working — except during the lunch rush (~12−1).
The food is refrigerated deli selections, a few pastries (the chocolate croissant is fantastic and I usually can’t resist buying it when they have one), and hot burritos. They have a few interesting things, such samosas and curries in the fridge (there’s a microwave in the back where you can heat it up if you want to eat in). For beverages other than the coffee I have enjoyed the Oh My Chai (Chai + espresso) and the «sipping chocolate» (sooo rich).
The baristas are an eclectic mix, and have changed over the years. Mostly crunchy hipster types, like you might expect given the name. There is one particular barista that was a jerk (he spilled my friend’s latte all over him when passing it out and didn’t offer to replace it — what???), but I think he’s gone now.

For ambiance, it shouldn’t be ranked this highly, but this may be the best espresso in Chapel Hill, and there are always open tables with access to campus wifi. What else could a person want in a café?

The best way to describe Global Cup is that it’s a more expansive version of The Daily Grind in the middle of campus: the same coffee is here, nearly the same menu, etc. This is a good thing, as one can really sit down here and do things, especially if it’s a not-​nice/​warm day.
If you’re in the Global Ed Center, it’s a nice stop to grab a cup of coffee on your way to class.

I stopped into this little café on UNC campus this morning and was happy to find them serving Counter Culture coffees! It’s open and cute and seems to have a lot more personality than your typical corporate UNC run café.
My iced coffee was perfect. And that’s saying a lot. I will be back.