Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea — Restaurant in Milwaukee

It saddens me to write this review but I feel like I have to. I used to be a huge fan of Fairgrounds. I’d come to this shop at least 6 times a week spending roughly 10 bucks every time I came in for over a year. Now I do not feel welcome. The manager, Vanessa, all of a sudden became very very cold and stopped all customer service and basic human kindness to the point I’d be Afraid to go in if she was there. It wasn’t subtle either. I’d be in line and she would have full bubbly conversations with the person in front of me and behind me but when I got to the counter she wouldn’t even respond when I asked how she was.i thought for the first few months maybe she’s having a bad day or something. She was always so cold and then the quality of my drinks and food started to decline. I also noticed that baristas would talk to me less if she was on the clock. I don’t expect to have a full blown conversation every time but I do expect a fraction of basic human kindness. It’s not like I wasn’t tipping well either or ordering a difficult to make drink. I was perplexed by the whole thing and tried to ignore it and carry on with me life. It didn’t work and it got worse and worse. Last week I decided that I don’t deserve to feel like I’m the worst person in the world every morning. I have autism so I miss certain social ques sometimes but I have been nothing but nice to the staff and I finally decided I don’t deserve to feel like I’m not welcome every morning. If you are experiencing the same thing, just stop going to this place. It caused me far too much stress and anxiety. The juice is not worth the squeeze. Id give lots of stars for the other staff members but Vanessa is the problem and if she was trying to make it so I wouldn’t come in anymore. It worked. I will no longer give my business to this...

It's a cute place alright.

While waiting in line I overheard the cashier talking with the customer ahead of saying the had locations in LA and Chicago - which gave me the okay to try something off their special 'elixirs' menu...

I made the wrong call. I ordered the Vietnamese Cold Brew. For food I ordered a raspberry danish.

When you think of Vietnamese coffee you think of strong espresso mellowed out by the sweetness of condensed milk. I couldn't taste any coffee.

And the danish - with the price it's at - I'm expecting flakey goodness.

What I got was cinnamon milk and a stale danish. The Vietnamese coffee was over $5.00 and the danish a little over $3.00 - with tax totalling about $10.00 of disappointment.

I've lived in Milwaukee and Bay View the last couple years - and will compare my experience to the Stone Creek, Colectivo, and the many Vietnamese restaurants in the Milwaukee area.

Please don't call that drink a Vietnamese Cold Brew. It was an off white color speckled with cinnamon...No where in Vietnamese Coffee do they add Cinnamon and plain milk. I could barely taste any coffee.

The picture of the drink in my photo is deceiving... I went home and added two shots of espresso in an attempted to save my five dollars.

The pasties here looked like they were sourced from the same suppliers as Stone Creek. The coffee, the has sourced from all over the US. They had Colectivo on tap for Cold Brew.

Service is also odd. But they're still pretty new joint. I was here on an early Sunday afternoon. I could hear one of the workers saying they were taking a break. They took their break texting behind the coffee bar. Granted it wasn't busy at the time - it's not...

I LOVE IT HERE- we live part time in St. Louis, part time in Florida, and part time in downtown Milwaukee. I have spent 5 years coming to fairgrounds and recommend it to all my friends and family who come to town! We love the salted caramel cold brew and how friendly the atmosphere always is inside! One thing I truly appreciate is how the staff is so kind when I forget to put in my order or they know I’m in a hurry. Vanessa has always gone above by even letting me buy an extra cup of my favorite cold brew before it runs out since I tend to have a weird travel schedule, I appreciate small things like that so much. I am always greeted with a smile and notice how people are so friendly in Milwaukee, but especially in their favorite coffee shop— I always see lexi, jack, bridger, and abi at the counter and have only had really lovely experiences with each of them and am grateful for the welcoming morning atmosphere. I’m usually surprised they remember me even when we are away all winter and feel like fairgrounds is the best coffee stop near Michigan. It’s a gem! (My one complaint is that I miss the old tacos from roughly 3 years ago with the corn tortillas and pickled onions, but the new menu is pretty great too)

UPDATE— we still love this place, but they got rid of the SALTED CARAMEL COLD BREW (limitless brand out of Chicago) and this is tragic! It’s what we came in here for and what we always tell our friends about! Truly wish they’d...