Zion Coffee Bar — Restaurant in Peoria

Review Date: February 21st, 2017

Upscale, not uphill.

Zion Coffee Company is based out of Morton and has recently branched out into having a retail location for purchasing/serving their coffee. A good friend of mine alerted me that this location has opened… so being a coffee lover, here I am… writing a blog post about Zion.

Now, when I think of the word Zion, images of hills/mountains come to my mind. Zion National Park, Mt. Zion and the definition of the word itself. What Zion Coffee Bar is actually a rather upscale coffeehouse that is hospital white with little-to-none decor/a feeling of spaciousness. The interior is rather spacey and open and they offer a semi-private upstairs area that overlooks half of the coffeehouse. That’s where I spent most of my time while here.

Ok, so I am not a huge fan of the interior but what about the coffee? Well I had the day off from work and wanted to treat myself. So I grabbed a Jinotega pourover and a caramel macchiato. What I got was a decent tasting coffee and a macchiato that was more an espresso shot with a small wafer/cookie thing. The barista tried to explain that it would be a 3oz. shot of flavored espresso but I took it the wrong way and thought it was that much espresso in a cup with milk and flavorings.

So I’m out $9 on two drinks and a tip. A bit miffed but whatever. So I sip the espresso and it’s decent for being so little liquid. Then as my coffee cooled down, I sipped that and it was pretty decent, too. As I am alternating my drinks, this lady has her kid there. No big deal, right? Well, the kid kept screeching every few minutes. It almost made me leave early, but luckily she left before that happened.

Sounds like a bad time, right? Well after the kid/mom left and I resigned myself to the fact that I actually enjoyed my coffee a bit, my opinion of the place improved. On top of sitting up stairs and enjoying the view, I was watching the cook make oodles and oodles of delicious looking food. I also noticed they had hard liquor behind the bar. My friend told me they served alcohol but it was after a certain time of the day. So if you are not feeling coffee, they offer alcohol, too. This may be the first coffeehouse I have been to that serves hard liquor!

In the end, Zion offers a unique take of a coffeehouse. It is the plainest one I have visited so far that offered okay coffee and delicious looking food… Yet it seemed to be a hit as they were half full/constantly busy for the two hours I was there. By all means, don’t let my ‘meh’ visit deter you from checking it out. I will probably go back once more just to see if I have a better 2nd visit.

Stay caffeinated, my friends.

Update: In subsequent visits to Zion, I boosted the rating from 2.5 to 3.5. While I still found issue with sounds bouncing off the walls, the deliciousness and quality of my drinks helped...

I’ve wanted to like this local spot since it opened but it just doesn’t appeal to me. I’ve gone a few times since I’ve moved from Peoria as friends want to meet there. The atmosphere isn’t my thing - bright, white and uncomfortable. Sitting on the back bench, the table is too short for the bench and the person in the chair across from you is too low so you’re talking down to them. Difficult to type if you’re using a laptop.

When I stopped in last week, as usual, it was busy and I had to figure out where the line was. When I got to the counter, the person just looked at me. No greeting or offer to help. No sugar free syrup latte options so I asked if drip was available. He named off a Guatemalan variety. I don’t know what that means. I asked for it in a glass mug with cream, server adds cream. I didn’t like it, unfortunately, it was super strong and bitter. I drank it. I feel like you either need to be a coffee aficionado or just want a trendy sugary drink. I feel like this each time I come here, like I’m putting the baristas off by asking questions and not feeling any warmth.

The avocado toasts and baked goods looked amazing.

I’m glad the shop is doing well in Peoria. I wish I felt the vibe here that everyone else does. What is this shop about? The best part are the photos of the coffee growers in the back hallway where the restrooms are. I wish I felt that sort of humble presence in...

Well, I came in expecting great things due to all the raving reviews, but what I got was comparable to McCafe from McDonalds.

Unfortunately there is a lack of decent coffee in the area and every time we come to Pekin to visit family, I am on the hunt for coffee. My favorite coffee shop in Peoria closed this year, and I've been looking for something else.

Enter Zion Coffee Bar. I'd never been, saw the great reviews and thought I'd drive 40 minutes round trip to try it. The parking situation is fairly easy, I went around 8 AM and there were several parallel parking spots available as most of the businesses aren't open yet.

The interior is stark, minimalist and clean. Lots of seating available with the coffee bar in the center. Baristas are typical, not overly friendly but they're not going to engage in friendly chatter.

Now my drink...what a disappointment. I was expecting a smooth, rich, lightly sweetened iced vanilla latte, but what I got tasted like coffee from a fast food restaurant. The espresso was weak and had a staleness to it. It was also a little sweeter than expected, but that is just personal preference.

I was very disappointed with my experience at Zion Coffee Bar. My expectations were high, but they didn't deliver. For $6, I expected a higher quality drink. Perhaps I went on a bad day, as the reviews are...