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What do “Stranger Things,” spectrum-friendly restrooms and sugary chai lattes have in common? They’re all things I found during my first trip to a local coffee shop — sort of.
Welcome to Night Swim Coffee Roastery & Cafe.
Sunlight pours through the big windows at Night Swim, where guests line up at the counter for a fresh roast or specialty drink and browse shelves stocked with coffee bags and merch. The open layout and plenty of tables give it a bright, buzzy feel perfect for working or hanging out.
The speakers played sounds from indie rock artist Djo, the solo music project of Joe Keery, better known for his role as Steve Harrington on “Stranger Things” — a fact that I never hesitate to tell people whenever I hear his music in public. If you were on TikTok last year, you may be familiar with the viral hit “End of Beginning,” also by Djo.
The crowd was classic LoSo: mostly Millennials and Gen Zers tapping away on shiny MacBooks eligible for payment plans. At one table, a guy was on the phone with (I’m guessing) his partner, debating which bar or brewery they’d hit after work.
The vibe felt like any good Charlotte coffee shop — welcoming without trying too hard to prove it. A flyer for an Ethiopian food festival caught my eye near the door, and the all-gender restrooms made it clear the space is meant for everyone, no matter how they identify.
But Friday was one of those days, y’all.
The weather was overcast, and I didn’t get enough sleep the previous night, so, like any other introverted millennial with a smartphone, I placed my order online to ensure as little social interaction as possible.
Here’s what you need to know about Night Swim Coffee.
What’s on the menu at Night Swim Coffee?
The Night Swim menu includes coffee and non-coffee beverages, along with pastries and croissants.
Prices range from $3-$7, with optional add-ons available.
The Charlotte Observer’s “On-a-Budget” series usually explores how far $25 can go at local restaurants. Night Swim Coffee’s prices fit perfectly within the assignment’s $25 budget, with that amount being more than enough for coffee for two, or a specialty coffee drink paired with a warm pastry.
Here’s everything I got for roughly $10:
- Chai Latte: a blend of milk and the shop’s organic chai concentrate — an energizing blend of fresh spices like cardamom, ginger and cinnamon, plus thoughtfully selected black teas from gardens in South and Southeast Asia ($5.50)
- Oat milk substitution ($0.75)
- Vanilla syrup addition ($1)
- Caramel syrup addition ($1)
If this order seems like I enjoy dessert drinks, it’s because I do. Typically, I enjoy coffee and tea drinks more the less they taste like coffee or tea.
ChatGPT estimated the drink had about 320-360 calories. I thought oat milk made it healthier, but it also said that oat milk generally has more calories than cow’s milk, which I didn’t know. But Google’s AI Overview response to the question “does oat milk have more calories than regular milk?” said “No, oat milk has fewer calories than regular milk.”
Despite the sugar content, the chai latte strikes that tricky balance between cozy and invigorating. The shop’s house-made chai concentrate tastes alive with spice, you can actually pick out the cardamom and ginger instead of just feeling a vague “spiciness.”
The cinnamon adds warmth without overpowering, and the black tea underneath gives it just enough bite to keep things from getting too sweet. Blended with milk, it’s smooth and aromatic — the kind of drink that makes a gray morning feel a little more generous.
Night Swim Coffee Roastery & Cafe
Location: 4500 Old Pineville Rd., Charlotte, NC 28217
Cuisine: Coffee, pastries
Instagram: @nightswimcoffee
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Evan Moore
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