What a quaint cafe that serves up mean sandwiches and drinks. Parking lot was quite spacious and there were plenty of tables indoors and outdoors. Their menu had a wide variety of caffeinated drinks, smoothies, and hot or cold sandwiches. Although they've been packed every time I've visited, service was friendly and quite fast. For take-out orders, make sure to check-in so then the sandwich can get toasted. =YUM= *Valley Toffee: buttery smoothness with a nutty aftertaste. Slightly sweet, almost chocolatey. *Unicorn Tea Latte: fun tea based drink that the barista proudly presented us with a pink separation before we mixed it up. Had the pleasant tea fragrance but with a creamy, fruity taste. *Classic Reuben Sandwich: piled high with beef and glued together with cheese. Wished there was more sauce to give the sandwich moisture but I still enjoyed the saltiness and meatiness. *Chicken Arugula Panini: simple chicken sandwich with fresh vegetables. Bread was the best component and would suit those who prefer a lighter, balanced sandwich. *Raspberry Turkey Panini: my favorite sandwich from here and a contender for my most favorite panini ever. Most definitely thanksgiving inspired and I loved the combination of savory from the turkey with the sweet raspberry jam. The sliced pear that was warmed up with the fresh tomato and onion--mwuah, excellent. All wrapped up in a crusty, toasted ciabatta roll. Despite having a large menu, Light Bulb Coffee has satisfied me with every item so far. Their drinks have been executed well and were notably distinct from other cafes. Paninis were great and I love a cafe that does both drinks and food well. read more

See all

I love this place!!! Such great coffee, AMAZING pastries (seriously-- they are to die for), awesome customer service and staff, and such a cute vibe on the inside too! Perfect for meeting up w some friends for a quick coffee while you explore some stores around here, or even getting some work done! Will def be back here again! read more

good quality coffee & their drinks are so good, it's for sure my favorite coffee shop! & they have really good service too. the only con about them is that their drinks can be very inconsistent. if i order the same drink twice, the second time tastes different from the first. read more

Lightbulb Coffee - Iced Lightbulb Coconut Coffee - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - La Mesa, California

The ambiance is amazing and beautiful. Plus the beverages are perfect and the food is to die for. read more

Lightbulb Coffee - Vietnamese coffee Vanilla Caramel latte Turkey Pesto - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - La Mesa, California

I highly recommend trying the sandwich , Specifically this one that comes with gouda cheese, As for the drinks, they all look great, but I also recommend red tea and it's iced with mango pieces and hot coffee, I preferred them Turkish Hazelnut Coffee. The treatment of the staff is great, the shop is clean and the service is quick read more

This is an amazing coffee shop! An excellent café with a chill yet elegant ambience. All of the staff members are pleasant, knowledgeable, and incredibly efficient. They have so many different incredible brews the all have different influences. The variety is top notch. I can easily see why it replaced the mediocre chain coffee place that resided here prior. The coffee was so good and the service was so quick, I have already recommended it to others and will definitely be returning here. read more

Love me some lightbulb! Every milkshake or smoothie I have tried is great! The bathroom and area inside is clean and always has nice music playing. The decorations inside are so unique and filled with horses. Love it! The food is also very good and the service is always on par. When the manager is there she gives us military folks a discount, which is nice. Great local spot to go to, head on over and give it a try! read more

Great place for lunch and coffee. Got 2 nitros. Quick service. Plenty of seating. Nice quiet and peaceful ambiance. Good music.

Put this coffee shop on your San Diego bucket list now! If I worked from home and lived in the area, I would be at this coffee shop from the time it opens to the time they close. I am not exaggerating, from the outside it doesn't look like much but once I walked in I instantly loved the decor. It is super cute, with Lots of room for a small team meeting and intimate enough for a romantic coffee date. The decor is very unique and charming you can tell they put a lot of thought into making the space stand out. An antique and modern atmosphere. I could go on and on about the decor and ambiance. Anyway, I ordered possibly the "BEST LATTE" I have ever tasted. Chocolate monster with oat milk. It tasted so so so good, it left me speechless. Friendly staff, I waited for my order for about 10 minutes. I also ordered the chicken and mushrooms panini which was still steaming hot when I picked it up. It was fresh and delicious. This place is a coffee lover's dream. read more

See all

I've never been here but have always seen it so I figured I'd give it a try! I only had one beverage the unicorn tea latte...it was ok but in my opinion the berry tea didn't mix well with the cream or vanilla syrup. The ambience is awesome, love the decor and the staff are super friendly. Next time I think I'll try a coffee and sandwich! read more

Lightbulb Coffee - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - La Mesa, California

Great German coffee, with ice cream is my favorite on the menu. Lots of couches to sit and relax, spacious shop with a young hip vibe. Great place to go in La Mesa. read more

I like this coffee shop! High quality taste (always a good Turkish coffee and another great drinks), lots of food options and even for bakery, nice decor and most importantly great vibes. :) The staff are friendly and remember you & your orders, plus they are easy to communicate with & work fast. Definitely swing by if you're visiting La Mesa... read more

Lightbulb Coffee - Fresh Bakery - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - La Mesa, California

Amazing spot! I loved everything about it. I work remote so this was a great location not too loud. The ambiance was great, loved the Devore. Customer service was great and the food and coffee was amazing ! I did order a cannoli which wasn't that great but won't knock any points for that. Lol I will definitely be returning with my cute light bulb refillable cup! read more

What is there to not say about this lovely cafe in La Mesa? So many menu options, all delicious. I'm lucky to live so close to this spot and have enjoyed my walks here, or random work sessions at the cafe, as I settled into my new neighborhood. I've brought several friends here, and have run into many more on random days. This place is a community hub and I love it. They ll have random game nights, poetry nights, evening meetings, and other activities outside of their normal hours. I love this spot. Highly recommend their spiced chai latte, pistachio croissants, any of their bagels sandwiches, their smoothies, etc... so much to not try and love! read more

Cute, nice and quiet and dark inside. I got a regular sized cold brew. Staff was engaging and warm and I had a fun exchange and quick conversation with my barista. They have free one hour parking. It was a pleasant experience. I'd come again. read more

Lightbulb Coffee - Regular cold brew - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - La Mesa, California

See all

This is a great and spacious cafe for studying, doing remote work, or hanging out with friends. I love their decor and space. It felt like a cozy cafe. It gives the typical coffee shop/cafe vibes. I recommend trying their Turkish Hazelnut drink. It's was unique and good. You have the option of getting it in a light bulb shaped glass, which is unique. Their pastry was very good. The lox bagel was savory and delicious. This cafe is great for breakfast and maybe even brunch. Overall, I recommend this cafe! read more

See all

This is such a cute spot to go to go study or read a book or catch up with a friend. I ordered their Muenster Mushroom Panini which didn't actually have mushrooms in it hence I'm giving them a 4/5. Otherwise the sandwich was actually so delish and the sauce on it was super good. I also got an Eggnog Latte which I would highly recommend! The lady taking my order was super nice! read more

Lightbulb Coffee - Eggnog Latte - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - La Mesa, California

See all

This place is great for a quick coffee and snack. It has a good amount of seating and a really interesting vibe. The veggie bagel was great and the coffee was good. read more

A lovely LARGE space for studying, chatting and dancing! Drinks were unique and delicious. read more

Lightbulb Coffee - Delicious coffee and plenty of random decor to entertain the kiddo - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - La Mesa, California

Loved this place. Great employees and great food and drink. The place is so cozy and great for studying

The food is amazing. Every time I come in it's always welcoming and wonderful. The employees greet are super nice and friendly. The vibe in the cafe is really relaxing just to enjoy a day off of work. read more

Lightbulb Coffee - Turkish Hazelnut Latte and tomato Basil pastry - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - La Mesa, California

The staff is always so sweet and friendly! I also love the consistency in good food and drinks and always like sitting and having my drink there rather then take it to go. read more

I tried Light Bulb Coffee this weekend and really enjoyed everything I tried. I had the Cali Pistachio Latte, which was such a good balance of nutty pistachio and sweet, while not being too sweet. I love the presentation in the light bulb cup, it's really unique! I also had the avocado bagel and the raspberry turkey panini. Both were delicious! The ingredients felt fresh and high quality. I also had a strawberry danish that was flaky, buttery, and creamy with fresh strawberries on top, that was really really good. Our food and drinks were ready quickly and were all very tasty. I'd definitely go back to try more of their menu items. read more

See all

If you are diabetic and are new to this place out I would highly recommend talking to the barista about the amount of sweetness to each of their coffee drinks. I came here since it was close by my work and I wanted a change of scenery from my small break room at work. The place is extremely popular. A place where a lot of people come for friend meet ups, gathering meeting and a place to study. When I ordered my drinks I asked the women behind the counter about the seasonal menu. She had mentioned that she liked the trick or treat latte which is a combination of pumpkin spice and caramel. Problem is I don't care for pumpkin spice lattes so I asked about the gingerbread latte. Now there is two: gingerbread latte and gingerbread CARAMEL latte. I asked if it could be iced and how intense the sweetness of the drink it. She explained that all of them could be iced but that the gingerbread with caramel was extremely sweet but that they could also make it half sweet. I asked for the half sweet and then asked to replace the normal milk with oat milk. Along with the drink I asked for the Golden Chicken Pear and cranberry sandwich. I think the barista with the glasses didn't realize I wanted it half sweet and boy what that gingerbread caramel SWEET!!!! I thought I would be fine since most of not all coffee shops make mild sweetness lattes but they definitely speak to a sweeter tooth of a crowd. Which is fine, I totally know there is a demand for that but I wasn't expecting it to be that sweet. I think it would have been better if it was half sweet like I originally ordered but mistakes happen and I can't fault them for that. Miss communications happen all the time. The sandwich was EXTREMELY sweet as well. I knew there was cranberry sauce but I didn't know it would be so over powering. I had to deconstruct the sandwich at one point so I could eat it. The sauce in the sandwich was flavorful, the deli meat is delicious, boars head premium deli meat which is always a must. The Havarti cheese was beautifully melted on the bread and the pears were thinly sliced and sour sweet. There is plenty of parking but I do recommend avoid g lunch time which is closer to 12 to 1 since they do share the lot with other places. The place itself it very pleasing and very hipster vibes. Over all I really do enjoy this place and feel like I would enjoy it more if I got a drink a little less sweet and food a little more savory. The 3 ladies running the back counter were kind. Not overly kind but not mean in any regards. They were more focused if anything which I appreciate, especially in the food industry type business. Most cafes have workers not really caring and fooling off. But not the group of today at 11:46am on 10/26/21 read more

Lightbulb Coffee - Gingerbread Caramel Latte iced (seasonal) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - La Mesa, California

See all

Love coming here but the customer services is rude sometimes. If they're having a bad day it shows. So won't be going back.

Got here on a hot day, was really looking forward to one of their lattes, at 5:45 PM was told that they don't have any espresso drinks since they are shutting it down to clean it. Shouldn't that be done after closing, and then they offered cold brew, which I personally don't like and it's not a replacement for a nice espresso drink. Never coming here again. Other coffee shops serve espresso drinks until they close. I feel bad for the owner since he'll be losing a lot of business like this!!! read more

This place has a nice vibe inside could even go study if you wanted. The coffee is delicious I usually get the coconut mocha. Their food is also really good my go to is the turkey pesto sandwich the bread is real thick and the turkey is higher quality and the pesto is really balanced flavor read more

Lightbulb Coffee - Coconut Mocha - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - La Mesa, California

See all

This is one of my favorite coffee shops to go to while I'm in the area but I also like to stop here on my way to work for my in office days. There are so many choices of coffee and their food choices have never disappointed. I've tried nearly every sandwich and wrap and they're truly all delicious. The baristas have all been very sweet and the ambiance also has a cozy vibe. I love the decor and how it's honestly slightly dark. There are lots of great coffee shops in close vicinity to each other, and this is absolutely one of them. read more

Most amazing coffee. They're very knowledgeable about their beans and I genuinely am a snob. I love their lightbulb coconut latte (I think that's what it was called). It was heavenly read more

Very cute ambiance. Yummy coffee. Delicious treats. The service was good and friendly. I would recommend!

This place was great for sandwiches a few months ago....but it seems like there is new ownership or staff - the last several times the staff hasnt been as friendly, the sandwiches are rushed and no longer toasted that well. The bread seems to be not as fresh and pastries seem like they've been sitting the whole week. read more

The place is cute but wow it's one of the most overpriced shops I've been to. The 7$ coffee was DISGUSTING maybe I'm just a coffee enthusiast but wow it was unpleasant. The tea I got which was just regular brewed tea was also $7 and BLAND. The tables were dirty too. It has so much potential it's sad. read more

The Spanish latte was super good! Not overly sweet and just right for me. The almond croissant was light and flaky with just rough of the almond filling to be superb! I'll go again. My friend had the avocado bagel and she loved it. read more

Light Bulb Coffee is a very cute, Instagrammable cafe that serves delicious coffee beverages and sandwiches. There are plenty of cozy seating areas to choose from. The dining area feels very woodsy and softly lit by tungsten lightbulbs. There is also a patio area if you would rather sit outside and enjoy the day. During my time there, I noticed remote-working professionals set up with their laptops, friends meeting up for coffee, and parents getting their caffeine fix as their children feasted on breakfast pastries. I had never been to this spot before, but I found their website first and noticed that it is close to my work. Their website includes a platform for online ordering, so I thought that it would make sense for me to place my order through their platform online, pick up my breakfast, and eat it before I had to clock in at my job. It looked like my order would take the same time to prepare as it would for me to drive to the shop, so it made sense for me and my slight time restriction. When I arrived, not only was my order not ready, but the staff wasn't even aware that an order had been placed. They did start right away on my order, but when I told them about the breakfast sandwich that I had ordered- and added extra ingredients to for an additional charge- they notified me that they don't even serve the extra ingredient options I had selected. The customer service aspect of the business only got more awkward from there. The staff acted a tad condescending and like I should have known what ingredients they do and do not carry despite never having been before and having my expectations set by their online menu. The owner or manager treated me as though I was trying to swindle him out of a free meal when I showed him my confirmation email with my receipt. He demanded that I check my bank account right then and there to see if my account had actually been charged. I didn't think it had, so I made sure I paid for my order and waited. The staff didn't notify me directly that the items in my order were ready- one of the other nearby patrons told me. Even though the sandwich I received was tasty, it still just wasn't what I wanted due to the lack of extra ingredients I believed I would receive during my travel to the shop. I also felt poorly treated by both the staff and store leadership for an honest mistake involving the online menu. I'll give them credit where credit is due, it is good coffee, the food is delicious, and the atmosphere is excellent. Your experience may be better than my own if you do not go through their online platform. read more

Loved their Pitcraft Turkey sandwich! It was the perfect size and delicious! Came in on a Sunday morning with family and I enjoyed the food and my Americano coffee! read more

I work for a living paying $12.50 for a mediocre rap that I could've gone to sonic and got a better rap then when I got here and seven dollars for a smoothie that I could've got at sonic would've been a lot better and less money $12.50 for a wrap seven dollars for a smoothie came to almost 20 bucks for two items for one person probably my last time ever going to here again. On top of that, I think I got food poisoning from them. read more

I loved this spot! I went here yesterday for the first time and was really impressed! The aesthetic is fun and whimsical. I ordered the avocado hummus sandwich (no feta cheese to be vegan) and it was really good and super filling! My friend got the turkey avocado wrap and she really liked it. Love the amount of middle eastern inspired menu items. We sat next to Mango the bird 5/5 will be sure to be back!! read more

Lightbulb Coffee - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - La Mesa, California

I'm disappointed to write this review. My wife and I prefer spending our money at local coffee shops, as opposed to big ones like Starbucks, so we have frequented this spot over the past few years since we moved here. It's been a bonus that we live up the street. The ambience is cute. The service has never been very friendly but we've over looked that because until recently we have always enjoyed their coffees. Over a month ago, Light Bulb let us down for the first time. Both of our coffees tasted so bad, they were undrinkable. That day I called multiple times but the phone just kept ringing and never even went to voicemail. Had it done so, I would've left a message. Since we were busy all day prepping for a trip, we didn't go back in-person that day and decided to toss out our drinks and call it a loss. Then, a week ago we decided to give Light Bulb another chance, hoping our previous experience was just a fluke. This time we ordered the Vietnamese coffee and a hot Turkish hazelnut via their online system. The system said it'd be ready in 5 minutes so I thought it'd be ready when I arrived 15 minutes later. It wasn't busy inside but it took over 10 minutes to be acknowledged and to receive my order. I tasted my drink when I got back into the car and it tasted fine. After we left, I realized that was only because the sweetness was on the bottom and had not been mixed in yet. Once I had enough room to stir, I mixed and it tasted like very stale coffee beans were used. I was bummed my coffee was bad a second time but didn't want to deal with the frustration of calling Light Bulb again, only for me to not get through. Plus, I needed the caffeine so I plugged my nose and drank fast. My wife didn't taste hers immediately because it was too hot. When she finally did, she said it had a very offputting chemical taste and the viscosity was unusually thick and foamy. She couldn't bring herself to drink it. Upset her drink was also undrinkable for a second time, she decided to forego the frustration of calling with no answer. However, since it was so late when we got home, she made the decision to take the full drink back the next day. The following day, she took the drink in and asked if she could exchange it for something different. The barista said her manager wouldn't allow her to since it wasn't from the same day. My wife explained the situation about how this was the second visit we were not satisfied with our drinks but just wanted this one, single coffee to be exchanged for something else. The barista said her manager wouldn't allow giving her a free drink. Realizing the barista didn't have the ability to help her, my wife gave the barista her contact information to relay to the manager hoping she could discuss it them. The barista assured her the manager would call that day. A week has gone by and the manager hasn't reached out to my wife. I really hoped the manager would've made things right for us so we could continue supporting them. We're beyond sad we can't refer to Light Bulb as our favorite coffee spot anymore. read more

We've gone to lightbulb for a year, regularly. We now will no longer go. We have had several less-than experiences, but today tipped it over for us. The cashier was sitting on the counter with her back turned, mask off, and texting when we tried to order. Additionally, she gave us drinks that were only 70% full. These two drinks were $15.25 before tip. These are there smallest cups too. We are very disappointed. We have been longtime customers but will likely go elsewhere. This is the second negative experience we have had in a row. We loved lightbulb but we wanted to make others aware. I'll attach pictures of the coffees. read more

Lightbulb Coffee - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - La Mesa, California

See all

10/10!! Wow! Stubbled across Lightbulb Coffee after a mini adventure throughout Downtown La Mesa and so glad we went with this cafe! We were given a quick run down regarding the drinks with what's popular and we decided to go with the Cali Pistachio and Turkish Hazelnut. We also ordered a Lox Bagel and coffee cake to share. Alll the menu items are priced fairly and actually have really good quality ingredients!! What I know about the pastries too is that they're bought from a local bakery so really.. if you buy from this coffee shop, you're also supporting the community Loved the customer service and ambiance! We will definitely be back read more

Lightbulb Coffee - Iced TURKISH HAZELNUT, iced CALI PISTACHIO, LOX BAGEL and coffee cake - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - La Mesa, California