Grounds & Vine — Restaurant in Kannapolis

Been wanting to try Grounds and Vine since they opened, but life just got in the way. My husband made “surprise” reservations to celebrate my birthday. When I learned we were having dinner here, I was really looking forward to it. When we walked in, my husband said we had reservations, and we were immediately seated at a quaint little table for two on the patio. We were immediately presented with plastic cups filled with water, and straws. The owner introduced himself (didn’t mention his name, but said he was the owner) and we told him how excited we were to have dinner at a local Kannapolis NC restaurant owned by someone from the Midwest, which is where we are from, too. The owner talked about the sauces and what he is planning to do in the near future of the food here, and we are PUMPED to see this evolution, especially since we like spicy most times, but it’s very nice to have milder options. When we started asking questions about the wines, the owner sent his wife out to deal with our inquiries. Tell you what! - If you like trying wines from everywhere- and I mean Everywhere! - this place is for you! Bring your reading glasses so you can study the wine list. If you’re looking for something specific, it’s HERE! His wife didn’t share her name either, but she was so Sweet!!!! And very educated about the wine. She found the PERFECT wine for my husband (ended up being from the largest family owned vineyard in NC), and found one for me (from Portugal) that I liked so much I bought a bottle to take home! In the midst of figuring out the right wine, we ordered the loaded tater tots. These were HEAVENLY! - Totally hit the spot! Unfortunately, once we got through the Tater tots and the (very generous) wine samples, we sat twiddling our thumbs for about 20 minutes before someone came to take our “actual” drink and dinner order. No big deal today as we were not in a hurry like usual. We decided to try the Octoberfest German wine flight (so we could decide what might be other options to pair best with our dinner as well as an enjoyable wine to savor after dinner), which was a great sampling of German wines to fit almost every pallet. We also ordered from the “Chef’s Specials” dinner menu. Our flights came about 7 minutes later from when we ordered, followed by our dinner about another 8 minutes later. Our plates looked stellar! - Beautiful Plating! We were half way through dinner before we had a chance to order our wine we thought would pair the best. Our bill, with the tip pre-populated on the screen came to just under $130.00. - Not too bad for great hospitality and atmosphere, as well as a bottle of good wine to savor later. We plan to go back; maybe for lunch as the sandwiches we saw looked Incredibly delicious. We’re also looking forward to the new, hand-crafted sauces. The owner and his wife are wonderful people! A definite “must try it out for yourself”! (The coffee menu looks amazing as well, but specialty coffees are not my thing. I drink green...

First time trying here. Took my wife for her birthday. Had heard nothing but great things about the food. Owner from Ohio. We're originally from Wisconsin. Thought Midwestern food, how could we go wrong. The good! Very hospitable. Greeted by owner at our table. He sent his wife out because he is the food guy and she is the wine expert. Many to choose from. She did very good and was very personable. I had the best blackberry wine I have ever had. The loaded tater tots. Best I have had in many years. Definitely a must try if you dine here. Atmosphere was great. Beautiful patio and nice little dining area. Being from Wisconsin, bonus they had the Brewers game on. We opted for the patio. Actually a nice little view over looking the side road off hwy 73. Now on to the bad. I chose the "no pasta lasagna" and my wife had the "baked salmon". The lasagna had a layer of burned cheese covered by a layer of freshly baked mozzarella. The mozzarella was great. However, the rest had the burnt flavor all the way through. The sauce wasn't the worst I've had, but definitely could have used something to sweeten up. Had the bitter taste of tomato paste. The garlic bread was actually really good. Great crisp, but yet soft center which is difficult to do for homemade. Overall, I would give that meal a 2 out of 5. My wife's salmon meal a different story. We'll start with the bland rice. Just plain white rice with nothing added. The asparagus was like it never cooked. My wife never leaves asparagus, but she ate 4 bites and said no. The baked salmon was so baked,it looked like it was overseared in a fry pan and was so dry it had to actually be cut to eat it. The roumalade sauce to my wife tasted like Dijon mustard. When the owner asked how our food was, my wife told him the salmon was way overcooked and the sauce had way too much Dijon mustard. His reply was it doesn't have any mustard and he walked away. Did not like the criticism at all. I do understand. I want to think everything coming out of my kitchen is top notch,but when it's not, I also want to take the time to learn why and improve on the mistakes. I was disappointed in the fact that he knew it was our first time there, my wife's birthday,and he didn't even show an ounce of care about her having a satisfying meal. Very disappointed actually. Also, we did end up sitting for about 20 minutes between finishing our appetizer and $25 wine flight before our waitress reappeared and asked if we were ready to order a drink and our dinner. Overall, not the worst place we've been, and we will definitely go back. We also give a 3 strike system and from what we have heard, the sandwiches here are to die for. Not a great experience this time for us. But if you are going to take your spouse out for a nice birthday evening, I would think it through as to where you choose. Overall not a bad deal for an appetizer, 2 bad main courses, a wine flight and 2 glasses of wine. Just under $130 with a 19%...

This was an odd visit. First, it is clean and the staff is not unkind; however, this is not the normal style coffeeshop I am used to. It is very much a trio of restaurant, wine bar, and coffee shop. It actually feels like a restaurant and wine bar that just serves coffee. I think the confusion for me comes from Grounds / Coffee being listed first in the name of the business / tag line.

When I arrived, I did stand at the sign that says wait to be seated. I stood for a long time while three employees were behind the counter. They WERE all working, but not being greeted was odd. I felt like I was in the wrong place and felt even worse for wanting to stay when I was approached because I felt like they wanted me to take it to-go, but did give me a seat when I said I was for 'here'.

I was asked to pick a 2 seat table (no issue accept it was in the middle of the room and I have anxiety) and as soon as another table opened, I asked to move. She cleaned it off, but did not help me move any of my stuff which again, does not mean she was unkind it just wasn't the hospitality i'm used to in my usual spots.

My sandwich was good. My iced latte was a bit strong, so I went back asked them to top it off with more milk which they obliged. Breakfast sandwich was also good. Price was reasonable, too.

Again, want to reiterate that this wasn't a BAD experience. But if you're looking for a comfy spot to work or read, this is not really it. This is more meet for bites, talk and then leave.

I did work here for a portion of the day and left once business picked up so I wouldn't take up a table.

If I drank wine, I'd definitely return because I bet the vibes are great in the evening. The other food also looked great, so I'm betting their lunch is good, too. Inside space is SMALL, so again, just be wary that if you are looking for cozy coffee spot, this might not be it but it's great if you want a bite to ear, a drink, or a spot to meet with friends.

Also, noted the owner came out and introduced himself to a table next to me. He was super kind and I can tell he cares about the guest experience. I had my headphones in, or he would have probably approached me as well. On my way out, I almost forgot to pay but they were very gracious. Again, not a BAD spot or bad experience, just an unusual experience if you're used to a spot like Verb, Holy Grind or Mattie Ruth's. Hoping this feedback is helpful for initial customer interaction...I'd come back again...