Well Grounded Tea & Coffee Bar — Restaurant in El Cerrito

I’m honestly surprised this place has 4 stars? The cafe itself is a cute little hole in the wall. It's small, has limited seating, books to read, pretty simple, I loved it. What I expected and what I received was night & day. What ruins it is the service and food. When I walked in I wasn't greeted, honestly the staff was pretty awkward. They don't ask you how you're doing, and don't make you feel welcomed. I ordered an iced chai latte with avocado toast & a sunny side egg. My drink came out first and it was literally just milk with a little bit of chai flavor. The toast followed and it was literally the saddest meal I've seen, definitely not worth $16. There was barely any avocado to begin with, and they tried to cover it up with putting too many slices of tomato. They don't season their food, it was very bland, not even a little bit of salt & pepper was added! Again, for $16, you should do more than just light avocado, tomato slices and "Larrupin" sauce, not sure what that was anyway. When I returned it and said they forgot the egg, they gave it back with a food item that literally felt like rubber, which is what is in the second picture. I picked it up and it was felt similar to the putty that kids play with. My 1 year old was very hungry so I really tried to find something worth eating in it but I couldn't. She was crying since I had to return it-which was the worst part. I felt terrible. The girl behind the counter said this was how they made their eggs..fine, but why not mention that when I specifically said, "either sunny side or over easy is okay" No ounce of love was put into my order and it definitely looked/tasted like it. Save your money, and...

Even more recent edit: I want to like Well Grounded, I really do. It's my local coffee shop, I live blocks away, I want to support local business.

But the level of inconsistency is beyond frustrating and the complete lack of follow through with order times and updates is mind boggling.

If I order a drink at 7am, and it says I should pick it up at 7:30am, the drink should be made a few minutes before 7:30.

Not at 7:05 so it can sit there for 25 minutes without any notification that it is done... This is the 7th day in a row that something like this has happened.

Add in the hefty prices, and I'm going back to making my own.

Recent Edit: If I ask to purchase 4 beers, and it's literally more expensive than buying a 6 pack, why would you not make the recommendation to get a 6 pack?

No one has ever told me there is a discount for a 6 pack. I can't tell you how many times we've purchased 3-4 beers, without apparently knowing this entire time that it was literally half the price to purchase 6.

Knocking my review down to 4 stars, and not buying beer here anymore. I get that this is a neighborhood joint, but a little help next time would be greatly appreciated for a fellow neighbor.

Original Review: Cute cafe with well executed espresso drinks and a surprisingly large selection of sandwiches and other freshly made items.

Staff has been super pleasant and positive, and I couldn't be more excited to have this place within walking distance. Haven't heard or had a single complaint either.

Left the neighborhood 18 years ago and this is what it...

5 stars for food, 2 stars for service. We have been long-time supporters of this sweet neighborhood coffee shop - we want to see them succeed for years to come! However, there are service/training issues that need to be addressed ASAP. Each of the regular young staff I've encountered over the last few months need significantly more training and coaching from ownership/management to be able to do their jobs independently -- both on food prep, using the computer/register system, and order/time management. Today, for example, I waited 25 minutes for just 2 regular drip coffees and a bag of untoasted bagels (no prep). The staff were not able to accurately charge the order, mixed up a number of customers orders, and then gave me an incorrect order in the end. Of course, folks were late to school and work as a result. This is typical of my last 10 experiences. Yet we keep trying again!

Unfortunately, this is becoming a running joke in the neighborhood, which isn't fair to the young staff who are polite and want to succeed, or to the ownership/management who may not be aware of the extent of the issue.

I would love to share the feedback with the owner/manager directly rather than posting online but they have not been there on any of my recent 5+ visits.

We believe in Well Grounded but this needs attention. Thanks for considering...