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    Shrine Coffee

    4.7 (172 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
    Updated a few days ago

    Services - Shrine Coffee

    Community Service/Non-Profit

    Shrine Coffee Photos

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    SHRINE COFFEE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Dogs allowed
    Good for working
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Shrine Coffee

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    Reviews With Photos

    Church
    Monica G.

    Absolutely love this place! The ambience, location, service and the coffee and baked goods are delicious! This coffee shop for me is in the most serene and beautiful spot it could be in! It's on a church grounds across from the ocean in beautiful Santa Cruz! What a lovely idea right!? Any way the outside garden with statues of saints and the Virgin Mary and fountain are just perfection. I can't wait to come back here.

    Inside
    Brian B.

    Excellent vibe and coffee. This place has some comfortable seats inside that are perfect for working or reading. A gas fueled fireplace makes at all the more cozy. Great ambiance. Unfortunately, there's a bit of construction going on next door. It can get quite loud. Hopefully that will finish in the Sprite early summer 2026.

    Summer fog and apricot pastry
    Serena T.

    Beautiful spot tucked away behind a church. It is a perfect distance from the hotels on the beach for a nice morning walk. They have inside seating, but if it is a nice day they also have patio seating near a beautiful mosaic fountain. When I visited I got the "summer fog" which is their twist on an iced London fog. A London fog is one of my favorite drinks, and the summer fog was perfect. Good tea flavor, creamy cold foam, and a nice presentation in a "for here" glass. I also had an apricot pastry which was pretty standard as far as pastries go.

    Exterior
    Ivan B.

    My first and best cafe I've been so far in Santa Cruz. It is located next to a church and it's very convenient for those who want to straight here after church or a long trip going here. When I arrived, it was a long line and probably most people in line are from church next door. The ambiance isn't only nice here but also the exterior. It's a really nice place to hangout and chill especially that it's next to the oceans (well not really close to it). They also have merch that you can purchase I think. I didn't get a chance to eat something here since I want to have cravings elsewhere, but next time when I come back, I'll try any foods here.

    Outside on the side
    Jonathan B.

    Ok confession time which is on brand for a coffee shop run by a church: I must have walked past this place 100 times over the years and never noticed it until recently. There are two doors -- walk in the left side near the church and the holy water (not joking). The line to order sometimes stretches into the hall. In three visits, I never saw the same worker twice but there are lots of them and they all seem to be in good moods. They have several making drinks so the line moves quickly. The coffee is roasted by Cat & Cloud and has a similar profile: clean, fruit forward with less acidity than other places. Spanish latte is made with sweetened condensed milk -- defn sweeter than a whole milk latte but not as sweet as that national chain drinks. The cappuccino is appropriately light and frothy, letting the taste shrine (see what I did there). If you normally drink a latte, I recommend you try this once instead. The Chai latte is decent -- better than most run of the mill places. This one has more cardamon flavors than cinnamon. Banana bread -- while others rave about it, seemed bland to me. More like pound cake. Almond, coconut, chocolate chip scone -- a pleasant surprise. Not dry like some scones and not too sweet. Got it on two diff visits. Apricot croissant: umm, square. But delicious so who cares. If I'm going to quibble about anything, it's they don't clean the tables very often. Ok shrine: zero visits in two years and then three times in one week. Here's to many more to come

    Antonio D. M.

    I already thought I left my 5 star review for Shrine. This location is so awesome on the same grounds as a church that has a beautiful fountain under eucalyptus and palm trees with views of the mighty Pacific just off West Cliff Ave. They have delicious coffee and latte's here and make the most delicious vanilla latte's. The pastries are heavenly having tasted the ultra moist banana bread, savory bacon quiche, and the awesome apricot danish!!! We had them warmed up. After our feast we walked the peaceful, serene pathway admiring many religious statues and awesome landscaping. The inside coffee shop is decorated with wooden tables and other wooden features taken from a fallen tree. Come to Shrine Coffee! Friendly staff who are experts in what they do. Great location, pastries, customer service, and coffee! An easy 5 stars from me and I don't pass those out often. Shekkitout in Santa Cruz! Only steps away from the surfer statue on West Cliff Ave.

    Fountain with seating
    Natalie R.

    Quite good coffee. Beautiful seating indoors and out. Perfect location. Service is fast and friendly enough. Prices on par with everything else. Only ONE restroom which is barely enough to keep with the amount of seating offered but otherwise no complaints. And as we've already been a couple of times, we'll be back!

    Pain au chocolates
    Emile T.

    Very nice cafe near the cliffs. The cortado I ordered was delicious. The outdoor seating area was also marvelously maintained. Baristas were kind.

    Large Iced Vanilla Lattes with oat milk
    Jules G.

    Delicious coffee! Staff is also incredibly helpful and sweet, just like their coffee. I have yet to try their pastries but they also look great and I can't wait to try!

    Iced mocha latte with vanilla cold foam
    Karrie E.

    The coffee was goo, staff nice I only wish they had more flavor options. The outside seating was lovely with beautiful views. I would go back every time I am in Santa Cruz. We were there Friday to Sunday and I went every day I was there.

    Cappuccino, cortado, almond croissant, and scone
    Yoojin S.

    Ocean view. Peaceful space. Lots of patio garden seating. We had a cortado and a cappuccino - great crafted coffee with their own roasted beans with beautiful latte art. Also I love the glass cup used for the cortado - it's like a gem!! So pretty! Lots of parking and walking along west cliff is absolutely beautiful - you'll spot surfers, sea lions, birds, and on rare occasions, otters! Their almond croissant is amazing as well! It's flaky, great roasted almonds flavors, and tastes natural - no a strong fake amaretto flavor here. We weren't a big fan of the scone tho - dry with fruit pieces. Still, coffee, views, vibes are amazing.

    Latte and scone
    Kristen B.

    Most delicious coffee in Santa Cruz! Favorite spot with their delicious treats and homemade syrups.

    Summer Fog
    Vincent P.

    Came here for some morning caffeine after driving from the South Bay Area to Santa Cruz. We were in town for a gathering at Lighthouse Field State Beach, so the location of this coffee shop was ideal. The ambience of the shop was nice, very spacious and modern. They also have plenty of outdoor seating as well. I ordered the Summer Fog which is their Iced London Fog. It was delicious and refreshing, a great start to the morning.

    In the garden

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    1 month ago

    Has both indoor and outdoor seating. Feels like a community. Good pour. Very nice pastries

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    8 months ago

    Drinks, pastries and chill vibes. Free WiFi, outdoor seating was nice to do work or just to relax and enjoy the cool ocean breeze.

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    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - Shrine Coffee

    Are you seating people inside yet?

    yes

    View All 2 Questions

    Review Highlights - Shrine Coffee

    I was a little confused at first I didn't realize it was literally to the right of the church & attached to it.

    Mentioned in 47 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    This was my first time ever at this particular coffee shop, and I was so happy I found it when I…read moredid!! I was looking for something heavier than a pastry and found out they had breakfast sandwiches and their own bagels! Score!! To my surprise, they also had specialty drinks so I had to get the Blondie latte with a plant-based milk. I asked the lady if it was sweet and she said it came with a tablespoon of brown sugar. But they could switch it and make it a teaspoon instead. Perfect! As I got my latte it was amazing!! The espresso used in the latte was actually a mild roast coffee so I really liked the flavor of it roast and it was Organic!! Win-win!! Since I'm trying to avoid dairy at the moment, I asked if I could get the lox bagel sandwich without cream cheese and replace it with avocado. The lady at the register asked another barista behind her and she said it was fine! Perfect!! You also get to pick out what type of bagel you want, so I wanted to try something different and got the sun-dried tomato and basil or something like that! The sweet flavors of the herbs in the bagel and then the juiciness of the tomato baked into the bread once simply wonderfully with my breakfast sandwich!! There's a cute little waiting area inside with at least 10 tables or seats along the breakfast bar counter and a couple of tables. There's also a very large outdoor seating area, but I was cold so I wanted to sit inside to warm up my body since I was going to go to yoga on the beach. I had only planned on eating half the bagel sandwich but honestly, it was so good when it came out. I sat there for a good 20 minutes until I ate the whole thing!! Lol so funny!! I was so stuffed I had to walk an extra mile before I could start my yoga on the beach! As I sat enjoying my breakfast sandwich, I got to overhear the two barista's talk about music!! One of the baristas allowed her device to search new genres of music while the other barista specifically looked up different genres of music she liked and then would tell her device to find music of that era. So interesting to hear their discussion!! I honestly loved everything about this quaint little coffee shop, and I will definitely be back again and again!!

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    This place was cute and the drinks were good. My husband got the Passionfruit & Watermelon Green…read moreTea 30% sweetness and it was still pretty sweet (can't imagine what 100% sweetness would taste like), but the flavors were so refreshing and delicious! I ordered the Uji Strawberry Matcha Latte (half sweet), and it was perfect. I'm pretty picky with my matcha, but this place hit the mark. Thanks for the great and speedy service you guys!

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    Verve Coffee Roasters

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    Photos
    Blueberry cold foam matcha! Oh my deeeliciousness!!
    Blueberry cold foam matcha! Oh my deeeliciousness!!
    Iced vanilla latte
    Iced vanilla latte
    Sparkling grapefruit matcha. Definitely my new fav here.

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    Sparkling grapefruit matcha. Definitely my new fav here.

    Shrine Coffee - coffee - Updated June 2026

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