Consistently poor customer service interactions. I decided to do a mobile pick up before work this morning, and the lady working the pick-up area inside was extremely rude and condescending. How is it that the 1 minute I'm in there I get another rude employee? It is not that hard to at least fake a smile. I mean after all, you are working in customer service... This is 4th or 5th time I've given this location a chance, since I live down the street, and each time I've been let down. Which is unfortunate because the other Better Buzz locations are great. read more

Great guys working here, Roland and Matt!!! Great atmosphere and super quick service!!!!

The service and attitude given by the team member Carol was very attentive and she was very friendly and helpful

i got a lot of recs to go to this place on our sd trip so we had to make the stop!! i didn't realize there were so many locations down here--everywhere we went there seemed to be one lol. but the drinks were very tasty! i got the snickerdoodle latte and liked that it wasn't too sweet. the space is also very clean and there are a good amount of seats available. for parking, there is a small lot, but there's a bigger parking lot across the street in the other complex. read more

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Carol and Ryan were so nice to my daughters. Great customer service ! Açaí Bowls were amazing as well. Thanks guys. We will be back.

I absolutely love better buzz! Randomly came across this coffee joint when visiting san diego last year, and now we make it a point to stop by during our vacations. The Best Drink Ever is truly the best drink ever, highly recommended, as well as their Chocolate Coussinets! Now only if they opened a location in Las Vegas... read more

I have gone to Better Buzz in Carlsbad, San Marcos, and Temecula. In general, service is not great; however, the staff at the San Marcos location are friendlier. Overall, Better Buzz us tidally overpriced. I am all for supporting mom in pop coffee shops and trying it do activelt. However, I think coffee shops are greedy when they are more expensive than Starbucks. Many places in Carlsbad are overpriced because they take advantage of the SES, unfortunately. Cost is not always equivalent to quality. I would rather just go to Starbucks, a most of their employees are friendly and I can typically expect the same quality/price. I placed an order with Better Buzz yesterday - one of the coffees are their app is over $7 - insane. The staff is not really friendly, so again, probably will not return. read more

Great ambience and yummy vanilla latte! They made this place look nice. It's at a great location and friendly staff! Adventure in my friends! read more

Always a go to spot when walking around the village. Staff is friendly and drinks get made in a timely manner. I usually get a vanilla buzz or a chai and they never disappoint. My dog always enjoys his pup cup as well. The inside has a nice seating area to hangout while you wait for your drinks and eat your food. A must stop if you're new to the area or stoping in town. read more

Heard good things about this place from some mutuals ordered a drink guy was rude and dismissive just said I like my drinks sweet please and intentionally made it as bitter as possible wasn't even worth asking to remake so i just threw its away definitely would rather support a local coffee shop like The Cup down the street where they are nice and accommodating and it feels homey unlike this place that feels like a corporate coffee shop read more

Had a wonderful experience at better buzz. I informed the staff of my dairy allergy and not only were they accommodating and informative but they were very kind and understanding. Eating out with allergies can be so anxiety inducing but that wasn't the case here. Will definitely be coming back read more

Joe the manager was so kind and made sure we got everything needed! This has been the case every time we come to this store

I was really excited to have a better buzz here in CBAD. But honestly, the drinks are way too expensive. I don't know that I prefer them over Starbucks, but I definitely would have preferred Dutch Bros to take over this spot! read more

8/4/2025 . I am not a coffee drinker and happened to stop by Better Buzz . I ordered a coconut buzz blended and it was the best. Thank you Isaac for adding the coconut milk to the blend , I am definitely coming back for my favorite ice coffee . read more

not great ... over ripe bananas and super chewy over ripe strawberries. They either are out of their fruits or they are purposely serving old fruit ... pretty gross acia bowl. Wouldn't recommend... and the granola taste stale. read more

Better Buzz Coffee Carlsbad - Got an acia bowl here and they are serving over ripe bananas, and strawberries. The banana was not good and the strawberries were chewy - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

i loved this location too - so awesome being so close to the water and to carlsbad village. it was so awesome to see these new openings at mission gorge and this location. i loved that this location had an outdoor ordering and an indoor ordering. there was also a whole other room to sit and dine - super spacious. they offer just as many options for food and whatnot just like the other locations. i will most definitely be back here when we visit again. service was great - the employees were very kind. thank you again, better buzz!! you all are awesome! read more

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Better Buzz has finally landed in Carlsbad! I have only been to Better Buzz a handful of times, but every time I seem to go I love it more. The coffee is truly amazing here. I decided to try the Cinnamon Cream Cold Brew, which I was extremely impressed with. Last time I tried the Carmel Blended Ice Coffee (at a different location), and it was a little too sweet for my liking. I am a big fan of the actual taste of coffee rather than a tiny bit of coffee mixed into a ton of sugar. I really enjoyed the cold brew and will definitely be getting this again! Great outside seating/ indoor seating. Coffee came out very fast also! read more

Better Buzz Coffee Carlsbad - Cinnamon Cream Cold Brew - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

The portion sizes are ridiculous considering how much they charge...$8 should buy a little than just a half cup of coffee... read more

Better Buzz Coffee Carlsbad - Half way filled up "large latte" with no ice :-/ - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Coffee, stellar. Food, incredible. But I'm coming back in particular to the staff. Everyone was so kind and genuinely nice. (I was helped by Carol in particular) For sure my go to coffee spot. read more

Better Buzz Coffee Carlsbad - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Place was great until they put in this ridiculous do it yourself touch screen thing to get an oder in. It's this maze where you have to figure out their menu. No thanks. I'll go to Starbucks up the street where people take your order. read more

We were so happy to see a Carlsbad location of Better Buzz, so of course we had to stop by on our way back home to Arizona. The parking was a little tricky, but luckily we got there early so we didn't have any issues. The staff was friendly and our breakfast sandwiches and drinks came out quickly. There was a good selection of seating inside and out, and it's in a very walkable area. The ordering area inside is a little small compared to some of their other locations but a really cute atmosphere. I'm looking forward to going back to grab something to go and enjoy the area a bit more. read more

Decent coffee, but very sweet. Make sure to get it half sweet or your diabetes will kick in so hard, you'll have to cut off your foot before you even get home. read more

This location is amazing! It was quite packed inside but everyone works so fast that we didn't have to wait long for our order! Hailey helped us out at the register and was so sweet and caring, we will definitely be back once we return to town! read more

I highly recommend this coffee place. The coffee was smooth and delicious. There was a little bit of a wine, but it was worth the wait.

I got the vanilla bean latte and it was amazing! Helena made the most beautiful latte art design read more

Better Buzz Coffee Carlsbad - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Super nice and welcoming staff! Excellent customer service from Alivia, Roland and Nicole!! 10/10 :)

Coffee is all syrup for $10. Slow service and the reward system is a scam. It's a franchise and you're treated like it. I'd recommend supporting a local coffee shop. read more

Initially we were really excited for Better Buzz Carlsbad to open as we are big fans of both their Encinitas and San Marcos locations. The positive is that the drinks and pastries are good. However, my husband and I have found the service consistently rude. Usually we don't really care (and I can sympathize with the fact that they're really busy and that can be stressful as a barista) but our visit yesterday was a huge bummer. I asked about making a drink dairy-free by using almond milk instead (I have a dairy allergy) the girl was super rude and had a bad attitude about it. Really? All I did was ask for almond milk and it is because of a legitimate allergy? I worked in food service for years and was pretty surprised by her reaction... Disappointing experience to say the least. Better off going to one of the many other options in the village. read more

Coffee itself was good as usual. We have been coming to better buzz for along time and have always enjoyed the coffee, food, and ambiance. Unfortunately last night we felt insulted. First, our order came out wrong (size and the drinks). I told the barista that I had ordered a larger size. She said no, that what's on the screen. Ok, I get it. The mistake came from the person at the register. I kept my mouth shut. She did look busy. We then walk out, take a sip and realized it's not what we ordered. We walk back in and tell the barista it's not what we had ordered. She tells us with massive attitude that she has other drinks to make before she fixes ours. ( I guess I get it, but the attitude was unnecessary). Also, we gave them a nice tip at the register. Won't be making that mistake again. I guess I now know why people are saying the tipping culture is getting out of control. At the end we finally got our order ( sort of. Even though I ordered a larger size). This would not have happened at Starbucks from my experience. Mistakes happen, but make it right. It was most likely an off day and maybe newer employees. Won't be tipping ahead of time and will avoid this location from here on out. read more

Waited 10 minutes for a drip coffee watching 3 girls talk behind the counter on a slow Wednesday morning.

We are locals and have given this place 2 tries and today was our last. The furst; the Acai bowl was saturated in sugar water (which they called "honey." Both times, the service was extremely slow service and our food so-so. Today, even fully staffed, the management of operations was a hot mess, the food was tasteless and poorly made. Two orders of two different avocado toast came untoasted. They offered to re-toast then and they were returned exactly the same untoasted bread. The guy argued with me saying they toasted it for 45 seconds. The avocado was also tasteless. The 1 coffee ordered came 20 minutes after (the first) order of food was up. When I asked for it, the rude girl making drinks said she would do me this one time favor because all the phone orders came first. Note to managers- organize your operations better so this does not happen, train your staff to be respectful, and give the one sweet girl behind the register a raise. When I returned my 2nd toast (my husband was too hungry by now and still hadn't gotten his coffee so he ate it and called it a "tasteless avocado sandwich") I told her it was my husband's birthday today and he was very hungry, she gave us a full refund. Also- because this is how we roll- my husband folded a heart-shaped origami dollar for the rude girl thinking that if we show her some kindness she may lighten up. I held it up and said this is for you." She did not blink and said, "the tip jar is right there" and went right back to her work. The customer standing nearby who witnessed the whole thing rolled his eyes and said, " What She Meant to Say was "Thank You Very Much- That Was So Nice." We don't do this for any resply but do demonstrate that her rudeness was not only observed by me. read more

We had breakfast, food was very good, we ordered ahead and picked it up, very conveniently. Totally recommend. read more

This Better Buzz location has been my go to spot in the mornings after work (yes I have coffee after an overnight shift) the food is always delicious (Im particularly fond of the Better Breakfast sandwich and Honey Latte) and the staff are friendly, as well as dedicated even in the middle of the rush, always appreciate seeing the manager Diana up in the front every time too. I like the modern honeycomb design of the building and the high energy of the establishment, as well as being clean and taken care of throughout. read more

Better Buzz Coffee Carlsbad - The Turkey Pesto, first time ordering it and was full of flavor, love the fresh avocado. Nice and hot despite the cold of the morning. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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I am a usual at Encinitas and came here to Carlsbad to check the place out....OMG, I know this isn't grand opening jitters but the staff here are the rudest with absolutely no manners. They took my order, scanned my rewards and completely got the whole thing wrong. When they tried to fix, they acted as if it was my fault. 20 minutes later, I finally got my wife's drink which was overly sweet. read more

Was in the area craving some coffee I had heard a lot about this place and wanted to check it out. It was definitely a little pricey but that's understandable since it is in Carlsbad. The area was super pretty and the wall art around the building was beautiful. overall I enjoyed my coffee and the workers were super sweet and on their A-game read more

Above grade coffee. I love trying local coffee shops. Downgrade because waiting for my coffee as 7 people in back of me were served. I asked where mine was...couple more people passed. Thought not the main issue. It's was when served my coffee the barista simply said "there you go." In a flat tone. Service training goes a long way. Especially when I pre-tip and donate to their nonprofit. Bad service. read more

Very cool spot. Coffee shop has great coffee/ vibes right when you walk in. I love the tile work, too ;-) Great service, all the girls had big smiles and the coffee came out quickly. Stoked to have them so close. Thank you! read more

Better Buzz Coffee Carlsbad - Just opened and they have parking - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Food and drinks were OK, but the cashier was not friendly. She was bothered by any question we had and the rest of the staff were equally unhelpful. read more

The coffee shop is a cute little place with lots of bumblebee and honeycomb decor. The line was very long when we arrived, but it moved quickly because the workers were able to take and make orders very quickly. I got a large horchata latte (shot added-3 total) and a pumpkin spice latte, but I didn't think the coffee was all that strong. I did tone down the horchata drink with heavy cream because it was a bit too sweet and cinnamonny for me, but it was worth trying out. read more

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Giving 2 stars instead of one because we enjoyed our drinks, but overall this place sucks. There were multiple women working here who didn't acknowledge us as we were standing in there looking at the menu. This was our first time in here and we didn't immediately notice the stupid screen sitting on the counter that you have to use to place your order and the ladies sure did not take anytime to notice us standing there waiting for them to take our order or explain how to order. But we figured that part out and ordered 2 drinks and 2 meals. My husband ordered the Mexican mocha and I got the dirty chai, both were good. As some of the other reviews mentioned, his drink came out pretty quick, mine came out 15 minutes later with the food. We were the only ones waiting on food and drinks. For the food - we both got the "better breakfast" and there was NOTHING "better" about it. They are basically egg and bacon sandwiches on a brioche bun with some garlic aioli. The buns were very dry and did not feel soft. The garlic aioli was tasty but it was just a small dollop that was underwhelming and didn't help the dryness. The bacon was fatty and gross. And the icing on the cake was the hair my husband found on his! Gross. The other thing that really drives me nuts is everything is served in disposable materials which is so wasteful, and it's not the compostable kind or paper/cardboard. I understand a lot of the coffee shops serve their drinks in the disposable cups which is at least nice to be able to take with you if you don't finish it while eating. But the sandwiches came in plastic containers. The menu/ordering system asks if you're dining in or taking out and even if you choose "dining in" you will still get served with what becomes trash. Being located right across the street from the ocean and benefiting from our beach community, they should care more about their waste. And the kicker with this is all of the photos on their menu and website show glass cups and metal trays! I hate these places that use plastic crap and saw the photos on the menu before coming here, so I was pretty disappointed to see that they seem to care about how their food and drinks look in their photos, but not for the customers actually ordering them. We spent over $40 to be served crappy food on trash while receiving the bare minimum service by having to order on a screen, pick up our food at the counter, and throwing everything away afterwards. So no, we didn't tip. Everyone writing negative reviews seem to be mentioning Starbucks to go to instead, but I hope anyone else reading this will consider the many other better options in the village that are locally owned and are all walking distance with much better services! For coffee shops, go check out baba cafe, vinaka, or sleeping tiger. If you want breakfast, the restaurant right next door to better buzz called cafe elysa is far better. And if you want a breakfast sandwich that you will actually enjoy, go to crackheads! In summary, better buzz was a BUZZ KILL. I miss cessy's which is what better buzz replaced. See my photos below of the trash containers we were served in versus what they show on their menu. I also showed what the breakfast sandwich looked like with the sad amount of aioli on it. read more

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