I've visited Higher Grounds few times now. With my Papa, we ordered two dark roasts coffee and set at a table and had a great bonding time. They offer great selection of pastries and hot and cold beverages. From what Papa and I tried, visiting this place few days in a row, we really enjoyed food and drinks. The staff were helpful and we received our orders in timely manner. We both really enjoy the layout of this home-like atmosphere. It has a beautiful fireplace with variety of games and books you can read. It offers plenty of seating area, with large couch. Including a large Quiet Room. The Quiet Room can be reserved/rented for larger groups in advance. Otherwise you can use the Quiet Room for working, studying, reading or just to sit and enjoy peace and quiet. I recommend this place if you want to try something local instead of a chain store. I will for sure be returning here. For more great content, check out YouTube.com/@AbroadTravel read more

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Wow. Where do I start? I walked in and was instantly was taken aback by the smell & the cute handmade items on the wall, directly under the menu. I fell in love with this mug coaster and proceeded to take a look at alllll the small business items for sale throughout the shop. There were board games and plenty seating options available. I ordered a 24 oz Iced caramel latte with oatmilk and my partner ordered a 20 oz hot caramel latte. I made a mistake and ordered pumpkin bread assuming there was a universal coffee shop pumpkin bread. I expected something with icing and I got a bread with some nuts in it flag on me for thinking what I'm used to follows me to a new area lol. All in all. The coffee is AMAZING. Superb, even. Wowowowow. Both the hot & cold lattes are phenomenal. Can't wait to visit again to try something new! To the blonde girl who took our order- Maybe take on some customer service courses and listen a bit better. To the lady who remade my coffee with oatmilk after the cashier was not comprehending correctly and gave me almond milk, thank you. You turned the experience around for me. read more

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The food is ok- the drinks and ambiance is what I go for. Such a comfortable setting. Service is up and down. Really improved from a year ago but still a wait for just a vip of coffee read more

Man this is a great shop design. There's a cute spot by the fireplace plus a private room in the back. If I still had to study this would definitely be a great place to do it. I got a hot cocoa and it was pretty good. The staff is all really warm and friendly. Definitely would come back. read more

I love this place. good coffee and fast service. Keep it up. I'll be coming back for my morning fix.

I've been a Longtime fan of higher ground's coffee for a lot of years. Great coffee and food and environment!

An inviting place: I warmed by the fire while my to-go order was prepared. I enjoyed a lunch special: half panini sandwich, soup, and choice of drink. Gooey, melted cheese topped turkey and pesto for a delicious panini. However, three small, cold, raw mini carrots seemed an odd accompaniment. Odd because Higher Ground obviously strives to provide a unique and quality menu but the only thing unique about the carrots was they were so large they took a bit of gnawing to get through. A bit of dip, light cooking, or smaller size would have helped. The creamy broccoli vegetable soup was also pleasant but a tad salty. Service was friendly and helpful...and patient since I neglected to tell staff my order was to-go until they'd already played it. read more

Visited yesterday. I enjoy tea and the tea is ok but I tried the cinnamon roll and I will be returning. Fresh and the perfect balance of frosting and dough. Plus no waiting like I always do at StarBucks. Great option for morning bakery read more

Stopped in on a road trip to get some breakfast and coffee. They had a nice menu with reasonable prices- I got the breakfast burrito and I was honestly really amazed at how much food I got for the price! I am used to tiny burritos at small coffee shops, but this was a whole meal for about $6 and it was really fresh. It was easy to place my order online and pick up in the store, and everyone was really friendly. Would definitely come back if I'm in the area again. Edited to add- I also really loved their COVID protocols. All staff were wearing masks and gloves, they had a sign on the door requiring customers to wear masks, and they had a plexiglass screen at the register. It doesn't look like they are doing indoor dining. Good on this business. read more

Very cute quaint coffee shop locally owned. They have a variety of coffee's, espresso's, tea' etc. along with a variety of foods including scones, muffins, panini's etc. It is a great place to relax in front of the warm fireplace. It is also a great place to study. There is a quiet room in the back with lots of outlets. Definitely worth trying out. read more

Called from the road to see if arriving right at close would be a problem.....was told thx but no thx they have had a long day and could not accommodate us. I hate to give my money to Starbucks but guess it's unavoidable. Must be nice to not need the business good luck with that. read more

One of the best coffee places to go!!! It's my second home The breakfast bagel is my favorite Alsoo the harvest green smoothie with mango 100% recommend read more

I tried their drink of the month and was amazing!! A nice caramel flavored coffee and it hit the spot! The staff was so friendly and helpful and genuinely seemed to enjoy what they were doing. I also ordered a breakfast cookie and it was quite tasty! Great atmosphere for morning coffee with a friend. I will definitely be back! read more

So good.! I had the potato leek soup and a quiche. Love it!!! My friend had the turkey artichoke panini. She said it was delicious. The place smells like I want my house to smell. Everyone was friendly. Will be back. read more

This was my first experience here, but I went in with an open mind. Whenever I read Yelp reviews that are either really high, or really low, I tend to throw out the high and low and pay attention to the ones in the middle. (One guy even tipped his hand early that his review would be biased - and it was.) I found the coffee to be excellent, the help friendly, and the atmosphere warm and inviting. Now I know where to get my morning coffee in Freeport! Another review says the food is so awful that I can't wait to try it. I suspect it's going to be really good! I'll let you know. By the way, I've also noticed that whatever music is in the background, someone isn't going to like it. That's proven in these reviews. As far as I'm concerned, as long as it isn't hip-hop or Sousa marches, I don't really care. I do like it better if a place plays classical and then I'm hooked. read more

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Who knew I could find the perfect little coffee place in Freeport. Wonderful staff, good food. (Paninis are great), great coffee! Warm, inviting , quiet atmosphere. Can't wait to try all the baked good in my purse (too full)! A definite must try. read more

I'm always shocked when Freeport has something moderately nice. In the past year since I've been visiting here, I've learned to lower my expectations considerably. But hello - what have we here? A coffee shop? A comfortable, cutely decorated, NICE coffee shop? Well, slap my ass and call me Sally! A place to sip something hot and curl up with your laptop, right here in Freeport. I had a skim chai latte, which was great, and my boyfriend seems to enjoy their sugar-free mochas. And the bathroom was spotlessly clean (this is very important). Nice to see the area isn't totally dominated by chain restaurants! Wi-Fi is free with your purchase. read more

The coffee is awful. If you buy whole bean coffee of a decent quality and brew it at home it is a dozen times better than Higher Grounds coffee. I've tried lattés, cappuccino and just plain coffee with sugar and they are all far too bitter. At home I drink Schuil whole bean and all their varieties have unique flavors, none of which are half as bitter as this coffee joint. And to drink their variety of bitter coffee drinks you pay almost as much as Starbucks. Their food is about what you would expect for a coffee house but the only reason I can think that many enjoy this coffee joint is because it's the only one on that side of town. There are others downtown which are far superior in taste of coffee and service. Many of the baristas think they are too cool for you and it shows. read more

The coffee was good, but since this was my first time in this coffee shop... not impressed. The barista wasn't that helpful in explaining anything about the store or the coffee selection and I was left wondering why I would choose this over Starbucks! read more

Not bad but baristas are not very experienced. Lived in Seattle most of my life and have been to my share of coffee houses. The reason I give them two stars is the bashing of Starbucks. I don't personally do Starbucks but no coffee house should bash another coffee house. Bad business. After I saw the "I don't speak Starbucks shirts" I won't be back. read more

For a coffee place in town, it's not bad. The service in the drive through, however, needs to pick up the pace. I have never been inside, because I am always on the run when I am in town but I would assume its a little quicker in there. Last time we stopped in, it took about 5 minutes for a Pumpkin Spice Latte to be made. I mean, seriously? Then someone came to the window and asked if we had our order taken yet. And we did - when we were at the speaker - 5 minutes ago! Either way, its still probably the best option in town. read more

It's a nice location but that's about it. Coffee is meh at best, a tad watery and a tad pricey. The espresso is pretty sad and also pricey. If there are a few people ahead of you, you'll wait forever. I waited at least 5 mins for a black coffee that came out of a thermal carafe; that should just be self-serve. Food is very overpriced for the mediocrity of it. read more

I visited Higher Grounds coffee shop recently and I was disappointed. They have the place very nicely decorated and I even like the atmosphere. But the one thing I did notice was the lack of other races. When I went in I was not greeted or spoken to. I felt over looked, it felt very rigid. I am an African American and just because I am doesn't mean that I can't afford the service or food. This is an issue that many people shy away from, but racism is a real problem in the country. I wish I could recommend this shop to my friends and family, but until there is a change I will not be doing so. I gave the coffee shop to starts. read more

Such a cute place to grab a coffee and the staff is always so nice!!! Also when they have them, their beignets are to die for.

Such a cute and unique coffee shop! Great service and very yummy coffee!! So many choices it's nice to have a selection and the food was excellent!! Delicious scones you have to try! read more

I'm a big fan of the Higher Grounds coffee shop in Freeport because it is perfectly placed. Not because of the nearby mall or the otherwise bleak commercial strip that is Hwy 26 on the south side of town. No, I love this coffee shop because it is located along the highway at the exact spot that my mother and I are looking for a refill. My mother's side of the family is in the Peoria area and we've been driving from Wisconsin via Freeport for as long as I've been alive. Considering how reliant we've become on getting our mugs refilled at Higher Grounds I'm not entirely sure how we managed prior to its existence. Maybe it was gas station coffee, or something equally as horrible. The initial sighting was a few years back, when my mother, sister and I were coming back from the relatives. Everyone was tired and I'd assumed driving duties in Sterling. As we came through Freeport my mom suggested getting coffee at McDonald's but I would prefer fatigue to that, so we kept going up the hill. As we drove past my mother remarked that she thought she saw a coffee shop, but we didn't turn around to look. Several months later we were driving down to IL again and this time I saw the place in time to turn in. It was a bit after 1 and my father was hungry. While the rest of us got coffee he ordered soup and a sandwich which made him quite happy. We didn't stay long, but the place seemed warm and inviting. On about every subsequent trip we've taken through Freeport we've made a stop at the Higher Grounds shop, and I've got nothing bad to say about the place. The coffee is always excellent and the service is quick. We've never used the drive-through window but it's there if we were in that big of a hurry. I'm happy that there is a place of such quality in Freeport. read more

I am a die hard Starbucks gril, so when Higher Grounds opened up, I was excited something resembling a cute coffee shop was in Freeport. FYI i'm not from Freeport, my parents relocated here recently. Anyway, now that i have established i am NOT from this town... in general, the latte's are ok, and the food is gross. They can't even make a basic crossaint, and their warm, savory breakfast options tasted like they had 1/2 lb of salt mixed in. Overall, pretty gross food, decent coffee drinks, and a pretty unknowledgable staff. I'll stick to my Starbucks, thanks. read more

The frozen blended speedy Gonzalez with soy milk is my favorite! It's made with Mexican cocoa and expresso so you get the energy without any crashing! read more

Good coffee, nice atmosphere, friendly service. My Large coffee was reasonably priced. It's helpful that they have a drive through. The place was packed at 8:30 on a Wednesday! It's a little tricky finding the entrance to the parking lot. read more

This coffee house is unique in Freeport with its fireplace (in winter, that is), choice of seating areas & the inviting new(er) room for quiet study or a larger meeting. I like taking out of town guests here for lunch or meeting a friend for coffee and a scone. The intimacy of Higher Grounds & the quiet atmosphere allow for conversation. I'm thankful there is no "industial" vibe here - it's not cavernous & echoey & there is no loud, piped-in music. I also like to support locally-owned businesses - Higher Grounds is the top of my list for the quality of their coffee, food & friendly service. read more

I frequent Hg and usually get my drinks to go, usually iced and made to be delicious! The few times I have stayed in to enjoy my food/drinks it has been sub par quality. I ordered a classic latte for "here" and a breakfast cookie. I got handed my drink in a to go cup and they warmed my cookie in the microwave so it was burnin hot. My latte was not foamy nor filled up to the top. I was highly disappointed. I expected a ceramic mug and frothy goodness. I feel like as a specialty coffee shop that caters to those staying in and enjoying the nice surroundings they would have gotten this right. I intended to spend more time there enjoying the latte on my break, but I left quickly. The takeaway: inconsistency and complacency and poor customer service read more

Good coffee and atmosphere. The scones are yummy. I liked the lemon one especially. The raspberry and blueberry ones were great also. The texture and taste are perfect. read more

We tried out Higher Grounds yesterday. It has such a welcoming environment and the lovely fire crackling away and the free wifi spot is going to make this a favorite place for us to go. I also want to mention that we had a goof on our order. It's always embarrassing to have to mention this to management. I'd ordered the tuscan chicken panini and somehow they had gotten it mixed up and what arrived was a tuna sandwich. We have two children under three so it took me longer than it usually would to figure out what was wrong with my sandwich and let them know about it. Which says a lot because I got like 4 bites in and I normally HATE tuna. For a tuna fish sandwich, that was like the best one I've ever had. So if you're a tuna fan, totally try it out. Anyway, I took it up and the management didn't even question, they just took it and exchanged it with what I had ordered. They didn't make me feel guilty or anything, jsut apologized and then got the right one. Then later, they even brought me a little card saying I can have a free drink on them at some time. Now, I really respect that in a business owner. That is really taking care of your customers. This is the reason for 5 stars. One of the other reviewers who has some Starbucks snobbery, said the food was too salty. ??? Well, I must like my salt because I thought I could have salted my sandwich a tad more, but it was still yummy. I will totally have to go back and try out their supposedly too salty breakfast snacks. But we really loved the ambiance and the service was great. We will be back again and again. read more

This is one of the best coffee shows in Northern Illinois, and I am including Chicago. The atmosphere is extremely inviting and has a warm energy about it. Now let's talk about the drinks and food! Higher Grounds has better quality coffee drinks and amazing choice of flavors. The breakfast sandwiches are some of the best I have ever had. Chicken salad is simply brilliant! Higher Grounds is a gem hidden in Freeport! read more

Nice place to grab a cup of java. I enjoy the speciality drinks, like flavored mochas and lattes. It would be nice if they had more/ longer weekend hours. read more

Service via drive-thru was slow and prices were on the higher end. Thought i ordered a Mocha and ended up getting chopped ice and powered white chocolate that leaves a horrible after taste. read more

It's a great place to get coffee and lunch. A quiet cozy place for homework or to catch up with friends. Love the coffee and smoothies. The staff is lovely. :) read more

This is my favorite place to go and get coffee when in town! They have a great and friendly staff who is all willingness to answer any questions or concerns you may have. They have a wide variety and something for everyone! read more

Went in for the first time to get a pumpkin latte. Great service...the latte was great also

On my arrival at the coffee shop I felt uneasy. No one greeted me when I walked through the doors. I walked up to the counter I to make my order and the lady said nothing she just stared at me. So I ordered a brownie and a cookie. As I looked around the place I didn't see a diverse group of people. The atmosphere wasn't welcoming. As soon as I payed for my items I left out the store feeling unwelcome and misplaced. read more