A Quick Review of Gatlinburg Grind Cafe and Bakery
The intro to their Facebook Page reads, “We select only the finest Coffee beans from around the world. We serve fresh ground coffee, espresso, lattes and just plain ole coffee to suit your tastes. We bake fresh pastries and cookies and hand pies daily.” This little coffee shop/bakery caught my attention early on with their eye-catching pics of delicious fresh baked items. Recently, I ventured into this small business for the first time. What did I think? Let’s get a fix!
Gatlinburg Grind—for short—is located on Glades Road in the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community. They occupy a small space, but like The Village’s Coffee and Company, they make good use with it. You can find apparel, packaged coffee beans, and the complimentary sugar packets and napkins that are standard in every coffee shop, tiny or large. In the case you’ll be awed by the pastries, danishes, and miscellaneous sweet treats, plus a countertop of cookie jars that caught my eye immediately. Yep, I had to pull the trigger on one. The Strawberry Cream Cheese “BIG” cookie was about $5, but I had no problem spending it to take just one bite and leaving the rest for my wife and son. It’s a delicious sugar bomb, but I was happy to keep my blood sugar in check, relatively speaking.
How I really rank a coffee shop—despite also being a bakery—is how good their coffee tastes. I got a basic black cup of joe, per usual. I liked it a good bit. I’m terrible at picking out tasting notes like other coffee, whiskey, and beer snobs are known to do regularly. I can just tell if my taste buds DO NOT like it, so it was fine, but it will not unseat Coffee and Company as my favorite. The absolute worst coffee in Gatlinburg I had is no longer in business; I won’t divulge who. Gatlinburg Grind’s beans are roasted weekly and ground to order. Their fresh roasted Espresso is high-quality organic beans, ensuring you’ll tell the difference from others. They are closed on Mondays, but are open 6 days a week from 8:30-2:30.
Ironically, the sweetness that cut through their BIG cookie is apparently not evident in another that I only discovered through my research. A few weeks ago they made a peanut butter and chocolate keto cookie. I’m severely bummed I didn’t know about this yesterday; however, they may not make it anymore. I know how these things go with businesses in Gatlinburg. Someone requests something different, it gets made, and when it doesn’t sell, it goes away. Cookie Dough Bliss was one such example with their sugar free stevia-sweetened chocolate chip cookie dough. It was SO GOOD, but it was gone within months. When I asked if they were bringing it back, I got a generic response. Hey, those are the breaks here. I will happily support anyone who goes against the grain to develop a healthy “sweet” options, and not the diarrhea-inducing sugar free chocolates that the candy kitchens in Gatlinburg make.
Facebook: Gatlinburg Grind Cafe and Bakery
Website: www.gatlinburggrind.com
Address: 680 Glades Rd. Gatlinburg, TN
Will I be back? I certainly will, especially if I hear they still bake those keto cookies. I recommend you venture out for some caffeine and terrific bakery treats. You are supporting a local business that appreciates your patronage!
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