I don't drink coffee much but when I do, I drink at penny coffee roasters. As well as having…read moreincredible coffee, which started me on my coffee journey, the staff are incredible, the managers Adam and David do an amazing job to make the place feel like a warm and caring environment. Employees there are very kind and seem to take an interest in everyone who walks in the door. Recently an incident occurred that I have nothing but respect for how the staff handled. A now former regular, who I will be keeping anonymous for obvious reasons, was banned from the store for openly racist remarks and verbally harassing staff. I was not personally present for it, but that is accurate to my experience with said person. They have repeatedly made racist and classist comments and have pretty heavy handedly push their ideological views to me. After banning said customer, they proceeded to threaten and harass the staff, from what I saw in regards to the banning, the manager Adam handled it with more respect and elegance than I believed necessary. Despite his tact, she took that as an opportunity to go on a tangent of excessive profanity and slurs. I think it's very telling about the type of people who work at Penny that they value maintaining a safe and welcoming environment even in the face of bullying and harassment. I've never felt more inclined to go to penny than I do now. Thank you guys for what you do and keep up the good work. You guys are rock stars fr!!

I've been a loyal customer of Pennys Coffee since they opened in Azusa. Over the years, I've spent…read morethousands of dollars here and have recommended the shop to many friends and others in the coffee community. Unfortunately, my experience with the shop changed because of repeated interactions with the store manager, Adam and the event that had just happened. I want the owners to be aware of concerns I have regarding the atmosphere created by management. On multiple occasions, I have heard Adam speak negatively about the owners and other baristas in front of customers. I have also experienced him bringing personal and political opinions into conversations while working, which I feel creates an uncomfortable/unprofessional environment. He works every Monday so I can't even sit on the only couch and drink my coffee in peace, he's always talking nonsense and forcing his personal opinions down my throat. He never stops talking, and if you try to share your opinion, he talks right over you. He has a veryyy hard time accepting viewpoints that differ from his own. He's honestly on some sort of power trip. The most concerning incident occurred recently when Adam yelled in my face while inside the coffee shop!! Then the other barista, David got involved with his encouragement during this interaction. They surrounded me and were trying to intimidate me together and at that time there were no other customers in the store, and when I tried to speak to them to tell them to stop yelling at me- they went at me harder to the point I had to literally run out of the shop bc I didn't feel safe there. It's the first time I have ever had two men corner me and yell at me- it was honestly traumatizing. After leaving, I informed David that I would never be returning. I believed that would be the end of the situation. However, David provided Adam with my personal phone number without my permission, and Adam contacted me by text after I had already left the store in an effort to intimidate me further. During that exchange, Adam also accused me of being racist. I found it completely inappropriate that my personal information was shared without my consent so that a workplace conflict could continue outside of the store. I also want to address an issue with David. Throughout my visits, you have repeatedly attempted to hug me or touch me when I came into the shop. Regardless of your intentions, this made me uncomfortable. Customers should not be touched without their consent. I also work in the business of customer service, and I understand the importance of professionalism. I would never speak negatively about my employer to customers, push personal or political views on people supporting my business, yell at a customer, or use a customer's personal information to continue a confrontation after they leave. It's disappointing because I did like this coffee shop and wanted to continue supporting it. However, my experiences with Adam and David traumatized me. I hope the owners take these concerns seriously and address them so other customers do not have similar experiences.

Big fan! Clean and simple coffee shop with good coffee and friendly, fast service. Quite a hidden…read moregem in the middle of a somewhat not gem-like complex in Covina. Ordered the ventana iced coffee with cold foam and it was just what I was looking for! Creamy and sweet but good strong coffee taste. You know a place is good when their namesake menu item is delish.

Found this place on Doordash. It came in as the #2 most popular coffee shop. This place is in a…read moreshopping center, so plenty of parking. Inside is small, clean minimalist decor. There is a bench that wraps along the inside but not a lot of tables. They have kiosks to place your order. We order the Basque Cheesecake in original and matcha along with the Strawberry Morning Bun. The cheesecake ms were deliciously creamy, not too sweet and flavorful. The bun was flaky with hints of strawberry. The coffee is smooth and not bitter. You can customize the sweetness of your drinks. We added the sweet cold foam on the Iced Hazelnut Latte which was our favorite. The Strawberry Matcha has tons of strawberry flavor with sweet matcha flavor, not grassy. It tends to get busy in waves but their service is good

I had a lovely experience at Bake Sale Cafe (Azusa). I ordered the Horchata Latte (Large - 20oz -…read more$7.45 - 3 Shots of Espresso) with Pink Printed Photograph (additional $2) and Vanilla Cold Foam (extra $1.25). WOW!! I felt jittery and awake. This coffee felt like dessert. (Quick Note: If you print a photo on a drink, it's not travel friendly. Staff recommends that printed photo beverages are enjoyed on site.) I arrived at Bake Sale Cafe (Azusa) on a weekday (around 7:12AM). I quickly found parking in the business's customer parking lot. This coffee shop has poor visibility despite being a brisk drive from Azusa Pacific University. Staff (receipt says Stephanie) is professional, welcoming, and knowledgeable. Stephanie easily and respectfully answered all my questions. Stephanie also worked hard. My coffee took about six minutes. As mentioned, I enjoyed the Horchata Latte (Large - 20oz - $7.45 - 3 Shots of Espresso) with Pink Printed Photograph (additional $2) and Vanilla Cold Foam (extra $1.25). The top tasted like melted vanilla ice cream, and the coffee tasted clean & fresh despite the sugary aftertaste. This drink has POWER despite its prim, cutesy appearance. I felt my fingers jitter throughout the day as the sugar and THREE SHOTS of espresso slammed into me. YUM! On ambiance, Bake Sale Cafe (Azusa) is very clean and adorable with its light pastel colors. There's about five tables and two counters. And there's a high chair for kids & a water station. Bake Sale Cafe (Azusa) also has utility. This is a great, hidden spot to study. There's about five electrical outlets with big adapters for extra slots and USB ports. There's customer internet with password; there's also a QR code that customers can scan for internet information. Also, there's a gender neutral customer restroom just outside; customers must ask Staff for the restroom keys. The location is very clean and comfortable. Overall, Bake Sale Cafe (Azusa) is a literal hidden gem. Despite the bad visibility, there's visible passion and effort at this business. If curious, this is a very easy recommendation. 4.8 out of 5

A hidden gem bakery and coffee/tea shop has creative baked goods, sandwiches, chicken wraps and…read morespecialty drinks. Carmen and Stephanie assisted me (Mom and Daughter Team). I had the cutest Agua Fresca (Agua de Paraiso) which was Jamaica iced tea with Sugar-Free Vanilla Foam. For $2 extra, your selfie photo can be added on top and super cute like mine {*:*}. The drink menu is extensive and impressive, in Alpha order: Americano, Cappuccino, Espresso, Chai Lattes, Cold Brew, Espresso, Horchata, Lemonade, Matcha Cloud, Mexican Hot Chocolate (Abuelita and Mazapan), Tea (hot or iced) and more! They didn't have the Pumpkin Pie Horchata, as recommended by Sam, so I shall return! It was hard to decide which cookie to get, I chose the Banana Nut, but was so very tempted to try the S'mores or Dubai Chocolate cookie. The entrance does not face the street, I drove past and had to go back around the center divider. They have a small parking lot, no charge or time restriction, stay awhile! Sincerely, Rosemary

My first time here and they welcomed me as soon as I walked in the door!! The atmosphere inside was…read morenice and the decor was super cute. Everyone there was so welcoming and helpful when it came to making sure I got the perfect drink based off my preferences. There's so many options, honestly I had such a hard time deciding what to get as everything sounded sooo good! My drink came out in about 30 seconds and it was perfect. Definitely going to come back and try everything else!

We got recommended this coffee shop yesterday and so glad we tried it today. The drinks did NOT…read moredisappoint! We both liked the drinks and how the ratio from the ingredients complemented the flavors. Service was great! The cashier was attentive and outgoing. He answered my questions with his honest opinion in which I appreciate. Can't wait to come back tomorrow to try a different coffee and make sure to get the medium size instead of the small. That's how good and addicting their coffee is

We were a little confused on where the place was. We parked on the main street and had to walk…read morearound the lemon zest building to find it. There's limited free street parking and there's a free parking garage not too far. It's a small place that's definitely to go only. There wasn't any food on display so I'm assuming they don't sell food. I originally ordered a strawberry matcha but was informed they were out of matcha and wouldn't be getting any for another week. I was very disappointed to hear thay since that was the main drink I wanted to try. I ended up getting the cookie butter latte and it's so good! The espresso balances well with the sweetness of the cookie butter and it might be the best cookie butter latte I've tried. My friend got the hot mocha and I tried it and it was also really good! It tasted like the espresso melted an actual piece of chocolate. I usually don't like mocha drinks so this was a pleasant surprise. I will definitely return for the latte and to try the matcha!

I had been interested in making a visit to Kristos when I saw it on my social media feed, so we…read morestopped by over the weekend to grab a quick coffee before being out and about. Kristos is behind Lemon Zest, so it's in your best interest to turn onto Sixth Street and park in the lot there. The shop is very small, but clean. Service was good. We ordered the iced dulce de latte, iced baklava latte, and kids' hot chocolate. The baklava latte was good, but nothing crazy. The kids' hot chocolate my kid finished it, which doesn't happen often. Unfortunately the iced dulce de latte wasn't good, it had a very thick layer of dulce de leche that was difficult to stir and the mixture wasn't enjoyable. I would probably come back again to try something else on their menu, but I wouldn't go out of my way to do so.

Yelp and Google Maps both show this restaurant open on Sunday at 9 AM, so I drove 10 miles to buy…read moretheir churros. The sign on the door says open on Sunday at 9 AM. GUESS WHAT??? They were not. Hey, Azucanela, I really wanted to like this place. Maybe update your hours on Yelp and other sites to let us know you're closed.

This is a very cute coffee shop, very vibrant in colors and artwork. They also have daily events…read morethere. Each day has some sort of activity (such as comedy night, trivia, etc.) There is a very small private parking lot just behind the building. There is also street parking that you must adhere to depending on the day. There are tables outside of the store and some seats inside. It has air conditioning and it was very cold the day that I visited. I've tried their churros and they were extremely fresh and soft. I love their variety of dipping sauces, but I wanted to try it without any of them. They have some aqua frescas there besides coffee, but I opted for their strawberry lemonade because I don't drink coffee. The only part about sitting outside is that there is no trashcan to throw your trash. I could have left it on the table, but I didn't like to leave trash on the table(s) so I walked back inside to throw my trash away.

Very cool place!!! Service is solid…read more Coffees are on point!! I live rock distance from it. I gotta try the rest of the menu!! See you sooooooooon!!

Stopped by here yesterday about 1 p.m. because I'd heard good things and was in the area. Got the…read morelast parking spot behind the building which was fortuitous. Inside was refreshingly cool and mellow, not loud. Two groups of 4 people were enjoying their fare while having lively conversation. Movie poster decor on the walls and film themed menus add to the charm of this shared space: coffee shop and community work space (a separate room with tabletop computers and desks). I noticed the line was continuously about 6-8 people long, and the staff were not fazed at all, consistently friendly and helpful. I asked for a recommendation. They said the blue velvet was popular, and since I love matcha lattes, I decided to try it. Five minutes later and a beautifully layered subtly sweet drink was in my hand and I was comfortably seated in the corner on an upholstered low chair. A very hospitable, delicious experience! If I lived closer, I'd come here regularly for sure. Highly recommend!

Full service, fresh ingredients, clean space, great music…read more Took a chance exploring something new without really reading the reviews and couldn't have asked for anything better. We parked in the structure behind the restaurant. On weekends, parking is free for an indefinite amount of time. When we entered, we were greeted by the friendly staff and got a table by the window. The space is bright and filled with calming green accents and plants. The menu is simple and well curated. I briefly read some of the reviews while at the restaurant and they didn't lie, the crispy pork belly is a must. We ordered the Chili Oil Toast which comes with pork belly and avocado. If you're into numbing spice and a lot of chili oil, this dish is definitely for you. My tolerance is pretty weak, but the flavor is amazing! The house-made bread was extra crispy and delicious, but the pork belly... you'll just need to try it for yourself! My favorite was the Breakfast Burrito. This item was healthy and easy to eat. The egg was fluffy, the avocado was fresh, the turkey bacon added the perfect amount of salt, and the sweet potato balanced the salt. For the drinks, the Spanish Latte (hot) was a clear winner. The Matcha Latte was equally great, but needed a bit more syrup, which they kindly provided on the side. Highly recommend checking this place out when they have live DJs too! Customers are also free to sign up to DJ. The sets for sign ups start from 3PM to 9PM on Saturday.

What a fantastic find! From the moment we walked in, the vibe was chill and friendly. Felt like a…read moreplace run by chill people. it turns out it's owned by a couple who clearly put their heart into it. You will actually see the owners bussing tables. They actually came by to chat with us, which made the whole experience feel personal rather than just another meal out. Honestly, it's the kind of spot where you feel completely comfortable striking up a conversation with the table next to you too. That's how welcoming the atmosphere is. Food-wise, we couldn't have asked for better. The pork belly was absolutely delicious, the sourdough bread was perfectly soft, and the potatoes were seasoned just right. I'm not usually a big coffee drinker, but their iced vanilla latte won me over. Add in the DJ playing chill background music and the overall friendly atmosphere, and you've got a spot that nails both the food and the experience. Highly recommend if you want a meal that feels like more than just a transaction!