19701 Lake Rd
Rocky River,Oh 44116
440-895-0098
Wifi: yes
Outdoor seating: yes
Good Morning! After a longer than anticipated hiatus, I am back with my review on Cravings Cafe in Rocky River.
I actually had a groupon for this place that I had bought a few months ago, but since I am not often in the Rocky River area it took me a little while to get around to actually using it. So when a free morning arrived in my planner, I packed up the baby and Chad and we went out on a little day date to check out this coffee shop. When I first bought this groupon, I actually hadn't ever heard of this particular coffee shop. It's pretty close to Erie Island, Starbucks AND a Caribou that are all on Detroit. But it's tucked away on Lake Rd away from the main drag so maybe it has a loyal local following.
When first coming in we were warmly greeted by the young barista behind the counter. I ordered our typical drinks (Americano for him and soy latte for me) and waited. I decided to throw in a blueberry muffin and a orange Pelligrino while I was at it to try and eat up the $15 I had for my groupon. They had a few cold sandwiches to choose from but for $6.50 each, I passed. It all came to around $8.50 for everything which is pretty decent.
While I was waiting I got a chance to check out the decor. With bold red walls and black ceilings, it was definitely a dramatic look. The paintings on the walls were beautiful and I could tell the person in charge of the decoration had excellent taste. Hopefully that same person wasn't in charge of the music, because then my opinion would have to drop a bit. BBC Radio piped through the speakers and I have to say, wasn't exactly the right soundtrack to a relaxing morning in a coffee house.
Half the time the music sounded a bit like they were having some sort of inauguration and other times I got to hear about the war in Afghanistan. While informative...not my taste for coffeehouse tunes.
Chad's Americano was not good. Not. Good. I am not sure how long those espresso beans were ground before he ordered his drink, but if I had to guess from the taste I would say at least a day. Espresso beans should be freshly ground as your drink is being made so you can get the best taste possible. This espresso was stale. And weak. I'd say there was only maybe 3 shots in his large when there should be at least 4. My latte was a bit of the same with the stale flavor. I really do wish I could say it was a good. Mainly because the barista was so dang sweet and nice. I wish I could say the drinks she made for us were amazing. But I can't. And the muffin? I am pretty sure it was an Otis Spunkmeyer muffin with the wrapper taken off. Really? With ALL of the amazing local bakeries in town and you're going to serve us vending machine muffins? Lame.
Also there was something else going on that is worth mentioning. I can only hope something like this isn't a regular occurrence, but the owner was there talking about his finances at the front counter. Chad went up to get another 2 shots of espresso to try and help his ailing Americano, and apparently the financial records were out on the counter. That is just bad business. And while we sat there, on top of hearing the BBC's breaking news, we were treated with the news of how this guys is getting screwed by his vendors. The young girl behind the counter that he was talking to was trying to be helpful but my heart went out to her, really it's not her problem. And it's not OUR problem, I would have rather not hear about his financial woes. Because frankly, I don't care.
So overall I don't think I will be coming back to Cravings Cafe. Even if it was closer, I'd rather not spend my money on stale espresso. I do think if they tweaked just a few things then they could have a chance of going against the heavyweights of coffee in their area. They have got to get a better roaster, that coffee was tragic. It's best to stay away from the flavored coffees as well, as I noticed there were a lot of various flavors to choose from. Flavored coffee is for the 7-11 crowd. Not for anyone who wants to be taken seriously in the coffee world. And some better music selections. Also contact the local bakeries, I am willing to bet for just a bit more they could have an amazing selection of pastries. And lastly, keep your business issues to yourself. Your customers shouldn't be hearing them and it's in poor taste. The Cleveland coffeehouse scene needs more local businesses to step up to the plate and deliver, this place just isn't there yet.
