Eli's Coffee Shop - Metamora — Restaurant in Metamora

Review Date: February 10th, 2020

Eli’s has opened a coffee shop in Metamora on some historic grounds.

A long, long time ago in a city far away, there was a coffeehouse named Historic Grounds. Upon those grounds, one was able to find delicious coffees and baked goods. As time passed, people grew older and wanted to retire to a simple life. With that, Historic Grounds became just that. A page in the history books of Metamora. But, all was not lost for the building that was permanently etched with the aromatic scents of coffee beans and cookies. Eli’s Coffee House, founded out of Morton, IL, caught wind of the vacancy and decided to expand it’s business enterprise there.

Finally the day came for me to visit one of my old coffeehouses and see if the new place does the old justice. Having had Eli’s before and it being a good experience, I went in with some slightly higher than normal expectations for a new place. The second I entered, I could tell that Eli’s made the place their own without covering up the antique-feel of the aged building. In place of the old normal counter was a big jetting one that offered barista access from multiple sides. Affixed to the wall was a giant and well-designed menu offering coffees in your usual varieties along with some yummy-sounding food options.

Running on 3 hours of sleep, I chatted with the ladies working behind the counter, telling them of my much-needed need for some coffee if I was going to be in any state of awake to talk with my friend. Their patience was immeasurable as I looked over the menu longer than I should’ve and settled on just a black coffee. Too tired to try and order anything more complex, they offered me the pipping hot coffee in an Eli’s-branded mug. I found my friend on the other side of the wall that cuts the coffeehouse in almost two. I quickly took a seat and blew on my coffee to cool it down while I woke up enough to have a conversation with my friend. Sensing one cup wouldn’t do, I revisited the counter after I drained my first cup and expected to pay for a refill. The lovely barista took my cup and refilled it with the black liquid I so desired. I asked if I owed her anything and she said it was free. Free refills on great black coffee. I was truly in heaven.

Eli’s has taken a former great coffeehouse and kept the spirit alive. While they’ve definitely added their identity to the interior, they are tasteful upgrades and changes. Metamora is the kind of town that revels in it’s history and small town vibe; them keeping a lot of the original feel and artwork on the walls was a wise decision. They even kept the Historic Grounds logo that is painted on the side wall.

While I was standing in line for my refill, I was browsing over the food options and was drawn to The Southern Comfort melt. I loved every single ingredient on the list. Chicken with melted white cheddar, apples and brown sugar BBQ… give me 2 of those. One for lunch and one for dinner later. So, I will definitely be back to try out their food and baked goods. When I do, I will update this post with probably a perfect 5/5 and details on how the food tasted.

Until then, stay...

So I walk in with a friend, new to the fancy coffee shop scene.

Decide to go big or go home and I order an apple pie seasonal frappe thing? Sorry folks, I'm still learning, it's like a foreign language.

She says, "You want whole milk and whip cream?"

I think, I dunno, but yes sounds like a good answer

Healthy? I doubt it

Absolutely delicious? You bet

Nice ambiance, quite and relaxing to just talk about life and have a cold, refreshing drink. It made me feel the fall season thats coming soon.

I dont know what goes in these things, but my only advice is:

Go

And when they ask questions just keep saying yes

5/5 I'd...

Love stopping in here! I almost always get a smoothie for my son here. Their salads and sandwiches are fresh. Treats are tasty too! Great small-town vibe with friendly staff. They recently updated their indoor furniture and boy has it made a difference. Love the new setup with a classic small town vibe with original photos showing the historic value it holds. Love it! We also recently experienced their live music. They had blocked off the road and had a little show hosting an awesome music therapy school with live musicians. What a great addition to the...