Moonridge Coffee Company — Restaurant in Big Bear Lake

I’m a local and am always trying new places for coffee and always stay away from Starbucks so I thought I’d stop by Moonridge since it’s so close. The area in general is very nice and I absolutely loved the atmosphere. There was lots of seating, nice decor and upstairs area. From the looks of it, there seems to be a lots of food, snack and drink options. The service was good and pretty fast once you actually put in your order.

This place was packed so there was at least a 30 minute wait standing in the long line as you can see in the photos. The people here were mainly travelers. I didn’t talk to any locals while I was there.

I ordered a dirty chai which was good and a turkey sandwich. I was not happy with the options for the sandwich. I asked if they put anything other than mayonnaise on it and they said no. I asked if there were any additional sauces or seasoning and it was just salt and pepper, not even mustard. I’m not trying to be hard on this place, but come on. It’s 2024, we can do better than unseasoned food lol especially for the price. Like, give me som chipotle mayo at least. It was the most bland thing I’ve ever eaten - luckily I grabbed some packets of hot sauce and the salt and pepper which sort of helped.

So, so far the food was unexciting and a waste of money in my opinion. The coffee was fine but the wait sucked. With the line and amount of people, it was hard to even get to the seating that was available.

So, if you’re in a rush and want a nice quiet spot to relax, this is not for you lol If you want to wait and find a good place to perch yourself for a few hours and do work, seems like a good spot but not for...

Downtrodden, cold, and shaken, I stumbled into the Moonridge Coffee Company in Big Bear looking to satisfy a craving I haven't felt in a while - engorging myself on Moonridge's soup of the day.

You see, I've been to Moonridge before. I got their coffee beans mixed with hot water and filtered out, which they called "coffee". It had the flavor. Twice before I crossed paths with Moonridge, and each time I got their soup of the day. And each time - It was tomato bisque. Twice in a row, I enjoyed tomato bisque because I had no choice.

I'm tired of being hurt. I'm tired of going through the motions day in and day out like some sort of ennui-ridden suburbanite housewife barely hanging on - trying to spice up an otherwise bland life with fleeting creature comforts. I hoped deep in the cockles of my heart that the soup of the day at Moonridge would be new. exciting. zesty. Like a steamy love affair with the neighbor's pool boy (who is, naturally, of age) that would remain a secret, but give me the hope to believe that life is still fundamentally worth living.

With quivering lips, I asked the woman. "One soup of the day please". "Ok, Filipp Krasovsky" "And one sandwhich" "Ok"

Seconds turned into minutes as I waited for my soup. Minutes turned into hours, and hours turned into days. Before long, I stood at the very edge of the sands of time, wondering if I would see the new, bold soup of the day that was the key to revitalizing my cold and barren heart.

It was tomato bisque. And...

I visited this coffee shop for the first time after seeing it recommended on TikTok. My partner and I were probably the second customers there, so it wasn’t busy at all when we placed our order. We received our pastries fairly quickly, but our coffees never came. In the meantime, 5 or 6 other people came in after us, ordered, and all received their drinks before we did.

I’m usually very patient and understanding, but after finishing a long hike and needing to head home (an hour away), I was really just looking forward to enjoying a nice coffee with my pastry. On top of that, there was a guy playing guitar and singing very loudly inside the shop—so loud that I couldn’t even have a conversation with my partner sitting right across from me.

Eventually, my boyfriend went to check in with the barista, and she said she had forgotten to grab our ticket. That only added to the frustration since we were one of the first people there. She asked us to repeat our order, and after a few more minutes, we finally got our drinks. Unfortunately, the drink I received wasn’t even correct—I ordered a hazelnut latte, but there was no hazelnut flavor at all. It just tasted like plain coffee.

I normally wouldn’t complain, but the overall experience was disappointing—especially given how simple the order was and how empty the shop had been...