We attended an event on Easter Day on the lawn at Balboa Park. We were pleased the Craft Cafe and most restaurants were open on the holiday to enjoy a relaxing day at one of our San Diego gems. There was a line here as any busy weekend. The selection of salads and sandwiches for a light lunch was solid and on the gourment end. We shared the chicken curry sandwich. A sparkling beverage and chips to round out the meal. It was completely satisfying and much needed after burning energy, walking the park and Spring Festival. #BalboaPark #Lunch #CraftCafe #Mingei read more

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After having my Java fix over at Daniel's in Spanish Village, I walked a little circuit, and ended up back at Craft Cafe. I was a little hungry so I thought, maybe I'll have a breakfast sandwich. So I ordered it, but without the Canadian bacon. The sandwich came out quickly & I took it to one of my favorite shady benches in the park to enjoy it. It felt rather light in the container, and when I opened it up, I was underwhelmed by the sort of sad-looking Sunnyside up egg, American cheese & Dijonaise. The brioche was soft, and lightly toasted, the egg was plain, & the cheese was only partially melted. I appreciated that they included the little packet of Cholula to give it a little bit of flavor. I've been here before, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was most flabbergasted by the price of this meager sandwich! I paid $17.12 for it including tax & a small tip. I don't care that we are in the park. I think that even with the Canadian bacon, this is just price gouging. 1 roll, 1 egg & a slice of cheese! It wasn't even good cheese! Of course there is the overhead for the space & employees & all of that, however, this sandwich should be $9.95 at the absolute most. I'm not going to order this sandwich again, but I'm honestly just disappointed. I'm wiling to pay for quality & deliciousness, but this was not it today. Peace. read more

Craft Cafe - Breakfast sandwich without Canadian bacon - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

We enjoyed a well crafted Oat Milk Latte. Nice spot to relax after walking around Balboa Park. Service was fast, friendly and efficient. read more

Craft Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Nice outdoor breezy patio to sit while listening to the outdoors sounds and music. Friendly helpful staff and quick service. Yummy pastries, good tea, and good coffee! Would come again! read more

Craft Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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Oh my gosh the quiches are so good here. Highly recommend. The almond croissant is also very good, high quality ingredients

There's quite a good amount of options here at this cafe. Technically a part of the Mingei Museum but it's a little separate corner disconnected from the main floor. We came in on sunday at lunch time and it was busyyy! Typical for balboa park but it gets crowded in that small space pretty quickly. There's only a few tables outside for seating but it's not far at all from other benches/tables throughout the park. For drinks, they have some unique flavors to choose from which are always a little bit hit or miss, but our lattes were pretty good. I got the salted maple latte. Large assortment of fresh pastries in the case both sweet and savory. They also have a cooler with salads and sandwiches and pre-packed drinks and snacks which is nice for a quick lunch. I think they do hot food too... breakfast/lunch type items. Our order took a while to come out and the staff wasn't super friendly but oh well lol. Pricey, but what isn't in this area? Still one of the better cafes in Balboa Park flavor and variety-wise! read more

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Cute little cafe. Service was excellent, staff friendly. Food amazing. Drinks cold and tasty. read more

Craft Cafe - The aftermath of a peaches and cream brioche. YUMMY - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Great place to grab coffee while exploring balboa park. The honey and cinnamon latte was delicious, but nothing too outstanding. There was a bit of a wait about 30 ish minutes on a busy Sunday afternoon read more

Craft Cafe - Honey and cinnamon latte - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

I planned to go to Panama 66 but the line just to get in and be able to wait to order was 15 people deep. Craft Café had a much shorter line as usual. The food here is actually delicious and creative, with lots of vegetarian and gluten-free choices, even if you're not in the middle of the sculpture garden and there is no alcohol. I was deciding between butternut squash Panini, broccoli or asparagus quiche, or their samosadilla (Fusion Indian and Mexican!) I decided to get the broccoli quiche with a here and now smoothie, which is kale, avocado, cinnamon, coconut milk, dates and other yummy things. Both the quiche and the delicious. The café is a little cramped to be ordering and the employees seemed a little tired/annoyed. They have nonstop people because they're food is tasty. They also have coffee and a lot of different pastries and sweets but I restrained myself from ordering yet another thing! read more

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Associated with the Mengei Museum, Craft Cafe SD is located right off the bridge upon the entrance of Balboa Park if you are coming from the Museum of Us side. The line can build pretty quick as the space is only for ordering and/or grabbing something from inside. To dine you must take it to go or be sat at the outdoor tables, which there are plenty! I treated myself to a Caramel Matcha, which sadly didn't taste like caramel or matcha. It tasted like really sweet milk with a tint of green. The Greek salad I had on the other hand was healthy and refreshing. It had a mixed variety of toppings for a salad and ended up being filling. It was a really healthy choice but flavorful. Not sure if I were to stop by again, maybe if I was in the park and was craving anything, but for now it may remain my only visit. It's a hotspot cafe for tourists with a little more unique spin on certain items than most vendors here, so it makes for a nice quick bite to eat if you're spending the day at Balboa Park! read more

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Cute little cafe inside Balboa Park! They have lots of pastries in their display (croissants, quiches, danishes), as well as a fridge with quick to-go items (sandwiches, salads, dips, etc.) There's also menus you can pick up by the cash register which has more food items as well. I was torn between the smoked salmon focaccia and the avocado one. I ended up getting the avocado focaccia with pistachio pesto and it was so delicious! The sauce itself is definitely on the salty side but it's perfect with the focaccia, which was nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Totally drooling just thinking about it! Plenty of tables outside to enjoy your food and take in the beautiful atmosphere. read more

Craft Cafe - Outside - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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Hubby and I went for a walk around the park and had a nice little treat here. The asparagus and tomato quiche was delicious as well as the drip coffee and cortado. Will be back again read more

Not much cherry flavor and the matcha was fairly good. Service was ok. Quick and fast. read more

Craft Cafe - Cherry blossom matcha latte with cherry) (ice latte right) - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Is it possible for an iced latte to be life changing?? We're visiting San Diego for vacation and stumbled upon this cafe in Balboa Park. We ordered 2 vanilla iced lattes. I had to go back into the Cafe to tell them it was possibly the best latte I have ever had. Great prices too. The espresso was very smooth and not acidic tasting. I might have to come back again before our vacation ends. read more

I stopped by here on Tuesday after going to some of the museums. I ordered an Americano with oatmeal and their feta and spinach croissant which was shaped in a waffle! I wasn't sure what to expect from this croissant since this Cafe is located in Balboa Park I figured it's fairly touristy in quality is not a type priority. But I was happily surprised my croissant was amazing! What a creative and tasty spin to a traditional croissant. Highly recommend this Cafe if you're in the area. They also have a variety of grab-and-go options and other food and drink items you can order. read more

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Cute little caffe to boost up your every to adventure out thru Balboa park. Service was pretty quick. They have lattes and cold brew Along with other caffeine delights and AND pastries. Cakes, cookies and danishes. OH My. Little pricier than the cafe across the way but better options on snacks and drinks. I didn't get to have parties. Diet and all but if you do let me know how how yummy them dessert are cause on my next visit it will be hard to choose on my own if I want a Lamont croissant or a piece of cake. read more

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I have to stop by this place every time I go to Balboa Park! They have great matcha, iced lattes and pastries. The spinach feta croissant is my favorite but this fig goat cheese pistachio danish was so delicious too! read more

Craft Cafe - Fig goat cheese pistachio danish - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

We came to Craft Cafe on a Saturday morning before our 7 Bridge hike just before 8:30am. The hours posted had 8:30am as their opening time for that day. As the line was starting to grow the employees seemed very uninterested that it was 5 minutes past the opening time and we were outside waiting. They kept prepping the pastry case and didn't even bother to look up at us and acknowledge we were out there waiting. Finally they open the doors a few minutes later so by that time almost ten minutes past their opening time they let us in. I ordered a plain black coffee and a croissant and had to wait for them to make the coffee another at least 5 minutes as she just made it when I ordered it. No complaint on the coffee, it was pretty smooth and not too acidic. The croissant was delicious and paired well with my coffee. I would give this place another chance if I'm in Balboa Park again but they really need to improve their guest service. read more

Craft Cafe - Front entrance - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Located under one of the porticoes in Balboa Park you can't do any better. This small cafe excels in great coffee and out of this world pastries. Service is prompt and efficient. Get a latte and a pastry then sit at one of the tables underneath the portico and enjoy La Dolce Vita. read more

No bathrooms here, really nice employees, delicious matcha and other drinks! We ordered 3 drinks total. They don't have seating inside because the building is super small, but they have tables and chairs outside, under a covered walkway. read more

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The food and drinks are good, but on several occassions, I've found the staff to be rude and distinterested with an attitude like they can't be bothered. Today, I ordered a sandwich and then was waiting off to the side of the counter. The place was busy with a long line and the space is small and cramped. There are no signs that tell you where orders are delivered and the person who I ordered from didn't tell me where to stand, so I was just standing off to the side as much as possible to avoid the crowd and not be in the way. Another woman who is now taking orders looks at me and asks me with a rude attitude what I am doing there. I replied that I had already ordered and was waiting for my food. She then says, "Well, can you stand over on the other side?" No please. Nothing. Her tone was really rude, like how dare I be there. I'm a paying cutomer and a museum member. I understand that they are busy, but the least they could do is treat their customers with a little decency. I felt like she thought I was going to steal something. Honestly, I lost my appetite, and was going to just ask for a refund. I told another woman working that they should have a sign for where to pick up orders, and she mumbled that they used to but someone took it. I mean, common - lots of fast food places have signs that say where to order and where to pick up your order. Why can't they do that here? I told the woman who had yelled at me that she could have been more polite, and then left. Food was good at least, but it really spoiled an otherwise lovely day at the park. I wish they would give their staff some training in customer service. read more

The food was borderline inedible. I pad $17 for the grilled chicken rice bowl, and it was frankly kinda depressing. For more than the price of a delicious chipotle bowl, I got dry rice, rubber that they call chicken, how arugula, and chickpeas. The chicken looks like it has green pesto sauce, but I didn't taste it at all. The service was okay, I guess. Definitely don't recommend. read more

Craft Cafe - Grilled chicken rice bowl. (Partially eaten) - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Verrrrry good and high quality. Lots of delicious snacks, pastries and the coffee is excellent, however the price is quite steep. $6.50 for an approximately 10oz Mayan Mocha. But again, very tasty. read more

My order consisted of the Turkey Panini and the lemon lychee ice tea. The tea was refreshing and lightly sweet. The panini was inedible. Burned, turkey was probably not the freshest, cheese burned, there were just to many wrong with the poor Panini. Girls were nice. Stay away from the small sad Panini. read more

Craft Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Great coffee option inside Balboa Park! Craft Cafe at Mingei is conveniently located in the center of Balboa Park and usually has a long line. On this visit, we ordered an Iced Vanilla Latte and a Blueberry Lemon Muffin The coffee was solid but the muffin was delicious! The frosting that was topped with poppy seeds was a nice addition. The space is pretty cool - located right beside the Mingei Musuem. Service was also solid. Overall, I'm glad they have a good coffee option at the Park! read more

Craft Cafe - Blueberry Lemon Muffin - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Great pastries, quiches, cold salads, sandwiches; and coffee drinks, teas, lattes and more. If you like spicy, have a mayan mocha. read more

The line on a weekend is long and arduous. Took me about 20 minutes to order my lemonade. And another 20 minutes to remind them that I have an order waiting and 1 minute to make my drink. While the lemonade is pretty decent. I am not sure I will be back anytime soon. Ciao ciao. read more

They close at 5 but the savory food (non pastry baked goods) items closes much much earlier. I will say the croissant was delicious but not entirely satisfying because I was starving and wanting an actual meal of some sort. read more

Craft Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

We had a lovely experience at Craft Cafe in Balboa Park. I got the acai bowl, which was the perfect size--fresh, delicious, and super satisfying. My parents had the artichoke chicken salad sandwich, and they loved it. It was well packed, full of flavor, and they ate every bite. Great spot for a light and tasty meal in the park. We'll definitely be coming back. read more

This place is definitely a tourist trap! I do not recommend at all. Giving it a 2 star because the place looked clean. Ordered the Peanut Butter smoothie and it tasted watered down. It was just a bunch of blueberries and water.. did not even taste the peanut butter at all. It was $9.50... I would rather go to Jamba Juice. The açaí bowl (and the smoothie) took ten years to come out. It was not even busy and I'm 99% sure the açaí bowl was premade so I'm not sure why it took so long. But.. there was a HAIR in my açaí bowl. Extra protein I guess?! It was not a good experience. I would not come back. read more

So glad this cafe was here for my sugar fix in Balboa Park!! Not much left in the late afternoon but hit the spot. Was worried their gluten free cake would be dry but it was moist and not too sugary. Chocolate croissant was good too. Rating this cafe against other museum locations and not nearby well-known establishments. Hope it helps! read more

Craft Cafe - Entrance on outside corner of Mingei Museum - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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Amazing special coffee and pastry!!! The man at the front with tats is a great guy. Very kind and generous, God bless you and thanks for the coffee bro!! Got Pistachio cold brew and matcha cherry blossom 10/10 with the butter and hazelnut croissants. Very clean in the inside and cool vibes read more

Craft Cafe - Chocolate and hazelnut croissant - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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I stumbled upon this really nice little café next to a museum. It seemed very busy, which allowed me to believe that it was probably going to be really good. They do have also a great selection of pastries that I have not been able to try, but they definitely looked and smelled delicious. However, I did try, a salted maple latte iced. It wasn't sweet at all and it was pleasant. I think next time I will try a different drink ask for the wait time. It was a little bit of a long wait because there was only one barista. I only give it a three star because I wasn't a huge fan of the latte and the wait time was pretty long however I do intend to try it again and hopefully change my rating. read more

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I was strolling through Balboa Park this weekend and made a stop at Craft Cafe which is annexed to the Mingei International Museum at the Plaza de Panama. It's a very small space where you walk in to place your order at the service counter and then wait outside for your name to be called. Baked goods, salads, and sandwiches were featured along with Dark Horse coffee, Paru tea, and smoothies. Some premade items were available in a refrigerator across from the counter so I grabbed a Vegan Soba Noodle Bowl ($14) for a snack. The container was filled with mushrooms, collard greens, kosho pickle, miso slaw, and furikake on top of a base of cold soba noodles. A cup of creamy dressing (not ranch) was provided with the item which added some moisture and additional flavor. Besides the dressing, it was one of the healthier foods that I have consumed lately. With so many food and drink carts around the plaza, this cafe is probably overlooked as an option unless you happen to be visiting the adjacent museum. The prices were a bit high, but I think that reflected the fact that most of the products were geared towards health-conscious customers. read more

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Ok, I've been here enough times and they have great pastries, good coffee with bad baristas, and today..... today I waited 20 minutes, and I don't even mind the wait, but I got a grilled cheese instead of the nuggets I had ordered, after asking the man if it was 1) for Jenna 2) nuggets, and he said yes. Then I told him there was a mess up, he took the grilled cheese to the back, I waited another 10 minutes and got under cooked chicken nuggets :( I mentioned this to my friend, someone overheard and interjected that his son also got undercooked chicken nuggets today as well. Not a good look, and definitely not safe. I will go back for their pastries and maybe coffee but please for your sake don't order the food... read more

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tldr; Rude staff relies on one-time tourists. Ordered a cappuccino and croissant - during long wait for the cappuccino I had an opportunity to observe the staff, the flow of the restaurant, and the general experience of dozens of customers. The staff was rude to most customers - almost rising to the level of indignation toward customers for simply existing. There was a strong vibe that there was no expectation that customers would return (e.g., tourists) and therefore good customer service was not required. Visibly frustrated with the delivery flow - staff would abandon customer orders (drinks and food) on a side table - in a way that appeared to punish customers for not being immediately present to receive their order. These orders were left unlabeled and unidentifiable by customers returning for their food. Some customers seemed to just guess whether the food left on a side table was theirs unaided by staff. The general vibe was that the staff was not responsible for the customer experience. This team needs training and ownership over process flows if the location wishes to improve its overall performance. read more

Food and service was good. Beautiful crafted pastries and drinks. We skipped the pastries and went in for lunch! Yum!! read more

Craft Cafe - Egg croissant with bacon - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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Very busy but the line goes quickly! All menu items looked great. I ordered chicken nuggets which were delicious! The divine smoothie was very good also. The Lemonade was so pretty! I didn't have any but I might try next time. I'm told it was really good. Definitely a great spot to grab a snack or light meal and continue walking. read more

Craft Cafe - Butterfly Lemonade - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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Craft cafe is located inside of balboa park, i stopped by before entering the art museum and i am glad i stopped by! Paid about 8$ for the lemon cake, which felt a bit pricey but it was still delicious and a sizable portion! Worth stopping by to grab a quick snack before exploring :) read more

Craft Cafe - Menu - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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We got a cappuccino with oat milk, a blueberry lemon muffin and a feta spinach croissant. Price was high 18. The cappuccino was bitter and charged an extra dollar for the oat milk. The croissant was delicious. 10 out of 10 recommend. The blueberry lemon muffin had a nice top but was dry, very few blueberries and no lemon flavor. read more