Groundhouse Coffee

Been here a few times since I left Gardner but am disappointed each time I go back. The flavored lattes are overly sweet and the plain lattes seem bitter. Not sure if the baristas are letting the shots die or if the espresso pull is too hot and long. The pour of the milk was thick and fast which doesn’t help the espresso mix and allow for latte art to be done. The barista also didn’t clean the steam wand between each time of steaming nor did the barista wash the milk pitcher between steams.

Great coffee and great community partner. They have been very accomodating of Cub Scout and Boy Scout Leaders meeting in their coffee house for several years. The delicious coffee kept us energized to do our planning. Thank you!

Gardner finally has a well designed and professionally executed coffee shop. No homemade signs or tripping over other patrons in this one. Pastries are good, but not prepped on site (trying to put a kitchen in a historic two story building would be a mess). The staff are always on the ball and are easy to deal with. Good stuff.

If coffee is your drink, this is the place to go. Knowledgeable baristas are ready to make a delicious cup of joe for you! Don't worry if you're not a connoisseur of coffee, Groundhouse offers plenty of coffee-free beverages, too! Expertly brewed/blended, you'll be pleased. They serve crepes on the weekend, too, and offer lunch-go-to options. The environment is conducive for meetings or study, too.

Good local coffee shop in downtown Gardner. Has a nice selection of coffees and scones. Most importantly they have crepes. Many crepes.

Also have some gluten free items.

Delicious crepes. Great atmosphere. 4 stars just because the wait for food after ordering is a bit long, and the Gordon Bleu crepe needs desperately about twice the amount of gruyere cheese.

Really not the greatest. Generic at best.
It didn’t start good since I had to repeat several times and one word at a time what my drink was, to find out in the end the girl at the register wrote a totally different order.
While waiting at pick up I got time to watch the baristas run their bar and I really wasn’t impressed.
One girl did my drink entirely, noticed it was almond milk written on the cup, tossed her mistake in the sink and rinsed the cup (I personally would save the plastic cup but as a barista I‘d worry more about lactose contamination, at the very least ask the customer if they’re intolerant).
She started the drink again and as suspected after watching her go through every step one more time and announce the drink, this was not what I ordered.
Before picking it up I asked a third barista to confirm what kind of drink it was (you never know, I could still get what I wanted). Not what I wanted, she sighed, took the drink, tossed it completely (even the cup) and there went drink #3. Guess what, still not completely right but at this point did I care? Maybe more than the girls running the floor. The way they maintained their espresso machine was questionable: steaming wands and milk pitchers need cleaning after every drink.
In the end I got an average drink. Overly sweet (I couldn’t drink it all it was getting gross), Torani syrup for generic sugary flavours, no coffee to taste since they forgot it in their third attempt and the chai comes in powder (for added sugar and no spice).
Oh yeah I ordered an iced dirty pumpkin chai with almond milk (they advertised pumpkin chais so might as well try it, big mistake).

Best place for coffee in Gardner hands down. The managers come from the coffee business and understand how to apply it to a small midwestern town. The coffee is great. They use Parisi beans, which I've always enjoyed. Some might complain about the lack of a kitchen, but they bring in their pastries from a local bakery and they are priced reasonably. If they added a proper kitchen, it would likely take from the massive floor space and add to the cost. The employees know their regulars' and even semi-regular's names which really makes you feel comfortable. Fast, free Wi-fi is also a plus, even if expected these days. Also great, are the many types of seating. They have a couple couches, a couple cozy seats by a fireplace, typical tables and high tables, large tables by the windows, and a huge tables in an attached (not closed off) area great for meetings.

TL;DR Groundhouse has great coffee, reasonable prices, outstanding staff, and a great environment.

Great coffee very pleasant staff I found the customers surrounding me playing games provided for customer use. Being from Seattle coffee houses are not unfamiliar to me and In a world of cookie cutter coffee shops it is truly refreshing to find a hidden gem like this.

When you think of coffee house, this place is it. Rustic decor, well trained baristas, friendly staff. Frequent entertainment. Very nice coffee menu, plus tea and cold drinks as well. You won't be disappointed.