While waiting for my order at The Empanada Company, I saw Fair Grounds Cafe and it intrigued me. I…read moredecided to drop by a week later, as I was in the area to get more empanadas.
I found parking right in front of the cafe. It's diagonal, pull-in street parking. I walked in. It's a push to get through the door.
I was immediately greeted by a friendly, accommodating staff member. I wanted a hot chocolate and asked about the four different ounce sizes. He showed me all the paper white cups. I went with the second-largest size. I also asked that I get soy or some non-dairy beverage added to it. Done!
I have a weakness for baked goods. This cafe has vegan options, including pumpkin vegan muffins during my visit. Everything looked so goods, from brownies, to cookies.
I saw the large cookie jars staring at me. My gosh, each cookie is larger than the palm of my hand and I have big hands! I wanted a s'mores one so badly. You basically take the tongs, grab your cookie, and place it in a paper bag.
I got my hot chocolate and cookie that came to $9. It's not cheap, but it's fair trade goods. I expect to pay slightly more. There is a draft in the cafe, so the merchant bill that I had ripped off the machine before getting my bill blew off the counter and onto the floor. I let the man know, which he appreciated.
You can pay by cash, and debit and credit cards. I also provided a tip. As usual, it's up to you.
It was a bit of a challenge with full hands to get out of the cafe when you need to pull on the door handle to get out. Luckily, I put my hot chocolate on the bar-like table, pulled the door open, used my foot to keep it open, grabbed my drink, and moved quickly through the door. Problem solved!
The hot chocolate is dark chocolate. I happen to love it. If you are more of a milk hot chocolate lover, you might find the hot chocolate to be missing sugar and perhaps taste bitter. I loved it. There was probably more soy in my drink than there should have been, but it was perfect for my less sugary needs.
The s'mores cookie is extremely yummy! OMG, if I lived in the neighbourhood, I would buy the jar of cookies every day. It was buttery, chocolatey, and marshmallowy (I know, not a word, but whatever) delicious. It paired nicely with my hot chocolate, as it had slightly more sugar. I would come back just for this cookie alone.
There were plenty of seats to sit down. If you sit by the bar-like area with stools, you get a nice view of the area. People-watching is casual in this cafe. It has a nice vibe.
You can get a number of fair-trade coffee varieties. I am personally not a coffee connoisseur, but I appreciated both the selection and the cause.
I like this cafe. I'd come back to give the muffins and more drink items a taste the next time I'm here.
(158)