Hex Coffee, Kitchen & Natural Wines Offers Japanese-Hawaiian Fare in Charlotte | Eater Carolinas

Tucked into Camp North End, I see Hex Coffee, Kitchen & Natural Wines as the permanent flagship of Chandler Wrenn and Tanner Morita’s near–decade-old roastery — a sleek, semi-new space that opened in May 2023 combining a Japanese-Hawaiian food menu from chef de cuisine Obadiah Rysztak with a sprawl of coffee, tea, beer, and natural wines and a calendar of community-centric pop-up events. The menu gives Hex an identity beyond coffee: housemade shokupan anchors a panko-fried pork katsu sandwich and a peach-and-brie fruit tartine with pistachio crunch; the Spam musubi is a salty-umami favorite with teriyaki-sweetness and nori; avocado toast becomes an avocado tartine with tomato miso, furikake, and bright lime; a breakfast rice porridge features melty pork belly, a poached egg, and smoky charred cabbage; and weekend brunch expands the offerings with karaage, waffles, and taiyaki. Hex balances often gatekeep-y ideas like terroir and natural wine with unpretentious hospitality rooted in Wrenn’s motorshop memories, and it programs approachable events like the monthly Tipsy Food Series (smash burgers, Nashville hot chicken, hot dogs paired with chilled wines) to welcome people into the conversation. - Kayleigh Ruller