Common Grounds Coffee

I've been visiting Common Grounds about twice a month for the past two years. It's a great coffee shop with ample indoor and outdoor seating. Since it's located outside of Downtown Davis, there's always space available.

The variety of coffee drinks available is excellent. They make all sorts of creative drinks that I haven't seen elsewhere. The Einspanner latte is unusual but delicious! My colleague swears by the pistachio matcha latte. My go-to is a pistachio latte, which is always the right sweetness and nuttiness.

I can't give Common Grounds 5 stars because the food options are really lacking. They have a pastry display, but it always looks mostly empty, even early in the morning. The offerings are inconsistent and don't always look super appealing. The breakfast sandwiches are a big avoid! Not good at all. The avocado toast is fine, although I ask them to skip the hummus.

Stop by for good coffee, but look for food elsewhere.

Really one of my favorite coffee shops in Davis. It is in the opposite direction of the downtown area, so it's a lot quieter and has more seating available inside and outside. They have a vast menu, ranging from your regular coffee drinks to smoothies. There's also a seasonal menu with multiple drink options, so the amount of options available can be a little bit overwhelming. Free wifi is a plus and it's an overall good place with lots of natural lighting to get work done, read a book, or catch up with a few friends.

My current go tos:
- Iced matcha latte with lavender syrup - I'm glad the matcha isn't grainy or clumpy, and actually tastes really good.
- Iced lavender latte - the lavender syrup is just right and doesn't overpower the drink. Personally, a perfect balance between coffee and lavender flavoring
- Iced white mocha - love that it's rich and doesn't just taste like straight up milk

They also sell juices and wellness shots from Pressed!

On this installment of driving the 80 to the bay we have.....Common Grounds! It's been hot so lately I have been sticking to cold iced drinks. This place happen to be on the opposite side of 80 that I am used to but just gave me another reason to visit more of Davis that I don't usually see. This place happen to be in the parking lot of a Safeway so there was ample parking and a bit easier then downtown.

An interesting I noted was that the price of iced americano is the same of a cold brew. This pretty much means I should pick the vastly superior tasting cold brew. Didn't have any issues with the drink and great smooth taste.

This doesn't have the hipster vibe of some of the newe places but didn't have any issues with this and it was nice that it didn't felt busy like the others. Service was fast and quick and uneventful which is a good thing in most cases including this haha!

A quick search on Yelp for some good caffeine from a local shop directed us to Common Grounds Coffee and it did not disappoint!

The Kona Mocha Frappe was amazing! One of the best drinks I've had in a while. There is such a strong and solid Kona coffee flavor to this drink. I only wish it came in an XL sized cup

Since I couldn't decide between two drinks, I decided to order a second drink, their Butter Caramel Latte iced. Wow! Another amazing drink made by Common Grounds Coffee! The butter caramel is such a great combination for a latte.

Although the prices may be a tad higher than other traditional coffee shops, the quality and craftsmanship of their drinks justifies the slight premium. This will now be our goto stop for coffee and drinks when passing Davis...

I love a coffee shop that has seasonal or specialty drinks on the menu so when I saw photos of the ones here, I knew this would be our morning coffee stop. They have plenty of seating and it was a nice crisp morning to enjoy the outdoors. It's an easy location because it's in the Safeway parking lot so you don't have to worry about finding street parking, and it's also right off the freeway if you wanted a non-chain coffee stop.

There were lots of menus and signs to look at - one of those places that has a lot of specialty items and they just keep posting a new sign for each new item haha, so it was a lot to look at. I decided to get the horchata latte but the pistachio matcha or the strawberry matcha smoothie were close runner-ups that I wish I had chosen instead. The horchata latte is non-dairy so I picked oat milk for mine. But when it came out, it just looked like horchata by itself and had no coffee taste whatsoever. I'm not sure if she misheard me or they just forgot to put the espresso.

(Note- I received a response about the horchata latte doesn't normally come with espresso because it makes it bitter. I've had horchata lattes before at other places so I know it's possible but I highly recommend that they remove the word 'latte' from the menu. It's completely misleading! A latte implies that there is an espresso shot in there. If there isn't, that's just a cup of horchata.)

They do have some breakfast/lunch items but I decided to just get a bagel with cream cheese. Our drinks came out first and then the barista asked if I was waiting on something else, so I told her I was waiting on our pastries. Not sure if there was miscommunication or maybe the cashier was forgetful but I noticed she was forgetting other people's pastries (gave away the last scone to someone else who ordered after her!) as well as ours. But luckily whoever was working on the items that had to be heated, like my bagel, was on top of it so I didn't have to wait too much longer for that.

Overall mediocre experience just because I didn't get the drink I actually ordered, but I'm hoping that was a one-off error and I'd be willing to come back to try other drinks.

A secret gem within Davis, this coffee hotspot is nicely tucked away in the corner of the lot with a lovely patio and positive atmosphere inside. Looks like a great study spot or a place to finish off a chapter of your latest read. The baristas were so nice and I was surprised by how fancy their pup cups (whipped cream and dog treats) was, it made me feel so welcomed here, although no pets are allowed inside and my dog waited outside patiently while grabbing our items. The iced lavender vanilla latte was superb and tasty, quality coffee just around the block!

Ahhhhhh yes the one place that can suffice my daily caffeine fixation and when in Davis.......

To simply put it, I was working my round in Davis for a few weeks and once again. I found the eats but not the drinks, and when it comes to drinks I mean coffee!!!

And that one day came where I was absolutely tired of getting Starbucks, don't get me wrong I love Starbucks but my real love for coffee is at the REAL LOCAL coffeehouses! And being from Sacramento, I am spoiled and surrounded by so MANY LOCAL coffeehouses! I make my rounds and rotate every Saturday and Sunday with my local Sac coffeehouses!

And it's hard to find that when traveling outside of Sac, and when I say hard I mean by choices. So, I was very VERY pleased when I stumbled upon Common Grounds!

Located off Richards Blvd, in the Safeway shopping center! Ran by very nice people! Greeted right away EVERYTIME! And they ALWAYS let me place orders over the phone, as I'm on my way! Very nice and cozy interior, they always have a Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall menu! Drinks are made to perfection, with really good quality ingredients! This is the ONLY place I can get a iced Vietnamese coffee at 7am! Sooo strong and bold! And thei frappes are to die for! My all time favorite and to go to is the Kona Mocha! The closest I'll get to Hawaii for now Hahahah! Mochas and lattes are made rich and decadent!!

When you're in Davis, please make sure you come and have a good ol' cup of Joe from this little Davis gem!! B O O K M A R K NOW!!!

Truly the best coffee shop in Davis. They have an extensive menu with many different drink options. The aesthetic is immaculate, and their customer service is even better. Great for working space! Lots of chargers, plugs and seating!

My go-to orders:
- Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte, Extra Sweet
- Iced Dirty Chai, Extra Shot
- Iced Caramel Macchiato, Light Ice

It's a really cute joint. Only wish they get more room for people to sit indoors.

When I walked in, I really enjoyed the interior designs and I wanted a place to sit just to soak it in. It's place where you think you can study while feeling the cafe vibe or have nice conversations with peeps. Unfortunately, there's like nowhere to sit indoors. They have a lot of outdoor seating available, but what's the point of the cafe if you can't enjoy the cafe experience.

I mean, it's close to a college campus, so maybe it's a cafe meant for students. In which case, I get it. Just grab your coffee and study outside. It's just not a cafe I would go to otherwise.

Coffee itself was good, but not enough for me to visit this place solely for the coffee. Solid 3.

We usually go to this coffee place during our date nights when we're in the area. A little quaint place to enjoy a cup of brewed mocha after a heavy dinner. The baristas are nice and accommodating. It's just a tad pricier that the other coffee places but hey, it's not too commercialized. There's still that hint of homey-ness to this place which I love.