G.R.I.N.D Cafe and Bistro

This is the coffee shop at the Metra Union Pacific North (Shore) train station at Davis Street in Evanston. It has unfortunately been closed for several months with a for sale sign in front. The contact number listed on the sign is (815) 953‑7793 and appears to be the cell phone of a Joni Corbett of Bourbonnais, Illinois. I have no idea why Metra would lease this space to someone who will not continue to make business use of it.

This train station is inhumane with no restrooms and cleanliness is mediocre thanks to the lousy City of Evanston, but the coffee here makes up for Metra’s failures. The barista roasts it himself at Dark Matter in Chicago. Iced coffee is made with coffee cubes, maybe that is a time release thing? The atmposhere is dark, kind of colonial Stateville if your mom was a warden.

Great little coffee shop and the dude who runs it seems really nice. Good selection of hot and cold coffee drinks and baked goods.

This place looked like it had a lot of promise as a big upgrade to what used to be there, but the mocha I just got there was easily the worst mocha I’ve ever had in my life (not an exaggeration). Perhaps something went wrong or it was just an off day in general, but it just tasted like used up grounds or worse. I ended up tossing the nearly full $ 4 drink in the trash on the platform. If I ever try this place again it definitely won’t be for espresso, but it’ll be a tough sell either way as my first impression was so bad. It’s really too bad, too, since the «barista» gave me a few extra «punches» on the loyalty card I picked up.
*Update* — I realized after posting this that I was probably a bit too harsh in my review, given the good experiences everyone else seemed to have. The person helping me was very nice and cheerful, and seeing that other people had positive experiences I probably should’ve tried them one more time to see if it was a fluke or not before posting a review. When I make it back there I’ll be sure to update this review with my experience.

They serve Dark Matter Coffee… which is some of the best coffee I’ve had in Chicago (and I’ve had my fair share). It is roasted right in Chicago at Star Lounge Café. The ambiance is perfect for anyone looking for a quick, great cup of coffee and a piece of fresh fruit before their morning commute.

Iced coffee is pretty unique here: they make ice cubes by freezing coffee in ice trays, that way you don’t get a diluted blend as the ice melts. A nice place to have right on the Metra platform heading south. :)

In the Davis St station, a great coffee crafter for the commuter. Forget ‘bucks and grab one for the train. Limited hours (morning commuter. Would be 5 stars, but is deficient in atmosphere. Owner — operated with smile!

I love this place! The selection is outstanding with natural and healthy options… fresh squeezed juice, awesome coffee and espresso! And the staff is super nice. Such a great location! Right in the train station. LOVE IT!

A ritual of my morning commute. Great coffee! In an early morning world where most indie shops still aren’t open, mornings full of Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts it’s one of life’s little pleasures to find an indie shop with great coffee! It’s a small little room smack dab in the davis stop metra ticket/​waiting room. I personally couldn’t ask for a better cup of coffee at that hour in the rush of the morning commute. It would be nice to have some simple syrup to pour in the coffee rather than the crystals, but I don’t want to ask for the world 7am :) However, if there were simple syrup at the bar to pour into my coffee this would be a 5 star review, no doubt! The proprietor seems to be a real nice fella, always ready to talk coffee and bicycles. The transfer at Davis street the highlight of my morning commute! :) If you transfer from the purple line to the Metra at Davis, skip the Dunkin Donuts at the ‘L’ terminal and get your coffee at Grind in the metra terminal!

For anyone commuting downtown this is a must stop coffee shop, it’s convenient, fast, affordable and has excellent coffee — which comes in from Urkanianvillage. My personal favorite is their Mocha Latte with Dark Matter coffee beans. Also, the owner sells some great vegan and organic snacks, so give those a try, too, if you have a chance.