Bottom line : Cala is exceptional, Great Coffee, Great selection of eats, Service is excellent: Special mention of the girls: Melanie, Nadia, Maddie & the 2 blonde girls whose names I forget, All of whom contribute to a great experience Amy - the owner is a sweetheart & super welcoming & Damian - the GM is super, on top of everything The village is better for their presence Vijay - La Jolla read more

Walked by after yoga, stopped because of the cute vibes! Great coffee!!! Everyone was so friendly!

The food was great me and my family really enjoyed it and the fruit smoothie was really good but I like my smoothies little thicker and if you want your snothie thick ask them read more

THEY HAVE CAFE BOMBON!! What a cool surprise - I came in for a flat white or honey cinnamon latte, which are of their top ratings but once I saw the café bonbon, I had to get it and I was so happy it was raised as well and a perfect balance of coffee and sweet This place in general is so cute. The walls are painted a sea blue with a mural on the side and lots of decoration. It's in a really nice area where you can walk and look for shops. Highly recommend you so happy that I found it. read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

Coffee and matcha were mid but still drinkable, however the food tasted like it was frozen and reheated (and not properly reheated as it was cold). Pretty disappointed. I didn't even finish all of it. Service was good, though, and the girl behind the counter was kind in offering suggestions. read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Breakfast panini - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

First experience there and I think I was more excited about the ambiance than about the expensive cappuccino ($6.5) what was not hot enough for my taste. Pastries looked not fresh and also not very yummy for this type of posh coffee shop. I appreciate the ceramic cup, even ceramic for the water and all the mini ceramic vases with flowers and plants. Super cute. The best...the huge mural depicting la Jolla shores that seems to have been painted over newspaper glued to the wall. Amazing. As an artist myself I got so inspired by it and came home to paint some palms after that. On another note, it is very nice cleaning after customers left the big table but the bleach smell interferes with he aroma of the coffee and it is unpleasant. I would say make sure there is nothing dirty but no need for deep cleaning. Reminded me a bit when I got to MacDonald and they pass the wet mop in front of me and the burger tastes like pinesol. I will go again when in La Jolla and try food items. read more

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Came here to grab some matcha. The place has amazing ambience, with lots of seating available and there was live music outside. Service wasn't great. The barista wasn't nice at all. Matcha was pretty decent, you can choose to add puréed fruit inside. Overall a pretty nice place. read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Matcha and herbal tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

I was super excited to learn that a new, locally owned, women-owned small business was taking over the old Peet's Coffee spot in La Jolla. My experience lived up to my expectations! I've been to Cala a few times, both during the soft opening period and post-grand opening, and I've enjoyed it each time. The standout is of course the coffee, which is nuanced in flavor without the burnt taste you get at commercial coffee spots. My go-to is typically a drip coffee or an Americano. I've had the drip coffee, latte, and cold brew, and each was delicious; the latte was not overly sweet. On the food menu, I've tried the Breakfast Panini and the Chicken Pesto Panini. Both had excellent flavor and were not too heavy on the stomach, making for a perfect meal before taking a stroll along the cove. The staff is super friendly, and the owner came out and personally checked on us. Highly recommend! read more

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Absolutamente Amazing!! Best Chicken Pesto panini I have had. When I come back to visit La Jolla this will be a must have!! read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Chicken Pesto Panini. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

Cala La Jolla Cafe occupies a corner suite along an Arcade corridor in downtown La Jolla. It's a prime spot along the strip of businesses on Girard Ave with free diagonal parking spaces up and down the block if you are lucky to find one vacated. The interior decor featured a large mural of La Jolla Cove on the right wall when you entered. About the same number of seats was available inside the cafe as there was outside in front and along the side of the building. Several menu boards were posted behind the service counter. There were more food choices than I had expected across the categories of bites & snacks, salads, paninis, flatbreads, pastries, and desserts. Displays containing items from the last two categories were at the counter. Drinks were limited to black coffee, white coffee, teas, and blended (mocha or smoothies). I picked a Chicken Avocado Wrap from the list of eight bites & snacks. White chicken meat, avocado, mixed greens, tomatoes, red onion, and creamy chipotle were the ingredients inside a flour tortilla. The wrap was cut in half and placed inside a small cardboard takeout box. What I noticed immediately was the amount of avocado included as the guacamole was nearly spilling out of the tortilla which was densely packed. The chipotle sauce added moisture and flavor to the chicken. It was near the end of the day so the amount and variety of baked goods were on the low end. I skipped purchasing any sweets and will save that for a future visit to Cala La Jolla Cafe which I awarded with a four star rating. read more

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Very cute little stop in the middle of La Jolla! I ordered some unsweet tea and it was exactly what I needed in this warm weather. The place itself was just a perfect vibe for the area. I loved the teal blue chairs and merchandise inside. Would recommend to stop by here for a break and drink! read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

Cala Cafe is on Girard Ave and has taken the space formerly held by Peets Coffee. Limited street parking only. Indoor and outdoor seating with umbrellas. The layout is the same as Peet's but the interior had a mini makeover with a vibrantly painted wall mural of the La Jolla Cove and seaside. The menu offered baked goods, breakfast lunch foods and cafe drinks. Am still lamenting over the loss of Peet's since Ai love their strong coffee drinks but want to support this new business so I ordered: Iced Matcha Latte and the Avocado flatbread. The May gray dissipated as the sun was fashionably late but made an appearance. Sat outside beneath an umbrella with my furbaby and waited for what seemed like forever for the avocado flatbread so I walked inside to find my order was boxed placed on the counter. Not one person from the staffers present had any sense of following up with this order, No courtesy to bring it to me. I had to personally get my food and later hear one of the staffers say, they don't bring food the customers table...wth?! My response is their competitor a few doors away Parfait Paris does bring the food to the customers table, and that's the difference: better service!! The staffers offered to change my order from the box and placed it on a wooden board and did bring it to my table. Avocado flatbread looked better than it tasted. The smashed avocado, sprinkled feta, cherry tomatoes and microgreens was good while the flatbread tasted stale, it wasn't even toasted and lacked melted cheese so it was tasteless and inedible. I only eat the topping and not the flatbread. Will never order flatbread this from here. The iced matcha latte was just ok, it wasn't sweetened at all. I added 4 Stevia in the raw to sweeten it. I should have been informed by the counter staffer. Appreciate that effort was done but sadly it was done only because due to my dissatisfaction. This cafe is freshman new and is green to the scene of the La Jolla locals like myself and need to acclimate to reading the room but offering to bring the food the customers table and be proactive/follow up with service. And of course, quality control desperately needs improvement. My dining experience wasn't as nice as expected a return visit is NOT soon so NOT hasta la vista for Cala. read more

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New place in the actual footprint of the former Pete's Coffee, this new place appears to be a significant improvement. I have not tried their food, but the drinks are great and the service is solid. I really like the bright decor. At this point, I will give them 5 stars with the option of revising this once they have been open a few more weeks. read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

This is my favorite type of coffee shop to visit. It's a small business, female owned, they serve coffee from a local roaster and have a tasty selection of food, not just pastries. The owner chose to go with the coffee roaster Torque, and their specialty is single origin coffees. I went with one of the pour over selections, a light roast with nuanced tropical flavors. YUM! My fiancé got the cinnamon and honey latte, which would've been my normal go to. I got to taste it and it was delicious. Perfectly balanced, none of the flavors, overwhelming the beans. It was hard to pass up some of those bomb looking pastries, but I needed a little bit something more to eat during our visit so I went for the chicken pesto sandwich. It was soooooo good. Generous portion of really tender chicken with pesto sauce, tomato, arugula, and some mozzarella cheese. I did ask them to leave the red onion off because it's just not my thing. I really loved the rosemary bread that it came on too. My man had the breakfast Panini, which was a lighter option with a tasty chipotle sauce. The interior of the shop is so pretty. The color scheme is really calming and beautiful. They did a great job using plants to accent throughout. There's a huge mural on the wall over a bunch of local newspapers that was painted by the owner! How cool! I would absolutely return to this cozy cafe, which by the way has a lot of seating outdoors as well as indoors. read more

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Cala La Jolla Cafe has recently opened in the historic Arcade building. They offer a variety of espresso based beverages, matchas, pastries, baked goods, and breakfast and lunch items (paninis and salads). It's a very nice space with plenty of inside and outside seating, including a large communal table for gatherings. On this visit, I ordered my signature cortado with whole milk and a ham and Swiss croissant. The cortado was $4.75 and the savory croissant $6.00. The cortado was well made. It was smooth and rich. They use a high grade Arabica roast and it shows. The young lady who made did a great job. The savory croissant comes from a local baker. It was quite good. It came with a very good amount of Swiss cheese and a good amount of ham. It did need about a minute more in the warmed to get that cheese inside to melt a bit. It was very flavorful. The hospitality was welcoming and the service efficient. The young ladies working the counter, including the barista, were in good spirits. When in La Jolla, do visit! read more

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This place is definitely worth a visit. The barista's were very friendly and personable. They make a great coffee. It was very smooth and balanced and the barista was even able to make my latte with almond milk pretty as she called it. Lol. The inside is very cute and inviting. There is plenty of seating both inside and outside in the shade or the sun. I did not try any of the pastries or food, but it looked and smelled wonderful. read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Triple shot of espresso with 2 ounces of steamed almond milk - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

Update: In response to the owner's reply:: Thank you for your response. To clarify, the cups were already stained and leaking on the outside when they were handed to us. The photos were taken shortly afterward to document the condition in which we received them not because the spills happened while we were walking outside. As shown in the photos, there is no coffee leakage on the saucer, which further supports that the cups were already stained and messy when they were handed to us. My review reflects our actual experience: the service felt unwelcoming, and the drinks were handed to us in a messy condition. I understand that this may not be the standard you aim for, but dismissing the concern by assuming it happened after we left does not change what we experienced. I hope this feedback is taken as an opportunity to review the service and drink-preparation process, especially for customers who made a special trip to visit. read more

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The breakfast flatbread was tasty but I did feel like it needed more egg or bulk to it, and the same went for my friend's avocado flatbread. My honey cinnamon latte was tasty and smooth but lacked the honey flavor which I realized all came at the bottom, it would have been much better mixed all throughout. I feel like this place has potential but I would love to see more breakfast items on the menu, rather than just different versions of the same sandwich as a flatbread and a panini. Some more egg options, a croissant sandwich, etc would be great to see. The decor was super cute and the service was friendly and welcoming. Hoping to see more breakfast options the next time. read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Breakfast flatbread on left and avocado flatbread on right with the honey cinnamon latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

Rating for Espresso shot only: The espresso blend is an acidic sour light roast. Under-extracted with low crema. (Inappropriate for straight shots) Europeans, be aware ! read more

Cute place with a nice atmosphere, but unfortunately my experience with the coffee wasn't good. I ordered a cold brew, and it was extremely sour, so sour it made me pucker. I took it back, and they kindly offered to make me another drink. I switched to a regular iced coffee, which was better, but it still tasted off, almost like the coffee was old. At that point, I didn't want to go back a second time, so I ended up throwing it away. I also noticed a sour, musty smell when I first walked into the shop. I'm not sure if it was related to the coffee or something else, but combined with the taste of both drinks, it stood out. This was my first visit, so hopefully it was just an off day. Staff were nice! read more

Beautiful new cafe in LJ that replaced Peet's. I really like how they changed the decor. Very beautifully done. Bright and comfortable inside. Friendly staff. Quick service. Clean and ample seating and tables. Pastries in the case looked delicious and fresh. Had the avocado flatbread and Bombon. The flatbread was tasty and perfectly toasted with a generous amount of toppings. I was disappointed by my Bombon but I think it was made incorrectly. I had asked for half the amount of condensed milk so that it would not be super sweet. The cashier asked what type of milk I'd like and I said oat. I suspect it was made with all oat milk and no condensed milk because it wasn't sweet at all. I thought maybe all the sweetness was at the bottom but after finishing my Bombon, I never tasted the condensed milk. I didn't let the staff know as I assume it was an honest mistake or misunderstanding when I ordered. I was there for a meeting so I also didn't want to for that reason. It was still a good drink but more like an oat milk latte. The coffee was smooth and light not bold and strong. read more

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Cala looks really cute and I love the color scheme. They had live music out front as well. I ordered an iced chai latte and unfortunately it barely tasted like chai at all, it was completely milk. It was really disappointing for a latte that is $7.50. I saw the latte that was made for the customer before me too and it was way too light. I don't think I'd try them again. read more

So happy this cafe opened in the old Peet's location. Cala has a great atmosphere (even fresh flowers on the table). A pleasing, chill, color pallet that is on point for La Jolla. Outdoor seating with umbrellas which is great for people watching and enjoying the lovely La Jolla weather. The staff was friendly, but still new and learning. The chai is a delicious tea based concentrate vs. a yucky powder! Go and enjoy. read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Fresh flowers and beachy color tones - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

One of our favorite things to do on vacation is walk around looking for cute local coffee shops. We stumbled upon Cala and are so happy we did! The store is very clean and the decorations are lovely. We tried the honey cinnamon latte and the Cafe Bombon, both were perfect! read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

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Great ambiance and vibe! Super cute new spot in La Jolla. Love it! The almond croissant was so yummy.

Great ambiance with awesome coffee! Not to mention service. It is like Cheers of coffee shop in La Jolla. I can't wait for the omakase coffee experience! Thank you for replacing Peets! read more

Super nice bakery in the heart of downtown La Jolla. There's lots of seating indoor and outdoor expect parking to take a couple minutes and you might need to walk a little bit. Friendly workers and our food was ready quick and tasted great! read more

Amazing locally owned coffee spot with a great variety of coffee and pastries. I've already tried 3 different flavored cold coffees and every one of them was refreshing and gave me the perfect wake-up boost. I can definitely see myself coming back to try more from their coffee selection. The staff is friendly, the service is great, and the coffee speaks for itself -- what more can you ask for? Highly recommended! read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Comfy! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

While perhaps a tad overpriced, the oat parfait, banana bread, and tiramisu were tasty and service was quick. It is a more upbeat place than calming in terms of ambiance. Overall it's what you expect. read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Interior - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

Smooth great tasting cappuccino, with fast friendly service. The zucchini bread was very yummy. With a nice comfortable environment to enjoy your drink. I would come back when in the area. read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Vanilla cappuccino, and chai latte almond milk - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

Cutest coffee shop right by the best boutiques!! Alyssa was so sweet, and recommended the iced tea which was delicious. Bonus, they have a bathroom with the code on the door read more

I had the best pour-over coffee in La Jolla. Watching the coffee being brewed by hand and experiencing the aroma throughout the process made me feel truly pampered, even in such a short moment. I was genuinely grateful for the experience. While many cafés rely on machines for pour-over coffee, this place carefully crafts each cup by hand with remarkable precision and care. I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates a truly exceptional pour-over coffee experience. read more

Came with the family and got the croissant with ham and cheese and rose latte. Recommend!

Amazing coffee shop in La Jolla highly recommend to work at and enjoy the ambiance and food

Felt like a local! Super ambient and nice menu with local snacks. Try the cold brew coffee with blueberry cloud cold foam. Also note all of the various different flavors of drinks that they offer, including green tea, black tea, and herbal tea! read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

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Super cute and very inviting! My honey cinnamon iced latte was very good. I will be back to try more. read more

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Very efficient service! The workers were very attentive and kind, great conversationalist! I am so excited for my drink!

I came In on A saturday , during peak hours of this business , and the line was moving quickly , i was right away helped out by this employee named Melony ! she was the most nicest and helpful employee from here ever !, she made my day and i can honestly see she's a great worker i hope to see her again ! read more

Cala La Jolla Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Diego, California

My coffee was dialed in but the pricing is questionable. $4.00 for an espresso is reasonable. But, turn it into an iced Americano (pour the same espresso over ice and water) and it transforms the drink into a $7.00 beverage. I believe in tipping, so now my drink is approaching $8.00. Today's takeaway: If you want an iced Americano, order an espresso and a glass of iced water to go. Pour the espresso over the water. read more

Genuinely do not get the blueberry cloud on the cold brew. Most vile thing ever. Everything else was fine. I've never tasted anything worse.