The Coffee House

Oh boy… this place has royally gone downhill. I wish someone would buy it, clean it up, and make it a great student (and community member) destination. Bathrooms are filthy. Coffee is mediocre. Food in the case is slim pickins and looks old. Chairs and décor need a major refresh.

I’m going to be completely honest here. The driving force behind this review is absolutely related to an incident where I was charged 50 cents for hot water in my own mug. MY OWN MUG. A cup and a half worth of hot water. 50 cents.
Anyway, they are always out of their vegetarian/​vegan sandwiches/​meals at lunch time, which really stinks, and they don’t give a coffee discount for using your own mug. i know, I know, the mug again, but c’mon. They also get upset if you bring in outside food, which I think is a little odd for a coffee shop.
Anyway, I’d rather go to Starbucks, which is saying a lot.

This place is lovely. Also the air conditioning when it’s 95 degrees out really hits the spot!
I came here for lunch after class with a classmate and had an iced chai and a chicken salad wrap and both were delightful. Plus it’s just right on the other side of the CIM from my apartment, which is super convenient! I don’t think I’d be able to study here though as I usually need a consistent state of quiet, and this seems like more of a place to be social.

The place looks fancier than it actually is but it is affordable food on the go.
I came here for lunch on a weekday and was greeted by a very pushy man who seemed to not like the fact that I had never been there and was trying to decide. I let others go in front of me so I was not holding up a line.
I ordered a Chicken Salad Wrap and an iced latte. The food was okay, nothing special. I happen to be there on a day in which if you bought any drink you could buy a cookie for $ 1. I got the Oatmeal Rasin cookie which was delicious and the size of my hand! What a great deal!
With all of the other food options around I most likely will not return.

Went for lunch and sat on the patio in front of this cute house/​restaurant. I got egg salad on a croussant, an iced cappuccino, and a super huge chocolate chip cookie. All of it was very tasty. Was served very fast by the very strict man behind the counter. Glad for the very short lunch line but would have also liked a smile.

I wouldn’t buy lunch or food here because it looks like it was store bought and a day old. I love their coffee especially their white chocolate mocha. I love their pastries too like the cheesecake brownie and the white chocolate raspberry scone! My friends always get the muffins every time we come.

I go to Case so naturally coffee is a must. It may be a little pricy especially with Starbucks a block away. Being from Seattle, I’d like to think I know something about coffee. Now contrary to popular belief, I hate Starbucks. The coffee tastes burnt and everything has a whole lot of fat I’m it. I’m serious, look at the nutrition facts sometime.
Now Coffee House is my weakness. I don’t drink coffee all that often, only when necessary. But whenever I’m near Coffee House I can’t help but to stop in, it is my addiction. The iced mocha is, quite literally, crack to me. It tastes so god dang good. So stop in, you won’t be disappointed.

Its a challenge to rate this place. I guess it depends on what you are looking for.
Studying: great at times, noisy at others due to music or others.
Talking: same as above. If there are lots of people studying, you almost feel bad talking, but it is a public place.
Coffee: I haven’t had all available items but the regular coffee is so so which is what I usually drink.
I studied here in college regularly and love the atmosphere; students as well as locals create an Intellectual and sophisticated feel. It is lively Friday and Sunday nights. I used to drink coffee with my friends and enjoyed so many great conversations. The house itself is old and creates a great atmosphere. In Fall and winter the place is cozy and spring/​summer refreshing with outdoor seating on a nice lawn area.
This is not a fancy Starbucks or other chain, it is a real café which in my opinion is how they should be, loaded with character and unique. They do need to focus on coffee quality since it is after all a café.

I really wish I could rate this place higher, because the location and amount of space to socialize/​study are great. And the people behind the counter are nice. But the food and coffee are so bad! I’ve tried a pretty fair sampling of both their lunch type items, soup of the day, and baked goods in the display. The savory items are SO salty. Especially the hummus plate. Like the kind of salty where you take one bite and it’s just «blechhh!»
The baked goods are mediocre. The one thing that’s kind of good is the raspberry oat bar, but then again you can drive 10 min up to On the Rise and eat one that’s a zillion times better.
All of the drinks I’ve tried here: mocha, chai, and coffee, are way too watered down. I also hate that they serve serve all hot drinks in styrofoam, it’s so wasteful.
Something about this place is just kind of dirty, I guess. It just seems unsanitary. You’d see what I mean if you walked in!

Was visiting University Circle with my girlfriend. We stayed at a nearby hotel and we were looking for a local coffee place. Thought this place looked interesting, so we stopped in.
Overall unsatisfying, the coffee was just average, and the food was bad. The sandwiches we ordered were pre-​made and just sitting in a refrigerator… very bland.
That being said, the layout of the place was pretty cool. If I went to CWRU I would probably stop in here to do homework or have a group meeting. Other than that though, not much about this place made me want to come back.

I like the ambiance of this place. Great for meeting people – either professional or social, they have a really nice patio area that is so perfect for people watching in the summertime. My friend and I come here just for their chocolate fudge brownie and I really like their turtle cookie. It has many plugs and good wifi which makes staying here to work pretty sustainable. There’s an upstairs area that is really quiet but kinda creeps me out so I prefer the downstairs area.

I will go well out of my way to avoid this place. Coffee is weak and watered down. Any beverage with steamed milk tastes burned, and all are served at a temperature far too hot to actually know what you’re drinking. Mochas are made with an «espresso blend,» which essentially amounts to lightly caffeinated chocolate milk. They do not offer Splenda, nor do they have half & half. Workers are slow and take their sweet time. The only thing keeping them at 1-​star is the fantastic pastries, which are, of course, not made in-​house.

The expresso was the worst, served in a crappy foam cup. Seems like it is run by the college cafeteria company. And they were closing at 6 PM on a Saturday night

This place can be great or just awful depending on when you visit.
During the weekdays, holidays, and breaks not a lot of people visit the place so it is very quiet. It can be a very nice place to study. My favorite time to visit is during the Summer when it’s nice to sit outside.
However, during the weekends and on busy days the place echoes of people’s talking and gets super noisy. You won’t be able to concentrate at all. The background music is just another annoyance of noise at that point. Another bad thing is that they don’t have many outlets and the ones available won’t hold the plugs well.
The food is decent in taste and price. They have a wide variety of teas and the coffees are tasty. The desserts and pastries are okay.

Meh. This place frustrates me. In theory its great, an enormous coffeehouse, with its own parking lot to boot. How nice. Except they only take cash, the service is always rude, and it is SO UNCOMFORTABLE. Holy god those wooden chairs. Ow. I cringe thinking of the two days I attempted to sit and do some work there for more than 15 minutes. It was honestly so painfully uncomfortable. Thats a total deal breaker for me.

I fell in love with this place back when it was still called Arabica. As a student at CWRU, it was hard to find a study place nearby during exam periods and finals. Everything was taken, except for the spaces at The Coffee House.
I would pack my bag for a long day of studying, and head over to the beautiful building in the morning. Their variety of coffees and teas were perfect, and really were a great start to my day. For lunch, without fail, I would get their vegan chili. Oh my god, it’s one of the best things I have ever eaten. You may have had chili before, but you will be questioning what that stuff you ate was once you put this in your mouth. It’s sweet, spicy, tangy and oh so delicious. Definitely the best chili/​soup I have ever eaten. I’ve also had the Mediterranean lunch, which was also a flavorful, healthy assortment.
The study day was completed with one of their amazing desserts. The fruit tart was well portioned and perfect with the custard and glazed fruits. I’ve also had their various mouses, cheesecakes, and layer cakes. All have been excellent!
This place is literally the perfect place to study or hang out. Talk with friends or work on group projects on the first floor, and if you need a quiet space, head upstairs to the study room.

I’ve been going to this coffee shop for years. They have a nice tea selection, and I like their Chai. The place only accepts cash.

As a CWRU student I was a frequent visitor at The Coffee House. While the food and environment are average, there are many redeeming aspects to the place, and as such I always try to stop by when I’m in the area.
I have been a frequent visitor to The Coffee House for lunch over the past couple of years, and have had both good and bad experiences with their food. The coffee is decent and I’ve never been served a cup that wasn’t hot and fresh. The oat bars and Mediterranean pasta, and soups are also very good. The bakery items I have tried were typical coffeehouse fare, e.g. average tasting, much too greasy and even a bit stale at times. An order of Tiramisu my dad and I split for dessert one time was crusty on top and seemed like it had been sitting in the case for awhile. My advice would be to enjoy a beverage and maybe a cup of soup, but skip the other food unless you are very hungry because it is not anything special.
As other reviewers have mentioned, some aspects of The Coffee House’s ambiance, such as the lack air conditioning and comfortable seating, may not be the best, but I think these negatives are balanced out by the wealth of seating available both indoors and outdoors. My favorite thing about this place is the spacious front porch/​patio which allows visitors to enjoy their food and drinks outside on a nice day. Food and drinks ordered for there are served in proper glassware, which really creates an environment where patrons feel welcome to stay awhile and enjoy their food and drink.
The Coffee House is definitely worth visiting if you are in the area and are looking for a decent place to study or socialize with friends.

I’ve been coming here for a while now, and I want to like it because it reminds me of my many stomping grounds at my alma mater, the University of Michigan. (I have lots of fond memories of the Michigan League, and the Michigan Union.)
Great things: The overall feel is very collegiate — I see lots of professor types, international students (from Europe and Asia), and music students (CIM). I’ve had many work-​related meetings here too.
They have Case wifi and free parking in the back, which is helpful at a university. They also have quiet study rooms upstairs.
They have a great selection of teas. One of my favorites is Russian Country, which my friends find obnoxious because it’s so smoky.
Not-​so-​great things: The food selection, pastries, and service. The food is overpriced and it doesn’t look generally appealing. I had a Mediterranean salad from amir– they were skimpy on handing out pita bread to accompany the hummus, lentil salad, and chickpea salad. The coffee is pretty much average. The pastries are usually old, never fresh.
As for the service, I’m usually met with a lot of snark or attitude. I’m tempted to bring them down to one star for this unless they change this soon!
Oh, and it’s cash only like many places in Cleveland.

I’ve been a fan of this coffehouse for many years. It lacks some of the comfy characteristics of some coffee spots (i.e., no sofas, big chairs) but I think that’s because they would rather accomodate more patrons. It can get pretty crowded and noisy at times.
What I love most is it’s location. It’s a great rendezvous spot after spending time at the art museum or botanical gardens. Sitting at one of the outdoor tables provides a nice relaxing and serene feel.