While most coffee shops may have a lot of things in common – chalkboard menus, glass pastry cases, local artwork, free WiFi, local newspapers and, of course, coffee – how do all the campus coffee choices stack up when it comes to price, variety, hours and ambiance?
Four local java establishments are within a few blocks of VCU buildings: The Common Cup, 1211 W. Main St.; Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream, 26 N. Morris St.; Harrison Street Coffee Shop, 402 N. Harrison St; and Common Groundz, 734 W. Broad St.
As for the price of a cup of joe, the cheapest of the four is The Common Cup, where a small house coffee is less than a dollar, and refills are just 60 cents. The other three shops’ drip coffees are around a dollar and some change, and all sizes are less than $2.
It is worth pointing out that the new kid on the block, Common Groundz, offers a bottomless cup of coffee for $2.25 when eating in.
When it comes to menu variety, the widest selection is at Crossroads, with different menus for every meal of the day, extensive lists of coffee and tea varieties, a big chalkboard of daily specials and hot breakfast options served all day. Common Cup and Common Groundz tie for second place in menu choice. Both have lots of smoothie and frozen drink options, sandwiches, wraps and breakfast pastries. The sandwiches and wraps cost around $5-$7 at all the shops.
The Common Cup also has an extensive specialty pizza menu and a long list of hot tea choices. The food prices here are mostly cheaper than the other guys.
While Harrison Street has fewer options, it specializes in vegetarian and vegan choices. Most of its sandwiches are available in vegetarian or vegan versions. Hot tea selections are abundant here as well, but there’s only a small choice of pastries – though they are mostly homemade and vegan.
Fairly traded organic coffee is on offer at Common Groundz and Harrison Street.
Common Groundz is the largest shop, with booths that all have Ethernet jacks and power outlets, large comfy couches, lounge chairs and a big-screen TV.
It frequently hosts live music at night on the weekends, so the hours on the door boast they are open until “?”. In a fun take on bathroom graffiti, the restroom walls are painted in chalkboard paint, and a basket full of chalk invites impermanent wall art.
Crossroads is also large and includes outdoor tables, a parking lot and plenty of sunlight. No comfy couches here, though. It is almost always busy but never too packed. The crowd adds to what can sometimes be a long wait for hot food, but it’s worth it. Great music is always playing.
Every shop but Crossroads has lots of games, books and magazines for perusing and passing the time.
As for hours, on weekdays all the shops open between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Harrison Street closes first at 9 p.m., followed by Common Cup and Crossroads at 10 p.m. and Common Groundz at 11 p.m. They all offer mid-morning hours on weekends, but Crossroads remains open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
And if you don’t feel like supporting local businesses and paying reasonable prices, feel free to stop at the new Starbucks inside the library. It is open from 7:30 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, and 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday.