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    The Story Caffe

    4.3 (129 reviews)
    InexpensiveCafes
    Closed Closed
    Updated 1 month ago

    The Story Caffe Photos

    THE STORY CAFFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - The Story Caffe

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    Bailey C.

    Cutest cafe in Carlsbad area! My friends and I came here for pastries and coffee when we were staying nearby. It had the cutest ambiance, European like outside and upstairs on the balcony. So peaceful and beautiful. The coffee was absolute delicious, I got a pumpkin pie cappuccino , YUM!! My friends enjoyed their drinks also. I got a danish and it was equally as good. Friendly owners and staff.

    Indoor space and seating. They also have seating around the corner.
    Jessica S.

    I just discovered this place and obsessed! If you like or need to work at a cafe, this is a prime spot in Carlsbad! I came up for a doctors appointment and working here to avoid the traffic. I was looking for a warm, indoor, cozy experience given its winter right now. The Story has lots of windows and doors so very bright inside! All wood leather and steel furniture, really beautifully put together! Couches and comfortable seating everywhere. Plenty of space and seating options if you're meeting as group of people. I will be back. The coffee is good (I'm a coffee snob but it's decent. I got a cappuccino). I'm also gluten free and they have a couple of options; I got the overnight oats which are delicious! Sweet but not too sweet. The staff is friendly and wonderful! Can't wait to come back!

    Hugh A.

    Great experience here today. Was staying at the Hyatt nearby. Wonderful to be able to get a basic breakfast on a budget. Luke was super friendly. The oats, coffee and muffins were awesome. My wife enjoyed her chicken pesto sandwich as well. Great location to relax.

    a fireplace in a living room
    Jerica M.

    Cutest "little" coffee shop with a ton of remote working / study / relax stations. Came across this place leaving Carlsbad and I'm glad I stopped by. I ordered a spinach quiche and the spiced latte. The latte tasted amazing! Scott the barista had amazing energy and gave off Santa Claus vibes. I learned more about the shop (a part of the church) and the church itself. Such a beautiful lounge area and I will definitely be back when I can.

    Vanilla chai oatmilk and GF cookie
    Jamie O.

    Cute coffee place we visited while in San diego for the weekend. Loved the vanilla oat chai and GF cookie. Relaxing ambiance to hang or study. Great customer service. Do not recommend hiking from Home2suites....just Uber it.

    Chill Friday morning

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    2 months ago

    Great place to walk to, and get a fresh drink for cheap! Also comfortable to sit while you wait!

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    14 days ago

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    7 months ago

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    4 months ago

    It's a church coffee shop not open during the week. Very misleading!! I tried to meet up with my niece there and it's a church school.

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    2 years ago

    Nice vibe, great food. Would definitely recommend. Visited twice during my stay.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    A well hidden gem of a cafe!! Excellent, simple and reasonably priced food. Don't blink or you will miss the turn.

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    3 years ago

    This is a little church cafe with pastries from Costco. I would not return. You're better off going to Starbucks down the street.

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - The Story Caffe

    Review Highlights - The Story Caffe

    I don't go to this church (or any other) and was worried about being pressured to start by staff or patrons.

    Mentioned in 17 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    I heard about The Goods from a friend of mine. It looked like another bougie donuts shop, this time…read morein Carlsbad, but I had to try it. It was on a quaint little street and it was obviously the most expensive donut shop in the city, but it was well worth it. Inside, even at close to noon they had all the donuts one can imagine. Everybody was there. the tables inside and out were full of happy donut loving friends l, enjoying these wonderful delicacies I looked over the sampling and found they had the apple fritter, the measurement of any donut shop. But I had to ask, "which one of these is a must try?"she pointed me to the brown butter sea salt. It did not disappoint. All right, let's see if she was right. Isthe brown butter sea salt the best donut. YES it is! SCRUMDIDDILYUMPTIOUS! . This is what these donuts taste buds were looking for. Yes, an apple fritter is still the cornerstone of any donut shop but at The Goods you have to get the brown butter sea salt. It tasted incredible, not as sweet as you would think but the aftertaste made you wonder exactly what was in it. But I knew, it was pure goodness. Nuff said, this place is doing the donut gods work!

    Had really high expectations for this place given its glowing reviews & the amount of people in…read moreline on a Friday at noon. The bakery itself is very clean & all the pastries look beautiful in the bakery case, but my experience and the food here was overall mediocre. cinnamon roll (4/10): $10. It was massive but even after microwaving it for 30 seconds, it was very dry & lacked the traditional cinnamon flavor. The frosting lacked flavor as well. Cinnamon sugar cruller (3/10): didn't seem very fresh. Not crispy & had a pretty strong oily aftertaste. Service was ok -- wasn't greeted and the girl helping me with my order wasn't very nice. I probably wouldn't go back as there are many better bakeries out there!

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    Loved this place! Do not get discouraged when there is. Lot of people outside/inside waiting to be…read moreseated. Our name was called not too long after being put on the list. The food was great! There are a ton of options. We went with the traditional pancakes, hashbrown, scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage' it did not disappoint! Customer service was exceptional! We will be returning when we are in town! I really enjoyed the different cups of coffee they serve. It makes the location feel homey and welcoming!

    Tried this super cute local place for breakfast. Always trying to find new gluten-free options for…read morebrunch on the weekend. Not only did they have egg dishes, which could be gluten-free, but they had pancakes, which are fairly hard to come by these days.. This place was crowded from the moment we parked. The reviews on Yelp looked great so that explained all the people. The vibe inside was surfer all day all night. Ended up waiting about 30 minutes and ended up sitting at the counter for a party of three. On the weekends, the counters are still part of being seated by the host. We decided to try the gluten-free pancakes with a side of eggs. All the food tasted delicious. In fact, all the food that we saw walking out of the kitchen looked incredible as well. Hoping to go back to try the different dishes, especially the biscuits, which obviously are not gluten-free. Poor husband, he'll just have to watch us eat the yummy biscuits!

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    Windmill Food Hall - Salmon burrito from Rolled Up

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    Family-Friendly Escape Near Legoland…read more While staying at the nearby Legoland Hotel, a few of us moms decided to sneak away from our husbands and kids for a quick break, and this place was a fantastic find! It features a variety of food stalls serving fresh, high-quality dishes, which was a very welcome break from the typical fried hotel food. With options ranging from pizza and fried chicken to a great selection of Asian cuisines like Thai and Chinese, it is an easy way to accommodate different tastes within a family or across multiple families. I especially loved the fresh, piping-hot dishes (we got the pad see ew) from the Thai food stall paired with a delicious cocktail from the central bar. Before heading back, we also grabbed some mini donuts to bring to the kids. The space is incredibly accommodating, with plenty of indoor seating options including bar tables, cozy booths, and standard tables. On top of that, they have several arcade games on-site, making this a highly viable and fun dining option for families with kids. Would recommend as a viable option if you're in the area.

    "And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space…read moreLike the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind" (Sting) If you've ever driven on Interstate 5 (or in the lingo of the locals...."the Five") in Carlsbad you've seen the giant Windmill spinning curiously on the side of the road. Well, if you're hungry but can't exactly decide how to satisfy that hunger, just follow the windmill to the Windmill Food Hall. That's what we did and were soon face-to-face with fourteen different food vendors, ranging the ethnic gamut from Thai to Chinese to Sushi to Burgers to Lobster to Pizza to Mexican and pretty much anything your hungry little heart craves. Our party of three scattered into three directions and reunited at a table for our eclectic lunch. My wife went with meatballs from Cacio because Craft Pizza didn't sell slices, just a 12" pizza. My brother-in-law went with a Honey Walnut Shrimp plate from Secret Sauce Wok, and I went with sushi and miso soup from Rolled Up Sushi. I loved my lunch, starting with a nice flavorful Miso Soup ($5) that was served in a coffee cup! My eight Spicy Tuna Rolls ($14) were most definitely spicy. Now, since I love spicy food I was thrilled because 98% of the spicy tuna rolls I've had over the years are ho-hum on the old spiciness meter. Not these. The food hall was packed, and we saw many families having lunch there. Kids were all over, including some uniformed sports teams. The kids were also at the many video and arcade games on the premises, while bigger kids were entertaining themselves at Windmill's big bar. What a fun place for a fun food experience.

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    The Story Caffe - cafes - Updated September 2026

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