Common Grounds Howe Ave (Shelton)

Common Grounds on Howe Ave in Shelton is one of those places that immediately makes you feel at home. Datleen, Lorena, Valeria, and Karla are absolutely wonderful, friendly, attentive, and genuinely welcoming. Sitting here feels like relaxing in your own living room, which is a rare and special vibe for a coffee spot.

The coffee is consistently excellent, and the pastries are fresh and delicious. While the sandwiches are not the main highlight for me, everything else more than makes up for it. Overall, it is a great local spot with amazing staff, great coffee, and a comfortable atmosphere that keeps me coming back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Not very good food , and poor service .

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Coffee is great and the baristas are a pleasure to deal with

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

Great coffee

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great coffee & really cool atmosphere. However food I’d prolly go elsewhere. Wicked stringy pudding & what was thought to be a treat turned out to be thrown in the circular file and a burn in my wallet 😷 I would just stick with the coffee ☕️

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 4

I'm leaving a review as I sit in the cafe, but this place is great. I have watched them clean probably five times within 30 mins. The coffee has been good each and every time I've gone. For reference, I don't get those crazy lattes/drinks, but if you're going for just a regular iced coffee, great and easy choice. Would highly recommend!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Literally the best rice pudding I've ever had.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Try the biscotti with 2 dollops of whipped cream 🕺

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Incredibly nice employees, very patient, and have a friendly demeanor. Very quick with the order and the place was overall very clean!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Perky little shop with good food and coffee. Interesting drive-thru

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Outstanding coffee made fresh. Sandwiches, bagels, pastries

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The girl at the drive-through has attitude, I don’t know if that’s the owner or a relative or what.. I pulled up and simply try to pay for my drink with a credit card and instead of just taking my card, she held the keypad out and kept asking me to input a tip. I couldn’t see the keypad because it was far away, and I asked her can you please take the card and scan it and she stood there and stared at me. She refused to take the payment method and swipe it. She refused and she said you can do it yourself, and told me that I have to input a tip or else I need to press the buttons to indicate no tip. I told her I can’t see the screen and I don’t appreciate her taking attitude with me. I’m simply trying to pay for my drink, so then she finally pushed a few buttons on the keypad to skip the tip and then I was able to tap the card.

Here’s a little advice to the business. People do not want nor need to tip somebody in a drive-through. You are literally handing us a drink and tipping in that situation is not part of social norms. A better way of doing business is to accept the fact that customers should not be expected to give you a tip, just take their card, swipe it and hand it back to them and say thank you. If your electronic system prompts for a tip, either get rid of that prompt or skip it and take care of your customers payments.

Don’t think I will go back there ever again, you give me attitude and you refuse to even take my payment, kind of odd. Should have just drove off honestly.

Not to mention the fact that several times I went there she screwed up the order. She seems very quick to just rush the order through so that you can come drive through, but doesn’t listen to the details of the order, i.e. the number of espresso shots you want i.e. the size. You have to repeat yourself multiple times and then I ordered a rice pudding and got a cookie instead. Read the reviews I’m not the only review here whose order she screws up and who she has taken attitude with. Just make the extra couple minute drive to Starbucks, not worth it.

Ordered 3 breakfast wraps and only one was delivered. The rest of the order was cancelled. No call to let us know that they were out of bacon and would be cancelling the two wraps that had bacon. No call to ask us if we wanted to substitute a different meat. When I called the shop to ask why they couldn’t call us or even have the delivery person call us, the person in the phone said “I am too busy.” Will never be ordering from this place again. Horrible customer service.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

I had caffee lattee- milk is thick and stays thick, super good.
I had regular coffee days before, it's really one of the best coffee, kind of thick . Breed to perfection.
They have the best coffee I had in the state of Connecticut.
Nice place,
They have tip showing up if you are paying with your card, so they might have charged me 15% tip, did not receive receipt.
But it's worth it, coffee and atmosphere is really good.

Atmosphere: 1

Service: 4

This coffee shop is very cute and cozy, I ordered a chicken wrap and a cinnamon apple muffin and they were both delicious! The peppermint mocha latte is also very good and they have different flavors for holidays. My cousin who is a barista said that they use the “fancy syrup.” If I lived closer, I would be here more often! 😊

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5