Back To The Grind

University Avenue and the Case for the All-Day Bar

Riverside's University Avenue runs through a particular kind of California urban middle ground: not quite college-town casual, not quite downtown-polished, but carrying the energy of both. The corridor has historically served a mixed crowd of students, local professionals, and residents who want something between a coffee shop and a proper bar without committing to either. Back To The Grind, at 3575 University Ave, occupies that functional gap with a format that has become more common in mid-sized American cities over the past decade: the all-day venue that pivots from espresso to spirits without a full reset of its identity.

That format matters more than it might seem. The shift from purely daytime café to evening bar program is where many venues lose coherence, leaning too hard on one identity at the expense of the other. On University Avenue, the physical environment does a lot of the work: the space reads as a genuine third place rather than a restaurant with a coffee machine bolted on. The approach draws a broader cross-section of Riverside than a dedicated cocktail bar typically would, which in turn affects what the drinks program needs to accomplish.

The Back Bar as Editorial Statement

In any hybrid venue, the spirits selection is the clearest signal of intent. A coffee shop that stocks well liquor and two beers is making one statement; a venue that maintains a considered back bar with range across categories is making another. Back To The Grind sits closer to the latter end of that spectrum for its market. University Avenue is not a destination spirits corridor in the way that, say, a major metropolitan cocktail district operates, which makes curation both more visible and more consequential here. There is less ambient competition to absorb a poorly chosen bottle list.

The broader California craft bar scene provides useful context. Venues like ABV in San Francisco have demonstrated that a serious back bar can anchor an all-day format, with depth across whiskey, agave, and amaro categories functioning as the organizing principle of the drinks menu. That model has filtered into smaller California markets, and Riverside's bar scene reflects it unevenly. Some venues on the University Avenue corridor prioritize volume and familiarity; the more interesting operators use their back bar to signal a distinct point of view.

For a venue on this stretch, the spirits collection also functions as a practical differentiator. Riverside sits inland, roughly 60 miles east of Los Angeles, and the city's bar scene does not benefit from the same density of competition that accelerates program development in coastal markets. That distance creates both a challenge and an opportunity: venues that invest in curation hold their position longer, because the barriers to entry for a comparable program are higher in a smaller market.

Riverside's Bar Scene in 2024

The city's drinking culture has diversified noticeably over the past several years. The emergence of craft brewing has given Riverside a stronger foundation, with operations like Euryale Brewing Company representing the local production side of that shift. Meanwhile, the full-service bar and restaurant tier has grown more specific, with spots like Anchos Southwest Grill and Bar, Palenque Kitchen by Mezcal, and Gram's BBQ Restaurant and Catering each staking out a distinct food-and-drink position rather than defaulting to a generic bar menu.

Back To The Grind occupies a different niche within that ecosystem. Where the food-forward venues anchor around a kitchen program with bar support, this address leads with the beverage side and treats food as secondary. That positioning aligns it with a broader national trend toward drink-first all-day venues, a format that has found traction in cities like Chicago (see Kumiko), New Orleans (see Jewel of the South), and Houston (see Julep), where the drinks program carries the weight of the experience regardless of the hour.

What the Format Demands of the Guest

All-day venues with serious bar programs require a different kind of engagement than a dedicated cocktail bar. The crowd at 3 p.m. is not the crowd at 9 p.m., and the leading examples of the format serve both without alienating either. In international terms, venues like The Parlour in Frankfurt and Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu have built reputations precisely on that kind of temporal flexibility, where the bar program scales in intensity with the hour rather than resetting entirely. Superbueno in New York City represents another variation, where a strong spirits identity threads through a venue across multiple dayparts.

For a visitor coming specifically for the bar program, the most useful approach at a venue like Back To The Grind is to arrive with enough time to work through the spirits selection deliberately rather than defaulting to a quick order. The back bar is where the venue's investment is most legible, and that investment is worth reading carefully.

Planning Your Visit

Back To The Grind is located at 3575 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92501, in the downtown University Avenue corridor. The address is accessible by car with street and nearby lot parking typical of this stretch of Riverside, and is within walking distance of the downtown Metrolink station for those arriving from Los Angeles or the broader Inland Empire rail network. University Avenue sees consistent foot traffic across the day, which means the venue functions as a natural stop whether you are arriving for a morning coffee session or an evening at the bar. For current hours and booking information, checking directly with the venue is advisable, as specific operational details were not available at time of publication. For broader context on where Back To The Grind fits within the city's food and drink scene, the EP Club Riverside guide covers the full range of options across neighborhoods and formats.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the general vibe of Back To The Grind?

Back To The Grind operates as an all-day venue on Riverside's University Avenue corridor, drawing a mixed crowd that ranges from students and local professionals to evening bar guests. The format is closer to a serious hybrid café-bar than either a pure coffee shop or a dedicated cocktail room, which gives it a flexibility that most single-format venues on the street do not have. In Riverside terms, it occupies a niche that has become more common in California's mid-sized cities over the past decade.

What's the signature drink at Back To The Grind?

Specific menu details were not available at time of publication. What is legible from the venue's positioning is that the bar program carries more weight than the category average for University Avenue, which suggests the spirits selection is where the most considered choices are likely to be found. For current drink specifics, checking directly with the venue is the most reliable approach.

What's Back To The Grind leading at?

The venue's primary strength appears to be its format flexibility: a drinks-forward all-day space that functions as a genuine third place rather than a restaurant with ancillary bar service. On University Avenue, that positioning is relatively uncommon, and it gives the venue a broader utility for Riverside residents than a single-format operation would. The bar program, based on available signals, is the most differentiated element of the offering.

Can I walk in to Back To The Grind?

Walk-in access is typical for venues of this format and size on the University Avenue corridor, though specific capacity and booking details were not confirmed at time of publication. The all-day structure of the venue means that timing your visit for off-peak hours (mid-morning or early afternoon on weekdays) is likely to give you the most relaxed experience. Contact the venue directly for current operational details.

Is Back To The Grind worth visiting?

For anyone spending time in downtown Riverside and looking for a venue that covers both daytime and evening drinking in a single address, Back To The Grind represents a practical and editorially interesting stop. The University Avenue location makes it accessible whether you are arriving by car or rail, and the hybrid format means it accommodates a wider range of visit types than a dedicated bar or café would. It is worth visiting alongside other distinct Riverside operators like Palenque Kitchen by Mezcal or Euryale Brewing Company to get a fuller read on what the city's drinks scene currently offers.

How does Back To The Grind fit into Riverside's broader coffee and bar culture compared to other University Avenue venues?

University Avenue supports a range of formats, from full-service restaurant bars to craft breweries, but all-day venues that treat both coffee and spirits with equal seriousness are relatively rare on this stretch. Back To The Grind's positioning at the intersection of café culture and a considered bar program gives it a different competitive set than either a dedicated cocktail bar or a student-facing coffee shop would occupy. In a city where the inland distance from Los Angeles means bar program development moves at a slower pace than in coastal markets, that dual-format commitment is a meaningful signal of intent. For context on how this fits into the wider Riverside scene, the EP Club Riverside guide provides a broader map of the city's food and drink options.