Hidden Grounds
| Address: | 106 Easton Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA |
| Phone: | +1 732-317-4117 |
| Site: | thehiddengrounds.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 9AM–7PM 9AM–7PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
SA
Sandeep Jaim
four words my experiences coming here: overpriced, unprofessional, disorganized, and pretentious. i raised concerns in the past and offered this business advice about how to fix these four issues, but that conversation ended after the third email. resources for drinks like their chai cost very, very little... likely not even $1 per drink. however you pay four times that. perhaps the only item on the menu you could buy on a budget is a normal coffee which has always been too bitter or too watered down in my experience. inconsistent. also, a bagel sandwich with such a tiny amount of cream cheese and veggies should not cost me more than $5. a spicy grilled cheese should actually be spicy and have enough cheese. the business is unprofessional. like i said... i offered advice before and the conversation ended. even the baristas lack patience, respect, and distract themselves with their own "recreational activities" behind the counter. my orders have always been rushed, forgotten, or messed up. the business is disorganized. VERY disorganized. i have gone here and havent gotten my drink for 10 minutes after ordering. sometimes customers several spots after me would get their beverage almost immediately simply because they know the baristas. sandwiches typically take way over 20 minutes... and this is not a sit-down restaurant. good luck finding somewhere to sit... let alone a clean table to leave your stuff at. last but not least i find this place pretentious. if i pay for a special blend of coffee it should not taste like water.. or excessively bitter. this is false advertisement. whoever hasnt already raised concern about this likely respects the place for the bohemian atmosphere and rustic furniture. the charm certain seems to distract everyone from the lukewarm lattes, poor coffee, and overpriced chai. and when i return my coffee asking for it to be brewed better i shouldnt get the pretentious response "oh its just the blend". sure, the place has cool atmosphere and is a chillax spot to hang out, but a customer who understands quality would hope not to spend money on overpriced, falsely advertised beverages and sandwiches. the place likely thrives from the young college students who dont know better and join the bandwagon because it is hip and cool.
MA
Mark Deavult
The 800-Pound gorilla in the room is, of course, Starbucks. They have a lot to be proud of ... Starbucks did a lot of the heavy lifting to build a Coffee Culture and expose it to mainstream acceptance. Thats the good. Now - the bad. The ubiquity of Starbucks has swayed the expectations of a generation who think that the carefully curated corporate image is anything but a chain experience. Hidden Grounds is a case in point. Here, you have a tiny, local shop, pulling themselves up by the bootstraps and focusing on a menu that is narrow but deep, with an emphasis on quality and originality. What does that mean? It means that if you want an iced latte the size of a garbage can for $5, you might be a Dunkin customer. If you cant wait a couple minutes for a freshly ground, pour-over coffee, there are multiple Starbucks locations that place an emphasis on speed. Parking is tough, the dining area is relatively tiny, but it packs big taste and, as the saying goes ... good things come to those who wait!
MI
Michelle Rose
I was served a very cold, watered down pour over here, and then had to pay for a new coffee. I understand if it is busy and there is a lot to keep track of mistakes happen, but I have never gone to a coffee shop before that did not account for its mistakes. I dont recommend this place if youre interested in quality. It is too small a shop to accommodate for its customers, and its staff knows very little about what they are serving. I could taste the difference between a pour over and an auto brew. I worked as a barista before and I was trained to taste the notes of the coffee, and I was educated about everything regarding the coffee-making process. I believe that a place that prides itself for its quality should know everything about what it is serving... that should keep it from making rookie mistakes...
NU
Nutan Patel
Nice little "hidden" coffee shop in the "ground" in New Brunswick! They accept the CUPS app and if you use coupon code 5k3p6 in the promo section of the app you get free $5 which equals out to a free cup of coffee or in my case Matcha Latte! Cant beat free. So about this place, its a little hidden in the ground coffee shop that is fairly new. Its kind of small but theres a little bigger location thats across from Jimmy Johns down Easton. Their soy latte was decent. It had a semi burnt coffee taste and I dont think they roast their own beans in house. The quality is a bit better them Starbucks for sure. The Baristas are pretty nice and they know how to do latte art so thats a huge plus. Plus the free $5 from CUPS with promo code 5k3p6 doesnt hurt at all! Before coffee Im all
MI
Michael Bucceri
This is a great location for Hidden Grounds. The cappuccino at this place is absolutely amazing, probably one of the best I had in the US so far. Short story, I was in Italy studying abroad in the summer and every morning I would see the sun rise over the mountain as I drank cappuccino in the morning at Urbino, Italy. The way their set up and the way they make coffee there is nice and interesting to watch, the passion of it being made definitely gets you excited to taste the coffee. When I sat down to start drinking the cappuccino it lifted up my mood and put me in that same feeling I had in Italy. It had me smiling as I drank it. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys coffee like I do.
CO
Corey Mayo
Architects/designers did an excellent job turning a basement into a sanctuary. Lots of light from large windows, Natural wood floor, tables, chairs offset putty colored walls. friendly, personable staff serving great coffee & bagels & other foodstuff. "ethnic decorations (which are just decorations in their native culture) lend a place a comfortable, relaxed feeling as do the live plants. good wifi & ample outlets! A great addition to the Hub City! Continued Success Hidden Grounds! (my only, ONLY suggestion is that the stools arent low enough for the tables in that my thighs wont fit under the table)
JO
John Green
This place is absolute garbage. Came in recently Friday and received slow, rude service. My drink came out 10 minutes late containing milk instead of soy, and my bombay sandwich had cheese after I specified no dairy products as I am allergic to lactose. For such high prices the place has no class. I paid cash too and realized after the fact I was given the wrong change. Dont come here if you expect to be taken seriously here as a customer. Its as if this store is someones side-gig or hobby. Just awful.
MA
Matt jingleheimerschmidt
Coffee is OK (no flavors, just regular and decaf), but should not be listed in top breakfast spots. I assume its vegetarian, as they do not offer breakfast meats on their sandwiches, which is fine, but you should be aware. The sandwich itself... if you are looking for microwaved eggs, and a copious amount of cheddar cheese, this is your spot. Service was courteous, though very slow. I was the first customer in the store and my microwaved egg sandwich took about 15 minutes.
BR
BRITTANY MCDONNELL
I found this place online and figured I would try it out since I love coffee! I went and got an everything bagel with veggie cream cheese and it was honestly the best bagel Ive ever had. You can tell it is fresh and homemade, and the vegetable cream cheese was delicious. Then I got a vanilla latte and loved it! Not only did it look beautiful, but it tasted delicious. Great atmosphere in here as well! Would definitely come back and recommend!
