Common Grounds

Local coffee shop. Great owner. Not a typical chain but a good place to hang out or get things done.

I really like coming here but I just can’t deal with the smoke anymore. There is a parking lot out back and area in front where people hang out. I feel like allowing smoking outside should be sufficient enough. Crowding the inside with smoke is disgusting and prevents alot of people from coming here. Almost no businesses allow smoking inside anymore unless they are super nasty bars. Your customers who smoke are not going to stop coming if you change your rules, they will simply go outside.

Oh Common Grounds how I miss thee.
Let’s get a few things straight about this place. Common Grounds isn’t a coffee shop, or a bar, or even a hangout… it’s an experience. It is not for the faint of heart, the closed of mind, or the conservative of spirit. With signature drinks like «The Raspberry Bitch Kiss» or «The Dirty Girl Scout» this place is clearly for those willing to chill out, remove the sticks from their rear, and sit a while.
If you are looking for a quaint, quiet, plushy retreat to write your cupcake blog… go to «Starsucks», but if you want to have a genuinely interesting and passionate conversation about anything from the upcoming Warcraft expansion, to theoretical physics, to 1980’s rock history, to the secret behind making the best tasting pies in Cleveland, then you are right where you want to be.
Regulars at this establishment are like family and they are treated as such by the talented, savvy, and badass collection of staff. You will always be welcome there if you know how to play by the rules, those of which are few and simple to follow.
— Buy a drink
— Be respectful of others around you
— Don’t break things that don’t belong to you
— Be a generally decent human being
The atmosphere is prone to change throughout the day/​week, but always into something dynamic. It’s never boring there unless you yourself are boring. It is indeed in need of a fixer-​upper in terms of the floors, tables, and chairs. They’re well-​loved and a little rough around the edges, but let’s face it, it’s Cleveland, so is everything else.
The thing this place has going for it that you’d be hard-​pressed to find anywhere else in the city is a real SOUL to it. It has stories just saturating the air there. As such it’s an artists/writer’s playground. So come prepared for a trip down the rabbit hole while sipping on some of the best custom drinks around.
A few tips here:
— Tip well… the baristas will love you for it, and it’ll come back to you tenfold in your quality of experience.
— Check any judgey, homophobic, xenophobic, racist, or otherwise backwards mentalities at the door. They are not welcome.
— That being said, keep an open mind and a «ready for anything» attitude about you as it’s really a place more geared for adults who can and do speak their mind. Just remember, keep it respectful.
— TALK TO PEOPLE! I’d suggest starting with the barista as they have time because they’ll be able to give you the rundown of what’s what in the shop at any given moment.
— BUY A DRINK! They are tasty and it’s important to be a patron of locally owned establishments in your neighborhood, or any neighborhood for that matter.
Rock on and Enjoy!

Came here the other day with my best friend. The coffee selection was smaller than I’m used to at other places, but it tasted excellent. I got a mocha, and he got the chai tea latte. I didn’t get to try his, but he told me that it was good. Parking is a little interesting if you’re not used to the area, but the back lot is fairly big. The atmosphere of the place is fantastic, very chill. The picnic tables in the back provide a nice little secluded area to talk in private. I imagine it would be a good place for people who are into gaming to hang out.

If you are looking for a low key coffee shop with fantastic coffee then this place is perfect. The coffee selection is rather small but what they do offer is quality small batch coffee. They also offer some tasty sounding teas for those unable to partake in a stouter brew. If you’re in the area and looking for an excellent cup of coffee at a amazing price hit them up.

Common ground really is underrated. The coffee selection isn’t really big but whatever they have, they make well. A nice coffee aroma engulfs you as soon as you walk in, which sets the mood for coffee. Baristas are also casual, giving a friendly neighborhood feel to the place

Ice coffee is a great treat when its the dirty girl scout or the banana vanilla

This place is gross. Absolutely wreaked of urinal cakes (I have no idea what that was all about) and cigs. I had to wash my jacket when I got home. Looks like a dive bar (I’m cool with dive bars, but they’re for getting drunk in. Not working on your laptop, coffee in hand).
The guy working there seemed annoyed we were there. He was busy chalking and talking to his friends. Some seemingly random girl came through, brushing her teeth, then continued on, behind the bar (I guess she worked there). When she spit into the sink in front of us, the male ‘barista’ made a disgusting comment, which she turned into a full-​fledged, extremely inappropriate and disgusting story.
For some reason, I stayed and continued to struggle to work until someone turned the music off to blast the Cartoon Network. I seriously started to believe I was on a hidden camera show to see how far I’d let it go.
One of the worst experiences ever. The iced coffee was ok though.

Common Grounds is where my life took shape, from awkward teen to happening scenester. I’ve probably never had more fun inside the confines of four walls, and have made life long friendships with my coffee house friends from CG. As for the environment, it’s cool, funky, with ever changing artwork, and stuff. The coffee itself is good too. I’m a drip coffee sorta guy, and it’s always done it’s job. tastes good, served HOT and wires me :) The fluffy mixed drinks are always really original and awesome too, and there are SOO MANY CHOICES. The staff itself is an amazing group. some of whom have worked at Common Grounds for over 11 years. That’s hard to find anywhere, especially at a coffee house. By far the coolest coffee house to hang out in, in Northeast Ohio, and in my opinion, the world. :)

I once heard someone say that If you’re going to Common Grounds for the coffee, you’re missing the point.
If you want to meet some bizarre strangers, this is a lovely place to do so. The fastest way to make new friends here is to have a pack of cigarettes and give them out.
I go to Common Grounds for the people watching, the free internet, the random outbursts, and the startup card games. I’ve taken pregnancy tests in their bathroom and comforted depressed people on the benches just outside. I’ve stargazed with a gorgeous emo girl in their parking lot at 3 AM and pulled what feels like a thousand all-​nighters here.
This is NOT a quiet coffee shop. Expect loud music and barking emo kids.
I rarely come here before midnight. I always stop in when I’m driving back from Chicago and it’s 3 AM and I just need some human contact.
It’s 24 hours, so when I’m a lonely insomniac, this is where I go. It’s probably the only place I feel comfortable going when I’ve had a bad night out, cried off all my makeup, but am not ready to go home yet.
There’s more about this place, plus pictures, on my blog: (
) … I’m the one in the hat, in the last picture. If you see me there, by all means, say hello.

This is a bar, people. Not a coffeehouse. I opened the door and turned around and walked out. If you are expecting a neighborhood coffee experience, keep looking. If there were ever a daytime hangout for drunks this would be it.

Friendly staff, neat décor (but a bit run down), great variety of yummy coffee. it’s a perfect place to people watch, sit around with your friends for hours at a time or just work on your own personal project. It is quite smoky, so I wouldn’t recommend it to non-​smokers. Also, at times not the best crowd gathers (possible feuds might arise). Open ²⁴⁄₇.
One of the workers makes some AWESOME wire trees!