Krankies Coffee

Krankies Coffee is a coffee roaster and restaurant in downtown Winston-Salem, NC — one of the city’s first specialty coffee roasters, operating since 2003 out of a historic brick railway warehouse at the corner of East Third and Patterson, near Bailey Park in the Innovation Quarter. Krankies roasts its own small-batch coffee on site, and over two decades it has grown from a funky coffeehouse into a full roastery-restaurant with a scratch kitchen and a bar.

The coffee is the foundation, but the biscuits are the legend. Krankies’ big, buttery Southern biscuits — the Krankies Classic and the bacon-and-pimento-cheese “Dirty South” among them — have earned a cult following that pulls in locals and travelers alike. The room is exposed brick and post-industrial, with local art on the walls, live music on the calendar, and the occasional rumble of a passing train.

Be sure to check out the pictures below to get a feel for Krankies Coffee before you go — or to relive the visit after.

Twenty Years of Reshaping Winston-Salem Coffee

Krankies started in 2003, when a group of friends created something Winston-Salem hadn’t seen before — a coffeehouse in the city’s former industrial district, in a stretch of downtown that has since become the Innovation Quarter. It was one of the first specialty coffee roasters in the city, and it helped set the direction for what has become a substantial local coffee scene.

The approach has stayed intentional rather than flashy. Krankies sources beans from smaller farms, favoring slower-ripening varieties grown at higher elevations, and roasts them in house to bring out the character of each origin. House blends sit alongside single-origin specialty coffees from farms like Finca Helvetia in El Salvador and Finca La Cascada in Nicaragua. The result is the kind of roasting program that satisfies serious coffee drinkers without alienating the person who just wants a good cup.

Around 2016, a major renovation added a fully equipped kitchen to the warehouse, letting Krankies expand from coffee and baked goods into full breakfast, lunch, and bar menus built on locally sourced produce and meats — while keeping the exposed-brick, post-industrial character intact. Owners John Bryan, David Franklin, and Mitchell Britt built the food program to match the attention that goes into the coffee.

Krankies’ influence on the broader Winston-Salem food scene runs deep. Camino Bakery got its start in a tiny bakery in the basement beneath Krankies before growing into three locations of its own, and Justin Webster — who went on to open the James Beard-nominated Heff’s Burger Club — was Krankies’ head chef, building his following on the shop’s biscuit menu before striking out on his own.

The Coffee, the Biscuits, and the Room

Everything starts with the coffee. The house-roasted beans turn out smooth espresso drinks and drip coffee with distinct origin character, and the baristas have a reputation for latte art, with some having won competitions for their pours. You can drink it in the café, take beans home, or subscribe to have them shipped.

The biscuits are the reason a lot of people come. Big, buttery, and thoroughly Southern, they’re served with house-made spreads, pasture-raised meats, and vegan options. The Krankies Classic is the staple; the Dirty South, loaded with bacon and pimento cheese, is the crowd-pleaser. Beyond biscuits, the scratch kitchen runs inventive, seasonal dishes drawing on North Carolina’s farm-to-table producers.

The room is as much of the draw as the menu. Krankies occupies part of an old warehouse, and it doubles as a community hub and cultural space — displays of work by local artists, live music including a long-running Monday jazz night, and a steady calendar of pop-ups, performances, and events. There’s a full bar with beer, wine, and spirits, and the whole place carries an eclectic, unpretentious energy that has made it a downtown fixture for two decades.

Good to Know

• Location: 211 East Third Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101 (corner of Third and Patterson, near Bailey Park)
• Phone: 336-722-3016
• Hours: Monday–Friday 8 AM–3 PM; Saturday–Sunday 8 AM–2 PM (check the Krankies website for current hours)
• Founded: 2003, in Winston-Salem’s former industrial district
• Owners: John Bryan, David Franklin, and Mitchell Britt
• The building: A historic brick railway warehouse with exposed brick and post-industrial character
• The coffee: Small-batch specialty coffee roasted on site; beans sourced from smaller high-elevation farms; house blends plus single origins; beans available in-store, by subscription, and shipped
• The biscuits: Big, buttery Southern biscuits — the Krankies Classic and the bacon-and-pimento-cheese Dirty South are the signatures
• The kitchen: Scratch breakfast, lunch, and seasonal farm-to-table dishes (full kitchen added around 2016)
• The bar: Beer, wine, and spirits
• Programming: Local art, live music (including Monday jazz), pop-ups, and community events
• Winston-Salem food-scene roots: Camino Bakery started in the basement beneath Krankies; Justin Webster of Heff’s Burger Club was Krankies’ head chef
• Best for: Coffee drinkers, biscuit seekers, remote workers, brunch, live music, and anyone exploring the Innovation Quarter near Bailey Park
• Pair with: The full Winston-Salem food and beverage cluster; Camino Bakery, which started in the Krankies basement, and Heff’s Burger Club, whose chef came from here; Camel City Coffee and Chad’s Chai for the rest of the local coffee and tea scene; or Bailey Park and Incendiary Brewing Company at the nearby Bailey Power Plant

A Winston-Salem Highlight

Krankies has been waking up Winston-Salem since 2003, and two decades in, it’s hard to overstate how much of the city’s food scene traces back through this warehouse. It was one of the first specialty coffee roasters in town. Camino Bakery started in its basement. Heff’s Burger Club chef Justin Webster built his following on the biscuit menu here before opening his own place. For a coffee shop, Krankies has an outsized footprint on the city.

The coffee earns the reputation — small-batch, roasted on site, sourced from high-elevation farms, and poured by baristas who take their latte art to competition. But the biscuits are what turn a first visit into a habit. The Krankies Classic is the one to start with; the Dirty South, with bacon and pimento cheese, is the one you’ll come back for.

Come for breakfast or brunch, settle into the exposed-brick warehouse with a cup and a biscuit, and stay for whatever’s on the calendar — Monday jazz, a local art show, a weekend live set. Krankies has never been the average coffee shop, and that’s exactly the point.

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Resources

Krankies Coffee Website

Krankies Coffee Facebook

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