The Fine Grind - A Coffee Bar — Restaurant in Little Falls

3 1/2 stars

I live in the same town as the Fine Grind, but despite going through a few mild dalliances with it, I usually end up going somewhere else. A significant reason for that is because it's in a slightly inconvenient area for me across town on 23 near Willowbrook (this is probably super convenient for a lot of other people, to be fair) that requires crossing traffic and a number of stoplights. I'd rather use the back roads to go to Cedar Grove in a pinch. Also, their hours aren't accommodating for an early riser like me - I tend to drink my morning coffee around 6am, and this place doesn't open until 8am on weekdays and 9am on the weekends. They're also open later though, and I recall getting an espresso drink here right before a 2015 Mets World Series game, which was very helpful.

It's cuter inside than you would assume driving by the strip mall it's housed in - it manages to toe the line between a Starbucks vibe (the decor is very reminiscent of the iconic coffee establishment, from the numerous seating options to the significant merchandise section by the counter) and a small mom and pop business. It doesn't feel quite as comfortable as Cedar Beans down 23, but it's also a slightly different vibe. I don't think they have the same type of space to have an open layout, almost like a substitute living room, that Cedar Beans has. Your mileage may vary in that regard though.

Also in terms of layout - and this was not a factor during this particular experience - their scones are in an awkward position on the counter that requires the barista to actually leave the counter area and walk all the way around to get it for you. For efficiency's sake, I'd recommend they let you self-serve the pastries (with accompanying foil paper perhaps to limit potential sanitary drama, etc.).

I came here with my Millennial Chum this past Saturday night for an evening latte and a light quasi-dinner for her. There were two or three other customers there but it was pretty quiet. I ordered a rose latte, which was perfectly fine. Some of the flavoring was lurking at the very bottom, so it should have been mixed a little better but it did the job.

The Millennial Chum was a little overwhelmed at the size of the menu, understandably so. It's probably one of the biggest I've seen for a coffeehouse. She opted for the cinfully banana oatmeal and a macchiato. Both were enjoyed, and the coffee was compared favorably to Starbucks (which is her go-to).

The service for me was good; my drink was delivered to me within a few minutes, but my friend got the short end of the stick. Despite the minimal customer traffic in there, it took her almost five minutes to order. At least part of that is because the barista had to make and serve my latte, and he was the only one working the front. In instances like that, perhaps they should consider letting customers pick up their drinks - if it would have shaved a few minutes off my chum's order, I gladly would have walked back up there. He also spent a little bit of time chatting with someone he knew before taking her order. Not the biggest deal in the world, but given that she was right behind me and I had several minutes to sip my latte before she even provided her order, the priorities there should have been switched. It also took about 10-15 minutes for her to get the oatmeal (it looked like they had one other employee towards the back handling food orders), which strikes me as a pretty long time for oatmeal. So keep that in mind - it makes sense that they'd have what amounts to a skeleton crew on a Saturday night, but the service should have been a little better. Regardless, the barista was perfectly friendly/pleasant.

There are honestly a few other places in the vicinity that I'd go to first, but I definitely don't mind stopping by from...

So this place was referred to me by an acquaintance who knows I am gluten-free and a coffee junkie. The idea is great… local artist, open mic, homey feel, but something fell flat. I really, really wanted to love this place.

First of all, they have table service which was a pain for it was slow and not much of service other than taking the order (which was a 15 min wait to place) and dropping the food. The composition of the quiche was nice, but it was received cold. Unfortunately the server didn't come back to check on us so we had to take it up to the counter to have it heated. Fail. They did warm it some, along with the salad that accompanied the quiche. I don't know about anyone else, but nothing worse than a warm droopy salad :(

Next we had a gluten free ham and brie sandwich. Unfortunately there are not many tasty gluten free breads and the sandwich became a product of that curse. Not their fault. From my experience though, most brie sandwiches are served warm, releasing the aroma of the brie. This one was not. My fault for not inquiring. The other problem I had was the sandwich had no flavor… whether it was the overly mild brie, bland bread or mustard sauce, it just didn't have anything going for it. I did manage to salvage the sandwich by adding the warmed tomatoes, greens and balsamic vinaigrette from the salad. THEN it became more palette pleasing. It also states on the menu the dish comes with some type of tortilla chips. Well, not mine. $7.95 for a piece of bread with ham and two slices of brie. Sad.

Had a cup of coffee. It was okay. A little acidic for my taste, but that detail was in the description. We chose to leave before finishing the coffee and quiche and had to go to the counter to get the check for the server never came back.

They did have a musical performer. She was pleasing. I don't know how it would be on other days and I know space is limited, but would have been nice to have a "quiet area". Do to an accident my partner is prone to migraines and when they were setting up the sound, a blast of feed back shocked the room. Totally unexpected and I would never rate the venue based on that, but def something for others to know who are sound sensitive. The live music was in general a nice touch an suited the atmosphere.

I am unsure if we will give The Fine Grind another go. I feel as if we should based on the concept and the positive reviews from others. Maybe it was just an off day…...

This was a true find in the town. I literally was looking for a coffee place to set up and do some computer work while I was doing some scouting in the area. This place was the closest I went here and wow this is so amazing little coffee shop the vibe the feel what they had to offer and apparently it’s an amazing place. It’s been around quite a while and has one quite a few awards and amazing gingerbread cookie latte recommended by the barista, and I had one of their housemate soft pretzels which was delicious, the one really cool thing here was they have this little robot thing that brings you your order? I literally was seeing my computer and I heard this robotic voice say you were order is here and I kinda looked over my shoulder like huh and here’s the this little thing I took it off and then it said, OK when you’re done I pressed OK so thank you. Have a great day and turned around and rolled away. I was like wow I wouldn’t think I was in a little coffee shop and some small town some like high-tech thing you sing you would see an upper Manhattan the prices are really good. The people are super nice and chill, they have an amazing assortment of sweets and the normal things you would find at any great coffee shop if you ever find yourself near this place, you definitely have to stop in and indulge a little. I certainly did and if I find myself in this area again, I absolutely look...