This place is extremely popular, and I've visited multiple times before, including their coffee shops. A majority of the staff were welcoming, but when we first arrived, no one acknowledged or greeted us for about five minutes while we waited to be seated. Mind you, there was a line so acknowledging our presence would have been appreciated. There were also quite a few dirty tables that had not been cleared, which seemed to delay seating for everyone. I'm not entirely sure how their first-come, first-served policy works, but when it was our turn as a party of two, we were told the wait would be another 30 minutes. I had pointed at a table that people were sitting at and were boxing food and I asked if this table was available. She said no because that table was a table for four. I've actually been here with my husband and sat at said table of four. The party of four behind us was seated immediately, at that table. I completely understand that larger tables are often reserved for bigger groups, especially during busy hours, but it became frustrating when we ended up waiting over an hour for our food. The table seated after us had already eaten, paid and left before we even received our meals. There were also several careless mistakes throughout the experience. My cup arrived with lipstick stains and smudges on it. They did apologize and replace it immediately, which I appreciated. A dishwasher not washing a lipstick stain is not really in their control, but it is in their control to serve me a dirty glass. When my food arrived, it was completely covered in sesame seeds to the point that it looked excessive and unintentional. My husband actually watched the girl, who was the one in charge I guess of filling sauce and grabbing dishes from the kitchen, dump the sesame seeds onto the plate, and even our waiter, who was not the person handling the dish, agreed that it looked drenched in them. They corrected the issue for us, but for a meal that cost over $100 (including tip, for a table of 2) without alcohol, I expected more attention to detail. They were all really understanding of the issues and corrected them. On top of that, someone who was not our server added two extra drinks to our bill when we were paying. That was $11 on our bill. Again, mistakes happen, especially in busy restaurants, but after multiple issues throughout the meal, it started to feel careless rather than accidental. I do appreciate that staff tried to fix the problems when we brought them up, but I wish there had been more mindfulness and attention to detail overall. read more

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Food is DELICIOUS - however it's VERY expensive here! Service is pretty good, often felt like we had to flag server down (2 dine-in visits thus far). One morning with 2 breakfasts & 2 coffees + tip it was $70. Ouch! Lovely food choices, some great healthy choices & some delicious griddle offerings. Everything was very fresh, great quality & food came pretty quickly. Coffees always great, but if you're getting a latte I highly suggest ordering in a to-go cup and extra-hot. Glass cups small & get cold fast. It's great decor & has a modern-bright-beach-vibe. Super clean as its new, hope it stays that way (happens a lot here locally that restaurants get kinda dirty, we travel a lot & especially in Raleigh the restaurants there are always kept very clean even over years in business). read more

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Hello, I visited your location today at approximately 11:10 AM at July 4! After being seated, my party waited approximately 13 minutes without being greeted, acknowledged, or served. During that time, I observed a couple who arrived after us receive service from the same server who appeared to be assigned to our area. They were able to place their order and receive their items while our table remained unattended. At no point did anyone explain a delay, check on us, or acknowledge that we were waiting. After approximately 13 minutes without service, we decided to leave. The experience left me feeling that our table was being treated differently from other customers, and I would appreciate an explanation of what occurred. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response. i've been to this location multiple times and I've never had this encounter. Definitely was the staff and use this issue to be resolved immediately or I'll have to resolve it myself. DESCRIMINATION read more

I primarily go to drift Downtown and sometimes Hanna center. When I heard about this opening, I was really excited and it certainly is a fantastic addition to Wilmington. It is super clean, very open, and the vibe is fantastic. As always, the staff was totally on point and the food was so good. I wanted to keep eating after I was already full. There's booths there's chairs, outside seating, and just the feeling of having a lot of of room to operate and not being on top of each other. Thrilled with this opening and support drift in every way possible. Check it out! read more

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The service was a little slow but we went on a Saturday so they were a little busy. Very spacious and bright, which I like. We both enjoyed our food. There is a nice private area you can sit as well. We will go back again! read more

Love this place! Great service, super friendly staff and beach feel atmosphere! Most notable, the food.....always delicious and satisfying.

The restaurant is very cute and I always love coming here, but the coffee isn't that good I've tried multiple different coffees and they aren't good. Maybe it's the ice? Idk lol. Good service and food is good! read more

Most underrated burger place in Wilmington!! The smash burger is clean, flavorful, and charred. We substituted the fries for their potatoes. They are amazing and cooked to perfection! Everyone was extremely nice. The restaurant is nice and clean! I wish I took a picture of the food but I ate it too quickly! read more

I would rate the service except there wasn't any. I sat at the bar and asked the woman if I could order there, she said yes and that's where it ended. I watched as the three ladies walked in circles making coffee and serving food. When the register line became empty, I eagerly awaited a greeting, a water, someone handing me a menu..anything. But nothing. No glances, no "be right with you," nothing. What good is a beautiful space if your servers ignore the customers? Thanks but no thanks to a $14 avocado toast and rude staff. read more

We're compiling a list of favorite local places to go, and were looking forward to trying Drift. We were under the impression from driving by and local buzz that Drift Coffee was a place to hang out and have coffee and baked goods, but no. It's (meh) another chain restaurant which unfortunately didn't give us a reason to stay long, nor a reason to return. The inside didn't appeal to us-- it was loud and echo-y, and though appeared white and clean, not warm or a fun place to be... maybe that's the vibe they're going for, more distinguished and upscale, which isn't us. Oh well. When the staff realized that we needed to change tables and were simply ordering coffee, their reception toward us visibly changed and became noticeably chilly. That was the turning point for us: that's when we felt unwelcome and it was as if they couldn't wait for us to leave-- the server's words were verbally polite, but her superficial smile and manner seemed insincere and the only time she seemed warm toward us was dropping off the overpriced check for two coffees and a credit card sized GF blueberry crumble that wasn't even made in house, and it tasted that way-- was warming it up even an option? I was afraid to ask at this point. With so many other coffee places to choose from, we likely won't be back to Drift, though the decor and food will appeal to others. read more