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Coffee shopCoffee shop

Fair Grounds

★★★★½ 4.6/5 (100 reviews)
$
806 Baldwin Ave # 2, Norfolk, VA 23517 (757) 640-2899 Website
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Reviews (100)

Igor Kuzmin
Igor Kuzmin
★★★★★ Jan 20, 1970

Chill and positive environment. Lots of places to sit (even outside) and it just looks like a big house. They have board games, music playing overhead, great coffee drinks & snacks, a bathroom, and a table of local business cards.

James Jimison
James Jimison
★☆☆☆☆ Jan 20, 1970

Fair Grounds coffee review. The place is definitely cozy, relaxing atmosphere, on the second floor which makes it even cozier! But there are some things I’ve noticed, for example, The dirty dishes bin is tucked on a lower shelf, I’d have to pull it out, and then place dishes inside…inconvenient. Even though they have a wide syrup selection, the flavors are artificial, so you’re basically putting chemicals in your body, The latte is ok, not anything to get excited about, nor the pastries, for they’re also not made in house or naturally. But there is history to this place, which is why it’s popular. If there’s anything I would change, I’d like them to make some natural in house syrups, or switch to a natural syrup brand like 1886, and do research and purchase natural pastries to sell to customers. Disappointingly I will not be returning to Fair Grounds.

Debbie McDaniel
Debbie McDaniel
★★★★★ Jan 20, 1970

Fairgrounds is a sunny and beautiful little coffee shop. It has 3 rooms with various types of seating. There is also a large round table in another room with a toaster, dish drop off and various sweetners. Upon entering, there is a deck with outside seating as well. To get to the coffee shop you have to navigate 2 short flights of steps. I gave 4/5 stars for atmosphere, yet it was a tad warm as windows were open instead of a/c. The drink menu has lots of cold and hot selections Today, I chose to have a Chocolate Mocha latte hot with cinnimon and cayenne. It was yummy. The young barista was helpful when I requested a spicy drink. I added a bagel with cream cheese as well. I gave 4/5 stars for food because i had to heat my own bagel with an unfamiliar toaster. Even though it was a nice touch to have wrapped bagel, i had to fiddle with it to toast it. While working on this, there were people trying to fix their coffee in the same space. There was also a man working behind me at tge large table on a computer. They offer 3 differant types: everything, plain and cinnimon-raisin. There were other options as well that would have been made behind the counter. Business was steady. Barista was friendly and engaging. Drinks were hot and yummy. My bagel was simple and easy for a late lunch selection. Bathrooms were upstairs and clean. There was streetside parking and a lot out front. Come visit for coffee or tea, a sandwich or snack. Also they sell coffee products on site. Wifi is free too with lots of tablespeace to spread out.

James Hogan
James Hogan
★★★★☆ Jan 20, 1970

A nice, funky place to get a good cup of Joe.

Slex
Slex
★★★★★ Jan 20, 1970

Delicious coffeshop with a local flair. The cafe had a really warm and relaxing atmosphere, and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.

Mary-Ann L.
Mary-Ann L.
★★★★☆ Jan 20, 1970

I fell in love with this place when I lived in Norfolk, this was my go to happy coffee place. Even loved it more as I remember my first date here. Just very cozy with nooks where you can sit and chat, or sit to the side and play board games with friends. It’s a transformed old house with benches outside and the charm of creaky steps to the upper floor and open upstairs landing that you can imagine used to be a living room with a fireplace, a dining room with windows. Coffee and beverage selections are varied including tea and sandwiches. Service is friendly, you get discount when you pay cash.

Wheeler Darden
Wheeler Darden
★★★★☆ Jan 20, 1970

A nice, if not in need of a little renovation, coffee shop in Ghent. Great cookies and tea as well as coffee. It's a throwback to the 90s

Nathan Frantz
Nathan Frantz
★★★★★ Jan 20, 1970

I had a first date here once that ended up in a 3.5 year relationship. That's my recommendation.

Sandra Shields
Sandra Shields
★★★★★ Jan 20, 1970

We had a great experience at Fair Grounds! It’s a cute spot on the second floor of an old house. Nice atmosphere. Between us we had a mug of coffee, one hot and one cold specialty coffee. We also had sandwiches.

Caleb Orcutt
Caleb Orcutt
★★★★★ Jan 20, 1970

Quick, cheap and yummy. Got hot chai w/ shot of espresso. Put a fresh sparkle on the afternoon.

sage del campo
sage del campo
★☆☆☆☆ Jan 20, 1970

UNFAIR grounds….the barista was hostile & the owner came & I was asked to leave after ordering & paying for my coffee because i’m disabled & have a medical alert service dog. disgusting environment & horrible customer service. I will be taking action. if you support discrimination then 10/10 recommend. thanks for breaking FEDERAL LAW Mike!

Nicole Hancock
Nicole Hancock
★★★★☆ Jan 20, 1970

Cute little coffee shop located upstairs in an old building. It is quiet and cozy inside with a decent amount of seating. They have several types of coffee to choose from as well as smoothies and various lunch items, and everything is affordably priced. I wish they had more of a pastry selection, and the breakfast sandwiches are meh. Not a bad place to cozy up with a coffee though ☕️ the employees are really nice too.

Quinton McDonald
Quinton McDonald
★★★★★ Jan 20, 1970

Let me tell you If I could give this place 10 stars then I would. The Staff is very friendly and knows their information about different coffee blends and more. I felt so welcomed and warm here. This will be regular coffee spot from now on. I learned a fun fact today. This is the oldest independently owned coffee store on Hampton roads. Congratulations on the 21 years of being opened and serving customers with astute and astounding food service and quality. I highly recommend this coffee store and I would come out of my way to come here. Please check this coffee place out if you haven't already.

Evelyn Sutherlin
Evelyn Sutherlin
★★★★★ Jan 20, 1970

Incredible atmosphere, very good place to meet up with friends or do something creative. They have a bookshelf with free books and incredible coffee.

Mike Pandolf
Mike Pandolf
★★★☆☆ Jan 20, 1970

I love supporting local businesses and in the past I have supported this one. However, at $3.50 for their smallest regular coffee. I am having difficulty returning. I generally ignore people’s politics, however, I have a hard time walking through the lobby of a self proclaimed “local radical feminist bookstore” in order to enter the coffee shop.

Lee Elia
Lee Elia
★★★★★ Jan 20, 1970

A great old friend still welcoming, cozy, and delicious...

Charlene LeBlanc
Charlene LeBlanc
★★★★★ Jan 20, 1970

Had the hot chocolate and it was amazing! Chill vibe with indoor/outdoor seating.

Yamariah Walters
Yamariah Walters
★★☆☆☆ Jan 20, 1970

I was excited because the coffee was good. But when I got to my location to eat the food I noticed two hairs in my food. I called and left a message because no one answered the phone. I also send a message on instagram. Two hairs in my food is not food safety. In the second photo the hair is on the lid of the container, I pulled it off the tomatoes in the sandwich. The second hair is on the egg.

Ryan Ballard
Ryan Ballard
★★★☆☆ Jan 20, 1970

This is a pretty cool little hole in the wall coffee shop in Historical Ghent, but their coffee is not the greatest, at least what myself and my wife got, which was the cinnamon roll coffee and a vanilla latte. The Cinnamon Roll coffee had coffee grounds that every drank you took you were chewing them and the vanilla latte tasted like regular coffee with a little sweet but no vanilla. The magical hot chocolate was good though. Might go back to try something different

Hope Myers
Hope Myers
★★★★★ Jan 20, 1970

Such a nice local place to stop and get a nice cup of tea after dinner. I love the comfy homey vibe here. Staff was awesome. Wish we lived closer because I could see this being a favorite haunt. Will definitely return when we’re back in the area to visit!