Fair Grounds

Establishments that sell or prepare food must generally allow service animals in public areas even if state or local health codes prohibit animals on the premises.

This place is right across the street from a Starbucks, and it beats it out every time I'm in the area. They have a great drink menu with unique, fun flavors. The atmosphere is homey and provides a nice space for meeting up with friends and getting work done.

Forgotten order. Breakfast sandwich was barely warm, bread was soggy, not toasted at all. When asked about what happened with the coffee, no acknowledgement but yet watched still as other customers who came in well after me still got their order. When my coffee, which should have been hot, finally came out, it wasn't full and practically cold, too. We came here from Suffolk for the first time on a recommendation...will not return.

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

Fair Grounds is has an amazing atmosphere that's hard to beat, and their coffee is great too. The only drawback is that their prices, in my experience, are a bit higher than their competitors and parking can sometimes be a pain to find. It's definitely worth visiting if you're looking for a place to relax and wind down.

Small coffee shop. Friendly staff. Bring your own mug for a discount. Board games and card games and some books available to borrow/play free. Several separate seating areas including screened-in and outdoor seating. Love to stop by here on our way to the zoo. Steep staircase with no handicap entrance, but if you can get their attention, they will bring your food/coffee down to the outdoor seating area with a handicap ramp or also give you a hand getting up the stairs.

A small, cozy, independently run coffee shop.
Nice selection of loose tea, coffee, espresso drinks, baked items, and breakfast sandwiches made to order. The decor is fun but you need to climb stairs to get in... Bear that in mind if you have physical challenges.

Great coffee selection and really comfortable atmosphere with plenty of space for personal or collaborative work. Baristas are friendly and knowledgeable. There is a nice selection of board games to choose from while you enjoy your time there.

Short version: Small local business. "Cozy" small cafe with a hipster kinda feel to it. From our experience, the service was quick and polite. Even got a little conversation going on with one of the female baristas. She was friendly. Worth checking it out.

Long version: Went here for the first time. My wife and I found out about this place because they carry baked goods made by My Vegan Sweet Tooth (a bakery in VA Beach). Finding the place was a little confusing, as it is a house converted into a "cafe".

The service was fine. Very quick and the guy who rang us up gave me suggestions for drinks. Very tasty, I got a "Godfather". My wife ordered a almond milk latte with vanilla syrup. Her drink was a bit lacking, it wasn't anything great so she ordered another. It was a drink of the day, I forget the name, but it had the word "Yams" in it. She enjoyed it.

Prices, comparable to Starbucks but without the typical burnt coffee bean taste that Starbucks has. They also have almond milk and non-dairy options for lactose intolerant/vegan people.

The vibe I got from the place was, hipster/hippy. Granted, this is subjective and someone might get a different opinion on this. Not really my thing, but its ok.

Overall, it was a decent experience. No complaints here. Also, don't park in the neighbor's driveway. We made that mistake. Haha, sorry.

[Addendum Jan. 2020]: In re comment by David S that we customers may be permitted to bring in our own food if we wanted "something heavier" to eat, I must conclude differently... a few years back I would occasionally bring with me a sandwich I had just bought from Doumar's or similar, with no complaints. Then all of a sudden, one day, the bald owner accosted me briefly to ask me to put my food away! I lost no time shooting back that he'd never protested my eclectic tastes before! Upshot of all this is some good advice for Fair Grounds: stop pushing just BLTs (they're good, though) plus the other supposedly trendy sandwiches I rarely hear anyone order. Get some variety & some imagination.

You must try this out if you've never visited. It's a cozy order-at-the-counter café operating in the upstairs of a re-purposed old frame house, and it's starting to be a habit with me. The doctored-up iced coffees are fun, but I lean toward the pure & plain. There are both tables to sit at and lounge chairs to sit in. You never know what new interesting folks will wander in, and you're bound to overhear a whole range of small talk, since the rooms are small and since phone booths are scarce anymore. There's even a not-quite-all-there local regular, a woman, who seems to wander in every time I'm there, easily striking up a convo with people she seems to know or anyone else.