Hidden Grounds Chai & Coffee House — Restaurant in New Brunswick

four words my experiences coming here: overpriced, unprofessional, disorganized, and pretentious. i raised concerns in the past and offered this business advice about how to fix these four issues, but that conversation ended after the third email.

resources for drinks like their chai cost very, very little... likely not even $1 per drink. however you pay four times that. perhaps the only item on the menu you could buy on a budget is a normal coffee which has always been too bitter or too watered down in my experience. inconsistent. also, a bagel sandwich with such a tiny amount of cream cheese and veggies should not cost me more than $5. a spicy grilled cheese should actually be spicy and have enough cheese.

the business is unprofessional. like i said... i offered advice before and the conversation ended. even the baristas lack patience, respect, and distract themselves with their own "recreational activities" behind the counter. my orders have always been rushed, forgotten, or messed up.

the business is disorganized. VERY disorganized. i have gone here and haven't gotten my drink for 10 minutes after ordering. sometimes customers several spots after me would get their beverage almost immediately simply because they know the baristas. sandwiches typically take way over 20 minutes... and this is not a sit-down restaurant. good luck finding somewhere to sit... let alone a clean table to leave your stuff at.

last but not least i find this place pretentious. if i pay for a special blend of coffee it should not taste like water.. or excessively bitter. this is false advertisement. whoever hasn't already raised concern about this likely respects the place for the bohemian atmosphere and rustic furniture. the charm certain seems to distract everyone from the lukewarm lattes, poor coffee, and overpriced chai. and when i return my coffee asking for it to be brewed better i shouldn't get the pretentious response "oh it's just the blend".

sure, the place has cool atmosphere and is a chillax spot to hang out, but a customer who understands quality would hope not to spend money on overpriced, falsely advertised beverages and sandwiches. the place likely thrives from the young college students who dont know better and join the bandwagon because it is...

I was so excited to visit Simply Chai and left somewhat disappointed. Their hot Rose Chai was tasty and a pretty pink. The Chicken Tikka Sandwich was good. We also ordered the Magic Masala Fries which were far from magical. The seasoning on the fries was flavorful and definitely had a nice kick, however, you're just paying a premium for frozen bag fries that they pop into an air-fryer. I'd rather purchase the seasoning separately so i can sprinkle onto better fries. The cold brew was okay. The donuts were the real winners except you should expect to pay close to $5 per donut. It's a bit much for a donut. The reason I'm giving this place two stars is because of the low quality employees. Bad service kills the entire experience for me at any place. The person who took our order was incredibly rude (for absolutely no reason..like, literally nothing happened and she responded rudely). She was also defensive when we asked questions. It didn't make any sense. The place is pretentious and the service did not add up to the dollar amount. I expect friendlier service from a place that wants to get away with selling $5 donuts and overpriced frozen bag fries. Maybe I just have high...

I’ve been to this place a couple of times and it’s great. Music is good, the ambience is great. I’m currently at the location on Easton ave. The first few times I’ve been here the cappuccino that that barista made me on 11/30/2024 was great. It was a Saturday before closing and it was quiet. I came in today 12/3/2024 and my drink tasted kind of spoiled? Also the baristas behind the counter today were extremelyyyyyyyloud - it was actually really irritating. Everyone in the shop was on a laptop working it’s kind of like read the room and be courteous?? I’m all about bringing joy into the workplace and having fun/building community but one in paticular was extremely loud to the point where her laughing was really disruptive. Other than that I have no complaints about this place. The only thing I would say is there needs to be consistency and the coffee making process and for the workers to be mindful of the people who are studying and working here. I don’t want this to be a negative review I love this place so much. Just certain things can...