Stompin' Grounds Cafe

The menu organization needs improvement and none of the staff wore a mask which is disappointing. I don’t understand how they can’t be more respectful to their customers during a surge. Makes me miss Old World Bakery, a LZ institution for decades that was in the same space, even more.

Also if the pastries are that great, none are arranged in an appealing way in the case to make me want to try one.

It's great to see a local coffee chain, something other than Starbucks locations. The locale is inviting, the baristas are quite good, BUT in the midst of a pandemic their staff do not wear masks and put patrons at risk. I visit many other independent coffee shops, from Long Grove Coffee, to Newport coffee in Bannockburn, Conscious Cup in Barrington, Hansa coffee roasters in Libertyville and Lake Forest and masked staff is the norm. So I will drive a bit further, take my $ elsewhere where I feel the business is trying to protect it's patrons and it's workers.

Great to have a high quality coffee shop in the area. Locally owned and operated. Very pleasant and spacious interior. Nice surprise to see that you can also have a glass of wine in the afternoons!

I just went today and it was so nice! The baristas were warm and welcoming which matched the cozy setting. It's a great location situated across from Breezewald Park and the lake. I took my little guy there after our coffee date with my sister, which was super convenient.

Best of all, they serve Conscious Cup, which is local, ethically sourced, and a superb roast. I am so happy LZ finally has a legit coffee shop!!

Love this place! Great atmosphere, everything is delicious and even have gluten free items. Across from the lake, nice to meet up with friend or to have some alone time.

Very friendly staff. Great cafe for all seasons! Pet friendly too.

Nice place. Decent service. I got their Dreamsicle smoothie. It tasted like basically nothing; as if someone had taken paper, a drop of lemon juice, ice and blended it together. Their turtle cheesecake had way too much butter so it was basically inedible to my taste. I bought some coffee beans off the stand also. Hopefully they're good...

Best scones I’ve ever had! Great local atmosphere. Love that they use organic and fresh ingredients.

I really wanted to like this place as its within walking distance from our home but we've had a few too many experiences there now that have rubbed us the wrong way.

The service is disjointed at best and I was shocked to see that when I ordered an iced coffee, she filled the cup with water first then pulled out a stained plastic container of concentrated coffee to mix into the water. It was akin to what I'd drink when desperate while camping.

As a cafe that pride's itself on organic, all natural, clean ingredients, I was pretty surprised and disheartened to see that their iced coffee isn't fresh and is stored in an old stained plastic container. If they aren't willing to serve fresh iced coffee, a nice mason jar for the concentrate would at least improve the optics of it.

So for now, we're on a break! Hoping that with time and some more authentic reflection on the feedback the community is providing, it will be the destination that everyone in LZ is rooting for it to be.

Edited to add:
The owner wrote a rather condescending response to my review, rather than being reflective and acknowledging my experience as their guest.

As an avid coffee drinker, I am well aware of the different forms and productions of ICED coffee...I actually prefer the bitterness and don't enjoy COLD brew at all. Iced coffee is meant to be brewed hot, then chilled and served over ice. If you're going to continue concentrating your brew, then at least put the water in right after so the water has time to steep with coffee. Concentrate added to water then immediately served is cheap.

As far as my suggestion to use glass, not sure what what was meant by "sweet" but it comes across as rude and condescending for some pretty simple feedback. It seems clear from reading the other responses from the owner that they are not open to reflection on their practices.

pretty good coffee and pastries! almost all the staff there were friendly and professional, it’s nice to grab a higher quality cup of coffee on the way to run some errands