Cocoa Cinnamon

There are three locations of Cocoa Cinnamon, the city’s best coffee shop, but we like the Old North Durham flagship best. It’s just a few blocks from the center of downtown, in a single-story brick building that’s become a community hub where you’ll probably run into a local musician or freelance writer set up in the corner. The espressos and lattes come from the company’s own Little Waves Coffee Roasters, and they sell blends like a dark roast “Royal 7,” named for the seven civil rights activists who protested segregation in Durham. They make some unusual and interesting drink options also, like kakawa, a pre-Columbian cacao beverage, and mocktails like the Love Frequency with espresso, orange juice, and sweetened seltzer.