A review of Red River Coffee Co.

Since coming to college my caffeine intake has skyrocketed. I practically run off of various caffeine drinks and since becoming a barista I have also become quite the coffee snob. Gone are the days of me going through the Starbucks drive thru, in place of a much more sophisticated taste. 

If you are anything like me, or hopefully are willing to change your ways, you have realized that the big coffee corporations just do not cut it when it comes to quality. In a quest to find quality coffee shops I have decided to take to the streets of Fargo. 

Over the next few weeks I will be examining local coffee shops and reviewing them based on taste, quality and atmosphere. 

Drinks

I think I have found my favorite espresso. The flavor was deep and rich and the shot itself was perfectly balanced. I give the shot a 5/5 and I have nothing more to say other than it was an enjoyable experience.

I wish I could say the same for the chai as I did the espresso. I was disappointed, and as always I’ll preface that it was not a bad drink, chai really cannot be messed up. The drink was too sweet and felt closer to drinking sugar milk then a chai, as the spice flavors really fell short. It was just far too sweet and overpowered the flavor so for that I give their chai a 2/5. 

Food

I am a sucker for a good cake donut so I was happy to see they sell them. Called ‘Grandma’s Donuts,’ the treats come two for $1.50, which was a pleasant surprise as this may have been my cheapest stop so far. 

The donuts themselves were drier than I would have liked but the flavor was good. If you like really sweet donuts this is not the donut for you, as it is not glazed. I can see this being a good pairing with a hot drink and I was definitely dreaming of dipping it in coffee. 

I would rate these donuts a 3/5. The donuts were good but I could see others disagreeing with me, as I am biased due to my love of cake donuts. 

Atmosphere and Overall

This place was packed. I struggled to find a table to sit down at but I found a comfy one in the corner. The shop is also a gift shop, which takes up a lot of space so seating feels a little cramped. I did appreciate the modge podge of different dining tables and chairs and found it fitting for the vibe, which gave off grandma’s house. 

They have a large menu from lunch to breakfast and coffee to milkshakes, so I would love to come back for lunch another time. The staff was super friendly and the store was filled with the perfect amount of background noise that was not distracting but no awkward silences. 

I’d give the shop a 3/5 overall. I will say again the staff was amazingly friendly and honestly made the experience so much better. If you love good conversation and service definitely come here if not for the coffee then for the staff.