Recreational Coffee lived up to expectations. I ordered an oat Honey Vanilla latte and a hot Mocha. Both drinks were delicious and well balanced. Everyone was very professional and courteous. The barista for the day did a great job with the drinks. When I've seen baristas at other spots make cardinal sins when dosing and preparing the portafilters for extraction, I look at the work of the barista. Lots of competition in the area for great coffee you'd be wise to give this place a try. I need to make the time to get down to the shop again. Get something new off the menu. It is Downtown Long Beach, so do expect lots of traffic on the weekends, but I went right when they open and it was smooth to get in and out with parking and service of my drinks. read more

Recreational Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

Nice place to grab coffee. Staff was helpful and service was quick. Came on a weekday night and it was pretty packed. They have outlets and is nice place to get work done. I got the almond orgeat latte and my friend got the honey oat latte. Both were really good. The almond latte reminded me of an almond milk tea. Drinks were good. Adequate street parking but also there's a parking structure near by read more

Recreational Coffee - Almond latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

Loved this place! Employees were super nice and informative with the menu. We got blueberry matcha lattes which were super good. Their blueberry syrup is killer! They have a little bar you can sit at which added to the ambiance of the shop. Will definitely be coming back when I'm in LB! read more

Recreational Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

The iced honey vanilla latte with oak milk is one of the best lattes I've ever had!! Highly recommend this drink. Staff was super kind and patient with my questions. Cute interior with some indoor and outdoor seating. Metered street parking or nearby city-owned lots (first 2 hrs free). read more

Recreational Coffee - Iced honey vanilla latte with oat milk - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

$8.50 for an horchata latte (and it's small cup) and it doesn't even taste like horchata, barely tastes caffeinated, go if u want overpriced milk read more

Recreational Coffee is a small independent roaster and coffee shop located in downtown Long Beach, one block off the Promenade. Although the space is small, it is obviously popular with the locals. There is indoor and outdoor seating available. The coffee is great and the staff/vibe very friendly. They even have complimentary dog treats on the counter. The day I was here, only one person was working so the line grew long and service was slow. Interestingly, no one seemed to be impatient! They are very well known for the Espresso Shake and for their bags of fresh roasted coffee beans. Great place for a cup 'o Joe and a stroll along the Promenade. read more

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Was in the area looking for a good coffee spot and the restaurant across recommended Recreational. For a Sunday afternoon there was no wait and the coffee came out nice and quick. The service was very friendly and helpful; I've been loving Honey Vanilla lattes lately so I opted for that, while my husband got the Cinnamon Dolce Latte. Their lattes are definitely on the pricier side ($7+ each), but their coffee does taste very flavorful. I loved my HV Latte but CD could've used a little more love in my opinion. The cafe itself is very cute and cozy and VERY clean, most importantly. Seems like a very nice calm place to also study and get work done. There is also a lot of parking around with short walking distance! read more

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I tried the Avocado Toast and the Iced Honey Vanilla Latte. Both were very tasty and satisfying. Toast was crunchy and soft. Will come back and try more read more

Recreational Coffee - Avocado Toast & Iced Honey Vanilla Latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

The coffee was really good. I had a Cappuccino with Cinnamon and it was delicious. Both the sweet and savory scones were also really tasty and freshly baked and a great compliment to the Cappuccino. The barista was very friendly and we did not have to wait long. The seating is a little limited. Otherwise, I highly recommend it. read more

I went in there around 7 AM and parked in the structure. I was in and out of there in less than 10 minutes so I didn't have to pay. Prior to arriving I had seen Yelp reviews where people ordered burritos and other food items. However, I learned that they hadn't sold burritos in years and they did not have food to serve to me that morning. That was a bummer! I ordered the iced honey vanilla latte with oat milk and it was good! The place itself was kept very clean and it was nice and quiet. read more

polite service but disgusting coffee it's really watered down and we couldn't taste the coffee at all...don't get the mocha...to expensive to be this bad. read more

I've been picking up their (very good) cold brew on my way to grabbing beer from Beachwood, since they opened, and just realized I'd never written them a review! Until recently, that's all I'd gotten from them (since DTLB isn't lacking in great coffee shop choices, and this one's slightly further away), but when I heard their seasonal drinks this holiday season were a. a vegan oat milk based "egg" nog, and b. fresh peppermint mocha with chocolate sauce made in-house, I knew I needed to try both of them, so I did! (One last weekend, the other just now.) Unsurprisingly, both were excellent - both exactly what you'd want, something that captures all the richness and sweetness, but is also *drinkable* and not sickly sweet or syrupy (and in the eggnog case, is also vegan - I don't care about vegan, but I am always a little weirded by the egg in eggnog, so that's a fun, welcome twist.) Anyway, I also noticed they had a single-source rotating espresso on the menu for $3.50 too, and originally I was going to come back and try it later, but then I was like, you only live once, and got an espresso today too. Verdict: totally worth the extra 50 cents. Obviously it'll be different at some point when they decide to switch it up, but for right now at least, I think it's my new favorite espresso. Creamy and rich and savory and not overly bitter - and if they still have to serve everything in cardboard cause of covid, at least this is the first coffee shop I've been to post-covid that's served their espresso in proper *small* cardboard cups (not only better for the environment having less waste, better for my espresso not getting cold in 3 seconds, too!) read more

Overall rating: 4/5 Wait: 4/5 Arrival time: Saturday 9am Food: 4/5 Order: honey vanilla oat milk latte Service: n/a Price: 4/5 Worth it, would come back Recreational Coffee is a delightful spot where the buzz isn't just from the caffeine. The honey vanilla oat milk latte is a sweet symphony in a cup, a must-try for any coffee aficionado. The wait time is reasonable, especially considering the care that goes into each beverage. While the service rating remains a mystery, the friendly ambiance speaks volumes. The pricing is fair, reflecting the quality of the offerings. It's a place that warrants a return, not just for the coffee, but for the experience. Definitely a gem worth adding to your coffee rotation. read more

Honestly I'm not sure how they have 4 stars. The person in front of me complained and when I got our coffee I understood why. The Americano is very small 6-8 oz for the $5 price tag so I was hoping for a great tasting Coffee and it was just okay. My wife got the ice cream coffee that has TONS of salt in it and it was around $10 bucks. She took one taste and tossed it in the trash where it belongs. She felt bad for having me pay for a $10 for a small coffee that she could not drink. I gave it 2 stars for having a clean restroom but that's about it. read more

Really cool vibe when I came in for a chai latte this morning. Bad bunny was playing and it was a lot of fun. They only have whole milk so I had to opt for almond milk for the extra charge. Wish there were low fat or no fat milk options. All in all, my drink was good. I also got their bacon sandwich and it wasn't really anything special. I would hold off on grabbing food from here. Another plus, there's a couple of outside seats. I'll be back! read more

Recreational Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

Fun fact - on Google Maps, Recreational Coffee is described as a "Hip coffee bar with light eats." Although this nails it right on the red nose, I feel like you can't explicitly call something "hip" or it'll make it non-hip. Perro asi es la vida... Regardless, Recreational Coffee is a perrty dope spot in the middle of DTLB. Close to the corner of Long Beach Blvd and 3rd St, Recreational Coffee is tough to miss with its coffee shaped bike posts. As of 10/24/20, the only seats available are a few small tables outside. On a Saturday, it wasn't all that busy and it was a nice stop after Twrking out. Coffee - 5/5 On this lovely overcast day, I got a Guataemala Hunapu Slow Coffee. This 4ish min slow pour over hit-the-spot. On the menu it's described as tasting like "strawberry, peach, milk chocolate". Although I couldn't naturally pinpoint those distinct flavors, it certainly had a nice full, fruity like taste. I really enjoyed savoring each sip as I drove back home in the nice chilly morning. It certainly made me pretty excited to try the other Slow Coffees in the future. Donut - 4/5 I had a small churro donut because... it was a donut and I had coffee. It was definitely really good, but I wish I got it when it was fresh. I know it would be, as the kids put it, lit. TLDR - Easy to find "hip" coffee shop on the corner of Long Beach Blvd and 3rd St - A few outside small tables - Slow Coffee is definitely a solid buy - Donut was good, want to try more Initially I'll score this a 4/5, but I know I can easily put this to a 5/5 once I try more items. read more

Recreational Coffee - (10/24/20) some good ol hanging plants. And what do I see but bike coffee posts? Brilliant - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

I come here often, great place to study. For all those college students, I recommend this coffee shop

Great coffee spot; finally their hours are expanded again. Parking is a little challenging (it's not free) and the meters are not always available, but if you can get beyond that or you're lucky to live within walking distance, it's a great little spot to work and enjoy a cup of joe. I had an iced americano and the coffee was nice and smooth. Wifi works great and there's about 12 desks to sit and work. You're not always going to be able to find a spot, but if you do- the wifi generally works great! A few of the tables have outlets as well, so I was able to charge. Definitely recommended if you're looking to catch up with a friend or do a little coworking! read more

Very delicious drinks with very friendly people. This place has a very cozy and comfy vibe. read more

Recreational Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

amazing staff, had a friendly little conversation with one of the cashiers, who also seemed to be the owner. yes the drinks are on the pricier side but as a coffee drinker I'd say they're worth it! (especially the blueberry lavender matcha latte yummm) nice place to study or chat with a good view that allows lots of natural sunlight to come in. the avocado toast was PHENOMENAL and the best I've ever had. it tasted and looked like something that would be $20 in LA. read more

Recreational Coffee - avocado toast, matcha blueberry lavender - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

I got the Espresso Shake and Honey Vanilla Latte. I have to say the Espresso Shake was definitely amazing! It was really creamy and flavorful plus some ground coffee beans mixed it there was bomb. But $9 for a mere 8oz or less looking cup? I don't know if I would pay that much for it. With the Honey Vanilla Latte, I even asked the barista if it was on the sweeter side. She then said that they put 2 espresso shots on their drink and it is very well balanced. I was disappointed on this one. It literally tasted like whole milk with a splash of sweetness- I don't taste the honey nor the vanilla and definitely coffee was not at all balanced in that mix. Plus this drink was around $7. I tried mixing it cause maybe the coffee was on the bottom but no difference. read more

Recreational Coffee - Honey Vanilla Latte and Espresso Shake - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

A pricey experience! Decided to get some work done on a Saturday afternoon while visiting Long Beach for the weekend. Off the bat, the stress and anxiety of finding parking was a no-go for me. I avoided that by just parking in the public parking and biting that paid parking - after about 1-2 hours of working at the coffee shop, I left with a $10.99 parking bill. I got a honey vanilla latte and the size of it was decent, but it was soooo sweet! I couldn't even drink the entire cup. The workers were extremely friendly, effective, and the atmosphere was hippy. I expected to also get a bite to eat, but much of their menu was crossed out and not worth the price tag that came with it. The menu item I was most excited to try, their cucumber hummus sourdough is no longer on the menu :( Will I go out of my way to come here again? Probably not. Did I have a decent time? I'd say so. read more

Very cute local coffee shop, nice place to sit down and hang out. The barista was very nice and friendly! She welcomed me in and made some recommendations. However, my latte was a bit bitter and at $7, i don't know if I will be back. read more

Recreational Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

Staff were great, nice and welcoming. I can't get over the idea that black coffee is $5.75. No I didn't add sweeteners or milk of any kind. I ordered the THICK CUT bacon sandwich, this is where they lost me. Definitely not thick cut. (Photo) I drove out of my way for this place. It's not special it's pretty mid. Definitely not coming back. Two stars only because of good service. The sessional menu is also hard to read/ find because it's on the glass. read more

Recreational Coffee - Bacon breakfast sandwich - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

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#70 in my Coffeeshop Chronicles. Recreational Coffee is your typical hipster coffeeshop. The space is nice with their brick walls, wooden benches and floors, and exposed ceilings. The place definitely has a chic modern industrial feel to it, but that is the only positive thing I have to say. I ordered their honey vanilla latte with oatmilk and they made it wrong the first time around. And when the barista remade my drink, the small cup wasn't even two-thirds of the way full. The taste was also mediocre and could have used more of their honey vanilla syrup. Overall, my latte definitely wasn't worth $6.50, in size or quality. ********************* My Ratings: 1 Star: Terrible; just thinking about it makes me angry. 2 Stars: Wasn't a fan so Not likely to return. 3 Stars: Meh. Average. Might return if others drag me. 4 Stars: Yum! Will definitely return. 5 Stars: Amazing! Would plan my day around eating here read more

This place is super cool and the coffee is delicious but in 100% honesty. It's not a good place to study. It is so loud the music is always BLASTING. The staff was pretty nice when I asked them to turn it down but it's pretty high traffic place, I've studied in here a few times and I always have to drown it out with my ear phones. It more of a meet up with your friends and have chat type shop. It's a 10/10 on coffee though. Baristas are awesome and good at what they do. read more

Recreational Coffee - Dolce Cinnamon - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

Bad service, it looks dirty and the avocado toast is only a lunch item, not served during breakfast.

Pretty good. First time was a miss (had a cappuccino that tasted under extracted and the milk was a bit too hot) but the second time cortado was great! read more

Great local craft coffee spot for me. Above average single origin offerings. Knowledgeable baristas. I prefer pour overs and they usually have something very good! They have limited food options, but they are tasty. Avo toast and the sausage and egg sandwich are my faves. They have pastries and vegan options as well. There is limited outside seating, but the door stays open and tables are socially distant! Most regulars don't mind masking up when not eating and drinking. The point is, it feels as safe as it can during this pandemic. I found here for coffee, breakfast and to work If you've read any of my other reviews you'll know that i like dogs, but I'm not a fan on then being inside of restaurants. Especially when they jump on the counter! If you're ok with dogs on the counter, then this place is a 5. read more

The cappuccino at Recreational Coffee was so good and the service was amazing! The coffee is high quality and not bitter at all. The espresso shot was pulled perfectly and the foam on the cappuccino was just right. The staff is also so friendly! I'll definitely be coming back and will recommend this spot to anyone in Long Beach. As far as ambiance, it's a good place to bring family or catch up with friends. There is street parking right around the corner so you don't have to walk far. read more

Recreational Coffee - Cappuccino - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

If you like a variety of high quality coffee's, you'll love Recreational Coffee. I prefer espresso and black coffees, and you cannot go wrong with either here. Their breakfast sandwiches are also top notch, the buns have a nice slight crispness to them and make for a hangover breakfast. The service was fantastic this morning, I stopped by with my dog and they were very happy to see him and even had a treat for him. Love that. Nice place to sit and work with a quiet modern ambiance. read more

Recreational Coffee - Breakfast sandwich with bacon - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

Me and my friends love it here. The staff is friendly, the drinks are great and the interior is perfect for studying or sitting down to chat with people for a bit. I tried their new Blueberry Lavender syrup, and the flavor was so concentrated that despite the naturally strong flavors of espresso, the blueberry and lavender came through perfectly. Whether you're new to coffee or experienced, the service and products here are top notch and you will always be happy with what you get. read more

Recreational Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

Just moved to OC January 2022 and I'm on a quest to find my favorite third wave coffee shop. This is the 5th cafe I've tried. It's my favorite so far! Industrial, exposed brick vibe. It was my first time in downtown Long Beach so that was cool as well. I often ask baristas what the best/most popular drink is and see how they answer. I didn't catch her name but the barista at the counter led me to a hot almond orgeat (almond croissant-y taste) and it was exactly what I was wanting. Unique flavor, sweet but not too sweet. Also had beautiful latte art and microfoam. I'd come back! Thank you to that barista who made my afternoon! read more

Wow - they're making some killer espresso drinks here and all the baristas are super friendly and helpful. It's a $7 latte (with alt milk), which is pretty pricey, but the shots they pulled were absolutely marvelous! It's well worth the price and worth going out of your way to try. They also do pour over coffee - I haven't had a chance to try it yet but will soon! read more

The coffee here was solid. They had some food items on their menu and the inside seating was nice and would be the perfect place to catch up or to also get some work done. Their Honey Vanilla Latte was really tasty, I would recommend getting that as I got it and it hit the spot. They also have some retail items for sale, and sell their coffee beans as well. Next time I plan to get the same coffee, and may try one of their food items as well. read more

I just had one of the best sandwiches of my life. The pesto turkey sandwich was so good. The place is really cool and staff very friendly.

I came here for a meeting. Walked in and saw some nice plants hanging by the front area of the coffee shop. The place has a very calming type of vibe. The person who attended me was very welcoming and helped me out with choosing. I ended up getting green tea with a slice lemon for my cold. The bottle for the tea looked very cute and modern since it was shaped as a lightbulb. The music playing had some indie hits. It's a good place to study, talk with someone, or just to drink some good tea. But there are moments that the place gets a long line and it may get a little noisy. For parking, I parked at the free two hour public parking. I did have to walk a little but not too bad! read more

Recreational Coffee - Green tea with lemon - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Beach, California

I love everything, great coffee, great people, good food, but I rarely go these days because they close too early. They close at 5 pm on weekdays. Actually, every coffee shop in the area seems to close too early, too. It's a conspiracy of Long Beach to try to correct my sleep outs at the expense of my work school and other responsibilities. read more

The people who run this place know how to consistently execute their menu. There's comfortable seating which makes it easy to get work done here. read more

Good coffee but kinda expensive. The vibe on the inside is nice tho, and the people working there are nice as well.