Open on Memorial Day from 7 am to 1 pm This place is popular…read morebecause great coffee sells itself. I know that sounds cliche. The food is good here but get here early on the weekends is gets busy here. My favorite drink is the dirty chai hot. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and they open at 6 am on the weekdays. The baked goods come from a local bakery Bread and Cie. Good customer service and easy to find. The his is my favorite coffee place in San Carlos. Enjoy!

I found myself in San Carlos mid-day, mid-week. I was running between work and a hair…read moreappointment. I had barely had a chance to have lunch so was really happy to randomly see a coffee shop to grab a cold coffee on a hot day to bring with me to my hair appointment. Parking was easy and I walked into the coffee shop. There was no wait at all at that time. I browsed the menu and decided on an iced Simple Special which was basically an iced mint latte. I ordered it with nonfat milk I waited for only a couple of minutes for my drink to be made. During that time I saw that they were playing records and had several records for sale. That was really cool. If I lived in the area I would definitely hang out and listen to records while sipping on coffee. The reason for only 4 stars.... my charge was abut $8 which felt a bit stiff for only the 16 oz drink. It made me wary of what a 20 oz would cost. All in all, I had a good experience at The Simple Coffee House. My drink had good flavor without being overly sweet. I liked the records and the vibe at the coffeehouse.

Stopped by after a Sunday hike and I'm so glad I did! I ordered the Queen, a latte made with…read moreespresso, cinnamon, coconut cream, and oat milk. The flavors paired together perfectly, but I think the coconut cream is what really made this drink stand out. It was incredibly creamy, smooth, and well balanced without being overly sweet. Even though the café was busy, the staff was welcoming, friendly, and happy to offer recommendations. The service never felt rushed, and the overall experience was excellent. There's only outdoor seating, which was perfect after a hike and made for a relaxing spot to enjoy my coffee. I'll definitely be back to try more of their drinks and their food menu. My go to spot after a hike!

We've been coming here after our hikes for quite some time, and normally everything is amazing--the…read morefood, the coffee, and the overall experience. It's usually one of our favorite places to stop and unwind after a hike. Unfortunately, today was a very different experience. We found a hair in our food, so I brought it to the staff's attention. They were kind enough to replace the dish, but unfortunately, the fresh replacement also had hair in it. At that point, we just couldn't understand how it happened twice with the same order. I don't know what was going on in the kitchen today, and hopefully this was just an isolated incident. We've had so many good experiences here in the past, which is why today was especially disappointing. Hopefully they can address the food-handling and kitchen hygiene issue, because we'd really like to continue coming back after our hikes.

Cowles Mountain Coffee is an outdoor cafe that serves Acai Bowls, Smoothies, Caffe Calabria Coffee,…read moreand locally baked Pastries. AMBIANCE Outdoor café with exterior seating and a view of Cowles Mountain SERVICE Staff were friendly and helpful SPECIALTY DRINK 4.5/5 BANANA MILK COLD BREW Whole blended banana adds sweetness and texture, splash of half n half adds creaminess to this iced cold brew. PARKING Dedicated spots in the lot

Cozy little coffee corner. Parking can be rough, as you…read morewill probably have to park on a very busy road. This place is more "grab and go", but it has a few places where you can sit. Banana cold brew was delicious! And service was friendly.

I searched up best coffee in La Mesa, picked the first recommended place, and am happy I did so…read more I just moved to San Diego from San Francisco and found myself in La Mesa applying for jobs. I needed a quick coffee to end my day and after searching the best coffee in La Mesa, Red White and Badass Brew was the first to pop up. The owner was super nice-I didn't get his name-and he walked with me through the menu as I haven't had specialty coffee drinks like these before. I went with his recommendation of the whiskey latte (iced) and also decided to try the toasted tan lines (iced) When I tell you, my first sip transported me back to the 2013-2016 era of coffee culture when specialty drinks were first starting to get popular, I am being so serious. Both the whiskey latte and toasted tan lines were full of so much flavor. The toasted tan lines took me straight back to my trip to Kauai in 2013 and the whiskey latte was reminiscent of a latte I would get in middle school from a Brazilian small business. There was just something so nostalgic about these lattes that I had to immediately write a review. So many coffee shops lack the flavor of the 2010s before companies cut corners and scraped for our pennies, but not here Thanks for the coffee! (No pics because I inhaled them in like 5 mins on my drive home)

It's been a while since I've been back but decided to stop by with my husband this time. We also…read morerealized we could order ahead so we did that. Unfortunately there isn't an online order line so you end up waiting anyways and they made our drinks only after we arrived and told them we had the online order. That being said everyone working was really friendly and they were working hard as it was busy on Sunday around 8. I got the gone bananas half sweet and an extra shot. My partner got the horchata matcha with extra matcha. Even my drink at half sweet was too sweet for my taste but still enjoyable. Not a strong banana flavor though. More caramel forward. My partner loved his drink but did say it was more horchata than matcha.

I arrived at Trinitea Tea right when they opened to get some work done on my laptop. There was…read morealready a pair of customers at the register, so I used the restroom before ordering and settling in. The restroom was fairly clean and spacious. Afterward, I was greeted by the employee and ordered a taro milk tea with honey boba. I've been to this location a few times before and have always liked the chewiness and sweetness of their boba. I figured coming right at opening would mean I'd get the freshest batch, but that wasn't the case this time. The boba was mushy and not bouncy at all. It felt like it had been sitting for a while, possibly from the night before and kept warm. Considering boba is an extra $0.75, it was disappointing and didn't feel worth the add-on. Taro milk tea ($4.59 + 0.75 for boba) The milk tea itself was standard. It tasted like a typical taro milk tea made from a powdered mix. There were still some powder clumps at the bottom, but it wasn't a huge deal. A quick stir helped, and the flavor itself was fine. Service and ambiance The employee was very kind, and the ordering process was quick and smooth. I got my drink pretty fast. There's free WiFi, plenty of open tables, and outlets at some of them, which makes it a good spot to work or stay for a while. Music was playing overhead, but at a level where it was not distracting.

This spot is really comfy and cute. The tea itself was a bit sweet for me but the barista adjusted…read moreit for me. I think maybe the combination I chose wasn't the best one but she was friendly and quick service. Would definitely love to come back because there is a comfy cozy vibe and the board games! Also, love all the paintings :)

Open on Memorial Day until 2 pm!…read more We came here on Memorial Day to pleasantly find this place was open. The coffee sells itself here. They have açaí bowls and lemonade here now. I like this place because it's off the busy streets near this industrial part of town. The coffee grinds could not be any fresher, the roasting is done behind the counter. This place also has a location downtown which I have been to also.

One of the best horchata lattes I've ever had…read more Cute decor and great customer service. The location was a bit off but glad I checked this place out. Will most definitely return to try others and the pastries.

I like trying new coffee spots and so I checked out The Coffee Corner…read more I ordered the, "California" which is Espresso, White Chocolate and Caramel. I added Vanilla Cold Form with an extra shot. This was delightful. It was sweet, but not overly sweet and creamy. I really liked this coffee. They have a nice menu of coffee and a variety of styles with unique names. I want to try Milky Way next time because that sounded delicious. The service was very friendly and welcoming. This coffee is so cute. I love wood so the wood furniture is a great touch.

It's been a while since I visited, although for the most part everything was the same. Spacious…read moreseating inside and outside. They have outlets and comfy seats. The lighting is warm with a few plants here and there. The menu font is a bit small, I think they could benefit on having it slightly bigger or lowered a little. I've always been a fan of their chocolate orange mocha, but this time around it really missed the mark for me. Usually it would remind me of the Trader Joe's chocolate orange. We got the Iced 24 or 20 oz, I believe. I asked for the biggest they had. The chocolate tasted very light (reminiscent of a milk chocolate) and thin. I was able to taste the orange notes. The espresso was definitely lost in the drink. I wish the balance had been better, I do like the price of this drink though-- I thought it was quite fair! The girls working were kind and soft spoken. They got the drinks out in a timely manner as well. I'll come back, maybe to try a different flavor since there's multiple on the menu!

This coffee shop is seriously underrated and definitely slept on. The coffee was delicious and…read moreperfectly balanced, with just the right amount of sweetness while still letting the flavor of the coffee come through. The gentleman there, who I believe may be the owner, was incredibly kind, welcoming, and made the whole experience even better. You can tell there's real care put into both the coffee and the service. Definitely a hidden gem and a place worth checking out. I'll absolutely be coming back!

I had an appointment nearby and make it a point to try coffee shops in the areas I'm in…read more The mall is a mess right now with construction but I still found it (my review doesn't reflect that). It's a cute colorful little shop. The girl working was very friendly. I saw the board outside after she reminded me of the specials and decided to try the iced chocolate banana latte. This is not something I would normally try but it sounded good. I'm more of a coffee purist generally. The girl told me all about it and talked it up so I was looking forward to trying it. She said the banana was a strong flavor, which is OK cause I like banana. She made my drink and I paid and was on my way. As I was walking back to my car, I took a sip. I'm not sure what happened, but there was zero banana flavor. It was just chocolate. I don't know if she ran out of banana or what happened but had I known I would've ordered something different. Quite disappointing actually. Since I'm in the area every few months and it has a five star reputation I will come back and try something else on a different day but today was not my day for getting a good drink.

I came to this coffee shop on a Friday evening for a card show/ trade show. The shop stayed open…read morepast their business hours and trading card vendors were set up around the shop. Inside the shop they allowed people to bring their own trading card collection to trade with each other. They had specialty drinks made specifically for the show, Pokemon themed. There's a good amount of seating inside and seems like a good place to hang out or study. They have different books and board games around the shop too. I tried two drinks when I came. I got the coconut matcha because it was one of the themed drinks but wasn't impressed with it. I probably should've known better than to order matcha at a coffee shop but I'm a sucker for coconut. For my second (redemption) drink I got the Samoa which was a mocha, coconut, and caramel latte. This one was delicious. It had a great coffee flavor with a nice smooth caramel companion. It wasn't overly sweet and not bitter at all. The baristas were all great too. My drinks came out quickly despite it being busy with the show. Definitely a great coffee shop to check out!

Becky and I only get fancy coffee from a fancy coffee shop if we are with people who want fancy…read morecoffee from a fancy coffee shop. Becky and I are not well versed in the world of fancy coffee, so we typically rely on those we are with to provide recommendations. Saturday we were on our own. We wanted a late afternoon pick-me-up and Kaffee Meister is a very short distance from our house. I walked in and was warmly greeted by the pleasant young woman behind the counter (I did not catch her name). I asked for two caramel iced coffees. She very nicely and patiently explained to me the different options of my generic "iced coffees" term. Lattes, cold brews, espressos, etc. Her recommendation was Caramel Frappes, so that is what I ordered. One with whipped cream (for Becky) and mine without. As I waited, I looked around the room. It was really cool. Very homey, neighborhood cafe vibe. A few tables and a couch and comfy chairs along with some tables and chairs dotted the room. The room was really nicely decorated. I liked the spiral staircase shelving. They have some outdoor seating as well. In addition to coffees, they offer a food menu. Pastries, bagels, açaí bowls, sandwiches and the like. I drive by Kaffee Meister almost daily and often I will see that they have live music which is cool. I waited maybe three or four minutes for my name to be called, and I was handed my two frappes. I like a simple cup o' Joe. Black, no sugar, no sweeteners. At home I drink Kirkland brand ground coffee from a drip coffee maker. That said, I really enjoyed the Caramel Frappe. It was not too sweet and retained subtle coffee flavor. Becky very much enjoyed hers too. Neither of us had ever had a frappe before. We were surprised by the milkshake-like creamy texture. They provided the perfect pick-me up we were looking for. About 17 bucks after tip. We'd return for sure.

Ordered the PB Açaí Smoothie with extra peanut butter. Their smoothies are definitely thick and…read moreadding peanut butter didn't help that but the smoothie was still delicious. They have 1 size but well worth it for $13 There is a railing that people can lean against but you're definitely not going to sit and hang out here. It's an order and takeaway type of stand. Very quick service. They had 3-4 people working so even if they were busy, they would have been fine.

Across the street from Cowles mountain, on the corner. Friendly service and menu with variety of…read moredrink and smoothie options. Went in for the Acai smoothie. Most drinks are made with coconut water as liquid , opted to switch for orange (allergies and what not). Smoothie a bit on the thicker side, but good flavor. Price range similar to most smoothie shops. Fast turnaround. More of a pay and go, not much spade to sit and lounge around. But if you're in the mood to pick up a smoothie and around the area worth trying out.