Easily my favorite coffee shop in Riverside located right downtown. Staff are friendly and not pretensious. The place has a positive, friendly vibe. Food is affordable and they have lots of vegan options (sometimes vegan donuts, vegan cheesecake, vegan cookies, hummus and crackers, vegan sandwiches...). They also serve beer and cider. They have different events in the evenings so check their FB site for info. read more

Really relaxed, low key atmosphere. Standard coffee drinks and pastries but they also have a great selection of freshly made juice drinks. They make some simple sandwiches for lunch that are really popular. Great place to work and read. Located just a block off the main strip in DT Riverside. read more

Back to the Grind - Morning vibe before the rush. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

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An absolutely incredible and awesome coffee shop/ library/ meeting place! So hard to describe. Soft jazz music in the background. Coffee, bagels, smoothies, dessert and more! A library with lots of books. Today, I went for the Belgian Chocolate Mousse dessert. Outstanding. Many unique items throughout, posters and art pieces as well. A one of a kind gem in downtown Riverside. read more

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Good tasting food with a lot of vegan and vegetarian options at a very affordable price. The coffee is really great as well. And a very classy ambiance. read more

I don't get anything crazy here just black coffee. It's good. Darren has always be one of the kindest people to me. Sucks about the upstairs being closed off now but that's okay. read more

Chill and unique cafe. Ordered a chai latte, tastes like orchata but was great! Lot of customizations for drinks. Baristas were nice and cool! Would highly recommend to study n chill out here. Atmosphere is perfect for students. Pastries also looked fantastic! read more

I have been coming here for years, and I have never once been disappointed. The decoration in the cafe will have you constantly looking around. Every single time I come I find myself looking at something new I didn't see last time, which I think gives the place so much character and life. Coupled with the extremely kind and caring staff this place has become a staple in my life. As a college study my go to study place will always be coffee shops, and with the amount of seating this place has there is definitely a section for you. There's a huge selection of food, drinks, and pastries, so really it's whatever you're feeling for that day. They absolutely care about the community too as they have different little activities several times a week. I've caught a few comedy shows and concerts in the basement, all of which really showed off the local talent of the area. This cafe is a corner stone of the Riverside community and has so much to offer. I've taken friends, dates, and even my mom here, and I will keep coming here for years to come. read more

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First time here and was left with a bad taste in my mouth. The guy with the beret was passive aggressive and acted like I was an inconvenience so I decided not to tip the poor service I received. He got upset and under his breath he said "Dumb Motherfuckers". Don't know how he still has his job after all the reviews I read. My experience discouraged me from coming again and I will be telling others not to as well. read more

Worst matcha I've ever tried. Just tasted like milk. Would not go back for lattes or matcha.

They wouldn't let me order a coffee to go because I had a sandwich with me that I was not planning on eating there. Didn't even give me the time of day. She said they'd lose their liquor license. Really? over me carrying a sandwich? I was on my lunch break and was short on time, so I was trying to grab a coffee. Pretty disappointing cause I wanted to try this place as I'm new to the area, and as a Trans queer poc, there aren't a lot of welcoming places in the area. Saw they had a rainbow flag outside but I guess there aren't as welcoming as I assumed. Definitely take your money else where. She could've been nice about it, asked me to put it away, or wait outside on the sidewalk. Nope just ask that I leave... It literally is not that serious, girl, acted like I walked in with a gun. read more

Great service and atmosphere. This place feels like a home away from home . I'm so happy I found this place.

I was so excited to try this coffee spot. I work from home and am constantly driving around to different cities to find a nice spot to hang out in while I do work. I drove out from Long Beach today to finally get to experience "Back to the Grind". It takes a lot for me to end up leaving a spot with a sour taste in my mouth. By reviewing the low scoring comments on here, I am seeing a pattern that coincide with my own experience. It is not the atmosphere.. it is the service and first impressions are important. I walked in and the decor and ambiance of this place are amazing. I walk up to the counter and say hello, ready to ask him how the man with the beanie was doing. I didnt even get a chance ..when he walked up to the register with a pout and said they were backed up because the coworkers from the shift before left them with work. I said I was sorry and he took my order. He asked if there was anything else that would be added to my order and when I said yes, I heard a sigh under his breath. I was taken back but thought it was my imagination. I asked what the vegetarian sandwich included and he sighed louder, reinforcing what I had heard before. He sped through the ingredients and I said I would have the sandwich. He made a face and said it would take a while for the sandwich to come out and I told him i was okay with that. I used to work for Starbucks so I understand and empathize with baristas. I sat down and the man with tattoos mentioned an iced tea at the pick up table. I looked around and didnt see anyone get up so I assumed it was mine and grabbed it. After several minutes someone yelled out a different iced tea. I embarrassingly walked up and let him know that I had accidently taken the wrong tea and he asked if I didnt noticed that I was drinking a specific tea with however specific amounts of honey. He rolled his eyes, sighed and told me to take my order too. When the right person, who was sitting in front of where you pick up the order, got up to get his tea.. the man with the tattoos told him to hurry and take his order because "someone" had already taken a drink that didnt belong to them (paraphrasing here). When my sandwich finally arrived.. I took a bite and began to cough. When I lifted up the bread of the sandwich, it was covered in what could have been rosemary. I stepped outside with my tea to attempt to regulate my airway. I came back in and saw that the man with tattoos had turned on the fan (i dont blame him) but it made me feel embarrassed for coughing up a handful of that herb splashed on my sandwich. I grabbed my items and threw away the sandwich and teas because I was very dissapointed in the service and it did not make me feel welcomed. I drove out an hour and a half just to leave after 30 min. read more

Came here last Tuesday evening with my son, who attended "science night" which was held downstairs in their basement. Currently, science nights are held every first Tuesday at 7pm - my son went for extra credit for his class, as his professor was speaking that evening. I opted to stay in the main area with my other son, ordered a peach iced tea ($2.50, 50 cents additional for flavored syrup) and relaxed on one of the couches. They offer a variety of drinks from tea and coffee to beer and smoothies, as well as pastries, ice cream and other food (even vegan) items. I really liked the vibe there: loved the eclectic decor & atmosphere, and the barista was welcoming and friendly. Back to the grind is truly a hidden gem in downtown Riverside. Be forewarned, there is no AC but they do have fans running. read more

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This staff in this place is so condescending and rude. They make you feel unwelcome and like a nuisance for even ordering food. I had an incredibly rude interaction with both staff members working behind the counter and it completely changed my view of the ambience. The food itself is nothing special, no one in my party liked their meal or how they were treated when picking up the order. There's better places to grab a bite in downtown. The location may be nice and the decoration may be cute but it is not a friendly and inclusive place to go. DO NOT RECOMMEND. They need to change their staff or the staff needs to change their attitude! read more

Back to the Grind - and I'm not the only one who thinks so! I've seen countless tick tocks about this place with everyone complaining in the comments! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

The ambiance here is wonderful. The coffee is ok but the barista is great. Would recommend! read more

First time customer came for open mic night with my daughter first impression the unpleasant cashier he was rude with an uninviting attitude so we decided not to order anything of what he was serving! We enjoyed the talent but the people sitting nearby were extremely rude not willing to share unused chairs while another caucasian male clung to his guitar case after we took a seat next to him. "Excuse me Sir, we will not be stealing your instrument, my daughter has 3 electric guitars at home!" We were getting the impression that this establishment might be prejudice mostly caucasian crowd and employees .. not sure if we will be back. Very unwelcoming environment. read more

I was so excited to try this place because it looks amazing! However I was extremely disappointed. The "coffee" was a 1/10. My partner asked for extra ice and less milk so there was a heavier coffee flavor but received a regular latte. So when asking to see if there was anything they can do (I think his name was max? Mustache and tats) Was dismissive and said "It's hard to do less ice because that's not how we do it, but i can try?" With attitude meanwhile my partner was very polite and already felt like an inconvenience. We also asked for oat milk and were told they didn't have any but then a couple of customers after us asked and the other worker went and grabbed it from the fridge. I guess he was too lazy to check? I got a Mocha and it tasted like chocolate milk. I will not be coming back here, first impressions matter tremendously and this was overall a horrible experience. read more

It was amazing. I'm coming back and the girl that made our drinks made them perfect if I could give them 100 out of 100 I would. Actually they do get 100/100 read more

If you're looking for a fun cafe to chat with friends this is the spot! HOWEVER, if you're coming here to study consider finding a different cafe. The ambiance of the store is very Harry Potter like with bookshelves lining the walls and a pretty dark interior. There was only one cashier working both times I went so the service isn't particularly fast. They don't have AC and rely on large fans which get pretty loud along with the fact that they offer smoothies which means the blender goes off quite frequently. The wifi is AWFUL. I had a zoom meeting to attend and school work to do and my documents downloaded incredibly slowly. The first time I went I got a sugar-free hazelnut latte with oat milk and a cranberry peach scone. Both were delicious! The scone wasn't too dense which I appreciated and wasn't too sweet. The second time I came here (to study, unfortunately) I got an iced chai latte and split a ham and cheese croissant/ feta and spinach pretzel with my friend. My drink was a bit on the sweet side but hit the spot for a fall afternoon and the pretzel was surprisingly good. I definitely recommend coming here to explore and chat with a friend. If you get hungry, consider trying the stuffed pretzel!! (part of me wanted to order the pretzel just because I couldn't find any pictures/ reviews of it in here loll) read more

Back to the Grind - iced chai latte peach tea ham and cheese croisssant feta spinach pretzel - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

the place was nice and eccentric. i had a bagel sandwich and it was pretty lackluster but okay. the people were friendly. read more

Back to the Grind - tea + coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

First time at the place and was surprised how big the place is. There was a line so we had to wait awhile since there was one barista at 8:30am. You'd think there would be another person opening for a coffee place. Especially when people have options for better food and coffee with faster and nicer service. If you're on your way to work or school I wouldn't suggest going here for a quick coffee. There was a man who took our order and I couldn't hear him because he was talking fast and not directly at me. So when he repeated himself he was really rude and treated me like I was dumb for not hearing. I wouldnt go there to study. There's a lot of homeless people that hang around there using the plugs to charge their devices. Couldn't really sit where we wanted to because their stuff is laying around. Bring cash because they charge 4% for card. read more

Terrible customer service!! Such a shame previous visits have been amazing. Great ambience. Workers were very friendly and helpful, but after most recent visit I will not be coming again. While waiting for some sandwiches, we were questioned very rudely for having an Owala water bottle on the table. Male worker questioned what was in it and why we had glasses of water when his coworker was the one to offer us water glasses in the first place. (We had only ordered sandwiches, no drinks) As someone who isn't very confrontational, I felt like I was being harassed for no good reason. Left a very sour taste in my mouth. Again, such a shame. read more

The service was quick. The weight staff was very nice and everything smelled and looked delicious. Also there was plenty of seats and the music wasn't too terribly loud so if you want to read in there, you can. read more

It's queer & black owned, and a great space! The service is good and so are the food/drinks. Plus they have special event nights. Love this place read more

Five stars for the location, that's for sure. The parking in the back you have to pay for. There are other parking opportunities since it's Downtown Riverside. Surrounded by bars, Back to the Grind really is a special spot. Upon entering through the front door, I couldn't stop staring at the ceiling and the walls. There is just so much to see and experience. I enjoyed the wall art, ceiling art, and how everything was arranged. There was so much to look at and take in. The environment is friendly, welcoming, and quite a conversation starter. The owner is also very helpful in recommendations and the drinks are tasty with plenty of flavor. I'd definitely go again and try more of their alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages! read more

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Very good coffee, even better vibes. Pet friendly, I was able to go and stay here for hours with my dog while our power in the city was out. I highly recommend. The service was good and the night life in the cafe was very bustling with live artists. This was a great place that gave me a great memory read more

The staff need training when it comes to customer service. Some constructive criticism would be to greet your customers and give them instructions on where to sit and how to order instead of ignoring them. Despite the lovely venue, there's no AC and it's very uncomfortable inside. As far as the food goes, it was just okay at best. The smoothie that I ordered was probably the best part of the experience. Overall I would rate this establishment 3 out 10 because they have a lot to work on . I may come back at a later date to see if there's any improvement but for now it was the customer service that really turned me off. read more

i went here yesterday, the layout and decor was beautiful! i saw photos and thought "i would LOVE to sit down & get some work done in this cafe". HOWEVER, the customer service was absolutely awful!! (specifically this man in the photo posted) was not greeted, was given MAJOR attitude just for ordering food. won't be coming back because i don't want to get scoffed at just for placing an order. such a shame since the cafe itself is super cute. read more

Back to the Grind - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

i came here with three of my friends on a saturday evening at 6pm, it was moderately busy but nothing insane. we immediately noticed that the employees seemed irritated with taking orders. We were all looking at the menu and were then told rudely to form a line against the bar which we did, it was then our turn to order. I went up to order a spinach feta stuffed pretzel, the employee rolled their eyes and rudely asked us if any of the rest of our party were ordering any other food, as if it were an inconvenience that we were ordering any food at all. The employee literally rolled their eyes and ripped a receipt from the printer aggressively and finished taking our order. My group and I were all ready to order a drink previous to this exchange but the employee was so rude and bothered that half of our group decided not to order anything at all. The employee told us to wait at the end of the bar for the food, to which we did. then, the other employee at the end of the bar called the food that i had ordered. we approached the bar, as instructed. the employee then said "did you just place your order", we replied "yes". he then said "if you just ordered, this food is NOT yours" very rudely! not to mention that the entire time they were working, they were slamming dishes around and bickering with each other. we should've read the reviews prior to coming here. read more

Wish I could do 0 stars. I had been there before and I know the pastries/ desserts are very expensive and not good, v that's why me and my boyfriend decided to get nothing bund cakes on our way there and I thought we'll just get coffee there and chill, when we got there the guy with the pony tail barista /cashier was extremely rude and had and attitude, also when my boyfriend asked for spoons he asked if we they were for outside food and told him we weren't allowed to eat outside food in there that we could have the spoon for later lol ‍ and to top it all off they don't have AC. We are never going back there again! Ps. I'm glad my sweet nice calm boyfriend was the one that had the interaction if it would've been me it would've been a different outcome trust !!! read more

Back to the Grind - Almond iced latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

The place itself is very nice and looks super cool. But the food is okay at best and coffee is barely above average. The reasoning for the one star isn't because any of that though. The service here is absolutely terrible all the works are super rude and sarcastic. It also seems like they all hate their job. I definitely will not be back here due to their below poor service. First and last time here absolute joke of a service. Messed up my coffee and refused to fix it as "it was like poring money down the drain if we made you a new one" just to put it in prospective how terrible the service is. Definitely need better staff it's a shame to was very excited to try out this place. read more

I've been going here for about 13 years, I just love it! The coffee is some of the best I've ever had, the taste is unique. The atmosphere is lovely! Very nice and chill vibe, always very clean. The owner is super cool. Check this place out if you're in the area! read more

honestly if i could give zero stars i would, the moment i walked in the barista with the beret rolled his eyes and sighed. then proceeded to not take our order for 10 minutes, then another worker helped us out but was also giving us attitude. when our drinks were done the barista with the beret near threw our drinks and left residue on the side of our cups making them sticky. and on top of that the drinks were honestly terrible, matcha tasted like cereal milk and the coffee was hardly consumable. read more

Back to the Grind - the drinks we ordered after i cleaned up the stickiness. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

The customer service here is terrible :/ my group and I walked in on Valentine's Day and was surprised to see live jazz. It was a cool ambience, and thought we'd have a nice visit here. But the two employees that night were extremely rude for no reason. We will not come back here as I've had the same negative experience with these two workers due to their attitudes exactly a week ago. Shocking. read more

I've been coming here for a while I've lived in riverside my whole life and this place is such a vibe but recently I wanted to show my friends this place so we went and the service was so horrible ! I don't know if the workers were having a bad day or what but they were so rude to us and we were so excited to come here . Also the coffee was okay but everytime I ask for it to be sweet they always say okay but it always comes out bitter so I didn't finish it and threw it away The food is delicious though! Besides that it just makes me sad because this place is so nice but the employees made our experience not so great :( and this isn't the first time. read more

coffee was ok froth a lil bit too thick on the caps service was ok, ambiance is the best one of this place. read more

I've lived in Riverside my whole life, and finally took the time to come in and experience this coffee shop. When walking in your welcomed by a very eclectic and welcoming environment. The decor lets you know they're very supportive of all communities. I'm not a coffee girl, so I went ahead and ordered the apricot arabesque tea and added blackberry and raspberry sweeteners. When I tell you it's my new favorite tea I've been back to more 2 times this week! I settled on an onion bagel with cream cheese, and it was very average. I'll definitely be coming back and trying some desserts or pastries because they looked delicious. They have a cute outdoor patio I recommend as well. Overall quite satisfied with the staffs informative and outgoing attitudes. 8/10. read more

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This place is so chill to hang out and study. Very "aesthetic". The jazz nights are so cool. Drinks are pretty good. The morning staff is so nice but the evening staff can be a little rude sometimes tbh, which throws off the vibe. Besides that, it's a pretty cool place. read more

I love the variety that this coffee shop serves and the staff is so unique and super nice, making me feel straight at home. Its a good stop to study because its so cosy. The beverages are great. I can have anything from coffee to tea and the snacks are so yummy too! Love this place. Will come again. read more

Wow!!! We met a new friend at this cozy coffee shop on University in Riverside- parallel to Mission Inn. The place only takes cash; there is a regular ATM for costumers who like me never carry cash! $2.50 fee for transactions. The place has high sky ceilings, gorgeous to look at (very detailed like copper ceilings) hanging chandeliers, fans to keep the place cool. Old furnishings to give the home feeling. Couches which invite friends to loose sense of time. Bookcases hold old books and memorabilia objects like old typewriters and trinkets. Cute! I had the Caribbean smoothie- my daughter, very berry smoothie and our friend the kindergarten smoothie!! There are sweets, breads, sandwiches and of course coffees- read more

Back to the Grind - Sweets - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

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