Alright. I'll let you in on my newest secret. The Story Caffe is the hidden gem coffee shop with lovely owners, delicious bites, high quality coffee, wifi... and air conditioning. How have I been beating the heat lately? This is the answer! It's located inside the church complex but if you're not the god-fearing type, don't fret. It's a pretty neutral environment for the most part. They've got a great lay out with couches, low tables, high tables, plenty of chairs. There is even a walk up window and a patio outside. They can't advertise with signage so follow the Yelp directions and when it puts you in the church parking lot: you're in the right place! They have a yummy selection of baked goods (The coffee cake!!) brought in Fresh daily and they get freshly roasted beans delivered from a local guy. The staff is outgoing and friendly, and its a calm environment with a quiet relaxing vibe. The best thing about this place is of course it's amazing legit coffee house status but furthermore - it's a feel good situation for us all. The proceeds from sales go back into charities and support amazing stories. I took the most recent info about their process from their website - read below! How cool is that? The Current Story: INDIA The items featured are made by Indian widows and women from small villages who are trying to support themselves and their families. We are telling two stories about the women in India, and each one represents a different organization we partner with there. The first is called Sangita Charitable Trust. Sangita began as an orphanage in 1997 and has expanded into local villages to care for widows and the un or under-employed. On the grounds of Sangita orphanage, women come to learn a skill and the economics of small business. The second story is from White Rainbow in the North where there are several cities set up for widows to find sanctuary and to pray for many hours per day. At White Rainbow, a young Indian couple teaches some of the widows to create beautiful jewelry and tunics made from Sarees. They are so thankful for your interest and support of their efforts. I hope you stop by sometime to support this unique local business - if it's over 75 degrees that's where I'll be! read more

Great location. Unfortunate it was empty when we got there on a Saturday morning, so we didn't even go in. The view and surroundings were great though. read more

Cute place if you just want coffee - nice ambiance but minimal food! Think Starbucks!

This place was a cute quiet cafe hidden gem. There is a lot of comfy seating and would be a great place to study too. However I just came for breakfast and the barista with the long orange hair was awesome! I told her what kind of iced coffee I usually like and she recommended one that tasted awesome too! I also got the egg, cheese, and sausage sandwich and it was also delicious. Great place to relax and have breakfast. read more

Loved it! Try the avocado toast with tomatoes and goat cheese on rye toast. Coffee was excellent, smooth, strong and not bitter. I'm a fan!

Beautiful cafe inside and out. I've tried a few coffee blends and the chai tea and I'm always pleased. The atmosphere can't be beat; with ocean views from the upper balcony and changing art exhibits inside. There's a lot to love here! read more

Great alternative to Starbucks with great ocean view on the second floor! I'm impressed.

This was a little bit of a weird spot because it's unexpectedly in the courtyard area of a GIANT church complex and you'll be sure to catch some double glances if you're there on a Sunday but no one recognizes you from that mornings service. BUT it's a really nice cafe, great drinks, good food and free WIFI. If you need a quiet place to study or work this would be ideal during the week. read more

The atmosphere is terrific and comfortable. Good variety of items in this great caffe. Nice change of pace from Starbucks. Ordered the sausage, egg and cheese croissant and it came out fast and wonderful! Also ordered the Almond Puck which looked a little funny but tasted great! Lastly, ordered a special coffee drink, caramel mocha with almond milk. Delicious!!! read more

VERY secluded tucked away little cafe. I had a hard time finding it at first. The location was a doozy. As soon as I pulled up there was a preschool and almost no cars in the parking lot so I figured the cafe would be closed. It wasn't. I went in and found quite a few people who had discovered this little gem of a place. I love that there's a fire place inside but that's about the extent of what I adored. It was clean, so that's a plus. The food was mediocre at best. I got a salami and cheese sandwich which was skimpy on the salami and cheese but oh so heavy on the bread. The vanilla latte was decent, but I've had better. In all I don't think it was worth the trip for me but it could definitely be someone else's cup of tea. (Pun intended) read more

Love it here. The atmosphere is very warm and very inviting. Love the fireplace on a rainy day in southern California

Very charming coffee place!! Nicely decorated, artsy and contemporary. Art on the walls and authentic merchandise for sale by the Charity Organization that they either sponsor or run, not sure. Either way, we had some coffee, bagels and oatmeal. All perfect! They even had soymilk which was an awesome plus!! We bought some merchandise to support the cause but also because we really liked the things they were offering. Authentic purses, shawls etc.. from Egypt! Would love to come back and check out the upper floor that has an ocean view!! read more

Such a great place to study, very quiet and spacious! Barista was nice & made a great drink. Recommend for anyone visiting Carlsbad or needs a study place :) read more

The best sugar free mocha I've ever had, at a better price than most others too The atmosphere was very nice. I like couches.70 degrees feels nice on a 90 degree day as well. Customer service was great. Would definitely recommend to fam/friends. The only downside was the scavenger hunt I played with the darn place. It's not visible from the street, so pull in every entrance you can until you get the right one read more

First visit, yesterday. Coffee was very good, seating choices were excellent, staff very friendly, ambiance was quite nice. hours are awesome. Thumbs up! read more

We must have come in on an "off" day because the service and quality did not match any of the other reviews. The place was completely empty, yet it took well over 30 minutes to receive our order of very simple sandwiches. Once we did get our food, one of them was not made to order and the other (meatball sub) contained cold meatballs. My suggestion to them would be to stick to your bread and butter which is coffee and tea beverages..skip the food offerings if you can't deliver on quality when the place is absolutely dead. It's a shame, because the location is beautiful and the ambience is very nice. read more

This place has a very nice and cozy ambience. The coffee choices are great. I got the dark mocha with soy. Delicious! My twins are 12 and they loved that it was quiet and they could read in such a warm and cozy place. Will be back again if we're in the area. read more

I really love this place. You have to check out the patio on the roof. I really haven't seen a coffee shop that matches this place in terms of ambience. I mean they have an ocean view what more can you ask for? The coffee is good I wouldn't say great but it is definitely decent. They have a wide array of food and sandwiches and they even have gluten-free bread so that was worth two stars by itself in my opinion. I had their bacon lettuce and tomato and it was really good but then I saw my friend had gotten his with avocado and I was slightly disappointed in myself for not thinking of that. All in all a great place, oh yea it is inside a church so be prepared for that. read more

I almost hate to write this since more of you will come ....and I probably should give five stars just for the "find" - new favorite go to coffee spot!!!! setting and views are lovely, cafe is incredibly comfy cozy, staff is lovely and I bet if I ate something I would raise my review - it's "tucked away" inside North Coast Calvary complex ... Felt like I was at Lake Las Vegas Village or Italy! But with ocean views.... read more

Really cool little location tucked next to the church. Interesting design, tasty and affordable breakfast food, and nice outdoor seating on two levels. Great spot! I'll be back for sure. read more

This is such a great place , beautiful view , great place to sit and get some work done or just have some down time with a great cup of coffee :) the staff is super friendly , and it's not for profit , all the income is put back into the church :) read more

Awesome place with super friendly staff! AMAZING COOKIES!!! A little hidden and looks closed to public so don't drive away! Totally worth it!! read more

Very cute study spot w lots of comfy couches and outlets! A little hard to find as there is really no clear sign on the outside of the building. I ordered their iced green tea, and really enjoyed it! read more

I was looking forward to checking this place out after reading the reviews. Easy walking distance from my house. I recently converted to a tea guy but it looked like coffee is their focus. That's all fine but we went there on a week day--not busy--and stood there for several minutes waiting to order. One of the folks behind the counter said they would be right with us. After that they just ignored us and were carrying on their own conversation. We left, scratching our heads. read more

What a find! Beautiful setting, delicious coffee and food, great environment, reasonable prices and the staff was so friendly. Definite place to visit often! read more

Love this place. The property is beautiful, as well as the cafe. Very cozy, clean, sweet people, with delicious drinks and treats!

They use premium syrups (same as Peet's Coffee). Affordable prices, friendly service and the food is always great! My wife and I love the local artists that are supported and the calming environment. There is free wifi too! My favorite drink is their dirty chai and in winter their gingerbread latte is my absolute favorite (better than Starbucks). They have plenty of parking! read more

Didn't realize this was part of a church, but it was an interesting little place. Very clean, and my smoothie was good. God place to let our daughter run around. read more

This place is by no means good. Our flavored lattes (vanilla and carmel) were flavorless. I would not go back. We ordered breakfast sandwiches as well which were aweful as well. Everything was bland and lackluster. I would recommend looking for another location for coffee and food. read more

Charming coffee house inside a church complex. Lots off room to hang out and relax. Good wiffi and multiple, comffortable couches to fflop down on. We've never had a problem ffinding a place to stay. Fflavorfful Chai teas and hot chocolates. The quiches and the Caprese sandwich went well with the beverages. Pro-tip: There are great views off the Aviara neighborhood ffrom the second ffloor, outdoor patio. It is a ffun place, never noisy, even with a lot off people inside. Good ffor groups. Ffriendly, prompt service. read more

Best kept secret for la Costa area. Great place to meet, eat and taste some excellent coffee. To bad they don't sell the beans for the coffee they serve from Oceanside! read more

You can't wish for a better place to sit and work! The space offers different settings (high chair, regular table chairs, sofa, ...). The wifi speed is good if you need to browse the web or even download something. They have a variety of drinks, I tried their berry smoothie and tasted very fresh. They have few options for cold sandwiches or salads as well. I kind of don't want to advertise too much for this place so that it doesn't get crowded! read more

Quiet enjoyable place to grab coffee and study. My friend and I met up here to do homework and chat. Really cool outdoor seating.

Great food. Overlooking the pacific ocean. I shot egg out of my mouth on to my daughters head on accident. 10/10 would come back.

So cozy, great baristas, and a friendly environment. I highly suggest this place if you're looking to get work done and don't want as many distractions as other local coffee houses. read more

Quality espresso. We came in on an overcast day at a non-busy lunchtime and experienced such a welcoming environment. I ordered what turned out to be a really good latte. The fireplace is nice, the furniture is nice, and the book selection is cute. I would say that the atmosphere only further adds to the pleasant experience at this hidden gem location. The affordable drink pricing is also appreciated. read more

I love coming to the story! The drinks are so good and my daughter love walking upstairs to the roof and looking at the ocean!

This place is awesome. First time here and the environment is really chill. AC and couches to lay back on. Avocado toast was the best I've had. read more

On our way home from Carlsbad, we were looking for a local place to stop for brunch. The atmosphere was relaxed and many people were meeting, hanging out, and enjoying time. The food and coffee were delicious. We will definitely be stopping here if we're in the area again! read more

What a lovely place. Nice atmosphere, nice staffs, nice customers... I don't even mind their sub par coffee. It is an excellent space to hang out or finish papers. read more