Sacred Grounds

If you like coffee, hips, music, express yourself, listen to other, this may be your place. Every Monday they have blue jam then open mic. You can go express your self.
They have ton of coffee mix here. I would said the menu is thick. I am not sure I will able to finish all. They have coffee name after TV series like banshee, TV movie Beowulf, Queen Mary and more. This may be the only coffee place that my wife can drink the decafe and able to sleep at night past 12 pm.
Some night, you can practice joke telling to see it work. The place has very interesting furniture and chair. The center stage is locate very center in the shop. Pretty much every seat is good. There are book you can pick from the shelf. It is very strange coffee shop that is opened after 6 pm.

We got there couples minutes pasted 6 pm. An employee was inside getting ready to open the shop. I knocked on the door, he let us in. The book of menu got extensive selections of tea, coffee drink, shake, specialty drink and snacks. We ordered a decaff latte with white chocolate and raspberry flavor. It was quite delicious and big enough for 2 persons to share. As we were the first customer of the day, it didn’t take long to have our drink ready. Open mic, live music, poetry reading on the stage was scheduled every night. Sitting area was big with couches and art work on the wall. The fish tank adds some homey atmosphere. This is a cool place to hang out at night with friends.

If you are coming for coffee or tea, expect a long wait as the baristas are volunteer. twice i had stopped in, and it took about 20 minutes for a simple coffee order. Staff are unmotivated and not apparently happy giving service. Realistically this place is not centered around service.

Most diverse and extensive drink menu I’ve ever seen. You really need to go see for yourself. I recommend the «Ganesh» with condense milk, caramel, toffee syrup and a shot of expresso. Both times I’ve been here, drinks were delicious and made quickly (contrary to other reviewers) and brought out within 2 – 3 minutes. Seats and tables aren’t fancy or new, but they’re comfortable and clean. Not sure about later on in the evening, but at least between 6pm-​8pm-​ish the place is not very busy, the service is fast, friendly and it’s a quiet and good place to study or just hangout with friends and chat. Will definitely come back often.

Although at first glance it may be unappealing to some (the outdoor setting is part of an office building and the indoor setting is a lot of mix-​match furniture and décor), the sense of community is what makes this place great. More often than not, you can drop in on any night (they are only open in the evenings) and catch lots of great local musicians, poetry slams, open mic nights, etc. The food and drinks are a bit slow coming out, as staffing is extremely limited most of the time, but that is because it is run purely by volunteers. They are almost always willing to accommodate community groups and events.

The first time I set foot in Sacred Grounds was a few years ago. I am a fan of mom & pop (or, in this case, mom & mom) coffee houses, so I stopped by. Place was alright, though the vibe was not really as friendly and hospitable as I was used to. Fast forward to 2015: I happened to be on that side of town and I was cold, so I wanted a cup of coffee, thus I decided to try it again.
Big mistake.
After i entered and approached the counter, the barista looked through me as if I were transparent for the first few minutes I was there, which felt like an eternity because she moved so lethargically that her blood must have been replaced with molasses. By the time Molasses saw fit to take my order (just a regular cup of coffee), she informed me that they didn’t have any coffee, so she would make an Americano instead. I had never heard of a coffee house that doesn’t have coffee, particularly on such a cold night, but I let her go ahead and make what she wanted to. After serving the cup, Molasses had somehow discovered how to move fast and vanished into the kitchen before I could even request sugar. I called to the kitchen to ask how much I owed, and was ignored again. Molasses then got one of the regulars to slip behind the counter to settle me up.
«$ 4.28,» she said.
«Uh… Did you say $ 2.28?»
«No, $ 4.28. It comes with a refill.»
«I didn’t ask for a refill.»
Sighing, I pulled out my bank card.
Having listened in on the exchange, Molasses came out of the kitchen.
«That’s the price. $ 4.28. It comes with a refill.»
I looked at Molasses, looked at the Americano I hadn’t touched yet, and turned toward the door.
«Keep it,» I said, returning my card to my wallet. As I walked out, Molasses screeched,
«Thanks for wasting my time!»
As I opened the door, I shrugged and replied, «Yeah, you too.»
Lesson learned. I guess i needed to be reminded of why I never went there.

First impression not so good. I wanted to try a new spot so drove all the way up here through 30 minutes of traffic to get here a little after their 6pm opening… Twenty minutes later they still haven’t opened…

Pretty good coffee shop. Nice environment for a first date and definitely would go there for a chill spot to hang out and listen to small bands and music groups.

I had some work I needed to complete and wanted to get out of my house, and Sacred Grounds provided a nice spot with some good drinks. It reminded me a bit of All Saints Café in Tallahassee, though the space is pretty small and parking was kind of limited. If you’re into independent coffee shops, this is the only place I can think of in Tampa worth going to check out.

I really want to love this place. I really do.
I visit here regularly and if it weren’t for the couches and atmosphere, I would not. The reason? I’ve never gotten a drink in less than 15 – 20 minutes and it has taken upwards of over an hour to receive a beverage.
It should NEVER take an HOUR, much less more than one, to get a single iced coffee.
What’s good? All of the drinks are amazing, I won’t lie.
Just don’t go here in a hurry, hungry or thirsty — you will end up a very unhappy customer. Also, they open at 6-​ISH. Very ish.
Sacred grounds, you’re wonderful but your service is miserable. You’ll go under soon if you don’t step up your game.

This is my go-​to coffee joint when I visit Tampa. It’s a few minutes away from USF and conveniently located on Busch Boulevard (but it’s easy to miss the strip it’s in unless you’re paying attention).
I started going here around 2004 or 2005, when I was an undergrad. The space is very GLBT friendly. There are open mic nights, scheduled musicians, and local meet-​ups. I used to be a member of a knitting group that met here every week; the couches and chairs are very knitter friendly.
This is the kind of place where you sit down for the night with your drink and get to know people. I can understand why some reviewers were put off with this atmosphere; this is not the place to go if you want to recede into the background and become an anonymous fly on the wall. The drinks and food are expensive, but a lot of people settle down and spend a few hours socializing and listening to music, so in the end the quality of experience usually justified the cost for me.
I visit SG every time I’m in Florida, and after four years of living in New Orleans, I was happy a few months ago to see that it’s business as usual. I caught up with old friends and enjoyed a speciality coffee milkshake.

I love this place. Great people and lots of couches.
Just tonight, I went here to attend (1) a radical mental health workshop (basically do-​it-​yourself group therapy in a style critical of, like, patriarchal bullshit and shit) and (2) a Bradley Manning Support Group organizing meeting for a demonstration we have planned in the morning. If you want to find cool people, accepting people, nice people, smart people, go here. They have a library, couches, and a stage, and this place has done so much for the local community and helped me find mine. It’s too bad industrialized corporate universities like USF don’t allow her to locate directly on campus but more people need to know about this place to keep it alive.
I happily spent the last few dollars in my bank account on a fancy coffee drink here. At first, the machine denied my card, so I checked my balance, and she adjusted the price for me, and even left me some change!
Karma owes Sacred Grounds, and its owner, Karen, big time! So, harness the spontaneous energy animating the universe, I think the Taoists call it Tzu-​Jan, and allow yourself to facilitate some Karmic reciprocity! Sorry if that sounded a little abstract or hippi-​dippiish … but that place has that effect on me.

I came to Sacred Grounds with a friend on a cool Fall night to simply have a nice conversation with her and catch up. I walked in, and I definitely felt comfortable to do so within minutes of entering. It is very homey and small on the inside, but it was not too crowded and overwhelming. The mood inside was easy going and just fun to be around… For a laid back night, you can come inside and sit down on the comfortable couches and just gaze at all the cool things they have inside or listen to some local talent perform. Sacred Grounds is very hippy and casual, and it is ideal for anyone looking for something far from a headache and madness. Come and relax here and I guarantee you will find what you are looking for!
Locations like this appeal to me so much because they are just low key and quiet. I don’t ask for much, so the simple coffee and local talent in the background is all necessary to make this a calming experience. You can tell that the locals are really pulled to this place because it is welcoming on all levels.
I am definitely a fan of Sacred Grounds and I love what they do!

I adore this place. Laid back and interesting coffee and tea flavors. Lovely atmosphere. I will def be here many more times.

The best milkshakes! And they have food as well. I ordered Margarita pizza and it was amazing. They have a lot of event nights so go in and check it out nightly. They are usually open til 2 am so its a great late night place too

I don’t get college coffee houses that pride themselves on being awkward.
The inside of this place felt like a Salvation Army with all of the thrown out couches and tables/​chairs all over the place. There were lots of people there the night we went and if the owners put a small amount of energy into collecting junk that was actually cool, this place might attract even more people.
The prices were ridiculous as well. I got a tea (which was loose so I got two cups out of it) and it neared $ 4. My husband got a cream soda which was delicious but I think it was more than $ 4. Smoothies were around $ 6 – 7.
We went to see a couple of musicians we like and they were great and the coffee house was super about letting people know they could buy the music if they chose to. The staff there the day we went was nice but service was really slow. I mean, pouring hot water over a tea bag takes 20 minutes?

This used to be my jammmm when I was a teenager. It was the young, hip, artsy, LGBT place to be! Heads would turn and everyone would be alllll up in your business. After about ten years of popping in and out whenever I’m in town, the crowd seems to have changed a bit. It’s a little bit slower, a little bit older. More of a hangout for USF students, fringe political groups, and the weirdos and outcasts of the bay area (I mean this in an endearing way).
But! You’re still cool to me, Sacred Grounds. Halfway between someone’s living room and a Zen-​themed thrift store, I always feel right at home. I’ve been through your totalitarian «buy a coffee or go home» days. I’ve survived the waves of crowds. And just recently I dropped in and saw that you knocked the olé game room out and put a performance stage up. Way to go!
It may not be the best coffee shop in the world, but it comes from a place of heart and has continuously survived in a city who too easily gives over to corporate chains like Starbucks. Best of all, it’s open LATE, which is the ultimate bonus for night owls like me.
I’ve always been treated nicely, but a few friends have received lectures when trying to pay with credit card – so try to bring cash.

I grew up here.
At one point I believe I spent more money here than on my own rent.
This is a very GLBTQ friendly coffee shop. Amazing atmosphere. I have noticed over the years the place has progressed into an older more mature hippie crowd but there is still the semi frequent teen or 20 something college kid that stops by.
The coffee is alright, it’s not very… coffee-​ish. I like to taste my espresso shots in my latte kthanks. It is overpriced but you are paying for chill laid back atmosphere and good music, so I don’t and can’t complain.

WAAAAY OVERPRICED and awkward coffee shop!
I’m normally gung-​ho for indie coffee hangouts — and Sacred Grounds’ chill living-​room appearance is admittedly pretty rad, but I’ve had several incredibly awkward experiences here.
First off, when you walk into this place, you feel like you just walked into some stranger’s living room and they’re not sure why you’re there. Conversation dies down, heads turn, and a moment of awkward silence passes.
The first time I dropped by, a flamboyant guy working behind the counter asked, «Have you guys been here before?» An innocent enough question, but when we answered «No,» he screamed at the top of his lungs, «WE HAVE VIRGINS!!!»
Everyone in the café then proceeded to greet us! eeek…
Most of their coffee drinks are $ 7+, and very mediocre.
If you’re in for an awkward experience and have money to burn, be sure to drop by this place.

Congratulations on Best Local Coffeehouse 2008!
You knew Creative Loafing would eventually prove itself useful for something.