Ebar

There were several hints, or premonitions if you will, the universe tossed our way to suggest that this would be a mistake, that getting coffee here would be an abomination. First, the length of time it took to serve a cup of latte and cappuccino would make one think the barista had to nurture a coffee plant through harvest, swim across the Atlantic, roast it, then prepare it for our tasting. In case that wasn’t clear, the wait was horribly long. The second sign that something wasn’t right was the response received when we asked the coffee be served in ceramic as opposed to paper cups: daze and confusion. Not to mention the ratio of espresso to milk was off by light years; did I order a gallon of warm milk with a dash of coffee extract?
To be honest, I really wanted to like this place. I yearned for a good coffee spot in Garden State that wasn’t Aroma (not that there was anything wrong with Aroma, an alternative would be nice). We were attracted by the sight of the La Marzocco, but the quality of the coffee was a huge disappointment. It was like a Ferrari being driven in first gear.

Incredibly slow service for the price and quality. I could have brewed my own coffee in the 5 minutes it took to get an espresso and latte.

I was lucky enough to work some promotional marketing with Nintendo at this mall for a month during the holidays. After a lackluster experience at Aroma Café, I was so happy to discover eBar at Nordstrom! The baristas were so busy, but always greeted me with a smile, remembered my name and knew my order before I said a word. The Nintendo team and I loved the cookies here as well… they were all delicious. Chocolate chunk, chocolate/​coconut/​macadamia, and especially the snickerdoodle (which is amazing, considering it contains no chocolate). AKA «Face Cookies» because that’s about how big it is. I miss my iced sugar-​free almond coffee… if only I lived near a Nordstrom and not a Starbucks.

Ah, the eBar. Nordstrom provided Garden State Plaza with this little lifesaver for those moments when you don’t feel like struggling with the crowd at the new Aroma (and in the past, when you didn’t want to walk all the way to the Carousel to find the hidden Starbucks — which is now closed).
I had to make this very choice when I was at GSP this week: decipher the new menu at Aroma, or find something familiar. You can guess what I chose.
eBar is nice! It’s probably the closest you can get to Starbucks, without the familiar green lady on the cups. It’s less crowded, because it’s «hidden» at the first floor entrance to Nordstrom. They have tons of options: flavored syrups, iced or hot coffee, tea, smoothies, and they even have Italian Sodas — mmmmmm! They also have a small supply of snacks to help fuel your shopping marathon.
The baristas are a bit inattentive (I stood at the counter for a few minutes as they finished their conversation in the back), and a bit forgetful (they forgot to add Splenda to my latte) … but they’re friendly & accommodating as well.
You’ll never know until you go, so it’s worth a try to see if eBar is for you.