My favorite coffee shop in the area. Always great coffee and even better service. Shout out to my favorite baristas Riley, Sophie, Elijah, Samar, Max, Akemi, and Jacob! read more

Excellent pastries. The coffee was smooth and delicious. I wouldn't say the baristas were unfriendly, just that the place feels veryyyy pretentious. You can tell who the regulars are (and aren't). We felt out of place. Despite the weird vibes, I'd come back and get pastries and coffee to go. read more

Location was RESLLY hard to find. There was no signage or tables outside. We passed it a few times thinking the building was abandoned. There is a small black logo on the building... that you csnt really see because its on a black backgroung ‍‍. Staff was friendly. 3 starts cuz it wasn't easy to find and we drove out of our way just to go try them out. read more

If you are looking for a true "third place" this is it...James Coffee is the perfect blend of incredible coffee, baked goods and INCREDIBLE customer service. The ambiance and community this little shop with a big heart brings together is second to none. I came here looking for coffee and found an amazing group of individuals. If you are within 100 miles of this shop and craving a great cup of coffee...make your way here! read more

Great place and so happy they opened a locations in Escondido. They have the best coffee/pastries, place is clean and staff is always friendly. read more

I love that this location opened. Their coffee is delicious and pastries are so tasty. The staff is very kind and patient and I love their jar program. Every time we grab coffee for a guest and they see the jar, they think it's so cool. I get that it's not for some people, Escondido can be a tough crowd. My husband and I have added James into our rotation each week and have been visiting almost every day. read more

It was a 6 minute walk from my daughter's orthodontist. When we got there we were greeted by Bri. We ordered "warm" hot chocolate perfect temperature for my kiddo she loved it and finished it before we left the coffee shop. I got an americano and an almond croissant. 10 out 10 would recommend this spot and come back. read more

I have been to James Coffee on multiple occasions since writing my first review in April 2024. The staff here have taken plenty of measures since then to greatly improve the customer experience and address the product quality. As of now (September 2024), I have been told that James is resuming serving pastries baked in-store. They are also offering many fun additions to the menu--seasonal drinks, apparel, beverage 'accessories' (mugs, metal straws, etc.), customer loyalty discounts, e-mail marketing campaigns, and more. Both Bri and Bell have done a phenomenal job steering the Escondido store through some turbulent times, and despite this, have done a tremendous job providing a pleasant and enjoyable atmosphere for their customers. As I sit here today eating a delicious warmed almond croissant and drinking an iced mocha, I feel much better about the James Coffee now than I did when I first wrote this review. Because of the care and compassion that has gone into this business from April to now, I am gladly updating my review of James Coffee in Escondido. James Coffee remains my go-to café recommendation in Escondido. Thank you for all your dedicated work and commitment to service and to your craft! To much better times ahead... read more

This place deserves every star! Staff are sweet, personable, and skilled. The coffee is high quality, clearly freshly roasted. I tasted the condensed milk latte and their drip coffee. The pastries alone are worth coming in for, too. The bostok is luxurious, and the brown butter shortbread cookies are perfectly toasty with a robust cup of coffee. The atmosphere is clean and cool with touches of warmth, such as the "for here" mugs and display of unique greeting cards. Next time I'm in Escondido, I'll surely be back. read more

This place is great. Super nice place to get some work done or some studying. It's quiet and the drinks are awesome. I've tried some of the lattes but my favorite has been the coffee soda. I was feeling a little adventurous when I tried it but now that's my go two drink when I come here! read more

I'm not sure why they get all the four star reviews. I've been twice, and I've had the same experience: meh service and meh coffee. The latte was very milky - not a lot of coffee flavor at all. The glass jar exchange thing is interesting, but your first buy there ends up being like 8/9 dollars. And they upcharge for milk alternatives. The glass is also inexpensive and doesn't maintain the cold so it melts just as easily as anything else. Brought a friend today because she wanted to try it and she didn't like it very much either. I don't feel compelled to return. I'll stick to Kettle coffee for a local shop. read more

Love their iced teas and pastries! Everything was super clean and welcoming, great place to meet friends for coffee.

Had a horrible experience, cashier accidently misheard my order & charged me a extra drink and when I told cashier I only had orderd 2 they tried to make it a big deal as if I was going to ask for my money back instead I asked if they could get rid of the extra coffee or give it away then the barissta said I could just save it for later & inisited . They also sounded so appauled at the fact that i had wasted there drink and wouldnt take it , anyways my anxiety got the best of me & didn't want 2 deal the inconvenience so I took it. *coffee was alright though not the best not the worst . read more

First time at James Coffee today. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. The shop is so cute. The coffee is delicious! Best Mex Mocha, spicy! It was not too sweet like at most other places. Highly recommend! read more

This place has great espresso and the baristas pulled a perfect shot and steamed the milk perfectly. This place and Blue Mug were the only acceptable espresso I was able to find in the area (Leap was temporarily closed so not tested)--don't fool around with anywhere else! read more

The dirty chai with oat milk is a must have . My barista was super nice she's the one who recommended the drink . I will definitely be hooked on this drink ! I love the reusable cup program as well more places should definitely do this ! read more

went for a pickup order, got a text saying it was ready just to wait 10 minutes for the barista to finish her conversation to finally approach me. worst customer service read more

Elijah and Leah were awesome! Great recommendations (ham and cheese croissants) and coffee was the best! Leah made a phenomenal cappuccino. Elijah was very personable and genuine, I'll be back for sure. read more

James Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Escondido, California

Just discovered a new coffee joint in the neighborhood. Tucked away near downtown Escondido. Kind of an industrial feel for the atmosphere there. You can watch them make pastries while you sip on your espresso. Pretty cool. If you want to take it in the go you'll have to drop a deposit on some glassware. Trying to save the planet and reduce waste. It's not expensive so don't worry about it or just return it for the deposit and you've done your part for the world and drank some coffee to boot. Not bad if you ask me and if you're reading this then you sort of did. Give it a try. read more

Just the kindest staff. Bring a coffee vessel if you go! They serve their coffee in reusable glass jars, but I like it in my own mug/ tumbler if I can remember. read more

First time at James Coffee. Excellent coffee, we had Quiche and a Cruffin. Very delicious treat. Service was great. Definitely will be back.

This is seriously delicious espresso. I'm not a daily coffee drinker, and I am quite picky about the heat level of espresso and the heat and espresso to milk ratio of a latte. There are many places that scald the milk for lattes and over heat the drinks, generally, but James Coffee is leaps and bounds beyond anything else I've tried. This place is special, and I am glad I made the trip out from Encinitas to try it out. read more

Interesting spot. Easy to drive by without noticing (no signage) so make an effort to seek out. Coffee beans roasted in house and have a deep molasses or burnt caramel flavor. Lots of beautiful pastries to choose from. Prices are decent, staff is friendly and place is clean. I'll definitely return. read more

FINALLY!! One of the best coffee places has come to Escondido. I feel bad not going to the other local places in Esco anymore, but when the coffee and pastries are this quality, there's simply no question. The coffee can speak for itself. But I have to say, their croissants are LEGIT: actual buttery layers of flaky, crispy croissant. Thankful I don't have to drive an hour to Wayfarer just for a good croissant, now I have one 5 min away. The only problem is trying to make up your mind on what to choose and fighting the urge to buy one of everything. When you stand looking at the case of yummy pastries, suddenly spending your whole paycheck seems reasonable. read more

I LOVE their coffee. Nothing compares and most of the time, they have awesome service. Except today. There were 2 younger girls working the front and were not great at customer service. Got 2 out of 3 drinks wrong. All 3 were to go drinks. Didn't apologize or anything and acted put out that I had them remake it. I had opted for a single use since I have about 15 glasses jars at home and it's expensive getting them in jars. They gave us our cups with no lids. So I asked for lids and they gave me 3 of them for my drinks and didn't say a word. We were struggling to get them to fit and so I asked if they had lids that fit. They said no, that's why you got drinks with no lids. Weird. So drinks with no lids, said nothing about them not actually fitting the lids they gave us and didn't apologize or offer another option. We had a child with us so a lid is kind of important. Im not sure who these girls were but maybe some more training is needed. I go there all the time and get wholesale through them as well. I hope this isn't going to be my experience from here on out. read more

Coffee here is excellent, the staff is super friendly and the approach to sustainability is awesome. Absolutely love the pastries as well. Easily my favorite spot to go and work out of. read more

You get 2 stars because the inside was cool but that's all that was good about it. Went in thinking I was going to be trying some different good coffee and it was GROSS. The lady asked me if I wanted to do a jar deposit but it was my first time so I said "no I'm trying the coffee first".The service was ok intill I started eating. I was trying to eat when I noticed the baristas snickering and laughing at the counter while making eye contact with me. We waiting 30 minutes for 2 vanilla lattes that had no vanilla in them. No milk alternatives accept oat. One size cup if you don't get the car and it's like a Tall at Starbucks. I tried looking for new coffee but I guess I'm stuck with Starbucks or betterbuzz or black rock coffee ‍ read more

Their house coffee was just not something I would order again but that's just a personal opinion The whole "jar deposit" is an interesting idea read more

If you like pumpkin spice lattes then you HAVE to check out the lattes James Coffee Co makes!!! They use actual warm spices in their drink instead of a simple syrup. While you're there also check out their pastries. If you're fortunate enough to be around their Escondido location you'll be able to see their bakery. This has seriously become my favorite coffee shop read more

James Coffee bas delicious coffee and tea! Their pastries are out of this world! I adore the mocha hazelnut croissant and my husband loves the bacon, potato and cheese quiche! They make the pastries in the Esco location and they are the best! It has a cool vibe too! read more

Super good coffee, huge space and love the reusable drink program. Will definitely be back!

The Good: Coffee is really good. Good Pastries. The Bad: They take forever!!! The service is really slow. Have been here lots of times 1-2 per week since they opened. The last 4 visits they have take 25-30 minutes for 2 coffee's. That's just ridiculous. read more

The coffee is fine and the baked goods are good, but the counter staff are consistently pretentious and rude. I was waiting for my coffee (it took forever) while my husband looked through the window to watch the bakers at work. He loves kitchens, they delight him. The baker was nice and waved as he worked, but the guy measuring and weighing coffee shots (verrrrrry slowly) gave my husband this incredibly long up-down side-eye look and made a face. He must not have realized that I -- staring right at him from the other side -- saw the whole thing. But honestly I don't think he would have even cared. Another customer asked where her coffee was (she'd ordered before me and gotten one of hers but not the other, and I still hadn't gotten mine) and was told with a total lack of sympathy "It's being made..." I got mine before she got her second coffee. Mine took nearly ten minutes. It was a cappuccino. Not hard. This was the third time I've been in and I won't be going back. I can get better coffee from much friendlier people at Kettle or Manzanita. read more

Excellent coffee. It's expensive but very good. The pastries are delicious as well. The croissants are flakey and buttery.

Got like 5 different pastries in the morning, and each was dry, stale, and cold. Wouldn't recommend even if the pastries were a fraction of the price. read more

The condensed milk coffee with nutmeg is totally satisfying and delicious. Had delicious sweet pastries last visit. This time we had the turmeric focaccia bread with seasonal fruit. Great place. Initially seemed like an odd location but liking the atmosphere now. read more

From the moment I walked into this place I felt judged, ordered pastry an a latte, pastry was fine but the entire time I was eating it baristas were looking at me an snickering behind the counter. Aside from that there coffee is not of quality and had little to no flavor. I had high hopes for this place to have a good vibe an ambiance, sadly it was terrible. read more

I'm so happy Escondido has a James in town! The space is so cute and all of the barista are super nice, especially Elijah. He was so kind and helpful! Definitely recommend this location! read more

Delicious pastries and nice mild and unique coffee and tea flavors (just a little pricey)

Excellent place to relax and get a bite to eat or coffee. Friendly baristas. Kudos to their Togo reusable jars.