Not particularly cute or comfortable, this is aimed at grab-and-go morning commuters and the Pilates set. What an unfortunate experience. I've been coming daily to this locale for over a year now, the staff are lovely and friendly every morning. But I had the unfortunate experience of meeting the owner today. Mind, this is a person of whom I had a poor opinion to begin with as he has difficulty keeping his staff in supplies: things like milk and cups. Rather important to a coffee shop. And he jerks their schedules around in a way which ought to be illegal--just HAVE a schedule, bro. But, he's also an a$$hole. On a personal level. To the clientel. The man says entirely unhinged things to people because he's a "business owner." How that's managed to last is a mystery as in any reasonable world he'd fail fast. I expect it is his general absence from the facility which allows it to limp along...without milk...or cups. (Re: Owner comment below, I've posted this review some months after the above incidents.)
Sahal Ansari
Ive been to this location many times over the past month. Today I ordered a egg and cheese kolache. Immediately after I had to use their restroom to throw up. Not sure what was wrong with this specific batch, but it made me sick.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
James R.
This place provides a real solid shot of espresso. The service was fast and we loved the glassware choice for the shot. They don't provide a side of soda water with the shot as some places do, but this was still a nice experience.
Joy E.
Fresh single origin beans and great staff! I always enjoy stopping in this place to get new beans and relax with a great coffee.
Kat Sparger
Love this shop and coffee! Godspeed if you need to take a drink to go and didn’t bring your own cup. 10/10 spill and leak everywhere:(
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Toh B.
Server was rude. I felt like I was treated as not some one here to spend money and pay tips. From the moment I walked in and ordered the interaction was just as though I don't belong here (guess my skin color doesn't quite match). And the worse part was the place says it is opened till 5 on Saturday on Apple map (sure yeah that's probably my fault lol). And that was the whole reason I was there. The server told me that they are closing in 5 minutes. Shouldnt this be something you tell a walk in customer before hand? I'm not here to spend 10 dollars and not even be able to sit down for a rest. And the server's attitude is, you can imagine, making it even worse.
J W
Groundswell has improved since I last lived in the neighborhood. The employees are no longer downright rude. Instead, they are just unfriendly. Coffee is average, pastries are average, food offerings are average.The place always smells a little of egg (gassy). There are better coffee shops in the area for service, drink quality, and food quality.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Barb Carr
I avoided this shop due to negative reviews but decided to venture in today and work a couple hours. The staff was friendly to me and everyone who came in after me. The vibe was very chill. WiFi was good. My latte was perfect. Looks like they’ve worked to improve. If you had a bad experience there, I’d give them another chance.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Grace Boehlke
I usually really enjoy this place, it has a good atmosphere, quality coffee, and friendly baristas. But recently they took the only item I could eat off their menu. There aren't any dairy-free options except one of their kolaches (and if it had dairy it was so little that it never bothered my stomach), but last time I went in the barista told me the owner stopped stocking that kind. I’d love to keep coming in here, but if I can’t order food it doesn’t really make it worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Olivia O.
The coffee was decent but I like to do work at coffee shops and there wasn't a large seating selection available, the wifi was slow and it was cold.
I ordered tea for almost $6 and received this tea in this beat up cup with the worst customer service ever! They didn't even apologize when I told them about it! Terrible place!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Gray Fox
This is neighborhood staple, with some of the most amazing roasting and atmosphere in the City. Unfortunately, I've witnessed all the regulars leave and the drink quality decline. I still wish to support but today when I witnessed the horrifically rude manner in which another regular was treated for who knows what reason, I was mortified!! The crew on the whole is skilled and amazing save the two baristas who insist on wearing masks for what seems nothing to do with health and covid, just to hide smirks and thoroughly unprofessional if not just unkind human behavior. Get it right Groundswell. Such a shame to ruin a brand just to keep a couple of idiots who obviously don't care about coffee culture or the overall experience. ALSO serving clearly and deliberately bad espresso drinks because of bad mood for the price is a crime... No self respecting coffee owner should make Starbucks look like a more palatable option ?
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Cheryl B.
Stopped to grab a coffee, just expecting a coffee. Holy cats! This is one of the best coffees I've had in my life. The staff and decor are very welcoming. It might be a bad thing I stopped in here. Will be all the time now
Aleena S
I guess not picking up your order within 30 seconds of the barista calling it warrants them to scream loudly and obnoxiously again about the order and have another point the order out to me. Yes, I was coming to get it after meeting my friend at the front of the store. There was barely anybody else in the shop so the whole ordeal felt extra and unnecessary. The coffee was good but the service won't have me returning.
Food: 4
Aviel Rodriguez
| TLDR | Pumpkin Pie latte is a solid choice, great work space, and chill vibes. Now here's the inside scoop:| Pros |☕ Coffee: they got a lot of seasonal and run-of-the-mill lattes (ex: avg. prices are around $5.35 w/o tax for a 12oz)? Seating: ample seating (granted my brother and I came in around 7:30am); ports kinda scarce if you want to get work done (they have a back room for seating where there are more ports)? Great WiFi: could be just me but I had some fluctuations in Wifi speeds, clocking in at an average of 83 Mbps. Password can be found where you add sugar and other stuff to your drink.| Things to Consider |? Customer Service: from the 30+ Chi coffeeshops I visited, it's very rare to come across a coffeeshop known for rude baristas. Although we didn't experience this ourselves (both dudes were great), I did sense a lack of social awkwardness from them. This is just my observation, so take it with a grain of salt .Overall, chill place to get some work done and get some hot coffee or apple cider. If you ever wondered which coffeeshop is sandwhiched between Edgewater and Lincoln Square, check out Groundswell (where the ground is always greener on the other side...of Lawrence)!
Not particularly cute or comfortable, this is aimed at grab-and-go morning commuters and the Pilates set. What an unfortunate experience. I've been coming daily to this locale for over a year now, the staff are lovely and friendly every morning. But I had the unfortunate experience of meeting the owner today. Mind, this is a person of whom I had a poor opinion to begin with as he has difficulty keeping his staff in supplies: things like milk and cups. Rather important to a coffee shop. And he jerks their schedules around in a way which ought to be illegal--just HAVE a schedule, bro. But, he's also an a$$hole. On a personal level. To the clientel. The man says entirely unhinged things to people because he's a "business owner." How that's managed to last is a mystery as in any reasonable world he'd fail fast. I expect it is his general absence from the facility which allows it to limp along...without milk...or cups. (Re: Owner comment below, I've posted this review some months after the above incidents.)
Ive been to this location many times over the past month. Today I ordered a egg and cheese kolache. Immediately after I had to use their restroom to throw up. Not sure what was wrong with this specific batch, but it made me sick.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
This place provides a real solid shot of espresso. The service was fast and we loved the glassware choice for the shot. They don't provide a side of soda water with the shot as some places do, but this was still a nice experience.
Fresh single origin beans and great staff! I always enjoy stopping in this place to get new beans and relax with a great coffee.
Love this shop and coffee! Godspeed if you need to take a drink to go and didn’t bring your own cup. 10/10 spill and leak everywhere:(
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Server was rude. I felt like I was treated as not some one here to spend money and pay tips. From the moment I walked in and ordered the interaction was just as though I don't belong here (guess my skin color doesn't quite match). And the worse part was the place says it is opened till 5 on Saturday on Apple map (sure yeah that's probably my fault lol). And that was the whole reason I was there. The server told me that they are closing in 5 minutes. Shouldnt this be something you tell a walk in customer before hand? I'm not here to spend 10 dollars and not even be able to sit down for a rest. And the server's attitude is, you can imagine, making it even worse.
Groundswell has improved since I last lived in the neighborhood. The employees are no longer downright rude. Instead, they are just unfriendly. Coffee is average, pastries are average, food offerings are average.The place always smells a little of egg (gassy). There are better coffee shops in the area for service, drink quality, and food quality.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
I avoided this shop due to negative reviews but decided to venture in today and work a couple hours. The staff was friendly to me and everyone who came in after me. The vibe was very chill. WiFi was good. My latte was perfect. Looks like they’ve worked to improve. If you had a bad experience there, I’d give them another chance.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
I usually really enjoy this place, it has a good atmosphere, quality coffee, and friendly baristas. But recently they took the only item I could eat off their menu. There aren't any dairy-free options except one of their kolaches (and if it had dairy it was so little that it never bothered my stomach), but last time I went in the barista told me the owner stopped stocking that kind. I’d love to keep coming in here, but if I can’t order food it doesn’t really make it worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
The coffee was decent but I like to do work at coffee shops and there wasn't a large seating selection available, the wifi was slow and it was cold.
Restaurantji Recommends
I ordered tea for almost $6 and received this tea in this beat up cup with the worst customer service ever! They didn't even apologize when I told them about it! Terrible place!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
This is neighborhood staple, with some of the most amazing roasting and atmosphere in the City. Unfortunately, I've witnessed all the regulars leave and the drink quality decline. I still wish to support but today when I witnessed the horrifically rude manner in which another regular was treated for who knows what reason, I was mortified!! The crew on the whole is skilled and amazing save the two baristas who insist on wearing masks for what seems nothing to do with health and covid, just to hide smirks and thoroughly unprofessional if not just unkind human behavior. Get it right Groundswell. Such a shame to ruin a brand just to keep a couple of idiots who obviously don't care about coffee culture or the overall experience. ALSO serving clearly and deliberately bad espresso drinks because of bad mood for the price is a crime... No self respecting coffee owner should make Starbucks look like a more palatable option ?
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Stopped to grab a coffee, just expecting a coffee. Holy cats! This is one of the best coffees I've had in my life. The staff and decor are very welcoming. It might be a bad thing I stopped in here. Will be all the time now
I guess not picking up your order within 30 seconds of the barista calling it warrants them to scream loudly and obnoxiously again about the order and have another point the order out to me. Yes, I was coming to get it after meeting my friend at the front of the store. There was barely anybody else in the shop so the whole ordeal felt extra and unnecessary. The coffee was good but the service won't have me returning.
Food: 4
| TLDR | Pumpkin Pie latte is a solid choice, great work space, and chill vibes. Now here's the inside scoop:| Pros |☕ Coffee: they got a lot of seasonal and run-of-the-mill lattes (ex: avg. prices are around $5.35 w/o tax for a 12oz)? Seating: ample seating (granted my brother and I came in around 7:30am); ports kinda scarce if you want to get work done (they have a back room for seating where there are more ports)? Great WiFi: could be just me but I had some fluctuations in Wifi speeds, clocking in at an average of 83 Mbps. Password can be found where you add sugar and other stuff to your drink.| Things to Consider |? Customer Service: from the 30+ Chi coffeeshops I visited, it's very rare to come across a coffeeshop known for rude baristas. Although we didn't experience this ourselves (both dudes were great), I did sense a lack of social awkwardness from them. This is just my observation, so take it with a grain of salt .Overall, chill place to get some work done and get some hot coffee or apple cider. If you ever wondered which coffeeshop is sandwhiched between Edgewater and Lincoln Square, check out Groundswell (where the ground is always greener on the other side...of Lawrence)!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5