Fair Grinds Coffee House

This café is a nice spot to chill and do some work in. They have good wifi and a good variety of seating options to accommodate you and any friends that might be with you. There are various dark wood tables inside and other tables outside.
The coffee I had was only okay, so although I’d certainly try it again (maybe the barista was having an off moment), I may also, instead, try one of their other beverages.
There are tasty-​looking pastries and sandwiches available, which I didn’t try.

Love the fact that the coffee is fair trade. The drink and pastry options is a bit limited. Free wifi is available. Great stop to grab a pick me up in this neighborhood.

I was really excited to try this place today — with a sore throat and a sandwich craving, this seemed like it should have been the perfect spot for a tea and a quick lunch. I checked the website to make sure there would be a vegetarian-​friendly option, and indeed, the menu page confirms, «Three types of Sandwiches. There is always a veggie option.» Well, no. The three options today were meat, meat, and meat.
So now I knew I had to go somewhere else for food (and go over my allotted 30-​minute lunch break), but I still wanted a cup of tea to soothe my throat. They have a nice display by the cashier, and I chose a chamomile. For some reason, the cup had roughly 3 inches of empty space at the top — maybe I was supposed to add milk? to chamomile? — but the water was nice and hot, and the tea was fine. Just fine. Not great, not as good as lots of other places, but fine.
The atmosphere was cute but probably a little hipster for my taste. People definitely turned and stared when I walked in, in a way that made me look to see if I had spilled something all over myself or forgotten that I had put on a sparkly light-​up Christmas sweater. But no, it seems they were just sizing me up. Not a place I would feel comfortable hanging out and working, although there were definitely people doing just that. I think this spot is just not for me.

Staff is always friendly. Love their drink selections. Lots of loose teas. Fresh strong coffee with nice accruements. They got these nice long wooden coffee stirrers which are the best things ever.
Love the fact that they usually allow group meetings on the 2^nd floor. Been there for yoga and meditation groups.
AND they’re pet-​friendly!
One star off for single bathroom and the the tight parking around the neighborhood. Know it’s not their fault but I wouldn’t recommend driving here unless it’s off-​time.

So friendly, so welcoming, but DIRTY! I’m no germaphobe, my house is vacuumed/​mopped/​dusted once weekly at best and I find these conditions crusty. My goodness y’all, try dusting! The window sill where I am sitting (out in the open) was caked in dust til i cleaned it in haste (can’t get my work done in these conditions). Wobbly tables are remedied with dirty newspaper wedges, looks nasty. They should try switching out these paper wedges more frequently, or try out one of the many other ways to fix a wobbly piece of furniture (Google is a gem!) seriously y’all, I can’t stress enough how grimy your restaurant is, and from a dining establishment these conditions are unacceptable. I expect more from the #1 rated coffee shop in gambit. Don’t get the health ppl here, they’ll shut y’all down unless y’all have some routine hyper-​cleaning spree to prep for their arrival.

Came here to study, ordered chai tea. The tea was mediocre the problem was that my cup was hero ably only ¾ full. The rest was foam. That is a really disappointing thing. The ambiance is nice and quiet. It’s a pretty large spot. Nice to study, but I’ll never order a hot drink from them.

The quality of the espresso here and the hipper than thou vibe of the employees, along with an air of strong BO coming off many of the guests just turned me off

The coffee and tea are very good but by far my favorite thing about this place is the atmosphere. It’s a great place to relax, enjoy Wi-​Fi and sip on some good quality coffee or tea.

I hate giving this place a bad review, because I really wanted to like it. But nothing about our experience was positive.
As soon as we walked in, we felt way too uncool to be there. Everyone at the shop seemed to be a regular, and they all stared at us as we were walking up to the counter. Not the fault of the store at all, but not great.
When we decided what to get, two iced mochas, the barista nearly scoffed when we asked for them to be made with 2% milk. She told us no one ever orders 2%, and that statement formed my theory about this place: directly after we drank our beverages (which were awful, completely chalky,) both my girlfriend and I became quite ill. We debated going to the doctor because we weren’t able to keep any food down. My theory is that since no one orders 2%, it’s hardly ever replaced and was likely spoiled.
This coffee was the only similar thing my girlfriend and I ingested all day, so I can’t think of anything else that would have caused this. Even if we hadn’t gotten sick, we still wouldn’t be going back.

Quick service! The banana bread was awesome. And quiet outdoor seating to enjoy a cup of coffee!

Adorable spot! Slow paced but worth the wait especially if you can let your hair down and visit with the customers in line with you.

⁴⁄₅ solid standby
how haven’t i written this up? it may take a bit to find parking on some days, but it’s such a breeze (literally) sitting in the patio area (pending smokers) and otherwise the inside is cool too. i’m a fan of their chai and their iced coffee is a solid starter. i try not to look at the pastry case, otherwise i walk away with a sweet treat that i probably shouldn’t have. but really though, their baked offerings are delightful and i’m recalling that chocolate banana bread right now…
tip: the straws are stored upside down. i took me forever to figure out that when i pick one out, i should flip it first before trying to unwrap.

The coffee was fine but not great. Also– 3.50 for the smallest cup I’ve ever seen? While waiting, I witnessed a super rude and uncomfortable interaction between the barista and another customer. The customer was kindly informing the barista that her dirty chai tasted off and the barista asked her if she’d ever had espresso before. LOLOLOL. Really?
The interior is super cute though and the food looks good.

(visit from August) I like it alot. Amazing rarities have occurred on my visit here. First the outside side patio I was able to sit outside and work. Like by some magnificent voodoo although it was summer and outside I wasn’t sweating. 2^nd although there is someone at almost every table it is crazy quiet and peaceful. (am I the only one who thinks coffeehouses are ridiculously noisy with the chatting, the equipment, the obnoxious music piping through). Also, they have a nice selection of teas and do custom juicing! Yum.

This is the quietest coffee shop I’ve ever been to. Nearly all the tables were taken, but you could have mistook it for a library.
That aside, it’s ridiculously adorable with a great staff. Fantastic chai latte, too.

I’m new to the city and have been looking for a local coffee place that I would enjoy going to. I was on my way to work and decided to make a quick stop to pick up some coffee. I definitely love the neighborhood it’s in. The atmosphere is pretty chilled. It was pretty quiet in there with no music. Not sure how I feel about that. My choice of drink was the almond iced chai latte and it was ok. I’ve had better. I’ll be back only next day off to try something different and enjoy some patio weather.

What an adorable little coffee shop! Come check this place out. It has a wonderful feeling to it, both inside and outside on its patio!
Got a latte and a some of their homemade juice (apple, carrot, kale I believe). Both were so good. Made fresh to order — which I appreciated! Service was great and prices were reasonable.
Outside patio is dog friendly and they also have cute little gifts inside from various local and international vendors.
Check them out!

Big fan. Super hot good coffee served quickly.
I like the place even more so because it has tons of out door seating. A little bit out front, more on the side and then a deck patio up top. Very awesome. Cool atmoshphere and in my favorite neighborhood in the city. I’d go back in a heartbeat (if the weather is nice).

Thanks for the reminder, Unilocal!I love Fair Grinds, yet I apparently never wrote them a review. So here’s the five star review they’ve been missing for almost 2 years now.
First a mention on how they are one of the only coffeehouses in NOLA that’s dedicated to fair trade coffees and all of their tea is organic. That the tea is organic is a huge deal as I recently learned non-​organic teas are ridden with pesticides. Not that I’m such a big tea drinker, but in September-​October I’m all about dirty chai and by «dirty» that means a shot of espresso, not a spray of pesticides! Thankfully they make their own chai and hooray for it not being overly sweetened like that stuff from the box. They have almond milk in addition to soy, so you don’t have to worry about GMO-​ridden lattes!
I haven’t tried their baked goods, all of which look delectable, but I had lunch once, some kind of vegetarian sandwich that I can’t recall other than the fact that it was quite good. If you’re in the mood for lunch, be aware that they stop serving it around 2. Bagels and pastries are available all the time, though!
Fair Grinds is small and cozy and a traditional coffeehouse in that it’s more reminiscent of being in a real house than a sterile storefront/​corporate coffee bar. They have community-​based activities like Kundalini Yoga weekly and various performances. The staff is so very kind and accommodating and I just love that side verdant patio that’s off to the side. It’s the kind of place I can easily lose hours in good conversation or a book. But typically I’m working on my laptop, so to that end, you don’t have to go crazy scoping out an outlet. Internet works just fine every time I’ve been there.
I have some great coffeehouses in my area, but none of them «have it all» like Fair Grinds. The fact that I actually get in my car and drive the 15 minutes or so that it takes to get here speaks volumes, doesn’t it?

Ahh… I absolutely love coffeeshops! It brings me back to my graduate and undergraduate days as well as high school!
Anywho, living in Mid-​City I try to support local (although Starbucks your soy chai lattes are pretty friggin awesome but CC’s has changed their chai and it’s driving me nuts!). This is my idea of an eclectic coffeeshop. I remember when Rue de la Course is where the Rum House currently resides. People were allowed to smoke and there were banker’s lamps on each table.
Well, Fair Grinds, you had me at banker’s lamps. Plus, they have an outdoor seating area which I have yet to try. I’m a night owl so you won’t see me out and about before 11am on a weekend unless I’m going to church or forced to leave puttering in my apartment. Plus, bonus that they are open later than PJ’s so I’m all about it! I even ran into my favorite waitress from Nonna Mia there (ok so I eat at Nonna Mia alot to have a relationship with the waitress, manager, and other waiters! hehe). She also gave me the FYI that Zotz on Oak is open even later if I can’t get everything done in time. Good to know!
I also enjoy that Fair Grinds is located in the mix, it’s on the same street as Café Degas, Canseco’s, Maple Street bookstore, Swirl, and a salon that I haven’t frequented yet. There is street parking.
Also, the staff are friendly, there is only one unisex bathroom, adorable outdoor seating, free wifi, and a delicious soy chai latte!
Am happy to have found a neighborhood!
Happy coffee coffee drinking!