Illegal Grounds Coffee House

No. A place like this should have great espresso. They don’t. You simply can’t get a great espresso out of one of those plastic automatic everything machines, at least not that I’ve found yet. Sure, the atmosphere is cool. Didn’t eat, don’t know about that.

I want so much to love this place. The coffee is amazing and the nibbles offerings are pretty good for what this place is. It’s around the corner from my house. I’d be here all the time, except… the place is rarely open. Even if they’re supposed to be open. Even if there’s an employee inside and people waiting on the porch for the doors to open, 15 minutes past opening time in the morning.
Husband and I have a theory which is really more of a running joke that this place functions more like a front business than a real business, given their habit of not opening on time, changing hours with no notice, closing early, not opening on a whole day they’re usually open, etc. It’s really disappointing, because the place offers quality coffee at good prices with a cute little space to boot.

Delish latte! Lots of tables and comfortable couches and chairs. I’m here on a Saturday morning and it’s quiet. Very relaxing! Great outdoor patio in front.

I showed up this morning a few minutes after 7:30am, their opening time. It was closed. Okay, no problem, I thought. I sat on the bench outside and waited. I waited for about 10 minutes and then just left.
Here’s the thing: I’m a regular here and this isn’t the first time this has happened to me. You’re a coffee shop. People are going to stop on their way to work. When you don’t open when you say you’re going to open, I have one of two options: 1) Go to another coffee shop and be late to work or 2) Arrive at work with no coffee. Both of these options leave me pretty unhappy. I want to continue coming here, but they really need to start opening on time.

This is an ok place for coffee.
That’s it.
Psych. I can’t do a two sentence review but there’s something missing from Illegal Grounds and I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is. I’ve been here a couple of times after visiting Watercourse and it’s one of those old-​houses-​restored –into-​a-​business-​places. They have a stellar menu and ample space both indoors and out but it’s been pretty underwhelming from a staff and drink perspective. I know I had an iced latte and a hot latte drink but they were both pretty forgettable. I won’t be stopping back again unless they revamp the drinks and/​or staff.

Like this neighborhood coffee spot. I think I’ll come more often to just chill out. I can’t say much about the coffee or food other than its okay but the location and vibe is great.

Coffee was acidic. Located in an old home. Large outdoor space. Cute inside, but VERY quiet. Initially, only Beatles, Elton John, etc playing. Moved into the 21^st century after an hour or so. Good place if you want to study without distractions. Little too low key for me.

This is the neighborhood spot where Uptown neighbors hang out, relax, and work. Sit inside the old house by the huge window or outside in the sun with a cinnamon crunch latte or a chai and one of their fantastic empanadas. They have chorizo, beef, chicken, chard, and squash. I can’t choose a favorite. They’re all great!

If you’re in Uptown and looking for a good cup o’joe, swing by Illegal Grounds. It’s a house that’s also a coffee shop. Comfortable and quiet, they also make their own quiche onsite, so grab a snack and sit in the living room. Check it out on a sunny day and sip on the porch or the front lawn area.

I’m a little frustrated. I’ve been part of a writing group and we have been trying to check out all the local coffee houses. We decided to have last nights meeting at Illegal Grounds. After checking Unilocal,Google, and Illegal Ground’s website, I verified that they are indeed open until 9pm. Unfortunately, upon our arrival, we discovered that their hours had been changed and they now close at 3 pm. It’s extremely frustrating that no updates were made to their website.
I’m sure they are a great coffee shop and I will likely change my review at some point once I have the chance to stop by during business hours. For now, I think it’s quite unprofessional to change your hours so drastically with only a small chalkboard on your patio to warn customers of the change.

Great locally owned coffee shop. Friendly staff and nice outside patio in the summer.

I can’t believe I’d never been to Illegal Grounds before. It’s a hop, skip from where I work. Ample space, but with a cozy feeling. The staff are super nice. I had the chai, which was sweet, rather than spicy, just how I like it.

I dig this place. Very interesting space. Food is decent, the service has always been great (they are always polite and smiling… love it).

This is a top notch coffee spot. The coffee is very good, the quiche was amazing (black olive, feta and artichoke hearts), and the oatmeal cookie was a little excessive for breakfast but too delicious to hold-​back. The space has plenty of tables both inside and out, and sits in a converted home that has attorney’s offices on the second and third floors. Very welcoming atmosphere thanks to friendly baristas. I paid $ 9 for a coffee, quiche, and cookie. I’ve spent that much for coffee and a cookie at places in the highlands. If you’re in the neighborhood, this is the spot for coffee and a bite.

Love the location! Comfy chairs and plenty of work space. I can see how it COULD be crowded, but I came in on a Saturday afternoon and its been empty e whole time.
They make an awesome iced chai– I feel like they use a great ratio of chai mix to milk. Nothing like that milked down iced chai you get at coffee chains.
I’m excited to come back and try the food!

I like the location and the atmosphere. They use Illy coffee through an automatic machine.
The trouble I have here is the way they price their coffee. A small latte is 2.85 with one shot in it. For a dollar more you can get an extra shot which is a bit high. So before tax you are at 3.85. Daz Bog charges the same as Fluid at 3.19 for the same but after tax. Charge whatever you like, I understand business. What got me is that the barista tells me I can order a medium latte which has the double shot in it for 3.50! A medium has more milk in it than the small and two shots. So if you don’t mind drowning your shots in milk you can pay less.
Coffee shops should be about the coffee and not about the milk… I would have no trouble paying the extra amount, but the logic isn’t there with their pricing.
Nice patio though…

Coffee house reviews should probably be mainly about the coffee. They probably shouldnt’ be about how amazingly good the chocolate-​stuffed, right-​out-​of-​the-​oven croissant was, huh? They also probably shouldn’t be about how the barista was so bonista, or about how the front patio was as big as the Caladonia volleyball court.
Wellllllll, back to their coffee. .. purty darn good. They use Illy. Not my most favorite, but certainly not my least favorite espresso.
They run the place out of a neat old Victorian house a block or two from my office, so it couldn’t be more convenient (except that parking’s only on the street, so ya need a bit of driving karma if its the busy time of the day). The place is small inside since it only takes up the front half of the 1^st floor of the house, but they have free wifi that seems to be reliable, and I’ve never seen it so jammed that people can’t find a seat, especially in the summer when their patio’s open.
In sum, a very good uptown choice for coffee if there’s a parking spot available and /​or ya wanna chill out in a homey setting.

If I need coffee and Creative Density isn’t open yet, I go to Illegal Grounds.
Old house converted into a coffee shop and law firm. Cozy yet spacious: couches, tables, even plenty of patio seating. Other customers are generally quiet, busy doing work or just catching up with old friends.
They’re open early and open late.
Mmm, caramelotto is a must!
Plain, black coffee always hits the spot for me, though.
There are also cookies, pastries, and French baked goods. Also some empanadas… hm! I’ll have to try those very soon.
Accessible by several bus lines; I get here on the #12.

I would actually like to give this place 3.5 stars. The décor is really nice yet the establishment is really small. A friend and I arrived on a Sunday where parking was easily found right in front of the coffee house. Upon our arrival there was one table available for us to share otherwise we would have had to resign to the comfy couches which are inducers of sleep.
There are only 6 good sized tables for two people to share and three full length couches to lounge on. The selection of drinks (coffee and tea) are limited and the food selection although aesthetically appealing cost a pretty penny. The price for an empanada was $ 3.75 and a medium sized coffee is about $ 1.75 with refills costing a dollar. The music that was initially played when arriving was classical, but towards the end of the night it switched to Reggae, which isn’t quite my cup of tea so good thing I brought my own music.
I’m not sure if I would come back here other than to lounge and walk the neighborhood which seems really nice. The down side of the place is that it closes quite early (8pm); lighting inside the establishment is not the greatest and the noise level can be loud (especially when there is a group of rowdy girls in the adjacent room talking as if they are tone deaf).

Coffee date? need to study? work outside the office? I come here often to study. The music isn’t too loud and people are usually pretty respectful and aren’t talking too loud. Also, it’s never really overly crowded. Some nights I can have the place to myself.
Located on the 1^st floor of an old house. The 2^nd floor is a small law office. This place has character. I feel like I’m sitting in someones living room. Comfy leather sofas in the back room. Free internet. The prices aren’t too bad either. You can get refills on Regular coffee for under a $ 1. This place is probably a tab cheaper than Starbucks.
There isn’t a parking lot but parking isn’t ever a problem. I usually can find a spot on the street right in front of the house.
Being a night owl I prefer studying late at night. So, the only downside are the hours. This place closes usually around 8pm.