Higher Grounds

Love it.
My go-​to café for getting work done. Reliable wi-​fi, lots of room, cool atmosphere, good music, diverse menu, yummy food, and dog friendly! The perfect place when you want to slow down and refocus
Oh, also they recently started accepting credit cards ($ 5 minimum), but have raised their prices slightly for inflation/​tax :)

Great local café in the heart of Northern Liberties. If you’re looking to do some work on your computer and/​or read or hang out for a few hours, this is one of the best cafes in Philadelphia. I’ve always been able to find a table with plenty of room and out outlet close by. The free wifi and dollar coffee refills are a nice touch. It’s never too loud and has very reasonable hours. All around a solid café. Some other reviews mention unfriendly staff, but this has never been an issue for me or a reason to give a lesser rating. But yes, it’s true that some of the baristas are unusually quiet and don’t make any effort to engage in conversation. Some seem a little irritated that they were interrupted from reading or sketching behind the counter when you arrive and order a drink, but if you don’t take it personally, it’s not really an issue.
In sum, if you’re a student or young professional looking for a solid café with good coffee, free wifi, plenty of table space, in a fairly quiet environment, Higher Grounds is where you’ll want to be.

No longer a fan. I come here some mornings and the staff is always so unfriendly and there is a bit of negative energy to the place. They raised their prices from $ 4 to $ 5.15… If the latte was good sure but since it’s watery no thanks. Be nice to your customers.
Also attitude is clearly an on going issue if you read the other reviews.

Really nice people and service, great cappuccino, and good food! I would recommend this spot to any traveler or local.

Cool artwork, great seating, free wifi and strong coffee. This is definitely one of, if not my favorite, place in the neighborhood to come on the weekend (or weekday) and power through some homework while enjoying a great cup of coffee or cappuccino. I definitely am glad this is close to where I live :)
Side note: Yeah their baristas aren’t the peppiest, but I have never found them to be rude.

The guy with the dreads is just terrible. Very rude, short with customers and doesn’t offer any courtesies (ex. Stating flavors for coffee they have) I work literally two blocks away. Been there once. Will NEVER return. Even my co-​workers stopped going because of him being such an ASSHOLE.

I love right around the corner and have been going here for a quick cup of coffee (delish yet the most expensive around) for years. The food is lacking but I mean that’s not really what you go for here anyways right? There is ALWAYS ample attitude and smugness from the same two people (late 30s woman and guy with dreds)
This morning will be my last time here: I get to the shop 6 mins before it opens so I decide it’s worth the wait. I really need that cup of gold & it’s totally worth me sprinting for the train (since I’ll be cutting it close for work!) 7:00 on the dot the guy with the dreds comes from next door and looks at me waiting, enters and locks the door. Hmmm ok maybe he needs a few moments to himself to get cash drawer ready, etc. I mean, he KNOWS someone is waiting outside for coffee. 7:09 I finally leave. Run to the train. And now won’t get my cup of coffee until 9:00 because I no longer have time to grab a crappy, yet always pleasant and never late Starbucks.
Thanks guy for the last time you throw me attitude. I’ll gladly pay the same amount to walk the other way to One Shot or choke down one at the Red Cup Café. jerk.

Fantastic environment — the rare coffee shop that has plenty of sofas and stuffed chairs that you can actually sit in because folks aren’t camped out all day on their laptops.
Very nice assortment of great coffee and other drinks, plus baked goods and some sandwiches and such. Very neighborhood oriented too. This place does not try to be something other than what it is, a great coffee shop, and it succeeds admirably at being comfortable and unpretentious. Great asset to the neighborhood.

I tend to think that the whole ‘aggressively rude/​apathetic/​pretentious barista’ thing is pretty overblown… except here. It’s like Higher Grounds is trying their hardest to prove that every negative stereotype of a coffeeshop is true.
It’s one of the rare ‘shabby/​cute’ coffeeshops around, though, so it has that going for it. I’d enjoy the atmosphere — if not for the staff.

I came in for my first time on a quiet Sunday, and the atmosphere was impeccable. Cozy chairs, friendly customers, delicious drinks. I spent a few hours reading and drinking my lattes near the front, wishing I could somehow live here the whole time. Higher Grounds is absolutely my new Third Place.

I am thrilled that I found another cool coffee shop to get my caffeine fix! As soon as I walk in, I notice the kitschy décor. I thought this place had a real fun vibe to it from the décor, so atmosphere is cool here. The barista was sweet and talked about good the blondies are, so I got one with my coffee. Coffee was a nice pick me up and the blondie was really good as well. I will probably return here when around the No Libs area for my coffee needs (I might need to try their veggie burger too).

I would give it a 3.5 if it was an option.
Came in early morning on a weekday hoping to get some work done. My Americano and Onion Bagel with cream cheese were just okay. I did have the «guy with dreadlocks» referenced numerous time below as my barista. He wasn’t outwardly rude to me (I even got a «thank you» when I returned my empty plate), but I did find it a bit off-​putting that at some point in my 2-​hour stay at this café, his friend came in and they were chattering away very loudly (and I was sitting pretty far from the bar). And yes, there was weird music playing in the background.
With that said, wifi is reliable and free. Cash only is often a problem for me since I never carry cash. The area I was sitting in was way too dark for my eyes to be comfortable while doing work, but I can imagine this would be a fun place to check out to play boardgames.
I probably would come back if I was in the area but would definitely prefer other cafes over this one for doing work.

SO freaking cute. I wish this place were closer to me so that I could find excuses to do «work» while lounging around here.
Lots of mismatched furniture in this roomy café. They’ve got quite a wide array of drinks and things to nibble on as you work away or just kick back and relax with a friend or two. I spied some board games as well and if my friends and I had more time here, we probably could’ve spent the entire afternoon here.
Oh, and the drinks were fine. I would totally recommend stopping by this place if you just want to chill for a bit (as if I hadn’t uttered that sentiment enough times in this review already. Just had to drill it further into your head, for posterity’s sake.)

WOW. If I owned my own coffee shop/​café, it would be EXACTLY like this one!
Cute and cosy with enough room to spread out and hang or work in, the décor is unique and eclectic with vintage and antique furniture and interesting artwork.
There are board games and regular table and chair seating as well as a large couch and some comfy-​looking armchairs. A good mix of music played and the atmosphere was SURPRISINGLY for the area very unpretentious!
I had a coffee and a really yummy cinnamon coffee cake and it was about $ 4 or $ 5. Coffee cake was moist and so good! I was surprised about the food because their website just says coming soon under food.
Parking is free and plentiful around the building. No cards allowed but they have their own ATM machine.
This is my new fav coffee spot in the city!

Stopped by yesterday for what so far is my only visit as I don’t live up there. Love the space and cozy feel of this place with old furniture, etc. Reading the other reviews it seems there is a real issue with some rude man that plays obnoxious music and is horrible to everyone. Thankfully I did not encounter him and the woman working there was lovely.
I’d happily give it five stars for these aspects but unfortunately my latte was quite bad and had an awful burnt taste, probably in part due to the milk being scalded but possibly problems with the espresso as well. It was also the hottest latte I’ve ever been served in my life. I had to sit there with the top off and wait ten minutes to even be able to drink it. On the plus side, the peanut butter cup cookie was quite good. I guess I’m now too used to coffee drinks from places like Bodhi and Elixr, which are real «coffee expert» places that are very particular about making drinks a certain way. Higher Grounds doesn’t seem to measure up in that regard but I’d check it out again if I was in the area and perhaps mention this to the barista before ordering another hot espresso drink.

I found thins place by accident. hidden gem! They make fresh smoothies and have a wide variety of drinks and little things to eat for such a small place. The vibe is very relaxing and ‘café-​esque’. This place screams Philadelphia with cool artwork and old school chairs and sofas. You would never find this type of place in New York, and that’s why I love Philly!!!

Unlike the suburban broad who wrote the review complaining about the tree in front of Higher Grounds, I actually enjoy it…“Like, OMG, I came to a city, and like,…there is a TREE in front of a coffee/​tea shop! The horror! The coffee/​tea place in MY town doesn’t have that problem. OMG!”…
I also really like that the furniture is rather comfortable and unique and I feel as though I am in someone’s living room, which gives me a cozy feeling. As this furniture is obviously no longer in production, it was probably made in the U.S.A. and not in an overseas sweatshop. I love that. Our suburban friend likes to shop for NEW-​made in China-​particleboard caca furniture. She’s cute though. I like her.
I have been to Higher Grounds 3 times so far and the staff is always friendly, not pretentious and they keep a nice, relaxed vibe there. Why, I could venture to say that if one doesn’t like major conglomerate coffee chain establishments, that they would like this place.
You might just see me there imbibing a lovely tea while enjoying the view of the fabulous tree out front.

Really chill spot. I’m a tea drinker and they have some great choices. Bunch a sandwich options and muffins. Free wifi is a plus if you need to get some work done or bs on the net. My kind of café. Definitely check it out if your in the neighborhood.

The most comforting thing (to me) about Higher Grounds is that it never seems to change. And in this case, that’s totally a compliment. Like seeing an old friend after many moons or finding your favorite pair of cozy pants you thought you’d lost. OK, maybe my metaphors are stretching a little thin there, but you catch my drift!
I’ve worked in the NoLib area on & off for over 10 years, and I feel like this place has always been a part of the neighborhood. I’m not even sure when they opened, but it’s always been a relaxed place to get a good cup of coffee or a great cup of tea and just chill. No stink-​eye for taking up precious «real-​estate» or uppity folk trying to look cool in a hip café, it’s just a nice coffee shop with decent food & sweets. Highly recommended if you have time to kill & are looking for a comfy couch and beverage.

This cute little spot has excellent coffee, and the green tea latte was properly strong. However, the green tea latte was much too sweet, and I was not aware of how sweet they would make it.
The décor is thrift shop-​mismatched, and there is plenty of space. The tables are rather dirty, and they need someone to come wipe them down more often.