Folks Café

If you want an authentic empanada that’s offered in several varieties, then check this place out. We got the choripan empanadas, banana walnut bread, a croissant sandwich, and coffees. The empanada pastry was flaky, and the filling was delicious. I was given a huge slice of banana walnut bread, and it was the best banana bread I’ve ever had. The Vietnamese coffee was, in a word, life changing. I’m going to have to find places near me that also serve that style. It’s a small building and can get packed quickly, but be patient. It’s well worth the wait!

This was such a cute little local cafe. The baked goods were delicious, the coffees were some of the best, and the empanadas were tasty! I’ll definitely be back! The staff/owners were so kind and it was so cozy I don’t think you can get that many places these days - though cozy it is a pretty small space so I wouldn’t say this is a place to take large groups.

My wife and I stopped in for a date lunch and loved it! I had the Sanchocho soup along with empanadas, and both were fantastic – the soup was especially rich and flavorful. She ordered the beef fried egg platter and a ginger honey latte, and everything was spot on. The café itself has a very cozy, welcoming vibe that made it easy to just relax and enjoy our time together. We’ll definitely be back!

Happen to hear about this place on Facebook and it did not disappoint. The Vietnamese coffee is fantastic and the empanadas are off the chain. When you walk in there is a wholesome vibe and very welcoming. I will definitely be returning.

Folks is a great little hole in the wall place to get a coffee and breakfast! The food items I tried were exceptional, the cappuccino was tasty and packed a punch, the seating areas both inside and outside were so cool and homey, and the service was excellent. This is one of my favorite small businesses in Wilmington, and I wished I lived closer to it so I could go there every day. It is a must try in Wilmington!

So the atmosphere is amazing, it true this is a hidden gem. The lady that took our order is super sweet and welcoming. The older man who made our coffee was super sweet as well. We love their the Vietnamese coffee it was delicious. The food needs major upgrades! I had the breakfast bowl and the eggs and potatoes were under cooked, my wife’s hammer sandwich was served with thick eggs most like a microwave eggs and thin ham it looked only one piece of ham was given. My wife also tried the empanadas (beef) unfortunately it was given to us cold.

What a hidden gem! Was introduced to this place as a friend. It was amazing! While I only had a latte all their food looked delicious! I will definitely be back to try some!

This is an absolute gem of a place! The proprietors clearly care about their customers and the food they serve! Their empanadas are amazing— in fact you can’t go wrong with anything on their menu.

Cute, cozy and quaint cafe. Parked for Free on the street. Not many tables inside, but there were still open spots for us to sit down. For breakfast, tried the meat lover omelette, egg and cheese, croissant sandwich, and two empanadas (beef and choripan). I liked how all of the dishes were garnished with fresh spinach leaves and an orange wedge, making them look colorful and appealing. My partner enjoyed his omelette, which included chorizo and julienned ham slices. Omelette was presented differently than the typical omelette, with it cooked/shaped as a bowl and stuffed in the middle with fillings. They don't make croissants in the house, but they bake them so it's nice and crispy. It was very filling. Next time I'll add ham to it to give it a salty taste. Empanadas were delicious. Served with a chimichurri sauce. Beef empanada was a little bit on the sweeter side. Their espresso machine was broken so they only had black coffee. Black coffee was alright, nothing special, but, it was nice to drink hot coffee out of a mug, making me feel like I was at home. They have coffee cards, which you hole punch yourself. You get a free coffee after getting 10 hole punches. If you care, your clothes might have a little bit of a cooking smell after being in the café for a while.

Everything was Awesome!!! We also had coffee, cappuccino, mocha, coffee, breakfast bowl, and a lemon and blueberry cake !!!! Sorry, no picture of the lemon blueberry cake. Ate it too fast.

Que rico! We always go here for the empanadas and the fresh baked pastries. Mama is very sweet to us and always enjoy seeing her smile. Very crowded on the weekends so get there early if you plan to dine in for breakfast with a large family or group!

My wife and I stopped in for a date lunch and loved it! I had the Sanchocho soup along with empanadas, and both were fantastic - the soup was especially rich and flavorful. She ordered the beef fried egg platter and a ginger honey latte, and everything was spot on. The café itself has a very cozy, welcoming vibe that made it easy to just relax and enjoy our time together. We'll definitely be back!

What a great little hidden gem. A must stop while in Wilmington. The empanadas are fantastic and the owners are extremely nice. Love it

The sweetest service experience you'll ever have. So personal, amazing food, absolute landmark.

I completely underestimated this place. I judged it before going in. Huge mistake!! The owners were so welcoming with great hospitality. The inside looked like a cozy cafe. The food was absolutely delicious!! Everything was baked and made fresh. It was a lot of us and we each tried different things. We all enjoyed every bit of it. The bagels and croissants were so good. The bacon was cooked to perfection. The omelets were nice and fluffy. Everything was just delicious!!

Quaint and Welcoming. Great coffee, the owner are a wonderful South American Couple. Down Home neighborly Cafe! Exquisite Pastry!!

the best coffee and food in town!!!! great place and such sweet people who run it!! great outdoor area also! would highly recommend

Cutest little cafe with amazing food and lattes! The friendliest owners and staff. 10/10 would recommend coming here

Food was good the people and service are great.i had a comfortable feeling when i sat down to eat it feels like home..!

Amazing hidden gem. This is exactly what Wilmington is built upon. The inside is so charming and smells amazing as soon as you step in. The patio outside is awesome as well. It was our first time here but the hostess treated us like we had been there before. Amazing food full of flavor.

What's better than fresh roasted coffee and empanadas?! This cafe is a gem. We were warmly welcomed with big smiles. The owners are so kind, you feel like you're at home. We ordered 4 different types of empanadas and got the Lite and Medium roast coffee. All for $18. The coffee was so delicious. You can taste the love in the cup! There is indoor seating with cute homemade artwork on the walls. We can't wait to go back

I felt like I was home. The service is awesome and they take the time to get you what you need. We drove from Surf City, and it was 100% worth the trip. The Vietnamese coffee is the best I've had in the states. Period. And the empanadas are amazing. This is our new favorite and go to breakfast spot!

Went for breakfast before an appointment downtown and was greeted by the warmest environment! Service was fantastic and I felt like I was family immediately and I could tell other guests felt the exact same way! We ordered one of each of the empanadas and they were all so worth it! I recommend trying them all to see what you like and they're also so reasonably priced there's no reason not to! Also can't say enough good about the coffee! I got the Folks Mocha and it was seriously so good! Haven't had that good of coffee in awhile! Will definitely go back! Loved every inch of this place!

Friendly neighborhood coffee shop with the BEST cappuccino! Cozy and cute, seems to be family run

The food is amazing and the coffee is delicious!!! Highly recommend!! They roast their own coffee!

Visited for the first time on a Tuesday morning. Not a busy time. I had a latte and veggie burrito. Both were outstanding. They roast their own coffee beans - sounds like selling their beans is a good part of their business. I saw several bags sold when I was there. Inside seating is a little small but there's a nice outside area. Very friendly staff, great vibe. A little tight for parking and it's only a block away from a high school. Neither was an issue for me but may be a consideration. I'll be back - in a couple days!!

I luv this place. I felt like I was in my Yayas kitchen. The owners are so sweet and make you feel like you're family. The empanadas are delicious. We had the beef , sausage and chicken. They hav3 a nice assortment of pastries as well. We had the cinnamon roll and I had a chocolate chip cookie. They also roast their own coffee that was amazing. I got 2 bags of beans to take home. Don't miss out on the gem.

Delicious food, friendly service. Empanadas are wonderful, and a great selection is available. The bakery items are fresh and very worthwhile. A great way to start your morning.

The empanadas were delicious and the coffee was divine! The honey ginger latte was perfect!

Honestly, I am a little scared to make this review because I don't want too many people to know about it! This is a hidden gem in Wilmington! If you were looking for a true South American home-cooked meal this is the place! It's owned by a couple. The wife I believe is from Ecuador and the husband is from Argentina. They make traditional dishes and put all of their love and energy into them! Don't expect to go to this café to work on your laptop. There is no Wi-Fi! This place cultivates genuine human connections! You have to actually talk to someone when you're there! Or if you really are introverted, you can just read a book and sit by yourself! Overall: the food is great and the atmosphere is super cozy! 10/10 I would recommend. P.S. Their hours are not up to date and they have a handwritten menu daily!

Folks Cafe is a locally owned cafe in the northside downtown Wilmington area near Hi-Wire Brewery and the Cape Fear Museum. The owners are an adorable Latino husband and wife duo who provide a welcoming atmosphere. The interior is a collage of folksy paraphernalia all over the walls and random yet cozy furniture that invites people to stay and chat. They switch the coffee on tap everyday or weekly and very knowledgeable about the flavors and complexity of the beans. I love the homemade empanda options in the display and other sweet delights they offer. There's also some other savory selections to satisfy both your breakfast, lunch or snack needs. During the pandemic their hours have fluctuated but they also expanded the back of the cafe with outdoor seating which is very nice and somewhat shaded. Definitely nice, almost secluded cafe that feels like a community. I recommend giving them a try if you're in town for a visit, just moved in or looking for a place to add to your morning routine. Also, for linguist enthusiasts they host Spanish meetup and willing to converse with those learning the language.

Family owned and operated cafe with delicious coffee roasted in-house, homemade baked goods, freshly prepared food, and lovely empanadas with Argentinian chimichuri. The people and service are our of this world good.

This is my new fav place for breakfast or lunch when in Wilmington. Excellent chicken empanadas and breakfast burritos. Family owned and operated and it shows in the pride they take in everything they do!

When I think of coffee & breakfast, I think of this place. Small, warmly welcoming, full of bright colors and bursts of local & international flavor and accents, Folks is emblematic of the intersections of food and friendship that a port city should have. They roast their own coffee, and roast coffee for a number of restaurants in the city, and their Rx lattes are a feast in and of themselves. Today, we tried their Fig Latte, frothy with perfect folk and slightly sweet due to the figs and homemade fig preserve woven together with perfectly steamed milk. Quirky, delicious, friendly as all get out - Folks is an intimate glimpse into the beautiful possibilities of delicious diversity.

I seriously hesitated to make a recommendation on this great little cafe because (selfishly) I do not want it to become really popular. This is our favorite coffee spot. It's family owned and they roast the coffee in-house. They are always welcoming and super friendly and... the food is delicious also.

Felt like we were invited into their home and served a home cooked meal with yummy coffee. Everything was SO good!

Love love love this coffee! This is what coffee is supposed to taste like. You can tell the coffee beans are roasted with tender loving care. The pastries are excellent as well. Looking forward to our next trip.

Folk's Cafe is a sweet little local cafe we stumbled across on a weekend trip to Wilmington. We could tell there's a good local gathering and it was overall a cute place to stop. It appears to just be the owners who run the cafe and they do take their time with service, but seem to enjoy what they do. We took their lead on pastries for breakfast and ordered some coffees to eat in the cafe. Overall things were good and they did a great job of dressing up our food. I also got a ginger-latte and it was very gingery with fresh ginger in the bottom. My biggest suggestion would be for the ginger to be in a tea bag because the ginger chunks really ruined the end of my latte. Overall, we were pleased we stopped by, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to go back, hence the 3 stars.

Great food and vibe from this down to earth local joint that we stumbled upon while passing through Wilmington. Using egg soufflé for its breakfast burritos and sandwiches is genius. The burrito doesn't fall apart in your hands and stays piping hot until the last tasty bite. Incredibly friendly staff - you can tell this place is loved by the locals.

I never expected, when I pushed the door to a very unassuming building open, to find anything close to a good cup of coffee. But hope pushed open the door and I went in expecting at least something I could drink without wincing and thinking I had mistakenly picked up a cup of water from my paint brush to sip. Walking in, you might be forgiven for thinking you've entered a place which specializes in the resale of items plucked from a garage sale. It is a cacophony of furniture--artwork, and chairs, tables, benches and lamps. There is so much visual stuff going on, it is hard to find the menu, or the food at first. Really. But I spied something that made me stay. Actually two things. One a tray of chocolate chip cookies that looked "real". They were NOT smothered by saran wrap. They were real, looking like someone within a proximity of 20ft actually baked them. Ok I'll bite. One latte, one iced coffee. The latte beats anything McStarbucks can do. Beats the beloved local Port City Java chain of muddy brown water. Would Folks Cafe beat Portland or Seattle or even Durham? Possibly not, but if you really know you coffee and want to sustain your tastebuds to the highest level available, you won't go wrong here. They come fairly close to Stumptown perfection. After sitting for a spell as they say here in the South. It was evident that a great number of the patrons were from "somewhere else'. Australian and British English accents and the lilt of Spanish wafted through the air. Who knew this quiet little place was really the United Nations? I saw, as I was trying to negotiate what Folks had to offer, other baked goods and specialties. I will be back to enjoy what is clearly a community space mixed with a good heart, an eclectic sense of decor and good solid coffee.

Folks Cafe offers fresh and delicious breakfast and lunch. I love the friendliness of the staff and selection of items you don't see every day. It's cozy inside and has a large outdoor dining area. Definitely a must-try!

The food and service were fantastic! The place is super cute and I will definitely come back again.

My favorite place to go on a Saturday morning!! Tammy and Juan are the sweetest people and such a delight to see. Not to mention their pastries and coffee are the best in town!! We love this little hidden gem.

What an adorable cafe and restaurant!! The food and drink are amazing and the staff so kind and friendly. I highly recommend this little treasure...you won't be disappointed!!

Delightful, cozy, and the Argentinian pastry was delicious: a shortbread cookie sandwich with dulce de leche in between and rolled in coconut. Also a fig ginger latte which was so special and tasty - perfect amount of sweetness and zing. They make the preserves in house and I saw another reviewer complaining it was too gingery because they encountered ginger pieces? Personally I really appreciate a fresh and made-from-scratch approach, plus it was delicious. I guess some people should stick with artificial syrups for snow cones and Starbucks in case they get too triggered by real ingredients. Love the vibe and location- definitely stop by!

Such sweet owners! Good empanadas and cute atmosphere. Definite visit whenever in town.

We went to Folks for the first time today. What a great place to hang out. Their baked treats are incredible (didn't get an empanada today, but will next time) and their coffee is great aaaannnnd it is roasted in house. We liked it so much we decided to get some beans to take home with us. We started talking with Tammy about what kind we should get and that turned into her mixing us a special espresso blend to take home. We also bonded a little with her about having moved to Wilmington from Southern California. When you meet owners who are this welcoming and wonderful it really makes you want to go back as often as you can and when their products are as good as Folks' are it makes you want to go back that much more. Looking forward to our future visits and excited to try our espresso blend tomorrow morning!

A true family owned gem of the community. Juan and his family make you feel like you are part of their family when you walk in the door. Not only is the coffee amazing but the empanadas are absolutely delicious, especially with their homemade chimichurri sauce.

Fabulous coffee, wonderful staff! Outside seating is great on the those nice mornings too.

South American-influenced cafe (where I assume the owners are from) in a residential area of Wilmington with a very local, homey vibe. When I arrived, almost all of the folks in there, a middle-aged, jovial group, were talking with the friendly and smiling woman behind the counter. I instantly felt welcome and at ease. The coffee was good for the area but not great, really what one would expect from your traditional neighborhood cafe that cares about providing high-quality coffee. It is not trying to be a specialty roaster or that new third-wave coffee shop serving exotic pour overs and made-from-scratch croissants. What it does do, however -- providing a range of roasts (all organic or free trade), espresso drinks, and food options (mostly sandwiches I believe) -- it does very well. The space, while small, was comfortable and homey with the perfect ambience to sit down and read a book, meet with a friend, or get some work done. Overall, Folks is a unique neighborhood café near to Downtown Wilmington that really cares about its coffee and, most importantly, all of the guests that walk through its doors.

Man, if Folks Cafe was open later than 2:00 I would never leave! It's a deeply charming, quirky, intimate place. The menu changes regularly, and you can always trust them to have some kind of new and delicious specials. Just order them, whatever they are. You won't regret it. I still dream fondly of the Ecuadorian pork sandwich. The owners are so exceptionally warm and welcoming, and if they see you once they seem to remember you forever and give you an excited welcome and hug when you walk in. All sorts of delicious coffee drinks, to boot. Just go. It's delightful.

Folks Cafe did not disappoint. The neighborhood is a little sketch but trying to come back. The inside of Folks is extremely charming.... In fact, everything about Folks is charming, the staff, the atmosphere, the food. I ordered a Meat Lovers Omelette to go, and a Folks Mocha. I was given a eco box and went on my way back to work. I wasn't expecting much when opening the box but WOW, was I impressed. The presentation of the food inside was well done. Bravo, Folks Cafe. Bravo! I will be back for sure. (my crap phone camera does not do the presentation of the food well at all. It's much nicer in person.)

What a hidden gem! Empanadas were best we've had in a long time ( since our trip to Ecuador). Soup was hearty and delicious! We'll be back.

Got the chance to try breakfast here this morning & it was incredible!!! I got the "Eggy" & it was the best croissant i've ever had! Fluffy & buttery :-) I also got a cold brew that was soo flavorful + coffee ice cubes! I couldn't stop eyeing the pastries & will be trying one next time! All the staff had smiling faces & it was clean inside

Best coffee I've ever had!! Most welcoming place with the kindest, most amazing owners. I feel I am home the moment I open the door. Highest recommendation!!

How fun. Passing through town and stayed at an ABB and walked to the Closest coffee shop. How was Met there by the owner an older Italian man from Sicily. Their dark coffee is delicious. And every time a new customer comes in. Him and his son ring the bell. What a fun experience. If you wanted to come home from vacation with a story to tell. you should stop in here

I first want to start off by saying I never review anything on here but after this experience I couldn't help myself. I walked in this morning to get an iced coffee and both of the owners had helped me. They were very friendly and welcoming. I waited no more than 5 minutes for my coffee and when I went to pay they said it was on the house because "I had waited too long." And I swear it had only been just a few minutes. I'm still in shock from how kind and gracious this was. On top of this the coffee is excellent and I will definitely be back in the future!