Back to the Grind

Back to the Grind has been a fixture of Downtown Riverside since 1996, a coffeehouse that has grown into a full community hub serving as cafe, restaurant, beer and wine bar, live music venue, art gallery, and gathering space simultaneously. The location on University Avenue puts it in the middle of Riverside's walkable downtown corridor, and the aesthetic reflects three decades of eclectic accumulation: bookshelves lining the walls, comfortable chairs and sofas, a patio, and the kind of interior that makes you want to stay for hours. The music programming is regularized into weekly events: a mixed open mic on Monday nights, a music open mic on Wednesday nights, and a jazz jam on Friday nights. Special occasion events and full booking are possible on other nights. The all-day format means the room transitions from morning coffee to afternoon lunch to evening live music without effort. A full vegan menu complements the beer and wine selection. For musicians and listeners in the Inland Empire, Back to the Grind represents one of the few genuinely community-rooted performance spaces in a region where independent venues are rare. The venue celebrates its 29th anniversary with the same independence and neighborhood spirit it started with.