The Coffee Grounds

What an unusual place. I will definitely come back. Lots of specialty items, good coffee, liquor, wine, kitchen gadgets.

As I have experienced it, Coffee Grounds is a cute and well-done combination of café, deli, and wine shop.

There’s a nice selection of cooking curios, cheeses, and other delicatessen staples, a generous selection of wines and other alcoholic beverages. It all *feels* local, but I’m not sure how local the wares actually are. Regardless, there’s lots of interesting wares to look at and browse while waiting for food or friends.

At the counter, there are café staples: coffees, espressos, hot chocolate, teas, muffins, scones, and so on. They also have a menu of breakfast entrees like oatmeal, eggs, and so on. While it was delicious, my breakfast entree was $10–11 for not much food—a bit expensive by my measure. I would have rather paid less for that portion size or gotten a larger portion size for what I paid. I suppose it’s more expensive because they don’t have the economy of scale that a dedicated restaurant would have.

This is my go-to coffee shop for getting work done when I’m in Eau Claire. It has free, unsecured wifi (no password required, either). On weekends, it’s usually pretty quiet around opening time and then for an hour or two. Last time I was there, the music was a little too rambunctious for optimal work, but I tend to be sensitive to that.

There are tables outside (behind the building) for those who want to bring a furry friend or just be outside! I don’t think they had a “doggy station” or trash bin for throwing away doggie bags (not that they need to; just remember to bring one if needed).

The bathrooms have always been very clean.

The staff has always been friendly. They’re short-staffed right now, so wait times are longer for food orders and they may have slightly reduced hours. (I hope they’re okay!)

There’s a back room with a semi-closed door I peeked in. The room looked like a brewery or distillery pub room. I’m very curious, but have never seen it occupied. I can see it being used for special events like catered company dinners, wedding receptions, and so on.

Compared to other coffee shops, I recommend the Coffee Grounds for meeting people, for catching up with friends, bringing out-of-town guests, going to get work done, or want to browse. It’s less busy/bustling than many breakfast places, so it’s excellent for getting work done.

Stopped twice while driving back and forth to Northern Minnesota. Both visits were uniformally excellent. Attentive staff, good service, perfectly prepared beverages, and tasty snacks that were fresh and not stale. Plenty of seating with tables spread apart to control Covid issues.

Excellent selection of quality food. Amazing cigar humidor with a knowledgeable person that runs it. I usually make my way here when I desire a quality cigar. Prices are pretty good for what is there. Requests for items seem to be answered. Overall, would recommend to anyone that wants something different.

Coffee was fair, but not great. Breakfast was pretty good.Recommend the red hash & eggs.

I love this place! They have some high quality light roasts that are leagues above chain coffee. There is a cute café with good coffee and pasties and chocolates. They also sell stuff like cheeses, honey and maple syrup, kitchen utensils, I think they sell alcohol too. I can't drink alcohol so I don't really care about that.

Well curated selection of booze, beer, and caffeine. A smaller selection of high end and priced grocery items. Microbrewery attached. Ample parking and a very clean spacious building. A little on the hipster side so be careful of man bun sightings. Ambiance is what you would expect from a place like this. Overall a good experience.

Such friendly service and so much more than a coffee place. Check it out!

Great place to find all my creature comforts in one place! Coffees are brewed to perfection, including quality preparation of specialty coffee beverages. Tremendous assortment of fresh-roasted coffee - will grind to your preference if you wish. A cook's dream with quality kitchen gadgets and cookware that is difficult to find in this area. Menu is largely sandwiches, soups, and salads, but everything tastes fresh and from scratch. Smaller selection of cheeses and local meats, but quality over quantity. They even have sinfully decadent chocolate truffles (yum!!!). Might be the best assortment of wines and craft beers (including now their own brews) in the area, at least of the stuff I like to drink. The atmosphere is a little feel of "warehouse" and could benefit from more "living room" feel, but not uncomfortable at all. Outdoor seating is provided when the weather is decent. All in all, a great establishment to hang out with friends.

Amazing selection of craft beer and hard to find liquors and wines. Friendly staff that doesn't hesitate to make your experience great. Great menu available as well.