Red Dirt Coffee House — Restaurant in Arroyo Grande

I've been coming to Red Dirt Coffee House for a few years but haven't thought to leave a review until now. I really can't say enough nice things about this coffee shop... they are amazing! First off, everything on the menu is delicious. I've had drip coffee, iced coffee (their $1 special is awesome), lattes, different types of mochas, blended drinks, you name it. It's all delicious. They have hands down the best blended mocha around. It makes Starbucks frappuccinos taste sugary and syrupy by comparison. I've tried their breakfast burrito and bagels and those were tasty as well.

The decor inside is Hawaiian themed and very fun, and I love the tables outside. And let's not forget the staff! The owner is wonderful. I felt treated as a regular right from the beginning, and I couldn't believe how quickly she began to recognize me, considering I was only going there 2-3 times a month. She treats her employees well and I appreciate that she closes for most holidays in order to give everyone time off with family/friends.

I came once around 3:20pm... the door was wide open but the lights were off and the closed sign was out. I peeked my head in to see what was going on. The owner told me they had closed at 3:00 that day (it was Valentine's Day), and it was apparent they were about to leave. However, she asked if I'd just come for a cup of coffee? I told her I was wanting a blended mocha and please don't bother getting all of those dishes dirty on my account; I'd go somewhere else. However, of course she ushered me inside and they made me one right there in the dark! How's that for customer service? Well enough of my ramblings, go check it...

Red Dirt is like going to a beach in Hawaii but the sand is rough, you can't swim, and basically leave a few minutes after driving there. The coffee and food I tried here was not good and it overall had a weird environment.

There is no real door here, I walked under a net and should've taken that as a sign of what I was walking into. I ordered a coconut latte and a spam musubi. The latte itself was mostly sugar, but I could hardly detect any hint of coconut. The spam musubi was messily assembled so it was difficult to eat, and the spam and rice were overly dry.

I honestly don't see why people come here if the environment is weird and the food and...

Just stopped in at their new location. The coffee was awesome as usual. The new spot doesn't have the cozy vibe of the older place, the ceilings are so high it feels a bit stark. It also smelled kind of strong of fried spam, because the kitchen is open to the dining area. We probably wouldn't have minded if we had come in for lunch, but It wasn't very pleasant since we were just stopping in for a cup of coffee. We sat outside, and that was nice but also a bit stark. Maybe some potted plants would help out there, like they had at the last place.

Overall a great place to stop for coffee, just hope the atmosphere gets a little more comfortable...