Food and Drink

This uptown Charlotte cafe sat empty for months — see what’s taken its place

This photo shows a cafe interior with large floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto a street. A small white table is surrounded by four modern, olive-green upholstered chairs, with a colorful flower arrangement on top of the table.
Indigo Tea + Coffee Co., a Black-owned coffee shop, has a new home in uptown Charlotte after closing its original South End location back in January. Photo by Reba Cox

A specialty coffee and tea bar has found new home in uptown Charlotte just a few months after closing.

Indigo Tea + Coffee Co. welcomed guests into its new space at 644 N. Church St. during a soft opening in late September, taking over the former Queen City Grounds spot, according to a recent Instagram post. That coffee shop had closed in May.

A close-up shot features a clear plastic cup of iced, caramel-swirled coffee or tea with an “indigo tea & coffee” label. The beverage is sitting on a gray counter, with a tiered stand holding colorful, reflective candle holders blurred in the background.
At Indigo Tea + Coffee Co., French press and drip coffee are on the menu, as are cold brews and specialty tea lattes. Photo by Reba Cox

Indigo, which shared a space with Alongside Brewing, closed the doors on its original South End location on July 1 but teased plans about its next chapter, CharlotteFive previously reported.

When the brewery closed, “we sort of had to pivot,” Indigo’s owner Reba Cox told CharlotteFive. She said the coffee shop’s official grand opening is slated for early November.

“This is gonna be a bigger and better space for us,” Cox said in a video shared on Instagram, acknowledging that it’s been “kind of a long road” to Indigo’s reopening.

This image captures a view down the length of the cafe’s bar area, featuring dark gray walls and a bold, colorful floral-patterned accent wall extending up to the high ceiling. In the foreground, there are dark wooden bar stools pulled up to the counter, with a glimpse of the green velvet table seating on the left.
Indigo Tea + Coffee Co.’s new space includes a cocktail bar and beer on draft. Photo by Reba Cox

“I want to thank you all for your love and your support, and most of all, your patience,” she continued. “Let’s keep the coffee flowing and the good vibes going.”

Indigo Tea + Coffee’s menu

At Indigo Tea + Coffee, customers can sip on 20 different flavors of coffee, including pistachio, cinnamon bun, vanilla bean and hazelnut, just to name a few. Cox told CharlotteFive that many of the flavor syrups are made in-house, which she feels sets Indigo apart from other coffee shops.

Two branded coffee or tea drinks sit on a counter in front of a bright window, with a large, delicate orchid plant next to them. The clear plastic iced drink features a playful ghost shape made of white cream floating on top, next to a white paper hot cup.
Indigo Tea + Coffee Co. specializes in specialty lattes, served hot or iced with more than a dozen flavors. Photo by Reba Cox

“We’re best known for our specialty lattes, particularly the espresso and matcha,” she said. Flavors such as brown butter sage, banana bread and coquito are also crowd favorites and available year round.

French press and drip coffee are on the menu, as are cold brews, specialty tea lattes and pastries from local vendors.

Indigo’s coffee beans are sourced from Latin America and the Caribbean, regions that have played a role in the type of fare and flavors offered at the Black-owned coffee shop. The new space features a full kitchen and will soon begin rolling out food that “reflects that heritage,” Cox said, noting her Jamaican and Puerto Rican roots.

Customers will also find a cocktail bar with beer on tap. Plus, there’s an upper level that will serve as a co-working space by day and transition to a lounge area at night.

This photo looks across an upstairs mezzanine with a black metal railing overlooking the main floor below. The ceiling is industrial with exposed silver ductwork, and the space is decorated with large, unique lighting fixtures, including two shaped like white umbrellas.
Customers at Indigo Tea + Coffee Co. can sip a latte in the quaint co-working space on the shop’s second level. Photo by Reba Cox

Cox said she prides her business on being a space that supports and celebrates Charlotte’s local community.

Indigo Tea + Coffee Co. is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Indigo Tea + Coffee Co.

Location: 644 N Church St, Charlotte, NC 28202

Menu

Cuisine: Coffee, tea, cocktails, small bites

Instagram: @indigo4thward and @indigoclt

This photo shows a cafe interior with large floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto a street. A small white table is surrounded by four modern, olive-green upholstered chairs, with a colorful flower arrangement on top of the table.
Indigo Tea + Coffee Co., a Black-owned coffee shop, has a new home in uptown Charlotte after closing its original South End location back in January. Photo by Reba Cox
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This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

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Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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