Collective Espresso

Best espresso in Cincinnati. I have been coming here for years. The north side location is my favorite. Their espresso lemonade is really good

I’m not knowledgeable enough about coffee to rate this five stars on its espresso (though I did like my drink very much). Instead, my five stars are for the uniqueness of the setting. I’d never been in a building quite like this, and it felt like an encouraging blueprint for how to revive vintage spaces. Tucked away off the main drag like a secret waiting to be discovered. Loved it!

Sad John Lennon makes me the best almond lattes. The bravado of the battista owner will always have me coming back for more. I’ve been coming here since day 1, and my homies always got my back. This is the most neighborhood spot next to the northside Applebee’s.

Love Collective! The Northside location is small but cozy. Their mochas are the tastiest around, and the most beautiful!

Collective Espresso is serving up some of the best coffee in the city in OTR, and their Northside location exceeds expectations.
If you’re walking along Hamilton Ave. there’s a sign hanging above an alleyway right next to Happy Chicks Bakery. You need to walk past a set of outdoor steps and a tall wooden fence to get to the coffee shop. It’s a lot more visible coming from Blue Rock.
Directions being said, this place is adorable. Since it’s so hidden away it’s private and inside it’s incredibly quiet. It is rather small, though larger than their space in OTR, and pretty well designed. The banquette is placed against a wall entirely composed of windows and the space is flooded with daylight. They also have a pretty cute outdoor seating area as well.
Now we come to the fun part. Coffee. Awesome, awesome coffee. Their offerings are simple, which is pretty refreshing compared to the novel of options and syrups I’m used to getting. Their menu might be small, but what they do, they do incredibly well. Their espresso is good and their chai latte was phenomenal. It actually tasted like chai instead of pure sugar. I don’t really like sweet, warm drinks, so I’ve finally found my go-​to for my favorite non-​coffee drink. Yay!
They also have a small assortment of scones available at the counter too, but I’ve yet to give them a try.
If you’re looking for a quiet place and don’t like your drinks overly sugary, definitely check this place out!

This is definitely a hidden gem, literally.
you have to go down a small alley to find the place but the seclusion adds to the atmosphere. The place itself if relatively small but very well lit– it has the feel of a sun room. Their coffee was good and the table next to us had baked goods that looked so good. They also have a small patio with tables. It’s very quaint and a pleasant break from the city/​northside.

I liked this place very well! Great find! Great service great espresso. I’m rather snobby about quality when it comes to coffee, but I enjoyed the place a lit! Definitely worth checking out!

The Mocha is fantastic. Not to sweet and just the right amount of house made chocolate. Service was great and she was very knowledgable. Hidden gem for sure.

Honest to goodness the best coffee place in Cincinnati. Collective Espresso puts every other place to shame. The drinks are absolutely fantastic and made from the highest quality ingredients. If you want the best coffee in the city, this is it.

Collective Espresso is such a gem! When you arrive you’ll see the sign on Hamilton Ave & then you’ll walk down an alley/​walkway & then there it is on your right hand side.
It’s a small and cozy place but so inviting. There’s seating in there for 8 people at tables and then 4 at the bar. Tim was working & was so helpful as I was deciding what to get. I appreciated his patience, knowledge and laid back nature. I decided on a pour over coffee which was nice.
I stayed for about 3 hours to work on a paper. At first I was the only one but after 9am it started to pick up! Definitely a hip vibe to the folks that came in but folks smiled and seemed nice, not pretentious, which I appreciated.
There’s a nice size courtyard with seating as well. Overall, I enjoyed my experience. Not the best place to get work done but I’d definitely return for coffee dates!

This location is Northside is a little tricky to find (I drove past it twice). It’s just a doorway off the street next to a bakery. But, once you walk back, it’s like getting a coffee in someone’s house. It’s a small inside space (maybe seating for 10) and then a nice little patio. If you wanted to relax, enjoy some coffee, and sit in the sun, this would be a great choice. They don’t have a huge coffee selection so don’t expect to get a coffee-​soy-​half caf-​mocha-​whipped smoothie or anything here. But, what they do offer is delicious well made coffee. Give them a try.

Hidden gem with tasty bits and bobs, and an amazing atmosphere.
I went here with a friend on our weekly tour of good writing places with coffee. We literally drove by this place and didn’t know it was there. My bus goes by every day, and I never knew it was there. What a wonderful Northside hiding spot!
When you do find it, you walk into the back patio-​like area that feels something like a faerie garden. You can only just make out the glass walls that make up the little bit of indoor space available. Walk inside, and you’ll find a simple but inviting bar and tables with so much natural light you’ll think you’re still outside. If you are looking for a space to write or read, this is the one, but space (both indoor and out) is very limited so be prepared. I hear that they have yet to be discovered by the after-​work caffeine crowd, so this might be your time! It certainly worked for us.
The beverages are carefully crafted by the wonderful employees, who might insist that you keep a tab open. I got a maple and pecan scone that was like buttery heaven. Served with a macchiato, this was plenty fuel I needed to get to writing! They also had delicious looking muffins, cookies, and croissants.

Leave it to Dustin and Dave to knock location two out of the park! I am thrilled with the new location and feel it suits Northside perfectly. It’s quiet, quaint, and as delicious as the OTR location. They also have a bit of a different menu.
OTR specializes more in the Hario pour overs and ChemEx varieties. Northside does Kalitas and French Press coffee. They still change up the roasters and do a great job of getting high quality coffee at all times. The Northside location also feels like you are in a tiny greenhouse in the seating area away from the main bar.
Lastly, the service, like always is great. The baristas are friendly and knowledgeable and you can tell that they enjoy being there. If you’re in Northside and in need of coffee I highly recommend that you stop in Cluxton Alley and give it a try. You will not be disappointed!

Small, but cute space tucked between a few buildings in Northside. You may miss it if you aren’t looking closely. But it is a gem. Great drinks and cozy (but small) atmosphere. There is some additional seating outside behind the shop as well which is welcome. The staff seems both knowledgeable and pretty friendly. Highly recommended for another great coffee option in Northside.

Chris and I stopped by this little spot for the first time yesterday and were delighted! It’s a cute little space (and by little, I mean *little*) with only a few menu items — espresso and it’s (main) various iterations. He had a macchiato and I had a cappuccino. Both were delicious! A perfect cup of coffee to start the day. There’s not much space here, so there isn’t much of an invitation to linger and work, if that’s what you’re looking for.

As fresh and classy as their original in OTR but with a quaint Northside style. Easy to find if you look for the street splitting off Blue Ash with the Shepard Fairy mural (behind Word Play). Try Dave’s cortado!

This Collective is in the most peaceful, out of the way location in Northside. Collective has one again created a haven amongst a busy district. The greenhouse feel to the inside is wonderful– even on the rainy Sunday that I was there inside it felt warm and bright.
The coffee and service are what you would expect from their first location in OTR– friendly, helpful, never pretentious, and just the right amount of talkative.
I had an americano that was honestly just ok– but their pour overs are where it’s at.

One of the top coffee shops in the area. This location has a bit more seating that their shop in OTR which is nice. The coffee they serve is top notch. They meticulously source their coffee from around the country allowing you to get a sense of what roasters of all types are doing. So, you can go in each week and try something completely different.
It can feel a bit pretentious but the quality of the coffee experience certainly makes up for it.