Iron + Grain Coffee House — Restaurant in Davenport

The shop in East Moline is a great space. They're right close to a music venue, a bar/grille, and other shops, all in a neat redeveloped industrial space. It's a bit of a hike out that way for me, though, all the way across the I-74 bridge and down the river to get there. I was very happy to find Iron + Grain had this location in Davenport, as it is a much closer drive from my Bettendorf home.

From the outside, a few things are apparent about Iron + Grain in Davenport. The first is the overall space it occupies on Main Street. The building is by itself, with substantial outdoor seating available. The second is that this clearly used to be a bank of some type.

That bank theme carries into the interior of the space. If it's clear that Iron + Grain remodeled an old car manufacturing facility for their space in East Moline, the interior of this space also still has clear elements of it's past function. Most obvious is the bank vault that now has two large tables and a screen for meetings. More discreet are the numerous small details in the main dining area, like the florescent fixtures with bulbs still present but not on, the HVAC vents in both the floor and drop ceiling, and the two different colors of ceramic tile and the further wood laminate across the whole space. Replacing what would be the harsh lighting are a few strips of accent lights and some other unique looking suspended fixtures. The seating is similarly as varied as the East Moline location - each table has a different type of chair.

No judgement is being passed on any of this - I love the uniqueness of the space and the fact that elements of it, like the vault, the drive thru, and the light fixtures tell the story of the space's past while still supporting it's current use. It's a renovation that is as unique and interesting as the East Moline location, just a bit smaller.

I got my usual coffee shop order today - a green tea with a chocolate chip cookie. The tea was bagged Republic of Teas, which is clean and good tasting (here as much as it is in Panera Bread). The cookie was tasty as well - soft and a little crumbly, betraying a heavier use of brown sugar for the sweetener, something else that I like in my cookies.

The experience dining in was further added to by the soft Indie music playing the entire time. I like it when cafes understand how to do this - not necessarily the fact that the music is in the Indie pop genre itself, but that it's quiet enough to ignore but present enough to enjoy if desired. It doesn't permeate the space to a degree that requires patrons to speak above it - which keeps the overall noise level low.

I really like this place - as much as the East Moline location. There's plenty of parking, the ambiance inside and out is good, and the tea and pastry taste great too. I'll be back to visit again soon, and I recommend this to anyone who needs a cafe to crash in for homework or remote (real) work. Thanks,...

So the other day my sister & I stopped here and I ordered a pumpkin/white mocha latte and she got a vanilla/caramel latte. They gave us our drinks and we drove away. My latte was super good but hers had zero flavor and just tasted super watered down/not sweet at all. My sister asked if we could go back and have them fix it. So we pull back up to the window and I explain the situation to the worker (it was not the same worker that helped us the first time) and as I am explaining the girl is looking at me very confused, almost like I’m trying to scam them. So I just continue to tell her the situation and after staring at me for a good 8 seconds not saying anything she goes “….ok?” And proceeds to take the drink back from me. As I’m handing her the coffee back I held up my coffee (the one that tasted good) and said “is there anyway you can just make her the same thing I got?” And told her the order of mine. The girl looks at me and goes “and what’s wrong with your coffee??” super rude and I said “nothing is wrong with my coffee it’s perfect that’s why we just want to do another one of this kind since the vanilla/caramel had no flavor. She says “ok……” with a major attitude and then closes the window and says something to her co worker. Then proceeds to hand us back the original coffee we had the first time just with “3 more pumps caramel”. My sister said it tasted a little better so we just took it and drove away. I am not the type to ever complain about my order not tasting right and it is for this EXACT reason!! There was no need to give the attitude I received, if I pay $7 dollars for a coffee I have a right to expect it to have flavor/not taste watered down!! No idea what the girls name was but she had red hair. If a customer is complaining about the way something taste just remake it for them with a smile and without the attitude!! It’s not that serious. Also the fact that she took the drink that we already drank out of back & just added to it is extremely unsanitary and should not be allowed. Due to this service I will not be coming back...

Iron + Grain is aesthetically pleasing, however they miss the mark on quality and customer service. The Davenport location gives me a different tasting beverage every single time. There isn't a recipe that seems to be followed, along with grounds every single time. (No, it's not from cinnamon or any other topping.) I did a family order recently (four drinks) and every one was wrong. The prices are almost laughable. $6.96 for a small blueberry and vanilla iced latte?! I'm very aware of price increases on ingredients, but these aren't even high quality ingredients. They are cheap syrups. If the quality/taste matched the product and experience than I totally understand. The employees are also not friendly at all. I've had one nice gal inside one time but other than that, nope. I gave up going here but decided to give it another chance. I am very disappointed and will not come back nor will I recommend this...