Urban Grind Coffeehouse

We went to this place partly because on the Internet I read it was a child friendly place. It is a huge unfriendly place. Filthy sofas, floors, and table tops. It is lacking a concept. The furniture is scattered around mindlessly. The music was horrible. We ordered coffee and panini. Coffee was cold because the ""barista"" (who tossed my debit card onto the counter after swiping it) did not heat the mugs (the thick kinds). The panini took forever. When I checked on its progress I could see it sitting open faced for some reason in very unsanitary counter conditions. After finally getting it, we wrapped it and took it home-- the dog seemed to like it. Cream was not kept in a thermos so I don't how it stays fresh all day in a cartoon. It looks like a child friendly place because a lot of mothers were around with their children. When I took my daughter to the play area or rooms in the back where it was dark and windowless, I was hit by a strong mildew smell. The floors and the mats were awfully filthy, and toys were dirty. I couldn't stand the smell for a minute. The place has a huge potential for something than what it is. They should get in touch with Cafe Sip-and-Play in Vancouver if they really want to cater to mothers with little kids in a safer and cleaner environment.. I would never go there again! more

I went in here with my son to have a pop and apple juice. I decided to order a sandwich which they were out of but didn't come tell me till I came and found them to find out where my sandwhich was. I then changed order to a roast beef sandwich which had 2 pieces of roast beef grilled on a very very soggy piece of what was suppose to be sour dough. Thought the service was slow and very unfriendly. Pros: great play areas for children/free wi-fi Cons: slow sad service more

Hmm...I'm not sure what it was like before to cause the bad reviews. I'm hoping that my experience wasn't an anomaly because I had a GREAT experience. There are two large play areas for little ones with lots of toys for kids of various ages. Great sitting spaces, computers, wifi, the list goes on and on. The food prices were very reasonable and the staff were friendly and nice so I was very pleased with my experience and will definitely go back. Family friendly places are few and far between so when I find one I like I'm happy, happy, happy! P.S. they are pet friendly too :) Pros: large facility, great play areas for kids, good prices more

I tried this place today after a recommendation from a friend as a wifi location to work in. I had a great experience, so unlike many of the reviews. The baristas were helpful and friendly, the space totally fit my needs as a telecommuter, and the kids area looks like so much fun I want to take my kids back. I liked the coffee and had a yummy sandwich for lunch. I came away knowing I would go back. The baristas said it was under new ownership and that they were trying to make it a community gathering spot. Hope it works! Pros: Example: best croissants in town Cons: What are the drawbacks? more

I am certainly not the first person to post on CitySearch about how terrible this place is, and I'm not sure that it's even worth doing anymore. People have complained about the awful, awful food, service and coffee that they've received here, and yet, people continue to patron the shop and they continue to remain open. Honestly, it's baffling. I suppose that if people continue sharing their experiences at this place and continue to bring the star rating down, people who utilize this site for choosing their coffeeshops can at least be accurately informed. So, for those of you who do that, I would highly recommend that you stay far, FAR away from the Urban Grind. I've had very similar experiences to those posted before me, and I don't feel that there is anything new that I can really add to what they've already said, but I will say that I agree wholeheartedly with the other one-star reviews. This place is completely useless. The service was terrible, my food was cold and stale, they were out of what I wanted originally, and my drink was bitter and full of grounds. There is honestly not one redeeming thing about this place and I sincerely, sincerely hope that it goes out of business soon because the building is seriously amazing and I would like to see something worthwhile move in. more

I used to walk an extra distance on my coffee break to go to the Urban Grind. The coffee was so good. Dark, dank, thick delicious coffee. The kind that you take a drink of, and then are forced to reflect upon ""damnit that's good."" The kind that really totally makes your morning. Cons: Terrible service, really terrible coffee, nothing could be worse more

this place has been flamed all year about its terrible food, coffee and service. it seems almost unnecessary for me to even write this review since i'm not really adding anything new to what others have said, but i guess it's important for people who are using citysearch to choose a cafe to know that this one is consistently bad. and it is. i've had similar experiences to other users; the baristas are incredibly rude, the food isn't very good, and the coffee is terrible, which, in my mind, is not acceptable for a coffeehouse. especially an indie one. the baristas clearly hate working there which is why they are rude and lazy, and whether they mean to or not, it gets passed across the counter to the customer. they're always out of something and it's always dirty, too. i honestly don't know how they stay open. with all of these negative experiences people are having, it's never busy, and it seems like they would go out of business really fast. more

I live right next door to this place and would patronize regularily if it wasnt for the poor service I encounter upon every visit. Almost 3 years now I have tried to come back but am always disapointed. Pros: cool space, nice art, big childrens area Cons: Terrible service and burnt coffee (always) more

I love coffee which is why I tend to stay away from the Starbucks of the world and get a little more for my money at local, independent coffeehouses. When I heard that Urban Grind roasted their own coffee, I was really interested in trying it out, so I headed on over this morning to get myself a latte, and I am telling you -- words cannot describe my disappointment. The coffee was TERRIBLE. Just AWFUL. Not only were the shots burnt, but the milk was scalded as well. I guess the barista figured since I ordered vanilla in it, she'd just cover the burnt flavors up with syrup. WRONG!!! more

I went to this coffee shop for the first time, and the service was horrible. First off, the barista was completely rude. I was the only person in the entire shop, ordered my drink, and she ""forgot"" about my drink after 15 min. Once I reminded her, and received my drink, it had not been mixed and was horribly burnt. Avoid this place if you can! more

I love local coffee shops-- which is why it's been my mission to visit every independent coffee shop in Portland.... The Urban Grind was awful. Cons: LEFT WITH A SOUR TASTE IN MY MOUTH more

I work in one of the office buildings around the coffee shop and I've been a regular off-and-on over the years. With the plethora of other coffeehouses within walking distance, the Urban Grind faces some stiff competition, and frankly, it's not doing so well in my opinion. For example, the owner (Kevin, is it?) obviously spent a lot of time and money on new decor for the shop, but has failed to remove or replace the old furniture that is literally falling apart. I sat down on one of their (filthy) couches last time I was in and the legs buckled and collapsed underneath me! I only weigh 110 pounds... and there were children playing near me when it happened. What if one of them had their hand under the couch when it broke? As for the staff, I could not be more disappointed with the service they offer. I ordered a sandwich for lunch the day the couch broke, and not only did they make it incorrectly, the girl at the counter refused to take it back. I was stuck with a sandwich that I didn't order or want. And, the coffee is just okay. It's not bad, but it's not great. Personally, I think they'd do a lot better serving Stumptown. In conclusion, I have lost all faith in this place and I will now be walking down to the Hip Drip Cafe (on 20th and Sandy; they serve Stumptown) for my coffee needs, as will my co-workers. This place had great potential and really cared about its customers and community before all of these changes started taking place. I am not impressed with the new ownership and I honestly hope Kevin has the decency to just let this place close so something good can move in. more

This place is sooooooo much better than it use to be. The new staff is nice and friendly and the place is clean. I had a chance to meet Kevin the new owner and he is not anything like the writers have mentioned. Sunshine started on shift as I was ending my meeting. I think she and Jason the main barista are genuinely friendly. This place has a great atmosphere and the coffee and service are very good. more

i dont know nething about ne owners, but this place is rly bad. there coffee sux and there food does 2. dont go here if u care about what ur coffee tastes like. more

I agree wholeheartedly with the last comment. This place is horrible now. The place is now under new ownership, and since the manager and roaster left, there's nothing there for me. They don't even have their old wi-fi anymore. Their coffee is sub par, their staff is completely apathetic, and they are located inconveniently. They just hired this one woman named Sunshine and I don't think she could be more ridiculous. She's nice, but completely fake and annoying. It makes me sad that this place is el terrible now because I really used to like it. Cons: Terrible service, bad coffee. more

I have to say that I will never, under any circumstances, visit this place again. I don't care if my car blew up a block away and my husband were trapped inside the flaming vehicle; I wouldn't even come in to use their telephone. I have spent a great deal of time (and money) at this shop, and I loved it for a while, but things have definitely gone downhill. The ownership of this shop has been disgusting and negligent to the point where their only good roaster quit. Their coffee tastes like garbage now. And, the manager, the only person who knew how to make a decent latte or cared at all about the customers is also gone. Honestly, this place used to be a haven for coffee snobs and they used to have some of the best, friendliest baristas in town, but now, they don't really have anything going for them. Their new owner is an arrogant a-hole who thinks that buying some new couches is going to make up for everything their loyal customers (and staff) have put up with. Newsflash: it won't. Pros: Not a thing. Cons: Take your pick. more

I used to hang out here all the time. Last September, I gave this place a glowing 5-star review, and now, I'm just so disappointed to say that I have to take it back. I have been a patron of the Urban Grind since pretty much the beginning. I really loved the shop and stuck with it through good times and not-so-good times, but now, it's just bad. They've had a string of really amazing baristas in the past and I made friends with all of them, but now, the shop is so bad, they're all gone. No one here knows me anymore and what's worse is that no one here is even willing to get to know me. I don't know about you, but personally, I expect an air of familiarity and friendliness in an indie cafe like this, and I just don't get it here anymore. The staff is apathetic and aloof at best, and downright rude at worst. They used to have this manager, Jenna, who was so cool. She loved all of her customers and she took care of her staff, but she left in March and the place has been steadily declining since then. They used to have a barista named Jason, but he's gone too and the people left are not nice at all. While the space is great, it's filthy, and the coffee isn't even worth coming for anymore. They roast their own coffee and used to have adventurous, well-rounded blends as well as a variety of single-origin coffees, and now, it seems like their roaster just throws whatever happens to be on sale into the roaster and lets it run for about 20 minutes too long. That's not the way to run a successful business and as sad as I am to say it because I have a history with this place, I'm going to have to start getting my coffee elsewhere. To anyone thinking about going to this shop, I say DON'T! You'll regret it. Try Tiny's Cafe instead. They're located on MLK north of Broadway, and they also have a location just off of 12th and Hawthorne. more

I am disappointed that this great space is so filthy. I have tried it a few times over the past few months and it has gotten worse each time. It's unfortunate, because this space has so much potential. The main area for hanging out is great, but the toddler rooms are disgusting. The toys are all dirty, as is the carpet (not sure they ever vaccum) and the worst was the food left on the table had fruit flies on it. I'm not sure if they are aware of how many germs kids spread, but childrens rooms need maintanance. It is unhealthy for kids to play in filth, let alone an unclean space in the winter. Good luck if you try it! Pros: big space Cons: filthy, not safe for kids more

I flew into Portland for a meeting there Monday, stopped there again Tuesday, and one last time right before I left yesterday for another cup of coffee and the free wireless to chat with my office and correct the proposal. They were so nice, the food was great (fresh soup every day), and the coffee was out of this world. Had a few too many kids for about 15 minutes of my visit on Tuesday but the rest of the time it was great. Wish we had one like this back home! Pros: WiFi Cons: lots of kids sometimes more

I am sitting in the shop right now, on one of their two computers available for public use, enjoying this amazing cup of coffee roasted right in the back along with this Thai curry that is out of this world! It is completely out of the way, just a little hidden gem, but I will be back! Pros: Coffee, Free wifi & computers, awesome food Cons: I have to leave... more