Ah, a lovely space in the midst of downtown riverside! Got the 'back to the grind' and it was very mocha-esque that doesn't happen to be my favorite cup of tea (figuratively speaking)-- still, getting the drink that holds the same name as the coffee shop was essential! Stayed throughout the open mic night and it felt so comfortable and still structured. Very casual ambiance whilst still letting the spotlight shine on individuals willing to share their talents! The space is also quite open with couches on both ends and even upstairs with a little backyard to go with it! This makes it so you can go and find a cozy spot regardless of other people! I will definitely be back, especially for the open mic nights. I'll probably just get the brew next time now that I've tried the essential 'back to the grind'! read more

Awesome place! Looking at it from the outside, you wouldn't expect too much. Walking in, it's the most relaxed and friendly atmosphere you could ask for. One of the best customer services I've experienced in a long time. No need to say what they did but they are helpful and understanding! CASH ONLY! Drinks and food are fresh. Customers are equally as friendly. Dog friendly inside as well. I would definitely come back if I'm in ever in the area again! read more

Super chill coffee house with food. Although there is no alcohol, the coffee offering were enough to find something you like. We went to see the amazing Gino Matteo perform here on a Sunday night. The atmosphere is very hippish and inviting. There are lots of bars in the area, so it a great area to take a stroll read more

Back to the Grind - Here to watch Gino Matteo and other musicians - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

I write for a music and coffee blog called Crooners In Coffeeshops, in which I interview local musicians at local coffeeshops. My writeup reflects the positive experience that I encountered at Back To The Grind on our interview date. Smack dab in between numerous schools, hotels, the courthouse, and the convention center, Back to Grind has been serving the Riverside community for twenty long and happy years. Its quirky and artistic with a hint of vintage exterior initially draws you in, but it's the shop's interior that makes you want to stay there all day curled up with a book, playing board games, or simply to just get some work done in a fun environment. Brick walls, weathered hardwood floors, and a high, ornate ceiling adds to the old-timey feel of the place, while modern music and artwork of many variations (installations, sculptures, paintings, knick knacks, etc.) are on display on the walls, tables, pillars, and giant library-esque bookshelf. But don't judge a book by it's cover with this place, because they know how to throw a party! With regular music showcases, game tournaments, open mic nights, poetry readings, and even weddings, Back to the Grind is a perfect location to host an array of different types of events. With plenty of space to move around in and an abundance of seating inside, outside, and upstairs in their loft area, what more could you ask for? Oh, right, dranks! With a decent selection of classic coffee and tea options along with your choice of a healthy (or decadent) bite to eat, you're pretty much set for however amount of time you are looking to spend there. In fact, after 12pm you can transition into beer o' clock, which unfortunately is a rare sight to see these days. Make sure that you bring enough cash to try everything because the shop is cash only, but if you forget, there's an ATM machine for use conveniently inside so there is no excuse for you to not get yourself a little somethin' somethin.' read more

Great coffee and ambience to study anytime of day love it! There is also poetry, jazz groups and rock bands that play at night!

A trendy gem in Downtown Riverside with fantastic coffee. I haven't tried all the coffee but so far the quality is great. The atmosphere is very relaxed and fun. There are plenty of books and board games to keep yourself entertained. Or if you'd like, you could simply admire the art on the wall or the architectural few design. The staff if friendly and helpful. Parking is free for the first 90 minutes at the nearby parking garage on Orange St. One thing to note is that they take CASH ONLY. The ATM is $2.50 to use. Definitely a great place to hang solo, chill with some friends and play boards games, or study. Cheers! read more

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This is a cool little spot with chill/homey vibes. It looks more antique-like than other modern looking coffee shops. Its also pretty big too so there is usually space to sit inside (except on the weekends when they have live bands rockin' out or when they host ppl in the basement for live performance stuff). The coffee is pretty good too the only thing is that they only accept cash (there is an atm inside though). The service there is also good and the folks that work there are very friendly and talkative. Definitely check this place out if your in the area. Coffee: 4/5 Service: 4/5 Price: 3/5 "Back to the grind is a place for all to come together leaving labels outside" read more

Terrible service, mediocre coffee, but nice decor. To sum it up, if you're looking for delicious coffee head over to Coffee Bean or Starbucks. This place has horrible baristas and it makes the coffee bland and not worth it. read more

My significant other and I are always looking for coffee places that ARE NOT Starbucks. We love Starbucks. We love coffee. But, we love the challenge of finding coffee that is not Starbucks. So We found this place which is a riverside staple and visit there as often as we can. They are always rotating the art they have on display and setting a great mood. Whether they have funded art, spray paint, bullet art, traditional, or whatever. It is always nice to go in there and see what they have. This location has been supporting the local scene for years and always adapting and we just love them. They have a main floor an upstairs and a bottom floor tons of exhibits,coffee,music and whatever. They always support the local community and have tons to offer. I love the red eye for a coffee. It has tons of caffeine and gets the job done. If you want a tea my S.O. recommends the "Stars of Persia" "Tears of Persia". She never has to think she just knows the stars of Persia tea is incredible. Then they have amazing desserts. Brownies, cookies, ice cream anything! They are always tasty and they have the gluten free and sugar free options for all the hipsters ^_^ You should give them a shot. The employees are always nice and love to just chat and make recommendations based on what yu asked for Thanks back to the grind! read more

Back to the Grind - Latest display at back to the grind - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

Love it! Quite, good to work, you can explore lots of good things.. Like some old books, lovely decorations , handsome waiters lol:) Coffee is not expensive at all and the environment is just great . The only thing to notice is they only take cash:) so bring your cash and really to hang out with your friends. It's great! read more

Back to the Grind - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

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Haven't been here in awhile(hope it's the same)! My old boss use to take all of us here. Big place to enjoy some Java or Brew's. Not your regular coffee shop! The place has all types of people here and everyone friendly. Can't wait to stop by. read more

Great place to come and do school work I had a bunch of work todo for school but my wifi was down so I needed to go somewhere to do it and I remembered my sister taking me here to get work done together so I came and it's pretty quiet there are some people talking so obviously there's noise but definitely not enough to get you distracted and believe me because I get distracted really easily which is one of the main reasons it's almost impossible for me to get work done and there are many others there also working on stuff so u won't feel embarrassed for going to a public place and know all that even when im not having internet troubles I will no doubt come back to get work done and not to mention they have amazing coffee. read more

It has a cool vibe but the workers are really rude, and the fact that they don't take card is wack there's an atm there but it has something like a $4 charge frank just not work your time or money. read more

Love that it's black owned!! It's one of my new favorite spot to just chill and complete my homework assignments

I'm gonna start off this review by saying that I've only gone once, and it was for a show in the basement, but my experience as a whole was pretty negative. Firstly, the vibes were off, not as friendly or welcoming as others described, and I felt very out-of-place despite being basically the target demographic for a place like this. I wasn't upstairs too much, but the menu looked like it had a lot of variety, and prices weren't bad for a local coffee house. The basement was fairly spacious and had a decent vibe. The worst thing about my visit, however, was when I was making my way out, there was a man a little close to the entrance who kept aggressively hugging and harassing me. While this was happening, not a single staff member or patron said anything, to me or the man, or even bothered to ask if I was okay, which granted I didn't leave much opportunity for as I left the building ASAP, but it very much soured my night, and my experience with BTTG. While this was a bad experience overall, I might consider coming back at some point, but most likely not anytime soon. read more

I like it here. Very friendly in the mornings after a good hike. This is a nice place to wind down and reflect on a day. ordered the Carrebean Crush it has raspberry juice, pineapple, banana, and fresh raspberries. very delicious. read more

Back to the Grind - Awesome smoothie,cool ceiling, food ok but won't order the jalapeño popper again, down stairs room cool. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

this place looks cool but the dude with the crazy receding hairline was a dick, my girlfriend asked him a simple question and he was like "nah we ain't got that" like bro if you hate your job just quit at that point. honestly it took everything in me not to swing on em. wish i could give this spot a -5 stars, mfr mad AT US cause HES a barista! TUH! it's funny af too that no one from this place responds to anything on yelp lmaolooooooo read more

The employee with the receding hairline is rude and has an attitude!! I thought this place was cool but no! I was thinking this is my new spot to study and drink their coffee but not anymore, that guy made a bad first impression! read more

I haven't been to this cafe since Fall of 2018, and as Darren was the kind owner of the establishment at that time. Now, early December 2019 I have come back to the cafe and many elements of Back to the Grind are no longer fun or enjoyable. To my discomfort, there is a new manager that is mandating that customers purchase items to sit within the cafe. This has basically limited all of the college students as well as local residents to enjoying the kind atmosphere that Darren was creating at Back to the Grind before this point in time. There is no longer any sense of good energy at Back to the Grind. The event calendar is no longer as extensive as it was before. I would also really like to point out that there used to be a very good crowd of alternative type people such as the queer, p.o.c, and even the older crowd would constantly be stopping into Back to the Grind and it would be packed with like-minded people. Today it is primarily white males within management and staff and it is reflecting in the experience. Do not waste your money here, it is so sad to see Darren is no longer a part of what could've been a great thing for the I.E. community. read more

A cool little place in downtown riverside, inside is large with places to sit and it's one of the few places that actually has a basement. I've only gotten coffee and smoothies here but they've been decent and decently priced. Only complaint is the back lounge allows for smoking, I'd like to go back there but it reekes sometimes. read more

super cool place to grab some coffee with friends! always has good vibes, is very welcoming and is a chill place to go. (I love their cold brew) read more

Back to the Grind - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

I love this place! I probably try to come here almost everyday. the chai is so good & I love the vibe here. good place to hang w friends or do some work. read more

We came in with excitement as it was our first time here. As we came in, the barista told us that they closed in 5 minutes, there was actually 10. I didn't think too much of it, until I realized he actually wanted us to leave. As my friend ordered, we noticed that he was giving my friend an attitude and was slamming things here and there. We tried to not come to any negative conclusions, but ultimately my friend overheard him talking to himself and saying some negative things about us. I get that we came 10 minutes before the place closed, but that doesn't deserve all the disrespect and whining we were getting from the barista. We proceeded to leave and not purchase anything as we clearly felt unwelcomed. We plan to never return until that guy is fired. read more

This place is great any time of day. Early it's good for coffee and pastries, afternoon beers and food and later nice to hangout and enjoy the large space,music and people. They usually have a lot of art on the walls by local artists and a good size library if your doing that solo thing! Kids might not like it so much, though they do have frozen yogurt and stuff like that. Otherwise it's seems to me that it's best for adults of all ages. Worth a stop if you're in the downtown Riverside area, even if it's just to check out the very cool space! read more

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Very kind people but the place was dirty it smelled and was very hot. Payed about 6 dollars for a matcha but unfortunately it just tasted like sugar and water read more

Charming, comfy, studious place. Loved the decor. BUT... that green haired mad-at-the-world punk who forgot to leave his teenage angst in the 90s looked at my dad, Mexican super man with an accent (ON FATHER'S DAY!!!!), with a look of disdain and impatience. Also made condescending, beckoning gestures. Does he do this with all minorities???? The African American young lady was really nice. read more

I only had a small hazelnut café Au lait. It was terrible too much sugar, can you taste the coffee which is mediocre.

The guy could be a smart one. I also seen him wipe his nose off with a tissue and proceed to make a sandwich without washing his hands. Cool place to study though. read more

The coffee is always excellent and the staff is always friendly. I usually sit on the stools, but this time meeting a group of friends, I say on the couches. The couches seem to be infested with bedbugs as my legs were bitten about 10 times in the course of an hour. read more

Used to come here when I was younger and actually used to enjoy the place. But just went there today and had the worst experience. Won't ever go there again. I was in line waiting to order my food and the customer behind me asked if I was in line, I obviously was but was he being real rude about it. Anyways once I was next the barista/ cashier was real rude while I started to order my food and gave me attitude. And after I had ordered my food proceeded to talk about me with the next customer (which seemed to be a regular there), saying very rude comments that were very unprofessional. Safe to say never going there again. It's a shame the customer service used to be real good there. read more

This place has the best atmosphere for studying or just kicking back. The coffee and smoothies are all hand made and amazing. Can't wait to be able to sit inside again read more

The only thing nice about this place is the atmosphere. This is my second time at this establishment, and the same cashier/owner is always rude and sassy when ordering. The coffee and tea is nothing you can't make yourself, and they do not even sweeten or cream your coffee drink themselves! It's almost exactly like you're at home. I ordered a bagel here once, and they even charged me 50 cents extra for a small portion of cream cheese... ridiculous. Would not recommend unless you're looking for basic drinks, bad service, and overpriced appetizers. read more

Great tasting coffee! Tuna sandwich on sourdough is warm & delicious! Definitely a spot to stop in again

I like the coffee shop itself, there's a lot of seating and different rooms on separate floors. But there's a lot of reasons I don't like this place. First of all there are a tonne of sketchy people walking in who either pester you or try to panhandle you. As a female being here by myself in the evening trying to get studying done I did NOT feel safe. In fact I called a male friend to come meet me and escort me back to my car. Last time a questionable dude was stalking me and I felt very uncomfortable. I even left to study on a different floor and he simply followed me there. I clearly told him to bug off but he was insistent. I feel like the people who come here are usually high on something. Secondly this is not a study-friendly coffee shop. The music is usually blasting some kind of obnoxious music and you can't even hear yourself when you talk. The drinks are meh. The baristas are too hipster. Not for me. read more

I definitely loved this place. Comfortable, cool vibes, great Music selection, even has wall of books to peruse. Great coffee, great food and artsy ambience. Friendly and helpful staff. I'm not a local but next time in Riverside I'll definitely go to this place again. read more

Rude staff and burnt coffee, it was my first time trying there so maybe ill give them a second chance

Super chill place. This venue hosts various evening events on the weekly basis ranging from chess night, to art shows, poetry readings and concerts. Super artsy bohemian vibe at this place. The coffee is great and there is a wide range of items to choose from the menu. read more

Back to the Grind - All their tables are super cute. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

My boyfriend and I stopped by here to get chai tea lattes, and they were REALLY GOOD. We love our chai teas and have found that coffee bean has the best one, however my boyfriend had thought Back to the Grind chai teas were better...and that has a lot to say! I thought the chai tea was just as good. The atmosphere is really warm and welcoming. I've came here before for an open mic night in the past and that was fun and interesting. The restrooms kinda smell, but it's a restroom. I don't expect it to smell nice and welcoming like their atmosphere is! read more

Back to the Grind - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Riverside, California

My friend used to come here a lot back when he lived in riverside so it was nice while visiting the mission inn lights to come by especially since I was craving an espresso and him nostalgia. That night we went it was about 10pm I want to say so I was happy to see it was still open by that time. The place is huge, had a great assortment of treats and coffee drinks and even had a stage with someone playing up above on there second floor. It was a great place for just chilling Lone wolf or with friends. I see why my friend has such great things to say about the place and if I lived here I'd be a regular. read more

To all artist, musicians, writers, comedians performers and fans of open mic. RUPO Happens every Monday night. Sign ups is strictly 8:30 p.m. this listing can get full fast. If you are easily offended then this isn't for you. My daughter intro me to this lil spot. This place has so much character and all kinds of people. I really enjoy how the community comes alive and works together. RUPO is why I mainly go. I drive from Ontario to enjoy the freedom of speech. The place where you can be yourself. A place where no one will judge you. I was welcomed here with open arms and it took me sometime and convincing to perform on stage. When I did it was amazing. I performed a poem I wrote. First time I have ever shared something so close to my heart. Yet when I was finished I felt so honored. People were thanking me and giving me hugs. Feeling connected and empowered. They knew where I was and knew my confession. Will I read again. Hell yes!!! Thank you Mario for making this place awesome. read more