Collective Espresso

Pretty much the best espresso in the city. Their hours of operation are awful because they are in the CAC lobby, but their coffee artists are out of this world.

This place has some of the most delicious espresso drinks that I have ever had. The flavor of the milk and the espresso meld together perfectly. They use extremely high quality ingredients and it shows in the flavor. No extra syrups or sugar needed. They will just ruin the perfect drink. Get one and experience what espresso is supposed to taste like.

Love this location!
Collective Espresso does not need much introduction, everything you heard is true. Good coffee. I mean good barista quality espresso.
But this location is fantastic! Spacious, inside CAC museum, futuristic yet cosy white furniture, chairs, tables with plugs for office outside of office, bright, artsy, amazing.
I have always admired their beautiful latte art and now with all the art work around, it’s just another level of COOL: D
Public announcement: they serve cocktails and liquor. Barista+Bartender, high standards for the staff! :)
Opened till 9, very happy to have them downtown.

Great cappuccino and food if a bit overpriced.

As an out of towner looking for a quick, healthy, and delicious breakfast, Collective Espresso hit the spot. We were on our way out of town and had to get checked out of the hotel so we thought we’d come in here for a quick bite. I could not have been happier. You walk into the Contemporary Arts Center and take a left to the man standing behind the coffee bar. You order your food and pay and then take a seat while they prepare wonderful coffee and food. I simply had the drip coffee and my friend had the espresso. Both were yummy. For food, I ordered the greens and eggs. Who knew that kale and two sunny side eggs could be prepared so wonderfully? It was healthy and light and perfectly portioned. My friend ordered the egg sandwich with mushrooms and he loved it as well. If I were a Cincinnati native, I’d make this a regular spot!

Collective Espresso (north side, OTR, and CAC) is the premier coffee shop in Cincinnati. There are other places that do good coffee in the city but no one else touches Collective in the amount of quality, care, and effort they put into each drink they make.
At the CAC location that food is also great. It’s simple and understated and they allow quality food and ingredients to speak for themselves.

Art gallery. Coffee shop.
I think I’m done with this review, right? Enough said?
It’s collective espresso, so you know it’s going to be some of the best coffee in the tri-​state, and it’s the newly-​renovated lobby of the Contemporary Arts Center, so you know it’s going to look nice. And now – because of this review – you know that the wifi is free, there are outlets on the community tables, the breakfast sandwiches are amazing (AMAZING!) and some of the nicest people work behind the bar.
I can’t get enough of this place. It’s become my office away from the office. If you ever ask to meet up and chat about life or business or urban living and bicycle riding, I’ll recommend we meet here. It’s what I do now. It’s part of who I am.
DON’T TRY TO CHANGE ME.

Collective Espresso’s newest location inside the lobby of the Contemporary Arts Center is quickly becoming my favorite pre-​work coffee stop.
The definition of artisanal coffee, each drink is handmade with delicious quality ingredients. During my first visit as I watched the baristas doing their coffee thing I thought to myself «Oh boy this is going to be expensive.» I ended up getting a delicious Iced Americano for $ 2! Are you kidding me?! The same drink at that chain that rhymes with BarSucks would be well over $ 4.
The baristas are all very knowledgeable and had a lot of great recommendations. I wanted an iced coffee and they recommended an iced Americano which ended up being very good and something I likely wouldn’t have tried without their recommendation.
The location is right in the front lobby of the Contemporary Arts Center which provides great ambiance. They also offer a small breakfast/​lunch menu, which I look forward to trying in the near future.
I’m so excited to have this new location close to my work downtown and can’t wait for my next visit.

To my knowledge, this is one of the few places downtown to get a quality cup of coffee. Embrace your inner coffee snob and get a pour over: yes, it costs a dollar extra; yes, you have to wait 2 minutes — but it’s absolutely worth it. Or try one of the exceptional espresso drinks — you really can’t go wrong in the beverage department. And they have beer!
As for the food — don’t expect huge portions. This is a café after all, not the Cheesecake Factory. That being said, the dishes are thoughtfully crafted and simple. And delicious. Somewhat akin to Cheapside, I’d say. I tried the Kentucky ham and brie sandwich and found it quite tasty.
The location — well, surely you’ve been to the CAC! My favorite art museum in Cincinnati for the architecture and consistently interesting exhibits (no, you can’t take food or coffee into the museum space for obvious reasons). It’s a truly spectacular space in a world class museum. My thoughts on the architectural merits of the new lobby renovation I will leave for another Unilocal review — but I will say that the café space is more comfortable and accommodating than its previous iteration.
Over all a solid spot. A great place for weekday lunch or a leisurely weekend trip to the museum.

I’m more of a Da Vinci type of art fan… at least that’s what one would assume from the all the reprints I have in my European scrapbook… that’s probably why I’ve never thought to visit the Contemporary Art Center. Well, that changed today. (briefly)
Here’s the quick 411:
— Location: In the Contemporary Art Center lobby. It’s pretty neat. Definitely worth checking out.
— Drinks: Coffee and espresso drinks are on point (Read: When you order a macchiato, it’s espresso and a little bit of milk/foam…not adulterated with sugar and syrups)
— Atmosphere: Different than what you’d typically find in Cincinnati. It’s contemporary (I mean, it IS in the CAC lobby) with two long sleek white tables and a couple of round tables for dining. Space is limited but the lobby is pretty spacious so you don’t feel smashed in.
— Service: Relatively quick. Sorta friendly — nothing to really remark on.
— Food: $ 12 for a delicious salmon salad that was the size of my hand. No. Thank. You. Picture yourself stopping in and seeing this delicious salad on the menu. You order it to go… trod back to your office and excitedly open your carryout box and see this diminutive salad. I was slightly cresftallen. (Excuse the dramatics, I was really hungry. :-/​) I get that it’s downtown but you can get plenty of food for $ 12 around here. C’mon guys! Mind you — the salad itself was quite delicious, but it’s a $ 12 mistake I’m never making again. On the bright side, sandwiches are cheaper and from I saw, much larger.
— Return Visit?: Definitely. I’m optimistic that this rating will go up once I sample their other offerings, especially the breakfast.

I developed a taste for what might be called «craft coffee» before moving to Cincinnati in 2011. The number of quality coffee offerings in Cincinnati has greatly increased since then, but nobody does it as well as Collective Espresso (particularly the espresso).
I love the Woodward and Main Street location, but it’s not convenient to my work downtown. Accordingly, I am thrilled that Collective partnered with the CAC to bring Collective’s easy going but geeked-​out-​about-​coffee approach to Collective CAC in the heart of the business district.
The remodeled and re-​branded lobby of the CAC presents the type of comfortable, interesting space that makes me want to plug in a laptop and settle in for the long haul.
And did I mention the food? The halloumi and beet sandwich is without parallel in the CBD and I am looking forward to making my way through the rest of the menu.