I think this cafe is nice for when you want a quick snack or drink. The menu has a lot of options from teas to coffee, and offer pastries for a little munching. The location of perfect for before or after you have visited the museums. --especially on a hot day. Normally I'd get a coffee to enjoy, but I decided to have a tea for a change. I got the Lemon Lychee tea paired with honey as the sweetener. The drink came out right after I finished ordering which was very awesome! I think they put the perfect amount of ice for the amount that you pay and that really made me happy about my purchase. However, I feel like the drink was a bit over powered by the honey. That I wasn't so happy about, but it was manageable. I tried the Divine Smoothie and I enjoyed the flavor and the vibrant color that it presented. Perhaps next time I'll purchase a coffee for when I visit again. I would recommend this place as a compliment to your visit. read more

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Their pastries are always bad Us they charge an illegal surcharge when using debit card that is not disclosed. Emailed one of their representatives and got no response. ​ read more

The food options have really improved in Balboa Park! And this is a centrally located star! It's in the bottom of the Mingei museum so it's right in the middle of the park. The pastries and sandwiches are beautifully displayed when you walk in. There are coffee options, and as a dedicated iced tea drinker, I really appreciate that they serve Paru Tea, which is a locally owned, quality tea purveyor. They have some unique cookies and savory pastries that make the great pick me up to eat while walking around the park or sitting at the tables outside the café. Highly recommend this place! read more

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my friends loved their food, i didn't. coffee and milk for $7? gtfooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo read more

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

Cute cafe, right by the Mingei; tables out front; they have some beautiful baked goods, and latte hit the spot. Friendly service, too. read more

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Cute little spot in Balboa Park. Long lines. Drinks were good. But we avoided the pastries since there was a fly walking all over them and I definitely couldn't get myself to order any of them after seeing that. Tried the Divine smoothie which the kids enjoyed and I got the Tumeric latte. I enjoyed the latte and would get it again. read more

Craft Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

The cereal coffee is terrible. The coffee was bitter, and they only sprinkle a few cereal pieces on the top, unlike their instagram post. I drove to balboa to try this and sadly had to toss it. Not worth the money! read more

Craft Cafe - Cereal coffee - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Just opened 3 days ago. Beautiful baked good and even gluten free options. Pre-made salads and empanoadas. This place was a life safer for us. Masks requires, dogs allowed. Wheel chair access with nearby ramps though it is tiny inside. Tables are outside along the walkway to eat.very nice quiet place. The salads are cool refreshing and nourishing. The lemon jasmine cookie was tasty, but the jasmine you only taste eating the jasmine pieces and the lemon needs more punch. The bacon Hatch chilie provolone biscuit was a bit plain, but everything was enjoyed. Just needs a little more flavor. read more

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At first I was skeptical because this coffee shop was part of the art museum. We got the americano and was pleasantly surprised at the quality. The coffee was nutty and creamy and very tasty. Great quality stuff here. We walked around the park and the white crape myrtle trees out front are simple stunning this time of year. read more

very cute place to stop by and have a cup of coffee，the beans smells so good， however the matcha is plain read more

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Terrible customer service and weirdly hostile attitude toward being asked if the food they left out without saying anything was ours (it was). Why do we even tip when people act like this? Garbage behavior. Food was pretty decent though read more

This was my first time visiting the Craft café in Balboa Park. It is easily accessible without purchasing entry into the museum. Just so you know a great place for a quick bite, even if you're not taking the time to go through the museum. I had some delicious blueberry overnight oats, while my friend indulged in their cheese pastry. They have a variety of options to meet different dietary restrictions. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free etc. Their Matcha latte is definitely a must if you're a Matcha lover. It looked like they had a variety of coffee as well. Customer service was great and the atmosphere was clean. Several tables outside to sit and enjoy your meal. read more

Craft Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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Delicious! I had the egg croissant sandwich and a jasmine lychee iced tea, and it was such a nourishing, filling little meal! I'm used to Cafe's being so grab-n-go that you come to expect the food to be mid-level at best, but I can tell this sandwich was made by human hands just as I ordered it. The hot sauce it comes with is so flavorful as well! Definitely recommend. read more

Craft Cafe - Egg croissant sandwich (+ bacon) with hot sauce, jasmine lychee iced tea. So yummy! - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Food is amazing but the service is TERRIBLE the older blonde lady and young brunette were so rude I say hi good morning and they totally ignore me and they expect for people to leave a tip? How can I order if you are not talking to me lol so weird. Get better staff. read more

My wife and I shared a turkey panini and a roasted butternut squash panini. Both sandwiches were so delicious with fresh bread, lettuce and cheese. It was hard to say which we liked better! There is no indoor seating but there are tables and chairs just outside the doorway in a shaded breezeway. This provided a nice place to eat with a view of the plaza and fountain. read more

Small but face-paced service and INCREDIBLE team members- Macey made my whole better for real. The food selection is honestly so thorough, it's very impressive ! And the coffee I ordered was the perfect flavor, high quality, and not too much ice like some places can't say enough good things! Location location location! read more

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The food and the pastries always look delicious. However, the staff is not very friendly. It's not a welcoming place to go. They also charge you a surcharge, which they don't tell you. I noticed it on my receipt afterwards. I've given them 2 tries and I don't think I'll be returning. read more

Conveniently located in the mingei museum. They serve local teas and coffees from Dark Horse and Paru. Enjoyed a cold brew and croissant. Plan on returning to grab and cup with the Paru Matcha read more

Craft Cafe - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

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My kids & I stumbled upon this cute little coffee shop a few weeks back. Inside is adorable, clean, modern & bright. Pastry selection is on point!! So delicious! Premade options for breakfast & lunch. We really couldn't have been happier with the food, wonderful service & ambience (lots of nice tables outside) I am going back to meet for a first date tomorrow and will update after with my experience! :) read more

YALLLLLLLLLL THE FETA AND SPINACH Croissant is a must order. Their pastries and dough are cooked to perfection, great flavor, crispy, and flakey. The coffee and chai was delicious! It was pretty busy when we went but we didn't wait long at all. read more

Horrible place just ordered a pepperoni Flatbread the young lady took our ordered we paid. five minutes later was told the pepperoni was frozen! Wow! I requested a refund the manger came out now get this she told us it would be refunded in 3-5 business days ! This is unacceptable you have my money why should I wait 3-5 business days to get it back? A good business manager would have given me cash back to save face and perhaps have a returning customer not her! Because she lacks customer service skills! read more

I am so annoyed. The menu had an artichoke chicken salad sandwich on multigrain bread. It was $15, which seemed like a lot, but I decided to go ahead. It came on a not very good white bread roll and contained no artichokes. When I inquired I was told, "oh, we changed that". $15 for a take out sandwich is expensive. $15 for a takeout sandwich that isn't as represented on the menu is ridiculous. At the very least they should have advised me before I ordered it. I would not have. And the bill had an unexplained "surcharge". read more

Pastries and drinks are okay, but way overpriced. The cashier was rude too. Won't visit again.

Not sure I have seen a slower coffee shop but they may not have the resources and have high maintenance customers? Coffee was meh for the price. read more

The food here is...not great? It tastes like if high school cafeteria food was made with fresh ingredients.

I love this coffee shop. Great coffee, great pastries, but the service here is bottom level garbage. There is one person in particular with dark hair piercings and shorter, around 5"10 who is completely rude and disrespectful. I walked up and waited for him patiently and smiled with no acknowledgment whatsoever. Then I kept looking for a hi hello how are you what can I get you; instead it was what do you want. Working in the service industry for my whole life, this was already upsetting. I said what I wanted and was short about it since he obviously wasn't in the headspace to be at work. I paid and went next door to the textile shop and overheard him saying "That Julia was not having a good day, being such a b***". I had it there. I looked through the glass and stated that I heard them and proceeded to go next door to get my coffee and food. Acted like everything was fine and asked if I wanted a fork and told him that he can't talk to people like this indirectly and especially in front of them. Was so rude no apologies nothing. These people you have running your cafe will eventually run it to the ground. Get better cashiers. read more

This is such a lovely remodel of the original small, walk up cafe. Beautiful tables and chairs looking out on the plaza and eco-aware trash cans. I come here every Friday and the coffee and pastries are divine. I'd like to request that you add to your milk selections by adding almond milk. Then you'll be absolutely perfect! read more

Located in the newly renovated Mingei, the Craft cafe is an excellent and much-needed addition to Balboa Park. As you can see from the photograph, we had an outstanding latte! We also had a nice piece of lemon cake. Service was good and you get to enjoy the Mingei. Check it out! read more

Craft Cafe - Latte and lemon cale - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

The baristas were all very nice and accommodating! I had the cold brew with lavender vanilla syrup which was smooth and strongly flavored. My friend had a latte with vanilla, it wasn't sweet enough for her but she's got quite the sweet tooth so I'm not surprised. We tried the lemon blueberry poppyseed muffin, which was delicious, and the mushroom empanada with was good but a little smaller than expected. read more

Craft Cafe - Lemon blueberry poppyseed muffin, just pretend I took this picture before eating half of it :) - Cafes Near Me - San Diego, California

Stopped in in a rare rainy day. My husband had a four shot Americano and he was in 7th Heaven. I had the chai latte with oat milk and i really couldn't stop raving about it. The perfect afternoon pick me up. read more

Had cheese and spinach croissant at 9am. Very tasty and fresh! Had decaf cappuccino. Its a A minus. View: outstanding - main square view in Balboa Park which is always outstanding. Must visit when in Balboa park. read more

Not a great experience! Food is great, but the service took forever and this employee Sofia in the balboa location was so rude and in front of a room full of paying customers. The vibe is great, but if Sofia is working, I wouldn't go lol. read more

Everything here was absolutely delicious. Great ambiance, friendly staff, and stunning food. Can't wait to come back on my next trip to the Mingei! read more

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

This is a nice small cafe to get coffee/tea and pastries. The herbal tea was very good. We only got tea after we saw a grown man reaching around the glass to point at pastries plus I don't like pastries that are just sitting on a counter exposed to everything. I found the staff to be nice they didn't even tell the man to step behind the glass but if they had labels and prices maybe that wouldn't happen. They also let him cut customers in line to pay for water he wanted after he paid for his pastries. I do feel for the staff they have to deal with a lot of people and the cafe gets really busy. A lot of people from around the world come to Balboa park and etiquette rules don't exist. read more

I will never eat there again. I placed my order and several people who placed theirs after me received their food before I did. One guy even ordered the same thing I did. When I asked about it, the female cashier indicated, it happens. She said I shouldn't have an attitude and went to the back to get my food. I guess questioning why my food wasn't made is an attitude these days. Very unprofessional and pricey. A little chaotic with people standing everywhere waiting for their food and no idea where the line begins to order. I would never recommend this place. Plenty of other places at Balboa Park to eat. read more

Their turkey sandwich & breakfast burrito were DELICIOUS Def coming back!!!!!!!!!!!!

Long wait for some flies.. dont waste your time the fan they have is just a gimmick and not too clean space read more

Almost died today eating at craft cafe because they did not mention anywhere on their menu that their fava bean falafel pita has cashews in the hummus. Thankfully, my grandma was familiar with the hummus they sell at the Mingei, where they do warn people about the nuts. She went to ask and sure enough, it had cashews. I was mid swallow when my grandma stopped me. If she wasn't there I genuinely could have died. When we told them about what happened, they didn't seem to care very much. They just gave a disinterested "okay." read more

This place closed very early and it was a Monday. Also the pastries were very dry and are left out in the open for flys to prey on. The coffee just tasted like milk despite getting a strawberry latte. The tea was definitely not citrus mint and had no sweetener, i think they should also be clear on whether or not the tea is hot or cold, the pictures were very misleading. I would only recommend the iced chai latte which is why I give this place a one overall. The staff were very friendly, i just hope the taste of everything improves. Everything seemed more pleasing to the eyes than to my taste buds. read more

I want to give this place a better review but the Baristas are the worst people imaginable - coffee that literally burned my mouth to a point where a lawsuit would be fair , this situation needs to be rectified by management asap The park should be embarrassed Visitors from all over having to experience such rudeness is unacceptable read more