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    Lava Java

    3.8 (23 reviews)
    Open 6:00 am - 7:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Lava Java Photos

    LAVA JAVA ATMOSPHERE

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    a variety of sodas and beverages
    Kandy F.

    We were on vacation staying at the Catamaran Resort. The Lava Java is located on the first floor of the main building where you check in. The last time we were here, they were doing construction. Now that the Lava Java are open, we decided to check it out. They sell coffees, lattes, juices, waters, muffins, pasteries, salads, and more! Yep, it's a little pricey. However, this is a vacation resort.... The people working here are awesome! We were greeted with a smile! The ladies were very patient and helpful. We ordered a couple of lattes and muffins. All were delicious. It can get busy at times, but these ladies handled everything with grace!!!

    Latte to go
    jenny t.

    So flavorful. Enjoyed the almond latte with almond milk, unsweetened. My partner got a regular latte and it was just as yummy. There was only 2 staff working and though the guy kept asking the order taker what she wrote, wait was not too bad. Very convenient as it's located in our hotel. Even more surprised that it was pretty good!

    The Greene smoothie
    Caitlin H.

    Decent cafe inside of the Catamaran resort. I had a green smoothie which was delicious and healthy. It opens at 7am and closes at 7pm. They serve all sorts of drinks, snacks, and treats. Very convenient to have when you are staying at the resort.

    E ..

    Lava Java may be in a hotel lobby but it's definitely not "mediocre hotel coffee". No right minded person would ever scowl at this cup of joe because it's by far the best coffee I've ever had and I've had it all over the world! Even the iced coffee is top notch and it doesn't come in a 'child size' cup like many inferior places serve. The employees are highly efficient coffee professionals and are very pleasant to speak with on a wide range of topics, from nihilism to applied physics. Anyone who wants to know what truly great coffee is will never walk three blocks just to embarrass themselves by returning with a hot cup of disappointment, they will arrive at 6:54AM to line up for the best coffee on the planet, nay, to begin the most positive transformative human experience on the planet, Lava Java.

    Alex F.

    Nice little coffee bar inside the Catamaran Hotel. Open 6am to 8pm. Great selection of coffee, pastries, and sandwiches. Also has outdoor seating.

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    11 days ago

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    Ryan W.

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    5 months ago

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    Ryan W.

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    10 months ago

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    Ryan W.

    Helpful 9
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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    11 months ago

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    Ryan W.

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    2 years ago

    Stopped by here to try and get some work done, but unfortunately they do not offer free wifi to you unless you're staying at the hotel.

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    Ryan W.

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Decent coffee spot inside Catamaran Hotel - good for quick coffee or latte or a bagel, DO NOT order the breakfast burrito, it was awful.

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    Ryan W.

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    6 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Quick coffee place in the Catamaran, perfectly adequate and quick service. Prepared sandwiches and foods as well.

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    6 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    Ask the Community - Lava Java

    Review Highlights - Lava Java

    This coffee shop is located inside the catamaran resort right off the lobby.

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Molly's

    Molly's

    4.2(162 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    Food was great! Breakfast Burrito delicious. Sandwiches, coffee, drinks all five stars!…read more Wonderful outdoor dog-friendly patio lunch spot too. Will be back!!!

    I will preface this review with the acknowledgment that this is the epitome of first world…read moreproblems. I actually love this place (I could have sworn I had reviewed positively before). I'm just extremely disappointed with how poor my experience was today because I had only super positive experiences previously and was looking forward to dining there this morning after sometime away, but holy hell ....today's experience has been so profoundly bad. Firstly, my husband ordered two breakfast burritos - one with bacon and the other with bacon on the side. I'll chalk this one up to miscommunication, but they put bacon in one, and bacon in the other too - and then added bacon on the side to the other and charged us $5.50 for the extra bacon. Again, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt here and will be sure to communicate explicitly next time. They kindly made me a new one, but the new one had potatoes that weren't cooked thoroughly (likely to rush the food to me, so I acknowledge the difficulty here), however there was hardly any avocado. I literally had to complain again because I didn't believe there was any avocado at all. I wouldn't be as pissed if this weren't an EIGHTEEN DOLLAR breakfast burrito. Lastly, the coffee lids don't fit on the cups. We tried to put one on and ended up spilling the entire coffee. I chalked this up to an accident on our part, however another patron who observed our incident said "their lids don't fit the cup, right??" And I was like "oh so it wasn't just us??" And she was like "no, I almost spilled mine all over too." This random patron encouraged us to ask for a new cup of coffee as a result (thanks, random patron!). The Molly's team did kindly make us a new (albeit quite bitter) drink, which I appreciate. However, the lid was still an issue - it would spill out of the cup all over the rim between the cup and the lid when I'd try to take a sip, so I took off the lid entirely, but then was stuck with dealing with spills while walking around - I had to move at a snail's pace to prevent spills altogether. This was easier to deal with random leakage around the entire cup every time I'd sip with the lid on. Ultimately It was just a lose-lose with the ill fitting lid situation. All this to say - Molly's Team, yall were fantastic just a month ago. What happened? I understand food and services in the beach area stuff are often expensive and rarely good, but you guys are *too* expensive for this poor of service and quality. Two stars because at least the folks there are generally nice.

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    Molly's
    Molly's
    Molly's - Chia Pudding

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    Chia Pudding

    Juice Wave - Wave Bowl

    Juice Wave

    4.8(455 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    Prefacing with - I don't really eat Acai Bowls, it feels like just a thick smoothie with some…read moretoppings but I cannot deny that Juice Wave changed my perspective completely and I understand the hype. You can't really beat the refreshing taste of fresh fruit and nutty granola and butter. Especially when you can take this delectable bowl to the beach and just vibe in the sand. Wave Bowl $16 (14.50+1.50): 5/5 The bowl itself looks fairly small like, but deceptively so since I was stuffed after eating the whole thing for breakfast. It is higher cost than I would usually spend but I don't eat açaí bowls to know the average. Personally I really liked that the toppings were at the bottom and the bases were on top, not just because it was a beautiful display but because sometimes when it is the opposite, it can quickly get messy with toppings falling and dropping. The granola was crunchy and the add-on nut butter ($1.50) was plentiful and contrasted well to the fruits. You get some finely diced strawberries and bananas that were just the right amount of ripe, the bananas a little more firm but definitely preferred with the bases. The pineapple spirulina was favorite as it had a good sweetness to it. Honestly wished I could get a bowl with just this as a base and of course the natural blue color is just so unique. Coconut was coconutty and the pitaya was brightly colored, not too much distinctive taste on this one. Peak San Diego Experience

    I'm a hater, I hate to admit it but I love un influencing these instagram/tik tok famous places. So…read moreoften they end up being a trend based on good marketing tactics which is amazing but good marketing doesn't mean good flavor and good service. In this case yes the bowl was OK was but was no better than the 3 other bowl places within a mile of this location. The wait was LONG as for many of the bowl places on this street but this one was extra long as in 45 minutes to an hour wait on off hours long. And of course with all these tik tok famous places the price was inflated. Based on taste alone I could have given this place 4 starts but the extra tik tok tax(inflated price just for being TikTok trendy) and extra wait time for the exact same thing you can get anywhere else rubbed me wrong so I'm going to have to leave this 3 star right here.

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    Juice Wave
    Juice Wave - Good vibes and delicious bowl

    Good vibes and delicious bowl

    Juice Wave

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    Pump Coffee - Coconut white mocha 100/10

    Pump Coffee

    4.8(270 reviews)
    0.2 miPacific Beach
    $$

    We come to PB once a year around the holidays, and love trying new places. We are often looking for…read morenew places to grab a drink, or have coffee in the morning. We try to stay away from S-Bux in favor of trying and supporting the local spots! This is actually the second year in a row that we've come to Pump. We first discovered it last year during a combination of Yelp searches, and a little A-Frame sign they have along the boardwalk. The reviews were mostly all good, and we quickly understood why. LOCATION & INSIDE: Located in a little outdoor shopping center, the inside itself is pretty small. Amongst different areas, there is room for around a dozen or less people to sit inside. They have a little space against the wall across from the counter where they sell shirts and other items such as travel mugs, glass sippers, and mushroom coffee! There are a few additional tables out front, but I recommend taking your coffee down for a stroll along the beach if the weather permits. DRINKS: This is a pretty typical coffee shop in terms of offerings, with options including regular coffee, cold brew, pour-over, espresso, cappuccino, americano, latte, tea, tea latte, and hot chocolate. They have several options for most categories, including a Caramel Macchiato, (White) Mocha, and a Rose Lavender latte, to name a few. They also have seasonal drinks, which are currently a Tiramisu Cold Brew and a Peppermint White (Chocolate) Mocha. For tea lattes, they have items like a Chai Latte, Matcha Latte, and even a few variations of those. The first time we went (last year), we got hot drinks. This most recent time we went (a couple days ago) we went with iced lattes. The wifey ordered the Rose Lavender, and I got the French Vanilla latte. We both loved our drinks, and were very happy with our decisions. It's only a difference of $0.50 to go from small (12oz.) to large (16oz.) and +$1 to have an alternative milk. We love to use oat milk, as it helps create an extra creamy drink. While they don't typically have their own cold foam per-se, they were able to add some of the whipped mascarpone from the tiramisu latte on top. Honestly this was the perfect topper to an already incredibly creamy and delicious drink. They also added some dried rose petals to the lavender one, which was a nice aesthetic. FOOD: There are just a few options, including various croissants and vegan pastries. They don't have a full kitchen, so the stuff isn't freshly made in-house. For the animal friends in your life, they also offer a Puppaccino for $1! OVERALL: This is definitely a place worth stopping for some quality coffee. They generally have 2 people working, unless one's on break or something. The service is pretty casual, and can take a while if there's a line. They take an order, then make the drink. The staff were all super friendly and welcoming, and this is definitely a place we have added to the rotation during our annual holiday trip! IG: @bbnem.eats

    I was really disappointed with the cold brew. I expected a smooth, rich, bold flavor, but instead…read moreit was extremely sour and tangy to the point that it honestly tasted under-extracted. It lacked the deep, balanced flavor most people associate with cold brew and instead had a sharp acidic taste that was hard to drink. I know some coffee shops prefer a brighter, fruit-forward style, but this tasted overwhelmingly sour rather than smooth or refreshing. Unfortunately it was one of the worst cold brews I've had and I would not order it again.

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    Pump Coffee - Ham croissant

    Ham croissant

    Pump Coffee - Pour over + a book on the beach = heaven

    Pour over + a book on the beach = heaven

    Pump Coffee - Pastries

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    Pastries

    Lava Java - coffee - Updated May 2026

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