Wilmington, North Carolina
Like The Complex Bean, this is an ongoing log rather than a single review. Coffee shops earn repeat visits, not one-time write-ups, so I’ll keep adding to this post as I go back.
Concorde Espresso Bar sits in the building that houses the Front Street Inn — one of downtown Wilmington’s quaint local bed and breakfast hotels. The coffee bar is tucked in the back. You do not need to be a guest of the inn to go there. What you absolutely should not do is park in the guest-reserved spots. They watch those like a hawk, and towing is a real risk. The place is popular enough that they enforce it.
Two Personalities, One Address
Concorde has a genuine dual existence. Mornings and afternoons, it runs as a full latte, tea, and espresso bar. In the evenings, it flips into a cocktail spot built around espresso martinis and similar drinks. Depending on the time of day and your mood, you’re getting a completely different experience out of the same address.
I made most of my use of it in the mornings. Once I moved downtown, The Complex Bean — which I’ve also reviewed — stopped being a quick trip, so Concorde became my more frequent stop.
The Drinks
Concorde also carries coconut milk as an option — worth calling out, because in Tampa it seems to be everywhere, but in Wilmington it was genuinely hard to find outside of Concorde and The Complex Bean.
I worked through their Italian sodas and their lattes, but the one that became my genuine favorite is the Latte Olivia. The espresso beans come from South America, pulled as a double shot, and the cream component is built from dulce de leche — essentially the same ingredient base used in a tres leches cake, folded into the latte instead. It’s decadent, and it’s an excellent way to warm up on a cold morning.
The Pastries
Their almond croissant earned a spot on my regular order. I feel an obligation to try an almond croissant anywhere I see one on a menu, and this one holds its own against the competition.
A cautionary note on timing: Concorde sells pastries until they run out, and Sunday is the worst day to look for them. Their baker resupplies Monday and Tuesday, so if you want the full spread of what they offer, aim for Wednesday or Thursday — you’re guaranteed a full case.
The S’mores I Haven’t Tried Yet
I never made it to one of their signature evening offerings, but it’s worth mentioning for anyone reading this before their own visit. Concorde has an outdoor patio in the back with seating arranged around outdoor heaters — not quite a campfire, but close enough in spirit. One menu item lets you order a proper s’mores kit: skewer, chocolate, graham cracker, and marshmallows, uncooked, so you build and melt your own over the heat while sipping a latte or an espresso martini. By all accounts it’s a great experience. I just haven’t gotten around to it personally — yet.
The Sofa Room
One of my favorite spots in the entire location is a small room with a couch, dark wood paneling, and that unmistakable old-world feel. The couch itself is comfortable, if a little low for someone my height — once I sat down, I generally didn’t get back up for a while. Concorde lets you order through a QR code straight from your phone, which means once you’re settled on that couch, food and drinks just keep arriving without you having to move. It’s a genuinely great way to lose an entire Sunday afternoon, and I’ve done exactly that more than once.
On one of those Sunday afternoons, I met a woman there, and we got along well enough to see each other twice more after that. It didn’t last. But that’s my own fault, certainly not the responsibility of the espresso bar. LOL.
The Verdict (So Far)
Concorde earns its place in the rotation for the Latte Olivia alone, and the sofa room turns a coffee run into an actual reason to stay. Still owe myself a s’mores evening on the patio.
More updates to come.
The Menu
Concorde Espresso Bar — Front Street Inn, Wilmington, NC Type: Coffee Shop / Cocktail Bar Ongoing log
