Carol’s Hungry Mind Cafe
24 Merchants Row, Middlebury, VT, 05753
Carol’s Hungry Mind Cafe Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Middlebury for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Middlebury for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Middlebury for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
24 Merchants Row
Middlebury, VT, 05753 - Phone (802) 388-0101
- Website https://www.carolshungrymindcafe.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :7:00 am - 5:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Breakfast, Lunch
Parking : Street
Wheelchair Accessible : No
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : No
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Kevin W.
This place is quaint, if not cheap. Tons of workspace for students seeking somewhere to go off-campus, and they make a good coffee, too. I had a sandwich here; I don't typically enjoy paninis (they're almost invariably too dry and crumbly), but I was pleasantly surprised by how things turned out here.
(4)Nathan U.
My mom and I sat down at this cafe to take a break and take in the city and it was when K was going through the rough patch of not packing enough clothes for even a week at college. It's been a really long week but coming here to buy a drink and sit down to unravel has been really good for me. I ordered a Jasmine iced tea which they said upfront would require a little bit of time to prepare. And like they said, it took several minutes of waiting until my drink came out. The jasmine iced tea was fine, it tasted like a Jasmine iced tea. I feel like the portion was small compared to prove but that's how it usually is with these coffee and tea houses. It was nice that there's a water cooler full of iced water available for free, which I used to fill the cup after I drank up all the tea. Art decorates the walls of the cafe, and it all makes the place feel really organic. I love it. I'm sure I'll take advantage of this space. The locals are all great, the staff is so friendly. It's just a nice place to get away to.
(5)Kelly M.
Not sure why Carol's doesn't have a higher rating. Huge space with indoor & outdoor seating. Lots of coffee, tea, espresso & beverage options to cater to all types! Also hash sugary baked options and protein snacks to boot! First time in, I was greeted by a lovely smile. Clearly overwhelmed by the menu I was directly asked: caffeine or no caffeine? Caffeine. Coffee or tea? Coffee. Iced or hot? Iced. And was immediately recommended the 'Sap Sucker' and explained: it's 1 oz of maple syrup, 1 oz oz 1/2 & 1/2 and coffee poured over ice AND shaken! I jumped on it... Who wouldn't? Price point was around $4.. Well worth it! The beverage was spot on. The perfect balance of sweetness, coffee and cream. I will be stopping back here next time I am in Middlebury!
(5)Brianna M.
I'm from New York, happened to be in the area for the summer, and I have to say that this place is a real gem. This is one of my favorite coffee shops of all time. It has lots of space inside, a wide variety of high-quality coffee and other non-coffee drink items (including freshly made French soda, which is phenomenal), and really good prices.
(5)Jim C.
My wife and I stopped in yesterday (Columbus Day) for coffee and scones. The only free table we could find had dirty cups and plates on it - we cleaned it up ourselves. We tried to enjoy ourselves, but instead were forced to endure a Skype conversation taking place at the table next to us - funny, the lady didn't appear to have purchased anything. At that moment I surveyed the café to notice that more than half of the patrons were singles using laptops. Most were not drinking coffee or eating anything. Perhaps the café could consider doing a better job of making table space available to paying customers. The coffee and scones were excellent, but sadly, the experience left a bad taste in my mouth.
(2)Christina Z.
The first time I went there, I ordered a cappuccino. It was burnt. The espresso was bitter and burnt, unfortunately, all too common in coffeeshops who should know better. Despite this, I settled down to study, added a bunch of sugar to my cappuccino, and started to read. I'm just in Middlebury for the summer, at the Middlebury College language schools, and am always looking for a place to study. About an hour later, I went to ask the guy (the owner?) for a glass of water. He begrudgingly got me the requested glass, and then said, "if you could, we get a little busy around lunch time, so if you could, we have seating downstairs." Excuse me?? There were still tables available. I was there first. Why should I remove myself to the basement? I decided to give this coffeeshop another chance, this time NO cappuccino. It's harder to mess up regular old coffee, so I ordered a small coffee. The guy practically rolled his eyes. He asked me, "for here or to go?" "For here," I said. I could practically see his thought process: "she's going to spend hours here studying and only spent $1.65." No thank you. No smile. Just handed me the mug. Well PARDON but I'm not going to order another espresso drink when the baristas don't know how to pull a shot. The mug was heated, I like that, rare to find. The coffee was good, roasted here in Middlebury. But, quite frankly, I am astonished that someone in the business of customer service could treat his customers with such rude indifference. As such, I won't be back.
(2)scott s.
great coffee, nice space, really crowded! four stars. i was in middlebury for work and needed a morning jolt so i came to carol's. best decision so far today! the coffee is great and the pastries are good too. prices are reasonable, considering it's a small, private place (read: sometimes more expen$ive). my only concern -- and others have mentioned this too -- is that it's WAY crowded and it really does look like people camp out here. i feel like that's kind of unfair to the owner. i mean, i GET the idea of sitting and enjoying your coffee for hours while reading or getting some work done or whatever. but at the same time, i feel bad for the owner of the place since turning tables is what makes a food establishment profitable. as a coffee drinker, though, i'm pleased she didn't kick me out!
(4)Angela S.
Fantastic coffee and mango smoothie! Nice atmosphere, and friendly staff.
(5)Doug P.
Carol's has transformed downtown Middlebury providing a meeting place for town, gown, businesspeople, locals and tourists. It is hard to remember when Carol's wasn't here. John and his staff provide friendly and efficient service and the coffee is local and the best in town. Bud's Beans is a Middlebury based roaster and Mocha Joes is from Brattleboro, Vermont. All manner of espresso drinks are available and my daughter says they make the best hot chocolate and chai lattes. Food items include breakfast sandwiches, baked goods, sandwiches, soup and smoothies. I travel frequently and I on occasion find towns with coffee shops like Carol's but for the most part I don't. Middlebury is lucky to have such a great place to socialize.
(5)Dan P.
Cozy, comfortable coffee house with a nice ambiance, welcoming and helpful employees and a great overall experience. Oh, and the coffee is good too!
(4)Tara L.
One of the best mochas I have ever had. We have been here quite a few times on various trips to Middlebury and I am kicking myself for not ordering a mocha until the last time. YUM!
(4)Elizabeth R.
I did one of the 9-week summer language programs at Middlebury, and essentially spent every moment that I wasn't in class studying. On the weekends I fled the campus to hang out here and drink real coffee and snack on the delectable munchies. A few things- first, they offer free Wi-Fi, so this is a great place to work all day. But honestly, I wouldn't begrudge them implementing a "you must buy something every two hours to sit here" policy. After all, the place is almost always filled to the brim with students who sponge the cafe's electricity and internet, and occupy its tables for hours on end. Least they could do is toss an independent coffee shop more than $1 for a day's accommodations. With my nagging aside, the iced lattes here are just awesome, and I had a delicious sundried tomato/basil panini with side salad on more than one occasion. My sister really enjoyed the chocolate croissant she had here too. And they have these awesome local truffles- I loved the sea salt variety. I even bought art at Carol's- they had some great woodblock prints done by a local artist on display and I felt in love with a set of owl and puffy chickadee prints. If you like something hanging on their walls, the price for these original works is truly reasonable. I actually never found it excessively hot inside- occasionally there was no AC and the door was open to let air circulate, but it was never unpleasant at all. Overall a great place to get some work done, and a place deserving of your money. Remember, don't be a leech!
(4)Raffi M.
We only stopped here for a quick coffee. Having said that, if I was a student here, or even a professor (alas, I'm closer to the latter age than the former now, I guess) I think I'd find myself in this spacious and cozy cafe often.
(4)Dorothy W.
This is the only coffee shop of its kind in Middlebury, with comfortable seating, free Wifi and a central location. There are a couple of small seats perched in the window but the room stretches out to the back which is where you will find most of the seating. There's always some local artist featured and some are really quite good. It is true that many people park themselves here all day and use this spot as their personal office space, arranging meetings, conferences, and cozy public liaisons. Several Middlebury authors and professors set up camp here, along with students, visitors and the growing group of retired people who are moving to the area. So it is very hard to find a seat. This place is always crowded. People get predatory about guarding their space, spreading out their coats and paperwork on the tables lest you think you can share the table with them. Others lurk around the room, snapping up newly released seats as soon as the early birds make a move towards the door. It's kind of tense that way. The coffee, tea and pastries are all decent but they do not offer any vegan pastries. The quiche and soup offerings at lunch are standard. I feel the biggest flaw is the service which can be numbingly slow. We were recently in to pick up coffee and tea to go and had to wait about 15 minutes. With no place to sit, we gathered with a crowd by the door, creating major congestion. Everyone gets to Carol's at some point when they come to Middlebury. Usually they all show up at the same time, so don't be in a big rush. And if we are there at the same time, I'll fight you for that free table.
(4)Rebecca A.
I became a coffee shop snob because of this place. I used to get iced cappuccinos and iced coffees there frequently and they were delicious. Everyone there is really friendly, the owner and I were on a first name basis after my first summer there and he is the nicest person. To top it off, its one of those great places were you can get a GIGANTIC DELICIOUS chocolate chip cookie, iced coffee, and do some work and not be bothered/uprooted from your bliss. Definitely repeatedly stayed there after closing cuz I was entranced by something i was reading and was not bothered at all. Great place to do work and just kick back and relax. Oh and they use punch cards...YES!
(5)Christine W.
It's a coffee shop with baked goods. No more, no less. Nice unhurried spot to hang out. You serve yourself the coffee from those thermos-type dispensers. For me that's a no-no because the coffee is never hot or fresh enough, but still no big deal. I liked the atmosphere and the staff were friendly. And it wasn't crowded, unlike what the other reviewers say.
(3)Rosa B.
I'm in middlebury every summer, and I finally found a great place to get an iced latte. I've only ordered my coffee to go however, because it's always really crowded, loud, and pretty muggy inside (ick!). That being said, the coffee is delicious. It's the perfect pick-me-up, and far superior to the few other cafes in the area. A friend of mine loves this place, especially their dirty chai (chai and chocalate and soy milk, I believe?), which she takes iced and hot.
(3)V S.
I frequently patronize this business, usually spending more money than I want and always leaving generous (50% or more) tips for the employees. However, today I spent a mere hour at the café without purchasing anything and found myself scolded and then kicked out by the owner. Needless to say, I won't be patronizing this business again in the future. I didn't deserve to be treated rudely because I didn't spend money today in particular. If the owner thinks that this is the way to attract people back, he's wrong. I will never spend money here again, and I will encourage my colleagues to also seek out alternative venues for coffee---like Sama's. === ETA on 4/29/2012: I wasn't going to elaborate further, but since the owner has opted to respond personally to my review (and no one else's on here), I will. 1. What the owner omits is that I returned to Carol's within 72 hours of the incident he mentions and purchased $15.00 worth of brownies I didn't want as a form of "compensation" for not having purchased anything on the Saturday in question. I also apologized to the owner by email. He conveniently neglects to acknowledge these facts, but I've kept records of both. 2. The owner has never once apologized to me for the rude, passive-aggressive, and hostile way in which he spoke to me and my client. John: Saying "I am sorry you are angry" is not an apology. Here are examples of a proper apology: "I am sorry I singled you out, profiled you, targeted you, and then spoke to you in a rude, passive-aggressive, and hostile manner." Or even just: "I am sorry I profiled you and made assumptions about you, which then informed the rude and inappropriate tone I used when I spoke with you." Or perhaps even: "I am sorry we've acted in a way at Carol's that has caused us to lose your business. What can we do to make this right?" This is Business 101. 3. YELP users: don't even take my word for it. Scroll through and read the rest of the reviews here, and be sure to "unmask" some of the older ones. It seems that I was not the first---and will certainly not be the last---customer to be treated in a rude and inconsiderate manner by the owner of this business. Interestingly, all of the customers who do report having been spoken to rudely, thrown out, and/or treated similarly appear to be young women who are either bilingual or have English as a second language. Which naturally leads one to speculate whether the owner is indeed "profiling" and "targeting" people in more ways than one.... Oh, and the wording was not (as John claims): "The next time you come in would you please buy something?" but rather (verbatim): "OK, get out. And the next time, it would be nice if you'd buy something"----but really, you have to imagine it dripping with barely veiled aggression and sarcasm to fully capture just how hostile it actually was. I don't care if it was closing time: you don't speak to customers----wait, let me revise that----you don't speak to *another human being* like that, under any circumstances. Well, not if you aren't attempting to lose business, anyway.... The bottom line is this: if you want to have to worry about this kind of long, drawn-out ridiculousness (including an owner who will display indifference to you as a customer....until he sees that you gave him a negative Yelp! review...) take a chance with Carol's, and then let me know if you've enjoyed being treated as poorly as myself and several of his other customers. If you just want a relaxing place to work (and perhaps purchase a cup of coffee and some food without being compelled or forced to by a hostile owner), I recommend the following venues in Middlebury as alternatives to Carols: 1. Sama's Cafe 2. Otter Creek Bakery 3. Middlebury Bagel and Delicatessen 4. The café in the Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op
(1)Giannina R.
Love this place!
(4)Chaviva G.
Carol's is a tough place to love. You want to love it, and you try, really hard, you go back and go back and go back, but it's tough. Real tough. Why? In the summer, Carol's is a hot box, a sweat box. There's a window-style unit upstairs and downstairs, but the joint is still hot as hades. It's impossible to sit there without sweating up a storm, making it an uncomfortable experience. Beyond the comfort issue, the goods aren't always stellar. I've had the coffee, the tea, and the scones. The coffee was nothing to write home about, the tea was pretty stellar, and the scones were hit or miss. Some days they were delicious and like a scone is meant to be, and someday it was a soggy mess of goo. Always, the frosting has a weird, strange and unnatural taste that is seriously hard to swallow. But the tea is killer, I'll give them that. But it's hard to screw up tea, I think. The staff is mostly friendly, but oftentimes scatter brained and ill prepared for a rush of people. You want to love them, but it's hard. The long and short of it is, this is really the only comfortable coffee-house-style coffee shop in the city. It's a real bummer and you might be better off going to the Juice Bar on campus for your coffee and a sit-down experience. The other bakeries lack space and sit-down comfort. But if you are just looking for that ambiance that comes along with a coffee shop, then Carol's will suit you just fine.
(3)Robert S.
I am not a coffee fan, I only had tea which was 4/5 stars. Very good but not great. I also had several pastries, the cinnamon roll was nothing special but the scones were outstanding and the 2nd best I have ever had. As the other reviewers note, the service is uneven but it is a nice place to relax.
(4)