Grinder’s Cafe

This place has a 5 dollar minimum for cards, which is bogus. I won’t pay 5 bucks for a cup of tea. I could understand a 3 dollar minimum to cushion the cost of using cards, but 5 at a coffee shop is absurd.

Great local coffee place! They have lots of options to choose from and many types of milk for everyone. Service is great and the baristas are very friendly. It’s a bit expensive but usually most local places are.

Great local flare and coffee concoctions.
–Ambiance: ecclectic coffee shop with plenty of areas for group convos
–Service: fun and friendly with great suggestions if you’re feeling indecisive.
–Drinks: the sea salt caramel melt is to die for — sweet and buttery. The Mexican mocha latte is also a close contender — spicy and chocolately
Pros:
–ice cubes made with coffee so your drink is never watered down
–pre-​order if you’re in a rush
–wide variety of milk from full fat to soy to almond to coconut
–digital «loyalty» program that tracks points and texts special offers
Cons:
–their espresso, while delicious, was a little weak
-$ 10 minimum to use your debit card — I get it, they’re a local business and card charges cut into their bottom line
Definitely a fan and will be returning!

Went here today and it’s not the first time I’ve been its a nice local owned coffee shop not too far from anything really. They are mid point of town and the shop is pretty on the inside and not too glam which I like, very inviting. they also have a pretty big parking area which is a plus! They only thing I will say is its a little pricy for me but that won’t stop me from going!

The service was crappy. The baristas were rude and too into themselves. I ordered an iced caramel coffee with skim milk which in my opinion is easy to make but I’m just lazy. I’ve never had a problem with someone messing it up. The drink tasted like watered down coffee. No flavor at all. Worst coffee I’ve ever had. I asked her to put more caramel and she did not look happy to help me. The café décor is nice and a great place to study. But the coffee and service is just terrible.

First of all, they don’t have any signs letting customers know there is a $ 5 LIMIT on card, which I find ridiculous! I was excited to try a new local coffee shop, but was greatly disappointed! Although I loved the décor! Dream catchers and jewelry were a great touch to distract their customers from the poor service and decent coffee. Their board that displays their drinks went so far down the wall, it was impossible to read nearly anything!! I ordered a dark coffee which was decent, but not worth the price. The lady at the front gave great attitude towards my friend when asked for extra Carmel, when she wasn’t satisfied with the taste!
I don’t recommend this place, not worth it. The ladies who worked there were not friendly what so ever, they had the demeanor of «next customer» and didn’t care!

My favorite iced coffee selections in town. Better than port city java and Starbucks, by a lot.

They have half price smoothies on Sundays! I usually order Sunshine, which is a smoothie with espresso, peanut butter, bananas, and protein. I like the variety of different smoothies and especially that they have smoothies with espresso because I haven’t seen that before! They also have a great selection of espresso drinks.
Overall, I would give this place 5 stars because I really liked it and will definitely come back, but they have a $ 5 minimum to use a debit card, which is REALLY annoying. Be aware of that and bring cash so you won’t get suckered into buying things you don’t want to meet the minimum.
Also they need some more parking… It’s annoying to get in the car to go there and then you have to just turn around and go home because there is no where to park.

Every single person here is SO nice. Ive ordered about every flavor of espresso drink on the menu in the past few months without disappointment. (The Irish Kiss is probably my #1) if you’re okay with a crowd, go on a Thursday night at 6 for open mic night. There are so many talented musicians and the atmosphere is incredible.

Honestly I think the prices are a little high but the coffee is excellent, that cannot be denied. They have a punch/​stamp card so for every 10 drinks you can have a free one. The barista told me that you’ll get whatever drink you most frequently buy, because they have a pretty thorough system of keeping track of that… it just seemed kinda lame that you have to get a coffee if you always get a coffee and not something more expensive. What if you want to splurge on your freebie? I understand they don’t want to reward the cheapskate but lets be honest, if you’ve bought 10 drinks already, you’ve more than made up for the cost of a $ 6 espresso or smoothie. A small coffee is over $ 2 so why be so nit-​picky? Luckily I always get the fancy espresso drinks but I’m just supposing… With all of that said, I’ll definitely continue going because its just so good! The atmosphere is great too. But for my standard small coffee I’m partial to $ 1.71 at Luna Caffe downtown.

Awesome & friendly ladies behind the counter! Nice, quaint & bohemian atmosphere.
I ordered the Spring Fever Latte with hints of caramel, bananas and coconut! It is delicious! They have a large selection of coffees, smoothies, frappes and milkshakes.
Also got an everything bagel which was very tasty! Def coming back when we venture to Wilmington!

Excellent coffee, cute girls, nice environment. … you should go.
Mexican coffe was magnificent!

The lab I work in is crazy for this place. Most of us order a variation of the Iced Dirty Chai or PG13 Chai.

Grinders Café is an awesome place to grab some excellent coffee and relax in there café! They have a really good dark roast. Also they have a nice selection of bake goods and vegan foods to! Looking forward to coming back

Not the best espresso it was more like bad coffee. But the place is certainly a great place if you can deal with that. Great baked items and the best atmosphere in Wilmington.

My continuing quest for a good coffee house in Wilmington has brought me here. It is a Friday at 11a, and there is a moderate crowd here, which has exhausted all of the available seating, although there is plenty of open space in the middle of the café to stand.
The staff is very warm and friendly. I got a large cup of tea, and it is indeed large at 20 oz. However, despite using Square here, which costs them a flat fee regardless of the amount charged, they still require a $ 5 minimum purchase to use a credit card, so I had to buy additional things I didn’t really want to get my tea.
I am seated in a weird corner booth by the bathrooms, which was the only table available when I walked in. The wifi signal is strong, but the bandwidth is not wide enough to allow me to watch a video without frequent hangs. There is no outlet here to plug my laptop into, and looking around, it doesn’t seem like I could do better at the other tables anyway.
The staff, again, are very receptive and friendly. Some minor adjustments could make this place pretty great!

Place is amazing. Lady was super lovely towards me, told her I usually get a shot of espresso when I go into cafés but wanted something different, she gave me a great recommendation for a drink and then also handed me some espresso on the house to let me try it! Awesome pastries locally made from Tidal Creek. Will definitely be back for smoothie Sunday when they are half off! I applaud the products and service

Went here today for the first time for an afternoon caffeine boost. It is on Wrightsville Ave. about a mile from the UNCW campus.
I pulled into a pretty crummy parking lot with lots of potholes. It’s a shame this wonderful coffee shop is located in such a poorly kept lot.
I walked into this very cute place with a decent amount of seating (above average for a coffee shop). I assume there is wifi because a young lady was there on her laptop. There were lots of hand-​written specialty drinks on the wall behind the register. The woman behind the counter was friendly and upbeat. I ordered a large latte (20oz) with skim milk and sugar free hazelnut for $ 5 something.
My drink was done very quickly (above average turnaround). I noticed the sign, «$ 5 minimum» on the counter… luckily I had cash, but my total was above $ 5 anyway. My drink was very delicious and noticeably better than the chains. This place is a perfect example of the increased taste & quality an independent coffee shop produces.

I first sampled Grinders at the Holiday Flea at BAC; they had a stand set up outside, which was great because it was frigid that day. I ordered the Mexican hot chocolate and chatted with the girls behind the counter a bit. I work from home so am always looking for a good spot to camp out, drink coffee and take advantage of some free wifi. The girls sang the praises of Grinders, so I tried it (also, the hot chocolate was pretty tasty).
Tucked into a little row of shops on Wrightsville Ave. near College Road, Grinders is a nice neighborhood spot with some excellent coffee options. I’ve had everything from their drip coffee (the Jamaican Me Crazy is pretty fantastic), to their specialty espresso drinks to their smoothies (Island Ting FTW) and have yet to be disappointed. I’ve also sampled a few of their baked goods and have become a big fan of the creamy, slightly sweet vegan pumpkin bar (I’m not a vegan, either!).
While Grinders does have some busy times, I can usually grab a table and plug in my laptop with no problem. The customers coming in and out seem mostly to be regulars, which is kind of nice. College students also make frequent appearances, but usually don’t stay for too long. Most days there’s a quiet hum of conversation mixed with a little background music — perfect white noise for working. I find I am usually pretty productive when I hunker down at Grinders!
Perhaps the best thing of all about this charming little neighborhood café is Lane, the resident barista. She’s always sunny and smiling, and seems genuinely happy to see me (and everyone else) when I come in. I think the third time I was there she remembered my name. She’s a real pleasure to chat with for a few minutes while waiting for a drink, and she’s one of the main reasons I keep giving Grinders my business. The café has become a staple on my weekly rotation of mobile offices!

Been here twice now, the first time I got a caramel latte and it just tasted weird compared to anything I’ve had or made at my house with my espresso machine. Maybe too much milk in my drink? So I gave them another try because what the heck and my pumpkin latte was OK. If that was the end of the story I would be posting 3 or 4 stars. My girlfriend, who was satisfied with her smoothie the first time we went, complained to me about her iced coffee the second time we went. I tasted it and it was slightly bitter, tasted weird, certainly not something I’d want to drink a large size of (she did not drink any more of it).
I hate to say it because they were super nice baristas and I like to buy local, but PLEASE taste your coffee occasionally to make sure it is good.
Call me crazy but I consume about 2.5 cups of coffee a day and I know what I like.