Grounds Coffee Bar

Went there for boba, but none was available. Got my daughter a pastry instead and the music was too loud for the cashier to hear what we wanted and ended up giving us 2 items instead of 1. Spent $15 on stuff we didn't intend to. Overall it was an expensive and disappointing experience. I'm also updating my review from 2 stars to 1 after reading the unprofessional replies the owner has written to some of these reviews. I prefer not to patron places with unprofessional owners who blame their employee's mistakes on their customers.

Cozy, modern coffee shop with stunning interior. Plenty of seating inside. My favorite drinks are the vanilla matcha with oat milk or an iced vanilla latte!

great place to hang out with friends and drink some coffee, staff is super sweet and kind

Just no. Pictures online look nothing like what's serving at the store. Strawberry latte tasted like coffee and chlorophyll if that's your thing. The lavender latte was equally bad. Like someone crushed petals and just shoved it in coffee with no thought of flavor composition. So strong it was like a sage based stuffing. Not something that blends well with coffee. Not worth the trip or horrible parking situation.

Great coffee and eats. Skip the corporate shop around the corner and get Grounded at Grounds!

The drinks are very overpriced and the owners of this establishment are shady. They pay the baristas different wages and keep it a secret from one another. (Until they all found out and quit, I may add.) they didn’t take proper protocol and procedures during the pandemic, they hosted a gathering of 20+ people, and forced employees to socialize with customers unmasked during the peak of covid. I visited last week and paid $9 for a small iced cinnamon roll latte and it was missing a topping. When I addressed the issue on Facebook, grounds coffee deleted my comment. There are better local shops to give your money too! I do not recommend.

Best coffee in CL this side of Daily Projects. Good but not overwhelming selection, served by a friendly staff. Great for a quick cup before catching a train. Big bonus points for renewable paper straws!

2022 UPDATE: Grounds has moved to a newer, bigger spot across from Olympic. Still a nice and clean space, with a good amount of seating and an expanded food selection. Wait times have increased on some days, as the space can accommodate a larger volume of patrons than staff can quickly handle.

Very yummy stop. Pleasant indoor seating. The pumpkin chai I had was super good - and I'm not a big pumpkin spice person. The pastries were yummy - I think some are from Konrad's bakery in Lake In the Hills - which is my absolute favorite bakery in the area. There is some seating outside the store and Crystal Lake downtown offers some pleasant park areas nearby. Good to stop and enjoy a warm beverage on a cool fall day!

Terrible experience. The barista overcharged me for my drink, (which is typically half of the price I was charged), the drink was not made correctly, and was a small instead of a tall. Barista would not own up to her mistake of overcharging, or the fact that she gave me a smaller size than what I ordered.

Loved the lavender lattes.
Comfortable seating and good menu