Raleigh – It's An Ordinary Blog

I don’t normally do this (and I don’t plan to make a habit of doing this) but I wanted to talk a little bit about a restaurant I ate at recently…

I took a trip to North Carolina the week before Christmas and, at the suggestion of my mom (who is a frequent guest there), had breakfast at a quaint little place in North Raleigh called Sola Coffee Cafe. When I started It’s An Ordinary Blog, I never intended to write any restaurant reviews (it’s just not the kind of blog that this is) but there’s something about Sola that I really loved and so I thought it was worth sharing.

I lived in Raleigh up until I went away to college and haven’t been back for longer than a week or so in almost eight years. It seems like every time I do go back for a trip, the area has completely changed. The building that Sola now occupies was a bank, and then it was a childcare facility, and then it was something else, but now it’s something truly amazing: a coffee-house that has a focus on sustainability.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you’ve probably picked up on the fact that sustainability matters to me. It matters a lot and so when I heard that Sola offers fresh, local, seasonally appropriate sandwiches and salads from sustainable farmers, I was pretty excited to give them my business. Not only that but the atmosphere is ridiculously awesome. It’s comfortable, intimate, and a space that you really feel good in. I took a bunch of pictures (and uploaded them to Instagram if you’re wondering why they look “different”) that are posted below so you can get a feel for what this place is like.

We were there for breakfast and so I ordered their oatmeal with raisins, sliced almonds, and brown sugar and a mocha coffee. My mom ordered a coffee and a thing of their mini-donuts which are made on site. My oatmeal was great, the coffee hit the spot, and the mini-donuts (she let me try one) were warm and delicious…and I’m not even a donut person. I would be really interested to try one of their lunch items…so I definitely plan to go back next time I’m in Raleigh.

I learned while I was there that they have live music in the evenings and a small, private room that you can reserve while you’re there. It’s definitely a place that you can meet up with some friends and hang out at and it’s definitely a place that I recommend. Aside from their focus on sustainability, I really appreciated the decor in the restaurant. Apparently the decorator is a friend of my moms…I wonder if she wouldn’t mind coming to Kansas City to work on my house. 😉