Came on a Saturday during the farmers market. The shop was very crowded and the line was super…read morelong- all the way to the bathroom. Took about 40-45 mins to finally get our coffee after walking in but the baristas were all super kind and apologized for the wait despite it being out of their control and them working diligently. They have a wide assortment of pastries that look absolutely delicious and of course, coffee, with syrup options (they use the 1883 brand), and a seasonal menu. We got the vanilla and the caramel latte, and both were the perfect amount of sweet and had good flavor. Would absolutely recommend!

The food was okay but not worth the price. I haven't tried their coffee but the place is cute and…read moreworkers are kind. Menu is small and not very interesting I'll try other coffee shops instead

The sugar cookie latte was perfect. Husband loved the strawberry macchiato too! Will most…read moredefinitely be back.

Review Visit: September 20th, 2019…read more Leaves 'n Beans, round three! At long last, I have finally visited the third and final Leaves 'n Beans. Does it contain the same feel as the Peoria Heights location? How about the same menu and good tasting coffee? Yes and no. (Should you be interested in the 3rd and closed location, you can read about it here.) Upon arriving, I noticed the feel and look of the place was of one that wasn't like the Peoria Heights location. This had more of a restaurant/basic feeling to it. There were some sparse autumn decorations on the tables and furniture. My friend sat on a couch and I sunk deep in to this cozy red chair. The area where they had products for sale had a nice look to it and everything looked well organized. I was looking at a coffee cup with their logo on it and was surprised at the price tag. $7.99 for a local coffeehouse cup is really cheap compared to other places I've been. With it nearing fall, I decided to look over their seasonal menu. Being a sucker for lattes, I decided to get the Maple Vanilla one. I took a seat in the aforementioned red chair and instantly felt relaxed. Before I could settle in too deep, the barista was setting my drink down in front of me. As my friend and I conversed, I took small sips to savor the latte as I knew we would be there for awhile. The blend of vanilla and maple was decent, if a bit lacking on the maple side until the very end, when it was all maple. I am not sure what my friend ordered as she was already there and had her drink by the time I walked in the door... plus I forgot to ask. During the 2 hours we were there, the barista/cashier never once stopped to ask if we needed anything. I thought that was a bit odd, as almost every other coffeehouse (and most places that serve food/drinks) will check in and make sure you are doing okay or if you need anything. Luckily, we didn't need anything but it still struck me as odd. Should you need to grab a coffee while on the go, they have a convenient drive thru. We witnessed quite a few people utilize that service. If you decide to go in, there is a public parking lot to the right of the building. If I had to recommend which of the two remaining places to visit, I would highly suggest the one in Peoria Heights. It just has this unique feel and atmosphere that this location is lacking, but you have to remember that one is in a house and this one is in a business location. If you don't need or care about any of that, you can't go wrong with either place for that burst of caffeine. Some day, I will try the food and update the blogs accordingly. Stay caffeinated!

This bakery is a treasure in Bloomington-Normal. We visit here and always try to stop by for…read morebreakfast items or cookies. You cannot go wrong!

Ordered a 1/4 sheet cake. Was mostly icing. Cake was very uneven and they filled in with icing…read more Owner said "The appearance you are describing is due to the cake being a one-layer cake, which naturally requires a thicker layer of icing for structure and decoration." She did refund partial payment. A one layer cake should fill the pan. See picture. After serving a few pieces I was so embarrassed I stopped serving.

Great little coffee shop that I try and stop in every year when I'm in the area. Service is polite…read moreand friendly. My mocha and cherry danish were good. It was a cold, damp, and grey day. So I enjoyed my order while listening to soft melodic Christian music. I recommend you stop in and check them out.

Review Visit: March 27th, 2018…read more Does The Spot Coffee hit the spot? The Spot Coffee started out as a mobile coffee truck, making rounds here and there, delivering caffeine to the residents of local central Illinois since 2016. Due to a growing fan base, they set up shop and opened in February 2018. On a dreary week day, my friend and I rolled in during lunch time to a fairly packed place. We were greeted promptly by a nice staff that took our orders and served up our drinks quickly. I ordered a hot Salted Caramel Latte and my friend ordered a cold Banana Bread Latte. This is the first time I've ever seen Salted Caramel offered and I must say, it was delightful. I'll need more if it in my life. My friend let me try her drink and it was also pretty good. The interior of The Spot Coffee is fairly small, so if you have a large party, plan ahead. If it is just you and a friend or two, they can accommodate you no problem. For being small, it didn't feel claustrophobic and it felt like it had a nice level of coziness to it. I give props to whoever designed the inside for doing great. They even have a spot to sit at and look out the windows while you sip a coffee on a cold and dreary day. A few other things offered here is a back room for kids. While my friend had her son with her, we didn't utilize it due to it being full. There is also a drive-thru if you are in a rush and you need that caffeine fix to go go go! They also have a small baked goods section. I didn't get anything this time but I will definitely try a cookie on my next visit. Other than that, there isn't much else to say about this lovely place. It definitely hit The Spot for me ;).

Great coffee! A must try…read more The service was very good. They helped us navigate the menu.

Nice workers. Nice ambiance. Coffee was amazing. Lil slow service, however overall I would…read morerecommend.

Growing pains... I…read morehaven't had my finger on the pulse of what's new in my area since I've been busy with work lately so it was a complete surprise when Maria told me that Dar Al-Coffee had a new location open up out at the Grand Prairie Mall area. We made plans to drop in on a Friday when we were both not busy but dang... was this place hopping and popping when we walked in. The first thing we both noticed were the sheer amount of kids that parents brought here. I'm always amazed to see parents bring their kids to a coffeehouse because giving kids caffeine seems like a terrible idea. Granted, they could always be getting a non-caffeinated drink but since I am not a parent, not my place to judge and not the place to really talk about it. Maria and I both ordered an americano and I got a cake pop to go with it. With how busy it was, it took awhile for our drinks to come out, which is understandable. What kinda threw me for a loop is that I had to ask multiple times for the cake pop and they seemed confused when I kept asking about it. After about 20 minutes, we finally got the cake pop and the barista was apologetic for the wait and gave me a piece of dubai chocolate with pistachio in it as an apology. One thing I noticed during our few hours of sitting there and chatting is that there seemed to be a lot of missed or skipped orders. The barista running the register was constantly asking people if they were missing anything when they came up to get their orders or even lids/straws/napkins. There also did seem to be a lot of confusion between the baristas and the cook on what orders were who's and what was being brought out. I chalk this up to them being new and needing to find their footing, hopefully. One other criticism is that the register is at the back of the counter area and with where Maria and I were sitting, it got really tight for the people coming in to place an order who had to backtrack between the counter and our table to get to the waiting area. I would hope they flip that or maybe move things around a bit once they see how it bottlenecks the line. Any who, the americano was really good. I enjoyed every sip with just the slightest wish that it was a bit more bitter, but with how tired I was, any caffeine was welcomed. I let Maria have the cake pop since I realized I was pretty stuffed from the big breakfast I had and it didn't sound good after the ordeal of trying to get it. I really like the concept of Dar Al-Coffee and really enjoyed my experience at their first location. Like I said, hopefully they are working out the kinks of it being a new place as I can see Dar Al-Coffee becoming a staple coffee chain in Peoria. Hopefully I can go back after they've had some time with being open and have gotten the kinks worked out. Until then, stay caffeinated, my friends.

Wow.... Is all I could say... can't wait to get one of these in Bloomington!!! Very cool…read moreatmosphere, delicious desserts!!! can't wait to go back.

Breakfast is the main time to come to this long time favorite in Bloomington. Denny's Doughnuts…read morealways has a variety of sweet treats on hand. It also has an indoor dining area if planning to sit and stay. Coffee is basic but it's hot at least. There's also bagels as an option. A pretty worn out looking bakery from the looks of things in here. It's obviously been here quite awhile, and is one of the few breakfast places around for locals. The main thing is the doughnuts obviously. Has a few other things to get started in the morning. It's about $2 for coffee, which is pretty basic stuff out of a well. A few flavors. There's nothing really interesting about it. It's about $1.50 for a bagel. These again are pretty basic, with limited options as far as toppings. Come here if getting a pretty basic breakfast. It's basic coffee and lots of doughnuts. There's also some bagels but these are unremarkable.

Oh my goodness--thank the universe for Denny's Doughnurs & Bakery! Traditionally, our marching band…read moreeats cookies and drinks hot chocolate after a long day of competing. In the past, the cookies were purchased in the suburbs of Chicago and driven to the Bloomington area. After many failed attempts to source cookies within the band budget, it was suggested we call Denny's! Not only were their cookies $6 cheaper (PER COOKIE), they were willing to customize them to match the show theme of wolves. The price was so nice, we ordered 2 for every high schooler! The cookies came out exactly as I imagined and they were so delicious! We enjoyed some leftovers back home for a couple of days. I am already dreaming about the cookies for the 2026 marching season!

Coffee (ordered the matrix) is amazing! The atmosphere and specifically the bathrooms are ABOVE the…read morelevel. The bathrooms were not only immaculate but they literally had everything you would ever need in a bathroom situation, including baby wipes!!! So accommodating! This place, it's atmosphere and its cleanliness is at the level or should I say above the level. Anyone who says otherwise is a curmudgeon!

Needed a little caffeine on my drive down and it started to rain as well so I decided to sit in…read morethis cafe to wait it out. Service was quick and they were friendly. The coffee was also decent. There's plenty of space to hang out and do some work.