A new coffee shop has opened its doors in Charlotte's lower South End, bringing seed-oil-free lattes, fruit-forward refreshers and a seasonal sweet potato chai to the neighborhood known as LoSo. Simpli City Cafe, owned by Marian Chisholm, occupies a 700-square-foot space at 3216 South Blvd. #101, with two indoor tables seating about four people and a handful of outdoor patio seats.
The cafe is a Black woman-owned business built around the idea of serving drinks without the heavy sugar and processed ingredients common at bigger chains, according to qcitymetro.com. Chisholm told the outlet that everything on the menu is seed oil-free and dye-free, and that the milk used is organic and hormone-free, with an oat milk option that contains no gums. Her blueberry vanilla and vanilla syrups are made in-house, while the rest of the syrup lineup comes from small producers, per the same account.
What's Actually in the Cup
The signature Simpli Fierce pairs espresso with caramel syrup and a chocolate-espresso cream topping, while the Simpli Sunshine smoothie blends mango, pineapple, sea moss, coconut yogurt, orange juice and coconut water, the article notes. The menu also includes smoothies built around sea moss or probiotic yogurt, plus fruit-forward refreshers and housemade pastries. Drinks are sweetened with organic raw cane sugar, agave and honey rather than more processed sugar, and the cafe is currently running a limited-time pumpkin spice tiramisu made in-house alongside a seasonal sweet potato chai.
Where exactly the coffee beans come from is murky. Qcitymetro.com reports the beans are locally sourced, currently from Platform Coffee on Charlotte's west side, while Axios reports the shop uses locally roasted beans from Jags Head. The two accounts were not reconciled.
Why Chisholm Built It This Way
Chisholm said becoming a mother made her more intentional about what she puts in her body, and that she did not want the cafe's drinks to be dominated by sugar, according to Axios. She also said the location near the rail trail was intentional, since walking it can be part of a daily wellness routine, the outlet reports. Simpli City Cafe sits in the same building as Platform Sports and Sun's Kitchen in lower South End, giving the block another food-and-drink stop alongside existing tenants.
Hours are also inconsistent across coverage. Axios lists the schedule as Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., while qcitymetro.com reports the cafe is moving to 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. as its regular hours going forward. Both accounts agree the shop is closed on Sundays, except for a free monthly pop-up called Simply Sundays, which opens the cafe on a Sunday once a month.
Expansion Plans Still in the Works
Beyond the current menu, Chisholm has discussed pursuing a beer and wine license, adding mocktails and activating the courtyard space outside the cafe, according to qcitymetro.com's reporting. Those additions have not been confirmed as completed. For now, Simpli City Cafe gives lower South End customers another alternative coffee option in a corridor that has seen steady cafe turnover, from CHNO Coffee's move into the Elan LoSo apartment complex, as reported by Axios Charlotte, to Giddy Goat's own South End opening covered by the same outlet.
