Harborside Common Grounds

There is nothing I love more then service with a smile… not to mention the view is breathtaking! Their coffee is delicious and a nice variety to choose from! I would recommend the butt naked (how can you resist with a name like that) and the blueberry muffin!

Perfect place to go relax get a bakery treat and a cup of coffee and watch the harbor. Food is excellent drinks are too and the management and personnel are always friendly

Although a time can be found to spend time at Harborside, the café makes it much more difficult on itself than is truly necessary. I really do enjoy the coffee here, as it is well roasted and priced well. Yet, I have two major issues with this establishment. First off, the WIFI (or lack of it). In a modern time, when cafes are used as places to study, especially with 2 colleges in Kenosha, you would think that WIFI would be the first thing put in to draw in customers. Sadly, that is not the case here and makes it so that you can only enjoy a coffee when you can find some down time in your busy schedule. Secondly, it is incredibly poorly heated in winter, which also seems to be one of the most important things to do in the state of Wisconsin. As such, even with a coffee in hand, you spend most of the time shivering here. I would love to go here more often, but Harborside has just made that impossible.

Okay I know I live in a world where some people don’t need WiFi but I do for work and needed to get something done on the road. I swung in here because I couldn’t find the Thirst Edition spot. Greeted by a guy who smiled but didn’t mean it, didn’t offer any suggestions on baked goods, and yet I still tip because I’m not an ass. But NO WiFi is tragic and I sadly will not drive out of my way unless I have a book to read or need a nap. I’m sure there’s lots to love about this little place but my first greeting was less than enthusiastic for my business.
Suggestions/​comments from a small business owner to one: music at the very least would be a small improvement, offer the Wifi password with ten dollar purchase, and there is so much space in there but it is lit for an afternoon nap Zzzzzzzz so I barely knew it was open at 11 am!

Been here twice and had a latte both times. The latte was really good and the service was friendly. Great location to sit and watch the harbor. Bike rack out front which is really nice if you’re into the whole «take my fixie for a latte» thing. I can’t believe I didn’t stop in here sooner. Better late than never I guess.

Great atmosphere — love going here to meet friends and talk. Drinks are good. Would like to see them use local bakery items like Linnea and Robin’s Nest, but still yummy.

I recently moved to Kenosha from California, decided to try this place, I’ve been looking for a coffee house to call my own. I am a serious coffee drinker :) and have had coffee in many different states and other parts of the world. This was by far the most poorly made coffee I have ever tasted. The staff wasn’t very welcoming to me, but very interactive with the regulars. First impression is everything. My search will continue! Hope this was helpful. Great location

Stopped by for an iced coffee while in town for a wedding. Cool atmosphere and an awesome view of the lake. The iced mocha was tasty too. Would definitely return on a future visit. Shop small!

As good as it gets in Kenosha for caffeine needs and would be 5 stars if they had Wifi. I love the view and feel of being harborside, the adults only room is a wonderful idea and of course their coffee and tea are great. I usually end up with a chai tea and a book or my laptop sitting in a comfy chair for a little while.

No wi-​fi or this place would be perfect. Doesn’t stop me from going once a week though! Good coffee, friendly baristos, good lunch menu and a fair amount of pastry. Lots of seating options, some with a lake view, and cozy chairs and tables.

I have lots of memories visiting this place with my significant other. They have decent drinks and their food is pretty good. Every time I’d visit I would get one of their ham and cheese croissants. We would play the board games and chat over other drinks and snacks. The location is really nice. After relaxing at the shop you can easily just stroll along the pier.

Best mocha around, nice atmosphere and the sandwiches are great especially with the focaccia bread. People tend to hog the prime seating areas and camp out there by the windows, even if their food and drink is long gone.
Great deck for summer lounging.

Great location. Terrible coffee. I noticed baristas steaming milk then putting it back in the fridge. They never purge out the steam wands witch makes me wonder how much nasty crusty old milk is stuck in there going into other drinks. Very very gross.

Common grounds is a great place for morning hours for breakfast treats and sandwiches. Parking can be tricky in front of the building, so take advantage of the downtown parking and enjoy a walk along the lake. Take a seat on the patio. You’ll likely be sharing a table with others, so be friendly!
+Nice patio with view
+Good Oatmeal
+Frozen drinks
–Not their fault, but sometimes the lake smells a lil funky, deal with it.

My boyfriend and I loved our visit here! My macadamia nut latte was so yummy and perfect, and we were able to sit by the window to see a lovely view of the water. It has a really cute atmosphere and I will definitely be coming back again soon!

Quaint coffee shop by the lake. I’d say the coffee is a full step below Intelligentsia, but easily 2 or 3 above Starbucks or Peet’s. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Truly terrible coffee. The location has a great view of the harbor but it doesn’t seem like quality product is at the forefront of their vision… Or anywhere in sight for that matter. The coffee tastes old and dirty like they don’t know how to clean their machines. If it weren’t for the décor and location I doubt they would be in business.

Place looks great, great location and views. However, service lacked, coffee wasn’t great. My wife went back here recently and had terrible sandwiches for lunch (microwaved) and service lacked, again.
Won’t be back.

Great views! Wholly average coffee. Better baked scones.
We were visiting Kenosha… mostly because we had neither the time nor toddler patience to keep going. And the cashier at the Cheese Castle recommended Common Grounds by name, so I decided we ought to check it out.
So to get the bad out of the way: I ordered a Heath frozen java, and it just wasn’t very good. It was weak coffee with a toffee mix and whipped cream, and quite plain. So don’t order that. :-)
However, we did have a blueberry scone that was quite yummy. It’s not flaky here — more tender and moist. And very good.
Plus, they have the best seat in town, if you want to just chill out on a deck with an Italian soda. Great views of the harbor, and the lake, and a fresh breeze blowing through the whole building.
Overall, a positive experience.

Went here while visiting my baby sister at college. She and our mom chose the place. There was a steady trickle of customers while we chose our food, ordered, and dined, and the place seemed to have a lot of «regulars.»
The employees were not very friendly. They seemed kind of rushed and impatient, which is odd since the shop wasn’t overly busy.
My turkey croissant was good, as was my mom’s tuna on marble bread (though the tuna was heavy on the mustard, as a warning in case that’s not your thing.) I like that they included plenty of leafy greens in the sandwiches.
I drank my iced coffee on the drive back to Illinois. It was tasteless. It may have actually been more disappointing than the coffee at my Target Starbucks, and that’s really saying something. This is a red flag for a coffee shop. However, since the sandwiches were good, I’ll give the whole experience two stars. We’ll definitely choose another place next time we’re in Kenosha though. And there must be another coffee shop, right?