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    Common Ground

    3.9 (246 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 3:00 pm

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    COMMON GROUND ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Hipster
    Trendy
    Casual

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    Recommended Reviews - Common Ground

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    strawberry banana smoothie, chocolate croissant
    Sarah S.

    This is a rustic coffee shop with ample seating for doing work or simply enjoying your food/drink. The people at the counter are very nice and they have a punchcard for returning visitors. I got a strawberry banana smoothie with oat milk that was really thick and quite filling, along with a chocolate croissant that they heated up for me. They had a sparse amount of pastries as we went closer to closing, so if you want the full selection be sure to get there early. I enjoyed my quick stop in and will surely be back.

    Hampden special on sourdough
    Anna S.

    I hadn't been to Common Ground since they became employee-owned and I'm happy to report that the menu has not changed significantly and the quality continues to be consistent. They still have a lovely selection of pastries including a couple gluten free muffins! The sandwiches are still yummy and creative along with some crowd pleaser classics. I chose to get the Hampden special which comes with two eggs, candied bacon, swiss cheese, and greens. It was pretty good! I opted for sourdough instead of the ciabatta. The cold and hot lunch sandwiches come with potato chips whereas the breakfast sammies come by itself. I will definitely be back to work on their deck and enjoy a gluten free pastry and coffee!

    Nova Sandwich
    Julie W.

    Ordered the NOVA bagel and matcha latter for $21.10, friend ordered masala chai and hickory sandwich for $20.66. Just very mid compared to other cafes. Matcha was mostly milk, chai had no milk only tasted like water and spices. Sandwiches were fine. Friend found vegetable sticker in her sandwich, not my favorite cafe in Baltimore.

    That's My Jam!
    Valeria S.

    The service was great and quick! There was a lot of seating inside and it was comfortable. I loved listening to Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain" while devouring my breakfast sandwich. The Hampden special is a favorite of mine. The candied bacon is delicious as is the aioli. I tried the That's my Jam! sandwich for the first time and it was perfectly sweet and savory. The biscuit was huge! It was not dry nor crumbly and held everything in place.

    Frozen Mocha Smoothie
    Dan A.

    This has become one of the my favorite coffee spots. If I'm in Hampden, I find a way to get here. Smaller, cozy interior with a spacious outdoor seating area. The large Cappuccino is perfect as it has quad shots and the coffee/milk balance is perfect. I order mine with Oat milk. We've tried the frozen Mocha smoothie which was amazing. We always pick up one of their Vegan and/or Vegan/Gluten free Muffins or scones. They rotate the varieties-strawberry, orange cranberry, apple/cinnamon to name a few. Bonus-all of the baked goods are made in house. They also offer day old items. Service has always been friendly and engaged. One of many must stop spots in the area.

    Powers (hummus, red onion, cucumber, tomato, avocado and spinach on toasted rye.
    Brady R.

    Common Ground is my favorite lunch spot for a great sandwich. My go to order is The Powers (hummus, red onion, cucumber, tomato, avocado and spinach on toasted rye). Located in the heart of Hamden, this worker owned business is a charmer. Laid back, hyper local and slow paced. Don't come in a hurry though, good food can't be rushed. Order the matcha too! Sourced locally from Wight Tea Co.

    Only option for a diet soda.

    I've always had good food here, and I like the vibe. I like seeing people from all walks of life sitting and eating lunch together. What I did not like is what I feel is the restaurant interjecting their political views into the peace I'm looking for on my lunch break. I always get a can of Diet Coke. When I went to get my Diet Coke out of the case, this was my only choice. I came back two weeks later and it was the same. If they want to sell the Palestina soda, fine. I can deal, but just bring back the Diet Coke too so we have a choice.

    Matcha Latte
    Cammi P.

    When you have a matcha craving, this is the best!! Fair prices with amazing pastries. Will definitely need to go back and try their sandwiches, however, my strawberry rhubarb scone did not disappoint. Very quick service and friendly staff. Cute space with tables for eating and leisure.

    Danish and coffee blended
    Sadie N.

    Lots of tables and nice patio space to enjoy your treats. Inside felt kinda cramped, but the availability of seats are endless. Well off coffee and good Danish.

    Menu
    Jacob F.

    Place is surprisingly expansive. I enjoy how the seating and ordering area is sectioned, so when you take a seat, it feels like you're in your own space, apart from a lot of shops where it just feels like a cafeteria. They packed the bagel with content, which I appreciated. Each bite was filling. The mango chutney that I added for $0.50 wasn't as prominent as I hoped. The bacon was cooked perfectly. It felt like there was seasoning on it, and it was the perfect balance of chewy and crispy. The cheese was actually melted on the egg, which I appreciated. The bagel had a great consistency. I didn't need to do much to break it apart.

    Lia F.

    Nice coffee and food. It gets pretty busy and hard to find seating though. Also they tend to be out of a lot of bagels. I also wish they stayed open a little later; 3 is early.

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    Service is good but can wait a bit. Coffee is good. The energy of everyone there is friendly.

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    2 years ago

    Food and service were great. You should get a jalapeno biscuit if you can. Great coffee too!

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    Page 1 of 7

    Ask the Community - Common Ground

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    This bakery is awesome! Everything I got tasted fresh and well-made…read more My boyfriend and I shared the raspberry cornetto, strawberry maritozzi, and spinach and ricotta danish. My favorite was the cornetto; it was just bursting with fruity flavor. Nothing was overly sweet either, which is perfect for me! Decor is cute! There is seating indoors and outdoors. The staff were friendly as well.

    Food: A.) Pizza - one slice of cheese and pepperoni…read more Disappointed. Very greasy, soft crust. There are lower key spots nearby that serve better slices. B.) Arancini Palermo - Extremely disappointing. It was slightly burnt, and despite being described as containing a beef and pork ragu, I couldn't see or taste any meat. I initially thought we'd been served the Formaggi and even asked the server, who confirmed it was the Palermo after checking with the kitchen. The meat was supposedly very finely minced, but it was undetectable. Overall, the flavor was off. Service: They were nice, but slow and inefficient. When we asked for the check, we waited for about 10 minutes and no one had come. I ended up going to the counter to pay. After I had paid and returned to the table, my wife told me the server was walking around with a check, likely had forgot which table had asked for it. Ambiance: This was the best part. We sat outside, beautiful day. If you want to come to sit down outside on a nice day and have a drink, it would probably be enjoyable.

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    Bird In Hand

    Bird In Hand

    3.9
    (140 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    What an amazing day to have an amazing iced ginger tumeric latte made with oat milk…read more The relaxed hippie spot is calling you to endulge in a peaceful drink specially prepared by the friendliest people. Stop by and make a cool selection of your choice of drink whether hot or cold. You wont be disappointed unless your tastebuds are off

    This review is solely based upon an event I attended here, not the actual bookstore itself. Bird in…read moreHand is a really cute cafe, bookstore, which I plan to return to try the coffee and pastries I stopped for their Community Dinner event called Eat with Me. It was a community dinner party with Chef Char. You had a choice of a ticket with or without wine pairing. Me and my friend chose the ticket with wine pairing. The ticket included two glasses of wine. The menu was not printed online so we went in kinda blind on what was served. The first course was a roasted vegetable dish which consisted of broccoli, fingerling potatoes and pears with a Greek yogurt sauce. The second course was chicken thighs with risotto in a tomato sauce and the third course was a granola strudel with pears. There was also an arugula salad with grapefruit segments and parmesan cheese. I can be brutally honest, none of the courses were seasoned well. The first course was cold, the vegetables were wilted and did not mesh well. Was not expecting pears to be with my roasted vegetables. The second course was underwhelming as well. The food did not have any flavor and the dessert was not my favorite at all. I only ate the fruit out of the dessert. The chef did come out and let us know what each course was, however I felt that she really wasn't too personable with the guests. A few of the guests at the table were her friends so she only engaged with them, and of course they hyped her up, however the food was bland and underwhelming and the majority of the guests including myself did not finish their plates. If there is another community dinner, I hope it will be with a different chef in mind As I stated before my review is of the event, not the business as a whole.

    Photos
    Orange, Cranberry, & Chocolate Oat Cookie from Ovenbird Bakery ($3) and Large Iced Coffee ($3.75)
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    Mishmish mango sticky rice popup
    Mishmish mango sticky rice popup
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    Common Ground - coffee - Updated July 2026

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