Breaking New Grounds

The day we came, the machine used to make espresso, cappuccino, hot chocolate, etc was broken and it took over 20 minutes to get our drinks. In fact, we were not told the machine was broken and would be a long wait until after I had been waiting about 10 min and approached the barista to find out what was going on. When we finally received our drinks, they were delicious, and the view from the Adirondack chairs is incredible. It’s too bad the service was so bad.

Spectacular views. Good coffee. Slightly pricey. But view is worth it. Location, location, location what could you ask for

Wonderful place for coffee, a snack or to read a book. Friendly and Knowledgable staff. They know they’re beans! The prices are great considering the location, Medium coffee and large pistachio muffin for $ 5. They have a nice menu offering as well.
One of the few busy coffee spots I’ve seen where the interior seating stayed empty all day. This is of course due to the spectacular view of the rocky shoreline and Perkins cove. Although you do have a great view from inside as well.
Minus one star for baristas making no effort at froth design/​latte art and some annoying flies inside (by the windows) that no one attempted to remove all day (at times the flies depart their windowside chalets and explore the patrons). Minus a second star for the limited (paid) parking and no bathroom for customers. Fixing these 4 points would imo make this a 5 star destination.

Lots of great drinks to choose from. The gals working were very knowledgeable about the coffee. They had a great selection of baked goods, but the coffee was where it’s at. I ordered the «mug for here» house blend. Comes with a free refill! The coolest part about this place is the outside seating. My wife and I were lucky enough to score seats right on the railing. There were even little tables for us to set our drinks on. Nothing beats the cool waves and hot coffee on a beautiful afternoon!

Best iced coffee I have ever had. Hazelnut especially is unreal. Outside seating amazing too. 2 hour parking right outside.

Maybe I’ve just been catching this place on a bad day every time I’ve come over the past three years!
Why do I keep going back? There are limited cafes in town and this is the only one by the water and in Perkins Cove.
Years ago they gave me the wrong change which I had to go back in and wait quite a while before they could fix it. Just getting their attention was tedious.
Last year I was given the wrong flavor muffin, which I didn’t realize until I was back at my room, so I let it go.
The wait has always been long, watching 3 teenagers dilly dally with each customer. I could be the second person in line, behind someone ordering a coffee and muffin, and yet today they took about 10 minutes with that customer?! So I finally ordered my earl grey… then it sat on the counter for quite a while as the cashier was talking to other customers before I could pay and it was handed to me.
At the point I ran out of there only to find it wasn’t even early grey… it was some green tea blend. Well being that I’m on vacation I decided to just enjoy what I was given and not spend anymore of it in their line!
As I sat outside I overheard two women talking about how they both had ordered the same exact thing, a beverage and pastry and both paid with a 20, yet one got back $ 9 and the other $ 12. They, like I, decided to let it go and not go back in and rectify the situation because they’re on vacation.
So I decided to write this because I want to give my beloved Ogunquit vacationers a heads up… be prepared for a wait, make sure your order is correct before you pay, and then make sure your change is correct before leaving.

We enjoyed this peaceful break. Agree with other reviewers, best part is the view from the chairs. $ 4 an hour parking, a short walk. Public bathroom across parking lot from coffee shop.

Nice place due to the location.
Staff is friendly and fast. But coffee and pastries are well overpriced. Guess that’s possible due to the many tourists that visit Ogunquit.
It is nice though to sit outside and enjoy the ocean view.

this place is damn beautiful — but it ends there. the service is made up of rude teenagers who don’t know how to do business and the coffee is just normal. plus my overpriced bagel was stale.
has so much potential to be great, but needs a lot of improvement!

Nice, little coffee shop located in Perkin’s Cove. Decent espresso drinks, delicious looking, huge muffins, and nice and warm inside, especially when it’s freezing outside.

We stopped here on Sunday March 29^th. I don’t know if they are connected to the awesome one in Portsmouth but honestly I did assume they were. It was busy and slow. AND the caffe lattes we got were just so disappointing. So weak, so lukewarm and I have no idea what went wrong with the steamed milk but it was all just awful. So bad, in fact, that we had a couple swallows, went back inside and threw them out ($ 10 worth of latte) and left. So sorry to be so critical but really, it was the worst latte I have ever had.

The real selling point of this café is the seating with a view (both inside and outside). The coffee is just ok but they have lots of options and lots of pastries and food as well. The Perkins Cove Frappé though, mmmm! That’s the thing to get. A caffeinated and chocolate-​imbued drink is heaven if you have a sweet tooth!

I want to like this place so much, but the service is terrible!
I often visit here while checking out Perkins cove for a quick coffee. The seating outside is very peaceful and makes it very enjoyable.
Every time I order something here I feel like I don’t belong, because the people behind the counter are rude and cut you off. I simply asked if they could put a couple of squirts of sugar syrup in my coffee before they added the coffee so that I wouldn’t have to stir it. Instead, I get an irate «Nope! Everything is right there,» as the girl points to the cart. This was during off season and they weren’t overly busy, so I don’t know what I did wrong by asking this question.
Fix the staff and this place will be much better.

If you’re looking for a great cup of coffee, & also have a few minutes to relax, I can’t think of a better place to sit & sip & stare out the window at the most beautiful view of the ocean than at Breaking New Grounds.
Granted we were here in the quiet of December, but my wife & I spent an enjoyable hour here just sipping coffee, reading our books and quietly staring out the window at the roiling sea.
Very friendly and courteous staff, delicious fresh coffee, deliciously tempting desserts (my willpower was very high today, but may not be tomorrow when we come back), and a beautiful & relaxing unobstructed view of the ocean.
Our afternoon coffee break at Breaking New Grounds was one of the highlights of our weekend getaway in Ogunquit, & is now one our must-​visits whenever we’re in town.

I came to this place several times this past summer. I kept wanting it to be better than it was, and kept giving it just one more chance! I love to support local, family owned businesses rather than the same old corporation.
From June through August help at Breaking New Grounds was inexperienced teenage girls who frequently messed up my order, and argued with one another incessantly within ear shot of customers. A family member once asked the help to stop arguing so loudly, they responded by saying «we are cute, people love when we do this». The coffee is nothing great, the tea is bitter and brewed for the wrong time at the wrong temperature, and the food didn’t have options for healthy eaters or people with food allergies. Each time I went to Breaking New Grounds I pulled aside whoever was working and offered my feedback, each next time I went I saw nothing changed. Any starbucks or dunkin donuts has better coffee (and this is coming from a coffee snob who generally would never go to either of these places.)
Prices are too high for the quality of what you are getting. Iced beverages contain sooo much ice and no actual beverage. The one thing that saves this place from a one star review is the smoothies, the strawberry banana was tasty, and prepared with fresh healthy ingredients. Would have been nice to have the option to add protein powder or matcha to the smoothie, or to have options for a green smoothie, something with veggies added in.
The concept of Breaking New Grounds is phenomenal, the location is perfect, and the views are incomparable. They are sitting on a goldmine, but the help, and the overall quality of the coffee and teas were sub par. I will undoubtedly try this place again, and hope to see some improvements when I do.

I would return to this place over and over again just for the view. It is even better that that have great coffee and pastries. This place a gem! You need to go here!

Coffee was good and made to order. The outside seating is great and relaxing. Would have given 4 stars except for the employees. Always get the feeling we are interrupting them. They should take a lesson in customer service from Starbucks

Amazing views outside in comfy chairs facing the ocean are only part of it, the lattes are also amazing! Love all the flavors and options and even though you have to wait a bit for your hand crafted beverage, it’s worth it! Also had a piece of banana chocolate chip bread that was so moist and tasty! I love this coffee shop!

I give this 4 stars based on location, not on the quality of service or coffee. However, I will tell you that I enjoyed this cup of coffee more than I have ever enjoyed a cup of coffee. (due to the location). Staff was unfriendly and coffee was mediocre. The place was booming with a squished feeling as there was no where to stand while waiting in line to order. It was cold outside so this place was packed.
Note: chairs out on the ocean are for patrons only.

During our New England honeymoon a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I stopped in at this cute little coffee shop at the end of Perkins Cove. I’m a sucker for coffee shops; I absolutely love trying different coffees in a local store.
We’ve been having trouble finding really good mochas while on our trip. Out of several places we’d been, there was only about 2 that were really good.
Decided to get one coffee to share, a Mint Chocolate (peppermint) Mocha, and then bought a maple pecan danish to split as well. The coffee was just okay. It wasn’t the worst we had, but not the best. I am particular though when it comes to my mochas, so maybe it’s just really hard to please me. However, the maple pecan danish was fantastic.
We took both and sat outside on the adirondack chairs facing the ocean, which was really nice. I love that aspect of the store ~ atmosphere plays a big part in the experience, and because of that one thing (if I was a local), I would go back.