Grounds Coffee Bar — Restaurant in Crystal Lake

I want to like Grounds so, so, so much. I want it to be my coffee spot. I want to support local small business. But I'm always disappointed. I started going to Grounds in late 2021 and my drink was inconsistent. I'd order the same thing and it tasted different every time. Drinks were usually unbearably sweet. Pastries were good, though.

I took a loooong break from Grounds and finally decided to give it another shot. I'm so sad to be wildly disappointed again. First, my breakfast sandwich was cold. Like, fridge cold. The barista apologized and made a warm one that was so hot that I couldn't eat it for 10 minutes.

I ordered a regular coffee and the half and half was the consistency of skim milk. The barista said, "A lot of people say that, but it's half and half! I think it's a more natural half and half. It's what our supplier gives us. Just trust me! It's half and half!" I don't really care that it's "called" half and half, it was the consistency of skim milk and it was not good, lol. It hardly creamed up my coffee.

This one is maybe me being nitpicky, but I was a barista for 10 years so I have a little higher standards. I had to make multiple trips from our table to the opposite end of the store to get our food and drinks, when the baristas were just standing around talking. As soon as I grabbed one thing, they'd call my name again and I had to go all the way across the store again to get it. We came in with 3 small kids and clearly had our hands full. I would NOT have expected this of them if they were busy, but they were literally just standing at the cash register engrossed in conversation.

They also made my husband's caramel latte hot instead of iced, but they happily remade it for him. When it came, the caramel was sitting at the bottom so I had to mix it up. Despite him ordering it half sweet, it was SO mild. It tasted more like mildly flavored milk than a coffee drink. Barely any coffee taste.

Again, the pastries were good. The breakfast was just OK. Coffee was not good. I'm so sad. It's cute inside and I WANT to love this coffeehouse, but I guess it's...

This coffee shop is one of the best I have been to. It was very warm and cozy and the barista was the best I have seen.. We were traveling from downtown Chicago on the metra and due to a few hiccups along the way, we ended up at the coffee shop while we waited for uber. It was around ² pm today on valentines day. She was so warm and friendly and when we explained to her the crazy horrible day with were having, she gave us complimentary coffee. She was great at making suggestions for lunch and made us feel right at home. The coffee was hot, fresh and tasted amazing. Perfect on a snowy day. I could go on and on about how amazing it was. To the barista who helped us- thank you so much. I wish I would have gotten her name. I hope your manager gives you a raise. Because you deserve it. Your kindness really made a huge difference in a less than desirable situation. Thank you. Great place,...

I hate to bash on a local place but I think that’s part of the issue here.. this place has local prices for very mediocre coffee and coffee crafting. I will pay whatever kind of up-charge local price, if that means getting a good and better product than a chain. I paid almost $9 for a SMALL latte, which tasted terribly imbalanced, overly-sweet and just frankly gross. I watched the barista let my shots die before adding anything and C’MON for a coffee place charging $9 for a small, I shouldn’t be getting dead shots with Torani syrups. I had to throw the drink out and I walked over to Starbucks around the corner, paid $6 for a grande and left with a bitter taste about throwing almost $9 to the trash. The place looks appealing and...