Rising star coffee roasters
1455 W 29th Cleveland, OH 44113
In the Ohio City Firehouse
Rising Star has been a great stop over the years passing through Cleveland, but on an extended stay recently in Ohio City (part of Cleveland), I was able to capture not only their excellent coffee, but also soak in the vibe of Ohio City/Hingetown. Don’t pass over this gem in a gentrifying neighborhood of a rust belt city.
Coffee:
Delicioso! A smoky red eye with some hints of stone fruit had me wishing that there was more than a 12 oz pour (more on that later). This was a “linger friendly” cup of coffee with some really great tastes. A side note here - one of my fellow travelers had a remarkable cardamom latte that stole the show. A hearty thumbs up recommendation.
Barista:
Rising Star has not always been the most friendly of places during our quick stops. In fact, one of our family members who lived in Cleveland has mentioned that over the years this has been the dark cloud of Rising Star. However, on our visits the person taking our order was engaging, ready to answer questions and brought a smile. The baristas were not quite as friendly, but I felt their care in crafting drinks and serving us with aplomb. Also, love the painted mural behind the barista counter.
Vibe:
As we walked up (our Airbnb was just a couple blocks away), the firehouse rolling doors were up which facilitates a really nice seamless balance between the indoor art deco feel to the outside tables (picnic and others) vibe. The neighborhood (we’ve been stopping since 2016) has clearly changed over the years with that battle between long term residents and the new gentrified crowd. Since our first visit, the amount of services, restaurants, bars, bike shops, etc. has greatly increased. No commentary here on neighborhood development since it is a complex arrangement, but Rising Star is not on an island here anymore. In fact, we went to a really good restaurant a stones throw away from Rising Star called Alea the night before (Modern Mediterranean Inspired Cuisine aleacle.com) which was quite tasty. Rising Star shares the fire house with a great deli called Larders which is also quite good and super friendly (larderdb.com). Also, love the beadboard ceiling and the art work.
Make You Better:
I have to go back to the sizing of coffee. I am just not comfortable with a one size 12 oz cup. There has to be a way (especially in the drip (non pour over) world where the consumer who likes to have a 16 oz cup can do so. Also, the pastry arrangement was largely gluten free (not making a judgement here) and I think some super gluten options would be nice (along with some savories). Merch is adequate but I think that could do a lot more with the name in branding.
Kudos to the mission of creating a hub for community involvement as well as paying their farmers a fair and living wage. Rising Star is a coffee shop that “The Land” should be proud of and you should visit when either camping out on the shores of Lake Erie or merely passing through.
Womplers r us - Matt