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    Communal

    3.9 (61 reviews)
    Closed 6:30 am - 5:00 pm

    Order Communal Takeout or Delivery

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    COMMUNAL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Communal

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    Reviews With Photos

    Peter T.

    I'm not a picky coffee gentleman. Black tea, iced or hot, that's my vibe. I used to be an aeropress / pour over guy though. The food here, that's what crushes all. It beats Izola imo. While Izola leans towards the sweeter side Communal has some of the best savory breakfast item's i've had at a smaller coffee shop. Avacado toast - incredible quality. Bread is not overly toasted, not flimsy and mid. It's perfect. The avacado is not all brown and poopy, its bright and perfectly ripe. The crushed red peppers on top make it. My sausage sandwich was the best I've had. We all like McDonalds sausage mcmuffin things. Imo that's an 8.5 out of 10. This is a 15 our of 10. Similarly sized, 3x flavor + there is some maple butter club sauce or something. It's not necessary but it adds a nice touch. The bonus here is the playground. It's primarily for little ones. 3 and under. My nearly 7 year old son lost attention quickly, my almost 4 year old daughter was entertained for a bit. Lots of little 2 year olds though doing their thing. One downside are the tables right outside the cafe and no organized line system. Super small downsides though, but noticble.

    Canary H.

    What a lovely space to do work or catch up with an old friend over coffee with. There is plenty of street parking, but be sure to get here early to secure a spot. The coffee shop is right across the kid's park and athletic work out area. It's a half outside, half inside place. The menu is simple and the coffee is made to order. My fiancé got the Gold Coast and I had the honey lavender latte. The Gold Coast wasn't bad and was a tad bit sweet. The lavender latte was perfect. The cashier also gave us little passes that we had to keep on our table in order to work at the beautiful hall that's connected to the apartments. It was quiet in there and the music wasn't overbearing. We got a lot of work done. WiFi was also provided. The food itself was also good and very filling. The portions were big and generous. Overall, the coffee shop and the study area itself was magnificent. Highly recommended for anyone who needs some work space.

    Spicy turkey bagel sanwhich
    Amanda S.

    Woah- the audacity to charge $7 for cold brew from a carton is mind blowing. I ordered the mint cold brew and was kind of floored to see them use store bought coffee. Their "house made" mint syrup has a very "artificially sweet" taste. I also ordered the spicy turkey bagel sanwhich which was basically just sliced deli turkey, avocado, melted cheese and a bland sauce. There was a slight spice, but the avocado wasn't seasoned and that's my number one pet peeve. Both things could have easily been made at home and definitely didn't justify a $25 price tag.

    Sweet Mint Cold Brew and Golden Coast
    Taylor C.

    My Instagram feed has been funneling this place into my brain, so I finally went out to try it. Parking is limited, so I recommend getting here early or getting lucky finding a spot. Once you order your drink, there is a nice area next door to chat, drink, or work. There is free WiFi and plenty of outlets as well as tables to sit at. I was first drawn to this place because of how aesthetic their working space was, which did live up to the hype. The design and decor of the interior made me feel cozy especially with their nice selection of plants. The baristas are friendly and helped us choose our drinks. My friend and I got the golden coast and the sweet mint cold brew. The golden coast was light on the sweetness and had subtle hints of honey and sea salt. I felt that it lacked flavors and could be stronger. The mint cold brew impressed me however, as the mint stood out providing a refreshing taste in the sweet drink. Although I did not enjoy the drinks, this place is an amazing spot to work if you're in the downtown area.

    Erika C.

    Ordered a strawberry matcha and a vanilla matcha, worst $17 dollars spent. Absolutely zero matcha taste, definitely needs 1 or 2 more grams of matcha. The foams were good though. Cute place just not for matcha.

    Adriana A.

    Gold Coast is one of my favorite espresso based drinks I've had in San Diego. It's espresso with honey and sea salt and topped with oat milk! Perfectly sweet and salty I've also had their ceremonial matcha and brown sugar latte, both delicious Communal shares seating with the apartment complex next door named Kaya. On the weekends there can be a wait to get seating but I think it's worth the wait if you want a beautiful space to get some work done or enjoy some reading.

    Sign Post
    Emmett T.

    The newest branch of Communal Coffee is on the ground level of the Kaya Apartments in Bankers Hill. It's practically at a cul de sac with the suite facing north overlooking Olive Street Park in the distance. There was free parking on the opposite side of Third Ave where I was able to snag an open spot. A few small round tables were arranged in front of the suite, but the inside was only set up for ordering. There was a common area to the left (east) of the business where you could hang out, but I felt like it belonged to the apartment residents. See some of the other reviews for the details on the conditions to use this space. Three menu boards hung above the service counter. The left one featured coffee, espresso, and lattes. The middle one listed the matcha and non-coffee drinks. The right one contained the food offerings and was considered a seasonal menu. I picked a Lemonade from the middle board and the last item on the food menu which was a Harvest Bowl. The drink was available as plain, with lavender, or sparkling. I stuck with plain, but in hindsight I should have chosen lavender because my version was bland and not very tart either. The contents of the bowl were potatoes, sausage, broccolini, soft egg, sriracha mayo, and chives. The best parts were the broccolini and soft egg which was placed on top. For the $16 price tag, the serving size was small, and that was being generous. Communal is a convenient stop for those who live in or near these high-rise apartments. Based on the quality and cost of my order, I gave a three star rating.

    Cortado
    Jack M.

    I had a very nice cortado from this new Communal Coffee located in Banker's Hill. The cortado was smooth and rich and offered a very good coffee flavor. Customer service was friendly and welcoming. There's inside seating at this location, but I think there's a minimum purchase to sit inside the apartment lobby. There's an outside patio with several tables right outside and there's a small community park right next door. They offer some baked goods provided by a local bakery, and toasted bagels with toppings. Good cortado.

    Outside
    Zana K.

    Ample seating available, mainly indoors but some outdoors as well. Perfect for those WFH or studying. Park nearby gives this location a comforting vibe. They have all the same menu items as the other locations. I had the banana carmel latte and the maple sausage breakfast sandwich and both items were delicious. If youre in the area or live in the complex above, this place worth the stop by.

    Area to place order
    Cynthia M.

    I've been to the other communal coffee spots around San Diego and decided to check out this one since I was in the downtown area . Avocado toast with seasoned well and really enjoyed it. My vanilla bean latte was balanced nicely and wasn't too sweet. I like how this area has seating inside towards the very back if you wanted to stop in and work on something or simply just sit and enjoy your time there. Also, there is seating outdoors in front as well as the play area for kids which is a nice touch.

    07/2025 menus
    Henri V.

    Communal coffee has branched out into the Bankers Hill area and opened its forth shop. Parking was a bit of a challenge, only street parking. Sharing ground floor space with Kaya, a newish residential apartment building and collaborated to share the lobby for indoor space for Communal customers with conditions: you must purchase from Communal at least $7 and only stay a max 2 hours. And just like the other Communal locations, the indoor seatings were all occupied by lots of solo people on their laptop nursing one drink. It was a sunny morning and the outdoor seating with umbrellas for shade was great. A community mini park is conveniently next to this shop, for kids and pets to enjoy. From the menu, I ordered one of the signature drinks; a Golden Coast iced latte with oat milk and an avocado toast. I requested a couple dashes of cinnamon to my drink, which was prepared rather quickly by John. The golden coast iced latte tasted ok, nothing special and wasn't as strong as I prefer and was mostly ice. The avocado toast looked ok, nothing fancy but the taste of rosemary herb was overpowering and a turn off. The description of this item on the menu does not mention rosemary herb at all. Sadly, rosemary herb is NOT a flavor I want in my avo toast, which appeared to have been added to the butter, which was spread on the toast. :( I ate the avocado, sans toasts :( and not worth it. The menu should offer more information as to the contents in food. I'm glad Communal coffee shop opened in this side of Bankers Hill as most of the coffee shops and restaurants are on Fifth Street and don't offer nice seating next to a mini park. A welcome addition to the neighborhood and community.

    Kaya Seating
    Jessica D.

    What we ordered | blood orange mint chiller Taste | not the sweetest drink but fruity and refreshing Service | drinks were made quickly Parking | street Notes | they have shared seating with Kaya apartments. To sit inside, you need to spend $7 minimum and you can stay there for 2 hours. Variety of seating inside and dog friendly but they just can't be on the rugs. If it's busy you can sign up on a waitlist to get seated inside. Communal has outdoor seating as well with shade umbrellas.

    Marci T.

    Went to Communal Coffee on a Saturday -- kind of busy but not exactly what you see on Instagram or TikTok. It's a small spot connected to an apartment building, and if you order a coffee you can hang out in their lobby. Not quite what I expected from online pics, but it worked out fine. I had my baby with me, so we got a couple of looks, but I get it -- a lot of people are there to chill or get work done. Overall, it's a nice little place and I'd come back, especially to try one of their breakfast sandwiches. The menu actually looks pretty good.

    Golden coast

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    The shop is really cute, the drinks are more on the expensive side but are really yummy, definitely coming back.

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    Ask the Community - Communal

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