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    Vinaka Cafe

    4.2 (673 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 7:00 pm

    Vinaka Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    VINAKA CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Vinaka Cafe

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    Outside cafe
    Mary R.

    Always the best! I love the bakery and coffees. Bagels too or breakfast sandwiches. I come here every day when I'm in CA . It's in and adorable colorful strip mall . It has beautiful benches to sit on . Nice Resturants. Start your day with Vinaka Hooray.

    Outside
    Aileen H.

    I got the ice oatmilk latte and it was REALLY GOOD! I highly recommend their coffee. The location is a bit hard to find. They are located on the second floor of this shopping area in the Carlsbad Village. The inside has an indie vibe, a bit dark for me. The tables outside were nice but a bit dirty. I got a bacon, egg and avocado sandwich. It wasn't overpriced and was quite delicious. I opted for no cheese but it would have been nice if it came with some kind of sandwich spread. Without the spread, the sandwich tasted a bit dry. Service was good. There is free parking at the plaza.

    Ann V.

    I wanted this place to be my go-to spot since I'm nearby. But, my postive experiences have been up-n-down. It's very chill and cozy when you have somewhere to sit. On the several occasions I've been there, I can tell it's now very popular...especially to those working remotely. Sometimes, it can get crowded and staff are overwhelmed to the point clearing tables lag behind. They seem to maintain composure and still be friendly. At any rate, the food and coffee are okay but nothing to OMG about.

    Matcha latte
    Nikita B.

    My husband and I stopped by this café over Labor Day weekend. It was fairly busy, but the service was still prompt, which I appreciated. I ordered a matcha latte and he had a mocha frappuccino. Unfortunately, my matcha was clumpy and not fully dissolved in the milk, and my husband didn't enjoy his mocha either. We also noticed that many of the younger staff members were behind the counter preparing drinks and food, which is fine, but a few of them had their hair half up/half down. This raised some concerns for us about cleanliness and hygiene. Overall, while the café is conveniently located and fine for a quick stop, I wouldn't go out of my way to come back.

    Vanilla latte, chocolate chip cookies, bacon egg and cheese on sourdough.
    Jack B.

    I wandered in at 7am on a foggy Saturday morning. It was chilly outside, but cozy and warm inside. Great music playing, plenty of seating, and the smell of fresh cookies when I walked in. Great coffee, and good selection of breakfast items. Very friendly staff.

    Mocha + Cream cheese bagel
    Valeria G.

    I always get a white Mocha from this place and it's always amazing. The drinks don't take too long (3-6 min wait) and the staff is incredibly nice and helpful. I especially love this place for its seating, it has plenty and I never feel rushed.

    Andrew S.

    A chill coffee shop in Downtown Carlsbad by the beach! I did not get any pastries or food, but the enjoyed the drinks! They had a seasonal menu right by the cashier which I almost missed, but saw it while ordering and got a drink from the seasonal menu too! I ordered the Spring Cleaning from the seasonal menu which was a macadamia nut blended mocha. It's a powder with limited caffeine, so I added an espresso shot to my drink and got it iced/blended. They got my order wrong, but after bringing the drink back they were able to make me a new order which was correct. The taste of macadamia nut were very light and I was expecting a stronger nutty taste. This could possibly be because I added espresso to my drink. The matcha green tea and the chai tea latte (substituted whole milk for oat milk) were both delicious as well. Although there is plenty of seating indoors and outdoors, since it's in a outdoor mall, most seats may be full around the afternoon time.

    Blended Mocha

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    3 days ago

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    7 months ago

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    17 days ago

    The employees are kind and helpful and the food and drinks are incredibly delicious! I definitely recommend Vinaka's.

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    1 year ago

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    8 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    6 months ago

    Quick service with a lot of places to sit outside the cafe. The drinks are good. The location is great. Just a good, reliable coffee shop!

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    7 months ago

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    4 months ago

    Just great... food environment. my favorite part is the community of girls who work there such sweet hearted ones!

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    2 years ago

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    6 months ago

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    6 months ago

    Went in evening and the service was great, everyone was friendly and one of the baristas was very kind, young brown hair girl

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    3 years ago

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    Page 1 of 17

    Ask the Community - Vinaka Cafe

    Is there any couch seating for a group size of about 10?

    No there is not There are chairs and sofas many tables outside some resting areas inside

    Does anyone know if they are open?

    Yes, they are for to-go. Just dropped by the other weekend.

    Any non dairy ice creams? Thx!

    There is always a Sorbet but the icecream is dairy

    I heard people play chess here , when does this happen if it does?

    Anytime. The boards are available to anyone who wishes to play. I would say in the evenings is a good time to find someone to play with.

    View All 5 Questions

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    Board & Brew - Carlsbad Village

    Board & Brew - Carlsbad Village

    4.5
    (1.2k reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    Board & Brew is located across the street from the hotel we stayed in. It is in a small plaza…read morecalled Tower 37. There is a limited parking lot shared with other businesses. We stopped by to try it. They offer specialties sandwiches, sandwich board, grilled sandwiches, house salads, and of course great selections of beer. The place has both indoor and outdoor seating. We ordered : - Chicken Club 5/5 Chicken, bacon,melted jack cheese, mayo, lettuce & tomato in toasted French Baguette - Tom's Choice 5/5 Turkey breast, roast beef, cheddar, onions, tomato & lettuce in French Baguette - Vegi Supreme : 5/5 Tomato, sprout, onions, avocado, cucumber, cheddar & jack cheese on toast. The sandwiches were rich, flavorful and huge. The ingredients were fresh and savory. They were individually wrapped neatly. The service was fast. I will go back to try different sandwiches.

    Small spot located in a really convenient location to grab a sandwich off to the beach or to go…read moredown to the beach. It is located in a small strip with parking lot and has some indoor and outdoor seating. This is my second time trying board and brew in general and I am really underwhelmed with the sandwiches. This time, I tired the Baja wrap and it was really lacking flavor and was overwhelmed with guacamole. We ordered my son the kids grilled cheese, which was decent for him. We added a side of avocado for him and to my disappointment again, it was mashed avocado in a bowl instead of freshly sliced as I was envisioning. I will give it one more chance when I am able to eat the cold deli meat and see if those sandwiches are better for me.

    Photos
    Turkado with Secret Sauce
    Turkado with Secret Sauce
    Board & Brew - Carlsbad Village
    Left coast pastrami

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    Left coast pastrami
    Sourdough & Co

    Sourdough & Co

    4.1
    (30 reviews)
    2.0 mi
    Locally owned & operated
    Free parking

    Bright and clean shop with nice service…read more This is not a fast sandwich shop, they thoughtful build each sandwich so so not be in a rush. Pastrami Ruben- my favorite of this order, really just delicious. Italian- delicious and messy, very classic. Chocolate chip cookie- good, would like it baked with a bit more salt but no major complaints. Clam chowder- I hate how good this is, I really hope it's from scratch .

    I ordered two sandwiches online. One of the sandwiches came with everything listed on the…read moredescription on the website, but apparently for the other sandwich you are expected to individually select each ingredient that's already listed in the description yourself or else they won't add it to the sandwich. It really doesn't make sense as to why I would be expected to do this for one sandwich and not the other. I drove all the way back to the restaurant and was patient even when they told me about this inconsistency on the website. However, my main disappointment regarding this experience comes from the staff trying to tell me the original sandwich I received was correct. Apparently the website voids every ingredient that is supposed to come on the sandwich when you pay for extra add-ons, however my original sandwich was STILL missing the add-ons I paid for (avocado and cheese) and included the skimpiest amount of bacon, even though I paid for 3X bacon. On top of that, the size of the bread was half that of my other sandwich, which is supposed to be the same size. The girl at the counter tried to tell me it was because my other sandwich had more veggies (even though they were both supposed to have the same amount) but I really don't think that should affect the size of bread they give you. I'm extremely disappointed in the lack of accountability and the staff trying to convince me my sandwich was right when we were all looking right at it. It honestly was just the weirdest experience because they were all staring at the open face sandwich trying to tell me it had the ingredients I paid for. Even if they claim I was supposed to add the original ingredients manually myself, it STILL was missing the extra add-ons they charged me for. It was extremely odd that they kept going back and forth with me instead of admitting their mistake, so I decided to let it go. Lastly, the person whom I'm assuming is the manager re-wrapped the original sandwich for me and said he would make me another one and I could keep the first one. When I went to leave, the girl at the counter gave me grievance over taking both home, as if she either wanted it for herself or she was planning on recycling the ingredients for the next sandwich which I really hope wouldn't be the case for other customers' sake considering I literally took it home and brought it back to show them. Overall just a very weird customer service experience. Would not recommend.

    Photos
    Sourdough & Co
    Inside
    Inside
    Turkey and roast beef

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    Turkey and roast beef
    The Wise Ox Butcher & Deli

    The Wise Ox Butcher & Deli

    4.4
    (262 reviews)
    7.2 mi
    $$

    I almost drove right past this spot, but something told me, Nah... pull in!! Best decision of the…read moreday... Walked inside thinking I was just gonna grab a burger, and next thing I know I'm wandering around looking at all the meats, marinades, sauces, chips, drinks, and sandwiches like I was about to host a backyard BBQ for the whole neighborhood. This place is dangerous if you like to cook. I asked the guy behind the counter what I should order because I wasn't trying to make a bad decision. Without hesitation he said, Aged Burger and the Philly.....Say less. We grabbed those and ordered the fries extra crispy because that's the only way fries should be eaten. Man... everything was hella good. The burger was juicy, the Philly hit the spot, and those extra crispy fries disappeared way faster than I want to admit.... They've got plenty of outdoor seating too, so we just kicked back, ate, and enjoyed the vibe. I already know every time I'm in the area I'm coming here because wise ox is greater than shake shack I'm Js!

    Very friendly service…read more Butcher shop for when you want it fresh for dinner or throw on the grill for the weekend. There is a small menu of sandwiches and a few side items you can grab for the moment, a handful of tables to eat at if you can't wait till you make it home. Tons of spice and sauce options as well if you arn't a from scratch person.

    Photos
    The Wise Ox Butcher & Deli
    The Wise Ox Butcher & Deli
    Amount of cheese on the second half. Was this originally the worlds smallest slice of Swiss!?

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    Amount of cheese on the second half. Was this originally the worlds smallest slice of Swiss!?
    Prontos' Gourmet Market

    Prontos' Gourmet Market

    4.4
    (399 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    I was finally able to try Prontos. It's not so easy for me to go since they are closed on…read moreweekends. I really enjoyed it and look forward to going back. We ordered sandwiches from the walk up menu. There are many choices available. The prepared dinner selections looked really good and I look forward to trying those in the future. The sandwich cost was on the higher side. Close to $20 with a tip. The portion was pretty large and the quality was very good so that helped. I also chose ciabatta bread and didn't realize that was an extra $3 until after I saw my receipt. Some upgrades were more clearly marked but I didn't see that one. They have a very nice patio area to sit while you are eating. I thought it was very nice that they bring the food out to you.

    I used to frequent this place quite a bit in the past before the new owners took over…read more Speaking only from my experience, this place has changed a lot, prices have gone up but that's not a shock, everywhere you go nowadays and doesn't have to be even a decent deli, sandwiches are ridiculously expensive, $16 for a sandwich? Really? Or even more depending where you go. Frankly I don't know how anyone can afford it any longer but that's a different story. The new owners still don't even seem to know what they are doing after I would say 3yrs now, maybe even more since taking over this place. I used to love going here, now I go maybe once every 3 months if even that and I know why. The service is not the same, the owners are clueless and the food doesn't taste the same at all. The atmosphere of feeling like you are at home when most everyone but mostly the owner remembered you, would come talk to you, helped you and knew what she was taking about, is all gone. I was there yesterday for one of my favorite sandwiches, meatball sandwich. I like that the meatballs are small, not a size of a baseball or even larger, just perfect size, tasty etc. I go up to the register and instead of his clueless wife when you ask her a question and she looks at you as if you're from another planet then has to go and ask one of her employees which that in itself looks totally bad, this time was her husband who looks to me for now the 4th time through the year I visited, that should just stick to staying in the gym since he looks like someone that takes care of himself that way, quite fit, and although nothing at all with that, perhaps leave the deli part of it to someone else and go back to working out instead, it seems his forte. When I told him the sandwich I wanted, he clearly said to me "what would you like with the sandwich" a question I was never asked before because it simply came with a small bag of chips or pasta salad, so I asked what did the sandwich come with, "it comes" the word that he used "it comes with", not "extra charge" and he mentioned French fries, bag of chips while he pointed where the chips were, pasta salad. I said, "I'll try the French fries". Not ONE TIME he said to me that none of the items he mentioned to me were extra charge, I even told him, "oh they come with all that you just told me"? He said yes. When I paid the total came to $24 dollars, the sandwich itself was $13.65 and a coke that I ordered was $3, how did it get to $24? Well, the French fries were extra cost. Had I chosen a bag of chips, the once he pointed at were also extra charge just like if I ordered pasta salad, I found out about the extra charge from the lady that brought me the sandwich and I asked why my bill was $24 dollars, SHE, not the owner told me about the extra charges. After I said to her, "why didn't or doesn't the owner tell you so instead of saying that these extras come with the sandwich" she looked at me and said "I don't know". She didn't even know however any of the prices of the sandwich they sell. These are the new employees now. I know you are going to think why I didn't ask right away why my bill was $24 dollars. I didn't even think about it immediately, I was hungry at this point, the place was quite busy and I wanted to find a place to sit, no excuse, but didn't think about it right away. Not until I set down and then started thinking about why my bill was higher. That was my fault. I should have immediately asked and actually I should have gone to the owner afterwards and mentioned to him that he should tell the customers correctly, meaning do NOT SAY "IT COMES WITH" that means IS NOT EXTRA CHARGE. He needs to say that wherever we want with it, there is an extra, then up to the customer if he/she wants it or not. The sandwich did not taste like the way it used to taste, meatballs still small but they were very salty, and the fries although I will say cooked pretty nice, crispy and all, a very small portion and also very salty. Overall and sadly for me because I truly liked this place a lot with the previous owner, it's not a place I would go back to. The prices are as high and now higher than any other place nowadays, nothing spectacular, their bakery department is now very limited, used to be huge and very nice selections, they used to have a pastry chef in the back that made the best deserts, and I don't know if they also changed cook, but nothing tastes the same. The place is always very busy, so I am sure I won't be missed, I won't waste my money here again. The new owners should by now know what they sell, know how to interact with customers better, know the job they took over. The owners before were absolutely wonderful and great to talk to, they would interact with you ask you if everything was ok, great service from the staff. I miss them and the new owners really need to step up, it's time. The place also very dirty on floors, tables, trash cans totally disgusting and filthy.

    Photos
    Prontos' Gourmet Market
    Our BLT!
    Our BLT!
    Try Our Mozzarella Caprese Chicken Ciabatta!

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    Try Our Mozzarella Caprese Chicken Ciabatta!

    Vinaka Cafe - coffee - Updated August 2026

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