It’s a Grind

I used to work right down the road from this coffee house, and would go there quite often. I loved their caramel macchiato, but lately, it’s been tepid and watery. I’ve gone three times this past week, understanding that different folks have different styles, or perhaps the barista was having an «off day». It happens to the best of us, I get it. However, after yesterday’s fiasco, I think that It’s a Grind is no longer on my radar. As it is no longer on my way to work or home, and I have to drive several miles out of my way to get there, I no longer feel that it is worth the hassle.
The past three visits, I asked for a large, hot caramel macchiato with no whip and easy foam.
I paid for a large, hot caramel macchiato with no whip and easy foam.
What I got was a medium, tepid, caramel concoction with no whip and heavy foam. Nearly half of it was foam. Sorry, but I don’t want to drink sweet air. I want coffee. I am not impressed. I always pass Starbucks up for It’s a Grind because they were better. Not anymore. Took 7 minutes to get this «coffee», too.
I seriously wish that I could post photos. 4 inches of foam on top of 5 fingers of something loosely resembling a very weak and tepid coffee is not something that should cost me $ 4.61. I guess it’s time to return to Starbucks for my flavored coffees.
I’m sad because I’ve always been treated kindly here until the past few visits, and the coffee was extremely tasty. I don’t know what happened.

First visit here today and I can say I will definitely be back.
Went around 11:30am and it wasn’t busy– had no trouble getting a great seat near the front windows. For less than $ 6 I had a small (16oz) caramel latte and a slice of harvest bread (think carrot cake and banana nut bread mix) and I enjoyed both. The service was great– very friendly, no rush. The place has a comfortable feel and has plenty of chairs and tables of varying sizes. The music is an eclectic mix of genres and at a decent level as to not drown out conversations or your own headphones. There are a few tables outside and they have a drive-​thru.

People are nice here. Very good recommendation for white chocolate mocha. Not too sweet. Love the place!

Love this place! Staff is always super young college kids but most friendly kids I’ve encountered. Drinks are way better than Starbucks! I got addicted to the iced vanilla latte for longer than I’d like to admit. Was on a 1^st name basis with the drive through girl (Danielle). You can take your dog and sit on the small patio on a nice day. The blueberry muffins are to die for. They’re huge with big sugar sprinkled on top. Served warm.

I dig this place! It’s sometimes difficult finding quality coffee shops in North Austin but this one definitely fits the mold. Plenty of seating, friendly/​helpful employees and, most importantly, seriously yummy coffee. I ordered the iced white mocha with almond milk and cinnamon and it was friggin’ delish. Will definitely be returning when I need a good place to get work done on the weekends!

We went by today and picked up an iced coffee that was good. And picked up a Pumpkin Caramel Pecan blended coffee… wow! They always make good coffee drinks here. Also have interesting sandwiches & pastries too. And they have cute coffee mugs for sale that would make nice CHRISTmas gifts.

Great coffee shop. love your coffee and tea. drive thru 4 to 6 days a week. Awesome people.

I love coming here… and it’s so great that they have a drive thru! The staff has always been very friendly and helpful. The coffee is consistently good and I have tried several different drinks from their menu. The sandwiches are good although I wish they were a tad bigger or came with a side or fruit. Definitely recommend this place for coffee or a little meet up with a friend.

I gave It’s A Grind a second chance and I have to say the service has improved tremendously. They have made their staff much more customer friendly and it seems like the overall tone of the staff has become much more pleasant. I think their coffee is really good along with the way the ice is grinded as I said previously.
As someone who now comes here regularly again the only feedback I would have to make this location five star is just please institute a re-​fill policy along the lines of starbucks such as 53 cents for a re-​fill of an iced coffee. It would enhance your customer retention rate even more. I just felt as I came back and now have been going more consistently with no order issues and it seems that the staff has become much more customer friendly my old review needs to be modified.

Great customer service and delicious house coffee.

This place is just ok. I was expecting the menu to have more food and drink options. The display in front of the register had a ton of pastries, muffins, scones, and cookies but I was looking for a breakfast sandwich. The poster on the door offered a egg and cheese bagel but that was the only sandwich they had for breakfast. The employees are friendly and turned my blended drink into an iced drink without any problems. My drink was very chocolatey; I had to take my time drinking it. Comparable to drinking a rich fancy chocolate bar so if you like that sort of thing… go for it! It was a little too much for my taste buds. The cashier recommended the apple fritter and it was quite tasty. I like that it had walnuts in it. Make sure you tell them to warm your pastry up because it sits in the display cooler. The place was clean and trendy. It also allotted space for those who want to bring in their laptops and do whatever it is y’all do on your laptops. In my opinion, I would try this place on the run but it just reminds me of a low budget Panera Bread.

Great strong coffee, but not many choices for breakfast-​unless you just want a pastry. I was hoping it would be a better option than that ‘other coffee shop’ that I refuse to go to. Unfortunately I was disappointed. The staff were friendly, not much room for seating, if you just want to run in and grab a drink to go, this may be your place!

Really love this place. Drinks and coffee is on par with Starbucks in my opinion but price is way less. I love the seating and atmosphere they have as well. We’ve stayed later close to closing time before and baristas never ask us to leave. We always try to be courteous and get out but I think it speaks volumes to customer service to simply wait patiently for customers to leave rather than kicking them out.
The only issue I would take is maybe sprucing up the inside a bit. The walls have dents in them and large scratches from chairs hitting the wall.

One of my least favorite coffee shops in Austin, and definitely one of the worst. If you want quality coffee and espresso, this isn’t the place to go. But if you want something overloaded with chocolate, syrups, sugar, and bitter espresso, then this is the place to go. The staff is highly unknowledgeable and snotty. Plus they are all in high school still, busy texting and playing around on their phones.
To make matters worse, avoid buying the muffins. They buy them at HEB and sell them at a higher price. Pretty disappointing in my book. The lack of care is obvious in the staff from their snotty attitudes and low quality products.
Also, I made the mistake of using their restroom twice and it smells like sewage. Like as if they have a serious plumbing issue.
This «coffee shop» simply blows.

In this zip code 4 stars is more like 2. There are dozens of places with better quality products and service on Parmer alone. This place needs to step up their customer service! Mistakes happen and when we were given the wrong order, for $ 25, we understood that but when we came back in to get the correct order the little girl behind the counter, you’ll recognize her blank stare, said that since she wasn’t there she couldn’t prove we weren’t lying. We definitely not bums off the street and we don’t need to scam adolescents with dead eyes for pumpkin bread. I didn’t expect a free handout at all but maybe an apology and for them to take it under advisement with a supervisor. What we got instead was cold service and subpar food and drinks for another $ 15. Thanks It’s A Grind! That’s how I feel when I go in your coffee shop. Like it’s a grind.

Nice seating place. Love the fireplace and Antique chairs. Not much to view except parking lot. Tried the mocha (hot and icy). Both were fantastic. Especially loved the icy mocha. Made exactly as per order. Extra hot meant really hot. No mistakes. Actually, found the coffee taste fresher and tastier than Starbucks. Cups were also better quality and the loss snapped on well.
Staff was friendly. Definitely worth a try if you’re bored of the crowded Starbucks. Prices add equivalent to Starbucks.

I admit… I first wanted to come here because I liked the name. What can I say? But I also enjoy trying new coffee joints that aren’t the infamous Starbucks.
I got a small sugar free vanilla latte and it was creamy and delicious. They have many different flavors to choose from here as well as teas and ice blended coffee drinks. They also have breakfast sandwiches and pasteries which they will warm up for you if you want. It reminded me of what a coffee bean would be if it were taken over by a mom and pop duo.
My husband ordered a cup of regular decaf which is self serve and he said was okay. But he really liked the brownie he got. I will definetly come back here again, maybe for an ice blended concoction next time.

That 32-​ounce iced coffee was great, but holy jeebus. No one needs that much coffee. It made me a nervous wreck the rest of the day. But I don’t know what else I could have gotten; the menu is full of a bunch of Heath Crunch blended frappucino kinda things.
Some coffee shops are coffee shops. Others mimic the lifeless ambiance and yuppy-​centric drink offerings of Starbucks. It’s a Grind is definitely more in the second category, with the added bonus of drinks that look like something from a shopping mall ice cream parlor.
But you aren’t going to find anything inspired this close to Cedar Park, so I gladly accepted my complimentary WiFi and comfortable seat and tanker-​sized coffee.
Hey, did you know there’s a location in Dubai?

The service is very friendly, the hot coffee drinks are decent, and the drive-​through is incredibly convenient. It’s a Grind is pleasant coffee house wiith a solid product.
I am all for alternatives to Starbucks, but this shop is also part of a national franchise. I’ve got nothing against franchises. The challenge is that corporate-​roasted «supply-​chain» coffee beans will never compare to local, freshly-​roasted beans.
In particular, we have Cuvee Coffee right here in Austin producing world-​class coffee beans. If you are really looking for an alternative to Starbucks, I would advise finding an independent shop that serves Cuvee beans. There’s actually one just a mile or two up Parmer.

I come here because it’s convenient. If you are expecting a cool, hangout place, this is not for you. If you are looking for a simple place to get a sandwich or muffin and a cup of coffee, then It’s a Grind fits the bill. There are tables and chairs, rather than comfy couches. They have a very small selection, a few sandwiches and chips and coffee during lunch time.
The sandwiches are fine and the prices are reasonable. I normally drink only black drip coffee so I can’t comment on their fancy coffee drinks. For me, the coffee is just OK, not bad but not distinctive in any way.
A plus, the employees are friendly and it’s pretty quiet here when I come for a late lunch.