Collective CAC

The guys at Collective know their stuff: curating an amazing selection from roasters nationwide and executing the pour of each coffee is an example of how the business is head and shoulders above the other shops in Cincinnati. I’m originally from Cincinnati and have been coming to all three locations whenever I am in town: Northside, OTR, and now the CAC. If you are a local or stopping through for the holiday season, make sure to check out any of the three locations!

Sooooooo good. Can’t beat the biscuits. Great, open space. Even accommodated our little one without killing the vibe. :) Will be back.

My first time visiting this Collective location was last weekend. SUCH a cool space to read, study, or have a quiet conversation. The CAC is a really great environment and provides a much needed escape from the hustle & bustle of downtown.
I had a latte which, in true Collective fashion, was excellent. Will definitely be making another visit sometime soon.

Quality coffee. Great breakfast sandwich. Solid vibes.

This place never disappoints me.
The service is excellent and their breakfast biscuits are spectacular.
That is all.

I headed here one morning last week for breakfast and a coffee. I was NOT disappointed! I ordered the breakfast biscuit and an iced coffee to go.
People, there is NOTHING wrong with what’s happening on that biscuit! Golden, flaky biscuit, egg, avocado, hot sauce, and bacon (optional). Holy Flavor, Batman! That was one DEELISH biscuit! It was good sized too so you aren’t going to be starving a couple hours after eating it.
The service was good and fast enough. The iced coffee was really good as well. It looks like they serve alcohol too, so I am looking forward to a Happy Hour there soon with friends!
This will become my new go-​to for breakfast in downtown on those mornings when I don’t have time at home. I am SO glad this is here now!

Art gallery. Coffee shop.
I think I’m done with this review, right? Enough said?
It’s collective espresso, so you know it’s going to be some of the best coffee in the tri-​state, and it’s the newly-​renovated lobby of the Contemporary Arts Center, so you know it’s going to look nice. And now – because of this review – you know that the wifi is free, there are outlets on the community tables, the breakfast sandwiches are amazing (AMAZING!) and some of the nicest people work behind the bar.
I can’t get enough of this place. It’s become my office away from the office. If you ever ask to meet up and chat about life or business or urban living and bicycle riding, I’ll recommend we meet here. It’s what I do now. It’s part of who I am.
DON’T TRY TO CHANGE ME.

Mmmmm… cheese and avocados. Two good things that are good together. In this case it was halloumi cheese, which you don’t see on menus very often. Halloumi is a sort of salty cheese that grills nicely (and is not recognized by spellcheck). I hesitated to order this sandwich only because of the shaved beets. I’m generally not a fan of beets, but I overcame that for the sake of the cheese, avocado, garlic aioli and 16 bricks bread. The beets were fine. The overall sandwich was very good — and it should be for $ 9. It came with a side of mixed greens dressed with a vinaigrette, which was just ok.
The café space is a great addition to the CAC. As my friend noted, it would be very nice for a «coffee meeting.» My only complaint was that the A/​C was too high but I also might have been right under a vent.
I do want to go back and try a quiche of the day. I love a good quiche! I also clearly need to try the double grilled cheese sandwich, because it is double grilled cheese! And I love any café that serves breakfast all day. Why wouldn’t you serve breakfast all day?

My co-​worker and I decided to try somewhere new for lunch and were excited to try the new lunch spot at the CAC. The space is beautiful and calming and inspiring and just a fun place to be. We each ordered the flank steak sandwich that had things on it like blue cheese aioli and arugula and was served on salted rye with a side of green salad. It was delicious and just the right amount of food for lunch. Others around us had ordered breakfast food that I need to try next time I’m there… particularly a large plate of biscuits with sausage gravy that seemed to be calling my name. They seemed to take such special care of the way they make their coffee that I talked my work group into going back later in the week for some coffee. I had a pour over iced coffee and it was perfection. Why does anyone go to Starbucks when coffee shops like this are right down the street?

Collective’s third location doesn’t disappoint. They are located in the newly renovated lobby of the CAC. Just like the other locations they are consistently serving a regular espresso roast, along with a rotating single origin from a high quality roaster from around the country.
Not only is the coffee top notch, I had a great experience interacting with the barista. I haven’t been during a hectic time of day (stopped in at 2), so I can’t speak to the service during more high traffic periods.
Definitely a welcome addition to downtown, south of Central, where there aren’t really any craft coffee options.
Also, you can walk in, the lobby is totally open and the Café isn’t behind a paywall.

It’s Sunday. You’re heartbroken, deservedly hungover and a little high. You get out of bed because the sun’s up and want at least an hour respite before you drag yourself back to work. Enter Collective CAC. A cultural comfort away from Reds jerseys and high fives. Can’t say if the food’s good or not, but who cares. You just randomly ran into 2 groups of friends who also wanna grab a latte and cruise the exhibits. It’s delicious. Savor the moment.

I absolutely love the new café in the lobby of the Contemporary Arts Center.
I went to lunch with some friends and everyone loved their meal. I had the halloumi, beet, and avocado sandwich and it was fantastic. I will definitely be back to try more of their menu items, especially since they’re open for breakfast too.
The café is an offshoot of Collective Espresso– so they have some really excellent coffee offerings. If coffee isn’t your jam they also have plenty of other beverage options– including wine and beer.
Date idea? Grab a drink at Collective CAC, then go explore the museum (free on Wednesday nights)!