Write Around Tampa

The Grind Coffee Bar and Cafe

9532 W Linebaugh Ave

Westchase

I’ve been to the Grind on several occasions, to write, to have a bite with friends, for a coffee demo with a girls group. It’s a well-known spot in Westchase and in a prime, busy location. If you’ve been in Tampa for a while, you’ve probably already been. If you haven’t, check it out. If you’re a writer, here’s how the experience might go for you.

Quality and pricing of food and drink:
Coffee bar expensive. A potato bowl (potatoes, sausage and eggs) and mango smoothie plus a dollar tip ran me close to $20. That being said, the bowl is plenty of food if not too much meat; if you like sausage, you’ll love this bowl. But it was delicious, seasoned perfectly. I didn’t have to add salt or pepper or ketchup, and as anyone will tell you, I add salt to almost everything and like a little ‘chup with my taters. I did leave some of that sausage behind, though. Tip: get the brownies. Eat them there, take them home. Best brownies I ever tasted that didn’t come out of my own oven. Or mom's.

Are there enough outlets?
No. In fact, where I sat the outlet was covered. The entire back section has no outlets and there were laptops aplenty being used. I was told the bar has outlets, and the front wall. I’m in a booth. No outlet.

How’s the wifi?
Password protected

Will my muse come out?
She will. It’s a bustling coffee shop filled with her own kind

How long can I park it?
Open to close, which is 6-4 during the week, open at 7 on the weekends, but you may have issues getting a seat. This is a definite Westchase hotspot, with regulars that drop in daily if not multiple times a day. Best to come in fully charged and inspired, burn it out and then let someone else have your seat. One caveat: they stop brewing coffee at 2:00, so if you're craving a cup of Joe or anything made with coffee, you might want to take your laptop down Linebaugh to Starbucks.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 laptops

Rachel Remick’s fiction and non-fiction stories have appeared in various magazines, among them Rosebud, Bluestem, Brushfire, Minerva Rising, and ellipsis . . . literature and art. Her writing has also been published in several volumes of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books. She lives in Tampa, Florida.