Grit Coffee – Downtown Mall Location

Bad ambience. Dirty tables. Unfriendly staff. Mediocre coffee. Misleading menu. And the place closes at 3 pm on Sunday. This location doesn’t have much going for it.

Great place to park with your laptop and enjoy some food and caffeine. Their omelettes (I had the sunset omelette, which I think was a daily special) are heartier than you’d expect, and very delicious. The rosemary potatoes that came with were also amazing. Potatoes as a breakfast side are usually just that – an aside – but the rosemary potatoes were so good that I would order breakfast at Grit just for the potatoes.
Service was friendly and the tea was good. If you’re not into hip hop throwbacks, though, which seem to make up a good portion of their playlist, then consider yourself warned! I enjoyed it, but I can imagine it’s not everyone’s cup of tea (haha).

Need to improve the chocolate for their mocha, otherwise good coffee and great location.

*Looks like Café Cubano is in the midst of some sort of a re-​org, based on a quick inspection of their website. This should be a positive step in the right direction for them, as a visit one morning for a dine-​in breakfast left much to be desired.
While the space is conveniently-​located along the downtown pedestrian mall, and the menu seems to offer a plethora of coffee, tea, and quick food choices, I was really turned off by the attitude of the staff (particularly the rude barista) and the lack of organization in terms of delegating food orders and delivery, which made for many confused customers waiting around for whose food was whose.
It’s surely a good place to stop for a quick cup of joe — the dine-​in situation isn’t very spacious; sit by the window or along the side wall to avoid having to-​go customers and waiting customers crowding your personal space.
The food was okay and fairly priced, but then again Charlottesville is a pretty reasonably-​priced place to begin with. I ordered an omelette, which was made-​to-​order, but arrived lukewarm. I waited so long for it, that I didn’t want to waste more time saying anything about it, and I was also peeved at the barista for slinging drinks while barking at coworkers and customers.
I wouldn’t recommend Café Cubano as a «sit here all day and do work» sort of a coffee space, as they seem to frown upon that — odd, given that we’re in a college town, but whatever.
On the plus side, my latte was served hot, as ordered, and was very tasty, so if you can handle some ‘tude, you can have yourself a good latte.

THE GOOD: The food at Café Cubano is consistently good. I love that they have some great breakfast foods and their day time menu has a variety of sandwiches and salads so there’s always something neat to try. You can see the cooks in the back working hard to make sure everything comes out right. Love that you can order a cortadito and someone knows what you’re talking about.
THE EH: Staffing is weird and it causes service to be very slow. The person taking orders also has to fulfill orders, watch the café, get the giant coffee pots refilled, handle questions/​problems. It’s not an efficient system especially when there is another employee on the espresso machine chillin’. There is one employee (usually taking orders, locks hair style) who can throw a bit of shade now and then but it’s not over the top and if you see him a couple of times you understand he’s actually not a bad person just probably overwhelmed.
Overall grade: B–

Cool place, great atmosphere! Stopped in on a Sunday morning so it was pretty busy, but that’s to be expected. Had their lox panini (smoked salmon with cream cheese and tomato). It was delicious, but nothing over the top that made it stand out. Can’t speak for the coffee, was already 3 cups in and might’ve had a heart attack if I’d attempted another

The attitude and incredibly slow service make this a place to avoid like the plague.
If you have 15 min extra minutes, that’s great, because that is about how long it will get to get a latte made. My coworkers and I have called ahead for breakfast biscuits only to arrive to find the order was never placed. This happened more than once and the last time the server at the counter actually yelled at us, as if it was our fault they didn’t place the order.
Terrible, terrible serivce.

Café Cubano is a place I rave about, and suggest to everyone. It’s usually my boyfriend and I’s first stop once parking at the downtown mall, and a must for everyone when in Charlottesville, along with Marco & Luca’s Dumplings which happens to be right across from it!
I found this place a few years ago, and was so excited because they actually have a real «Café Con Leche» on the menu. A lot of coffee places will say «Café Con Leche» on the menu but then they basically serve you «coffee with milk», (which is what the actual Spanish — English translation means) butttt a real authentic Café Con Leche is actually sweetened expresso with steamed milk, similar to a sweeter/​stronger style latte, and Café Cubano’s is on par with the way my Cuban relatives make it, and that is something to be thrilled about if you’re a coffee lover.
They also have some great vegetarian breakfast choices!

Seems I encountered the same barista ‘tude that others have. No excuse for that – sorry. I have been in the business. You don’t sneer at customers. You answer me when I (politely, of course) ask a question. I haven’t been there before. Don’t bark at me.
For those planning to go, there’s no table service per se. You order food and drinks at the counter, pay, and then grab a number. Someone brings the food to you when it comes out. The young man who was running around delivering food and clearing off tables was working hard and maintaining a pleasant demeanor. Not so the young woman at the counter – who, clearly, has been rude to many others before, yet still has the job. If you’re a miserable grump, pick a different job.
Now for the food – though plentiful (omelette), it was disappointing. I ordered the sunrise omelette that was written on the board. I didn’t expect raw strips of green and red peppers. Nor sausage of a pretty low quality. It wasn’t even breakfast sausage. Nothing went well together, and the egg part of the omelette was hard and rubbery – and very, very oily on the outside.
The potatoes weren’t tasty at all. The «sourdough» toast was just meh.
The cappuccino tasted fine, once I found some coffee beneath the blizzard of foam.

Great brunch at a good cost. My fiancé and I both had specialty omelets and barista drinks and still kept the tab under $ 25. Very fresh ingredients, fluffy eggs, great local bread, overall wonderful find on a hungry walk down the Mall!

This café, tucked inside one of the indoor group of shops right off the downtown mall, serves up a solid cup of coffee. I really just popped in and out, but I did briefly eye the menu while I was there and it looks like they have some tasty food options, too. I stuck with an iced coffee and almond milk (my usual), and the coffee was smooth and just the right strength. I hate it when it’s too strong or too weak — it just doesn’t taste the same when it’s not made correctly. But Café Cubano got it right.
It’s a no-​frills kind of place… after all, it’s a coffee shop! But if you’re on the mall and need a caffeine fix, this spot will certainly fit the bill.

I was there today for a late breakfast. The girl at the counter was extremely rude. She practicall threw an empty coffee cup at me. Will not return. The food is average but not worth putting up with a person that will treat you with disrespect.

I was in Charlottesville for just one night. While searching for my morning cup of joe, I stumbled across Café Cubano in the downtown mall. They were open early while the other coffee shops were not. The barista was a very nice man, not sure if he was the owner, but he prepared an amazing cup of café con leche. I have not had Cuban coffee since my trip to Miami, but that first sip was a time warp to that exact moment. My wife had the 90 blend, with almond milk which the barista offered to steam. Great service, great product, great hours, and fair trade beans. If I ever make it back to Charlottesville I will be sure to visit Café Cubano again.

Yum. My husband and I were staying one night in Charlottesville to break up a long drive. We needed to head out early. Finding a good cup of coffee before we hit the road is crucial. Café Cubano seemed to be the only coffee joint to open before 7am on a Tuesday.. . which seems odd. In any case there we went.
The gentleman working was delightful and the coffee was perfection. My husband got a Café Con Leche that zipped us back to a Miami trip we took a couple years ago. Since sadly I don’t do dairy in my coffee I opted for a cup of «90 Blend» with Almond milk. It was rich, creamy, earthy, chocolaty and wonderful.
We can’t speak for the food but the coffee was top notch. The perfect jolt to get us started.

I’m sad this place doesn’t have higher reviews! Granted, their food is far from Cuban but it is fresh and delicious. This is our go to cheaper and faster brunch spot. The chorizo potatoes (when a special) are pretty awesome and the green salsa they drizzle on everything I could eat with a spoon. My go to is the huevos buenos.
Their coffee is also delicious. This is probably where you’ll find the closest thing to a cafecito in Charlottesville. Not quite Miami but pretty close. Check it out if you’re in the mood for breakfast but not to wait at any of the other local spots.

I tried their Cuban sandwich with a side of tortilla chips and fresh salsa after almost four hours of sitting through an exam. The Cuban sandwich was a masterpiece. The pork was very well-​cooked and nicely done. Probably the best Cuban sandwich I’ve had in a while. I hope to come back again!
A nice improvement would be to expand their offering of non-​coffee drinks. I was hoping for some Cuban, Caribbean, or Latin American offerings in addition to the standard soda fare. Moreover, I think there’s also great potential to liven up the fresh salsa as I thought it was delicious and has great potential. Well done, Café Cubano.

This is an adorable little breakfast joint, with quaint table order blocks they give you when you sit outside.
I was really pleased with the huge selection of (fair trade!) coffees and the different kinds they’ll make you– I wish I had noticed the Milky Way, because I would have ordered that rather than a plain iced coffee (which was still good).
Also great are the breakfast options– I didn’t go for a Belgian waffle, but rather a tomato, basil, and mozzarella omelette, which came with sourdough bread and a good pile of home fries. The whole plate was yummy, fresh, and filling. My only complaint is that there was a little too much basil in the omelette, so it was overwhelming. But I just picked out the extra basil and moved on. No biggie.

Friends and I turned to Unilocal to see where we should grab some breakfast. Hello Café Cubano! I don’t know what Cuban’s actually eat for breakfast, but I don’t think the breakfast menu had any authentic Cuban dishes. The Mediterranean omelette, chorizo and potatoes, breakfast burrito, yogurt & granola, and Belgian waffle were ordered. Our drinks were mainly iced coffees, but one friend opted for their iced Carmello. She ended up drinking two of those caramelly goodies.
All the food was consumed happily. The omelette is decently sized, maybe as big as a Chipotle burrito. The breakfast burrito wasn’t as big though — not sure why. My favorite was the chorizo and potatoes. It came covered with cheese and green onions, heaped in a medium sized bowl. it was slightly spicy and hit the proverbial spot! Everyone’s food was fresh and came hot (with the exception of the yogurt/​granola of course). Speaking of the yogurt dish, it’s the biggest helping I’ve ever seen served at a restaurant/​café. They did not skimp on the fresh fruit or granola, so they get extra points for that.
The service was ok until they got their breakfast rush. Servers were running around crazy not knowing who was getting what. Even though we were issued numbers for our orders, servers would stop by with hot food and ask us what we ordered. Normally, I have no issues with ordering, paying and finding my seat before getting my food, but this time around, the system didn’t work. My husband had the misfortune of wanting to buy an extra hot coffee and toast before our food arrived. He was in line for 15 minutes to order and then proceeded to wait another 30 minutes for his toast. The excuse we got when asked where the toast was: «the orders don’t get fulfilled in the order they’re received, so I’m not sure where your toast is.»
The food alone deserves 4 stars. The service is at 2 – 3 stars, at the very best. If you want decent service for breakfast, try and get your order in before 10 a.m. They don’t really have seating for parties of more than four. If you are lucky, there is one round table that can fit 5 ppl comfortably. If not, you can get there early and put some tables together.

Fan of coffee.
Not so much of the food!

So far so good. Lots of seating comfortable ambience. A bit loud but not overly so. Good food. I’ve had better coffee. It’s not terrible but my latte could be hotter