Erie Island Coffee Company - Cleveland

I really enjoy this coffee shop. In a small sea of other shops in the area they have earned being my go to. The ambience of the shop is really calming. With local artwork lining the walls and a wonderful street view of East 4th it is worth stopping in. They even have outdoor seating. I usually stop on my way to work. Even at 6:30 in the morning the service is great and the coffee and breakfast delicious. My average visit timeframe is between 5-7 minutes. Not too bad when on the way to work. I make sure to pad the extra time in. The Red Eye with an Egg Crush sandwich are a must try combo. Be sure to ask about choice of bread.

Been here twice, and I wish I could say I love it and I'm a local but it's rather forgettable. First, five star for the staff always nice. Another plus is some local artists' art on the wall, although it does kinda make it a mish mash without a design scheme. The coffee isn't burnt but it doesn't make me want to return, I guess good enough but nothing amazing. For a coffee shop I feel like besides baked goods it's lacking grab and go items that go with coffee, most items seem more snack or late afternoon focused (eg prosciutto and cheese snack sets . There are only a few lunch sandwiches and smoothies all standard items and nothing really exciting or different (eg like a plain cold cut sandwich or a banana strawberry smoothie . I would love if they switched it up or enhanced their menu (eg some more unique foods that would make me want to choose here over the many other coffee shops downtown or update the food a little (eg cold cuts more 90s, where's the avocado toast or an açaí bowl? Just suggestions! They have a chorizo sandwich but a vegan chorizo option, for example, would be lovely. It's in the middle of tons of dinner restaurants and drinking establishments so while there's outside seating, I'm not sure it would be lovely to sit there. Also I hate to say it but there are a lot of panhandlers who sometimes are a little aggressive so if you do sit outside just be careful. Overall, I feel like the name is so cute and it's in the center of downtown, but I wish there was just a little oomph to it.

Late night hours. Lattes. Americano. Coffee. Espresso shots. Stopped in for a cappuccino around 9pm on a Friday. Not a large crowd but a few people were on laptops over sharing a table with a friend. Seasonal flavors offered as well as the traditional caramel, hazelnut, vanilla, etc. My cappuccino seemed to lack the punch of flavor I was hoping for but it was hot and warmed me up.

Erie Island Coffee is certainly more than just coffee. Their sandwiches...or as they call them a Crush, are delicious. Picture this...agave, bananas (Gwen taught me how to spell that), and peanut butter between to pillowy slices of light bread, pressed and grilled to a perfect panini..ahem, I mean Crush. Tasty tasty tasty non the less. Now, I better not forget the coffee, I mean that is in their name after all. Several girls in front of me were raving about many of their specialty drinks. Now, I just went for a large black coffee. Oh boring, I know, I prefer to think of it as deep dark and mysterious just like the cup of dark joe in my hand. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the DM dark roast. The aroma had me thinking it may have been over-roasted but upon consumption there was a pleasant nuttyness that filled my mouth with liquid joy. My only eh , and why they lose a star, is that the atmosphere is a tad dreary and dark. That is just personal preference though. Perhaps they too prefer to think of it as deep dark and mysterious. Definitely worth a stop for a quick bit or your nutty caffeine fix.

Fun first visit on E 4th, loved this shop will return! Quick stop for an early breakfast. Got a vanilla iced latte and next time I'm hoping to switch up the flavor! It was very decent coffee, but the area inside and out made up for the decent coffee. Will have to try something different next time.