Bump ‘n Grind

I have been here twice and loved it both times. It is an eclectic little space with a real low key hang out vibe. No need to rush off because people tend to linger over the insanely good coffee. Personal preference is for the strong cold brew, but I have also had the basic coffee and it was so much better than Starbucks you will want to skip the mermaid altogether.

I’ve only been here in the morning, but thus far the service seems as bitter as the coffee.

Got a cortado and a cold brew on Saturday mid-​morning. The cortado was a bit more bitter than from other cafes in the DMV area but the cold brew was very smooth. The atmosphere was very nice there were a lot of tables for people to come in and study/​work. The barista seemed annoyed to be working there though. Would come back if I’m in the area again.

Gotta have my daily fix from B&G! The owner David is awesome! This is real coffee and not the sugar laden stuff you get from your run of the mill main stream coffee shops. Support small businesses!

Your rating of Bump ‘n Grind is very likely to depend on what you’re looking for in a coffee spot. If you’re looking for good quality coffee and a fair price then you’re gonna like Bump ‘n Grind. If you’re a commuter that wants to grab your coffee and head to the metro then Bump ‘n Grind is also likely to be your kind of place. If you’re looking for a cozy coffee shop vibe, though, you’re likely to be disappointed. BnG has all the marks of a place that is trying a bit too hard to generate an authentic cozy feel and it just doesn’t come together as a coherent whole: the random wood treatments, the orange accent wall, the concrete floor, and the random collection of records in the corner (?)…it aspires to be cool and hip… but isn’t. Two things BnG does have going for it: live music on the occasional Friday evening (that’s what brought me in) and they serve wine and beer.

TL;DR — The staff were very rude to me so I go to Qualia where the staff are nice to me.
I come to coffee bars because I desire coffee to be made to my exquisite standards. When I asked for «Columbian» the staff did not hesitate to assume I wanted the cheapest thing they sold. When I was taken back by the $ 2 price I asked «for a pour over?». The staff did not have a clue and told me that the cheap coffee was like that. How on earth would the not have noticed that I wanted a pour over at that point? Eventually they served me a pour over in a paper cup even when I asked «for here». They should be serving coffee at a Mc Donalds not a coffee bar.

Oooh, I’d be here all the time if I was in the area.
Huge and spacious (natural light from large front windows) with great furniture and ample power outlets for workers. Tasteful music, lovely décor (B&W photographs, incandescent bulbs), and spaces for lounging (couches right in front). There are two record players in the back – they should really have a sign or something inviting and explaining to newcomers to play music, if that’s a thing.
Got a cappuccino (free with Indie Coffee Passport) and mint chocolate chip cookies (sourced from a local bakery?) and was super pleased with both. Even though the canvas is small, my cappuccino got an artful treatment for the foam!
My only gripes:
— One of those «push for 15 seconds of water» sinks in the bathroom
— Not enough fresh food offerings
— Pricey (but the kind of pricey I’m willing to pay for such a great atmosphere!)
— Parking isn’t free in the area until after 6pm, and it’s either street ($ 1/​hour) or garage ($ 3?/hour)
— Better information on their mission/​music/​events.

The people who run this place are nice people. They hosted a meeting last night for an organization to which I belong which was celebrating its 30^th anniversary, and gave a percentage of the sales revenue to the organization. So I hate to give the place such a low rating. I was thinking of giving them a 3, but ultimately it’s a 2.
First of all, I must admit that I’m not a coffee drinker, and I’m basing my rating on a cup of tea I had last night. And it may well be that they know how to brew coffee right. But I know that I tend to brew tea longer than a lot of people because I like it strong, and even BY MY STANDARDS it was brewed way too long. Unlike, say, Starbucks, where they leave a tea bag in the cup so you brew it yourself, they pre-​brew the tea and serve it when they consider it ready, and my tea was simply over-​brewed when they served it.
The loud music is a negative too, though they turned it off for the speakers. I don’t think I’d really want to come back, because I don’t like the atmosphere even if their tea was done right.

When I order a triple espresso, it’s for a reason. The reviews here left me thinking I would be delighted by the ambiance, staff and décor. Instead, I was disappointed in every aspect except for décor and coffee quality. A triple that is like a single? I would rather go to a chain coffee shop. Seriously?! Good quality. Great space. Rude staff. Wimpy ratio of quantity of caffeine to price. I might give them another try, but given the location is not convenient, umm… I will give them 5 stars for coffee quality, 4 for the space, 4 for décor, but 0 for everything else like service, prices and overall ambiance.

This place is TOo cute, too rare and too awesome. Shops like these are a dime a dozen on the West Coast, NYC, but rare in DC. Good vibes, cool layout and great coffee! There was a cool dj there on Sat when I stopped in! Only complaint would be that they don’t have almond or coconut milk — only soy. otherwise, great spot! will be back

In my opinion, this place is way better than Kaldis.
Their coffee just tastes a lot better — plain and simple. I’m a big fan of cortados, and theirs is on point! Plus the people are a lot friendlier. I always found the employees at Kaldis were rude. Never tried anything to eat there though so I can’t comment on that. Maybe my next trip…
The space is great! I live right down Blair mill rd, so the spot is extremely convenient. I normally go there to get some work done and there’s always ample seating with table space. Lots of natural lighting too. My only tiny complaint is that sometimes the music is a little bit too loud. Not even for when I’m working, but just having a conversation with a friend. It can be a little distracting.
Again, that’s a really small thing. I go there maybe once every other week, and I still have yet to have bad service or a bad cup of coffee.
Thanks for being my local spot!

ok, first, the pros:
chill vibes, plentiful outlets,
almond milk lattes
rito loco? yay!
they are tiny but delish
and breakfast-​ready.
alas, there are cons:
pasta salad side? eh. and…
grumpy baristas.
live in silver spring?
i’d be here all the time. but,
probs won’t repeat schlep.

Really cute coffee café in silver spring! There’s street parking available as well as a public parking across the street! I love the spacious, chill and cozy atmosphere. There are window seats, sofas, and tables for group settings! They sell coffee, tea as well as wine and beer (I’m assuming for lunch/​dinner time). I’ve tried their latte as well as their Guatemala hot coffee. It was perfect! The staff are pretty friendly and helpful when I asked for recommendations.
Overall, a great place to hang out with friends, study, read, etc!

Here on a Sunday meeting with my pro bono team and loving it. Beautiful samba music playing in the background as we sit in the warmth of the sun in the large open space.
Friendly service. Great coffee with sandwiches, local baked goods, vigilante chocolate and other items.

SUPER NERDY COFFEE! If the nerd effort put into preparing your coffee is important to you — come to Bump & Grind! Their cold brew is great, their lattes are great (but no flavors coughNERDcough), their pour coffee (market price) is imported, made by hand over a 10-​minute time period by a barista in an authentic cycling cap!
They also throw in some other stuff, like a coffee table stacked with books about coffee so you can get EVEN NERDIER about your coffee while you sit on one of two super-​low couches enjoying (or waiting for) your nerdy coffee. There’s a whole corner devoted to DJ stuff like records and record players. They sell beer and wine just for the heck of it. There’s like a huge mural with like 40 little dudes that are half-​duck and half-​coffee cup. The lightbulbs are hand-​made by rebel Amish or something — I think they’re called artisans.
I go back occasionally when I’m in the mood for nerdy coffee.

Such a solid coffee place in Silver Spring. They get their beans for expresso from Vigilante (in Hyattsville/​DC) and their pour overs from Ceremony (Annapolis/​Baltimore based) so you know its local, which is pretty rad. Their selection of craft brews are awesome too. They have a lot from local breweries like Jailbreak and DC Brau. The drink variety is awesome, so if you’re a coffee or beer snob, you’ll totally appreciate this spot.
The environment is ridiculously comfortable. They have the comfiest couches next to the coolest freaking coffee table made out of 7″ vinyls. There are loads of tables and outlets too. Their wifi is ridiculously fast and free which makes doing work there a breeze. There is always amazing music playing and the ambiance is just very relaxing. The place itself is pretty spacious, where I feel like I can breathe while drinking whatever beverage while working.
Bottom line, this place is great. Super stoked Silver Spring has pulled through with a solid coffee place. I’ve only wait my entire life for it, but its fiiine.

I have to say, after visiting B&G a few more times, I’m not thrilled.
First, the food options are terrible. You can’t even get, say, a basic cookie to accompany your coffee or tea (though the barista said «Cookies will be here on Thursday.» Of course, today is Tuesday so that doesn’t help!) What kind of café doesn’t have a supply of pastries on hand? It’s true that they have biscotti. And one kind of muffin. But it’s a pretty limited selection, and what they do have — say, the blueberry muffin — isn’t good.
Second, boo to the way they serve tea. They don’t give you the tea bag with your hot water, which means you can’t control how strong (or weak) the tea is. Today, I ended up with a cup of incredibly weak green tea, and I sure wish I had been able to just let the tea bag sit for another minute or two.
Third, the staff is uniformly unfriendly. I’ve been in there a number of times, and I’ve always been surprised by how unhappy everyone is (and sometimes, honestly, things there are absurd — once I went in and asked for tea and they told me they were out of hot water but could give me a tea bag to go. They didn’t even have a sense of humor about this absurdity). I’ve often found that the staff seems annoyed when I ask questions like «what kind of iced tea do you have?» I just get the sense they don’t really want to engage with customers, which si too bad.
There’s so much to love about this place — the big windows, the great natural light, and the fact that at least on a weekday, there’s always seating. But I think they need to work out their kinks– there are so many options in Silver Spring that mediocrity won’t survive.

TGIT… Thank God it’s Telework… Day!
Telework Day (def.); noun: The perfect day I look forward to weekly… to get mounds of work done remotely without your coworkers or assistant nagging you every single second! Coffee Break included! –Urban Don Dictionary
I stopped by this place while getting my car serviced and needed to knock out some work for a deadline. I had planned to go to Peete’s Coffee Shop or Starbucks… but as I was walking I noticed Bump n’ Grind on the way. It was much closer than the additional ¼ mile I would of had to walk to get to closest Peete’s or Starbucks. Besides, I decided to stop here because I looked like a lost mule hauling a laptop sling on my back, a briefcase on one arm, and a mammoth Statistical Method desk-​reference book (on the other) up a steep hill to my destination… all while texting on my iPhone might I add.
Bump n’ Grind turned out to be the perfect spot and stop. Open-​spaced layout, eclectic and unique. it is by far! There’s plenty of space within it’s layout and not over-​crowded like alot of coffee shops around this area where you have to sometimes wait to find space or a seat.
They serve a great mix of coffee-​blends, lattes, drinks, breakfast items, local-​sourced sandwiches and snacks! Meanwhile there is the greatest mix of music «Bumpin!’ in the background. From Mick Jaguar, SWV, PM Dawn, Bobby Marley, Tina Turner, Jay Z, Frank Sinatra, U2… to David Bowie, Run DMC and Annie Lennox… the music vibe is contagious! Definitely makes your coffee stop or telework/​commute enjoyable. I found myself noding my head to a couple of tracks, BankHead bouncing while typing… thinking…and knocking out my work with extreme focus. Before you know it… I got a call that my car was ready for pick up and it was time leave.
I almost wanted to stay the rest of the day because by far this is one of the best coffee shops I have been to in a long while.
There are ample tables, electrical outlets, couch seating and superfast Free-​WiFi to keep you connected… or to simply, enjoy a good coffee moment unwired from the rest of the world. There is even a DJ-​Music listening station where you can sample and listen to old-​school Vinyl records adorning the walls. Talk about making a work day or coffee run go by with a breeze… this is your place. I was here for a couple of hours and the place never got over-​crowded. Great for people like me with space issues or those who don’t like people snooping over your laptop/​phone to see what you are doing. #EspionageFree!
Overall, I give this place 4 ½ stars for their uniqueness, excellent espresso-​coffee, support of local source food and supplying a great, creative workspace to my Telework Day. A ½/​star deduction, for having limitations on their coffee beverages… you will not find Vanilla Lattes, S’mores Macchiatos, etc… or the plethora of blended drinks like at most commercial coffee shops. This could be a good and bad thing for some coffee consumers that prefer the specialty coffee beverage gamut… but personally for me, I like «Black Coffee… no Sugar no Crème!»…no pun intended… Heavy D; circa 1994 style. LOL
In all, I am definitely a fan of this place and will be back. You don’t find a lot of places that you could put in the «Best All-​Around Coffee Shop» category for being able to get good coffee, food, snacks, ample seating-​space, cool vibe and even an recreational vinyl record spin (if you wanted to)…all under one roof; in a comfortable environment like what Bump n’ Grind offers.
I don’t see nothing wrong… with a little «Bump N’ Grind!»

I have been here during weekday work hours as well as weekend afternoon. Both time it has been relatively quiet, ample seating, and the service was prompt. Bump ‘n Grind has a decent selection of beans (a combination of the popular brands & roasts other DC-​area coffee shops have) and teas. They make FLAT WHITES here!!! I cant say it’s as good as some Ive had in the UK but I am sure it’s better than what Starbucks can offer ;) The lattes, cold brew, and tea Ive had here were all good. Cold drinks are served in mason jars while hot ones in porcelain cups. The sandwich I had was a little overpriced (I think $ 9?) and coffees are around $ 4 to $ 5 for 16 oz. Sadly that is the average price now days.
Now, being a music junkie, vinyl collector and coffee lover, I absolutely LOVE the concept of this coffee shop. It is fairly new so it didnt have a big selection of records. A lot of UK Bass, dubstep, some house and techno such as Tectonic, Exit, and Aus. So of course, the playlists of the coffee shop are enjoyable but also not played too loudly.
The location is definitely the downside of Bump ‘n Grind. Its in the newer development area so really not much around and a lil out of way from the center of Silver Spring. If it succeeds and stays, Im looking forward to go back!

This place is growing on me. My first visit didn’t leave a great impression as it was extremely busy and there was nowhere to sit inside. It was really loud too.
The key to a relaxing cup of tea, I just now discovered is to come in the afternoon. That is just what I did on a lazy Saturday afternoon just as I was recovering from a nasty case of bronchitis. I had been housebound for five days and was going stir crazy.
The crowd was minimal, and quiet; no loud mouthed millennials thinking only of themselves. I had two women sitting across from me on the only two couches in the center of the coffeehouse. One had a baby in her arms, and they actual talked to each other using their indoor voices (Sorry, that’s the teacher in me speaking)!
I had an Assam 12oz tea ($ 2.50) and a Sticky Fingers (that means vegan for those not familiar) chocolate chip cookie ($ 3.00). I wasn’t there to work, so I didn’t need an outlet nearby. I did like the free Wi-​Fi, so I could busy myself like most people do these days. The music was quirky, but not blaring. I am not sure what happens to the noise level in the evening though. I’ll stick with daylight hours.
I made sure to ask for a real mug for my tea, based on another Unilocaler’s experience I now know to do that now. The gal behind the counter even brought me some 2% milk, per my request because I really don’t like skim or half and half in my tea, which is all they have at the fixin’ stand.
It is nice to know Bump ‘n Grind is down the street from me for the next time I need an afternoon indulgence.