"An authentic barista experience. Learned quite a few neat things and the coffee was easily the most flavorful that I’ve had. I could actually taste and appreciate the flavors/ notes I was supposed to (I’ve got minimal experience and can barely find a reason to complain about commoditized coffee). But this experience was eye opening. The espresso, the pour overs, and the mocha were absolutely on point to the descriptions. And comparing/contrasting was entirely possible— not something I thought I had the experience or palate to do. Pastries were the only thing I can find some minor fault in. But they’re clearly not baked on premises. Croissants and double chocolate cookies were somewhat flat or overly sweet. Wouldn’t have been an issue except for the fact that the coffee is so far above the level of the pastries."

"Having heard great things about ilse on the Reddit pourover sub, I decided to stop by on the way home from Mass. The space was warm and the two gentlemen working the counter were very friendly. They answered all of my questions about the coffees that were available. I wish I had more time to stay for a pourover, but having the family in the necessitated the filter offering. It was an Ethiopian coffee that was delicious. I also bought a bag of Colombian Pink Bourbon for home. Hope to stop by again when more time allows."

"My wife and I stopped in for coffee and a bagel/cream cheese at 1:30, they close at 2:00 and would not serve us as they had put ‘everything away’. They did offer if we wanted them to go although we have no way of heating them or spreading the cream cheese in our car…We walked down the street to Home Grown Cafe and got delicious coffee and bagels there :) . Must be nice to not need business these days."

"I came to the shop for the first time on Saturday after trying their bags of coffee. First off, this cafe has the best vibe and I could hang out there all day. They did everything right with this cafe space. Secondly, their staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about coffee. But most importantly their coffee is so solid. We got a drip coffee, and a cappuccino. They said they change their espresso often depending on what they feel taste best which I love. On Saturday they had a single origin coffee on espresso and it was phenomenal with the cappuccino. It was the best cappuccino I’ve had in a long time. I really love this spot and will definitely be making the trip out here more often."

"Ilse is top notch, knowledgeable and friendly Baristas, carefully constructed drinks, and a wonderful vibe. We try to stop in here every time we are in the area and usually pickup their beans at Atticus in New Haven. You can tell that they really care about the beans and the experience. Do yourself a favor and go!"