Equator Coffees — Restaurant in Burlingame

Are you a coffee enthusiast who doesn’t mind longer than usual wait times for a good shot of espresso? Well keep on driving because this place isn’t it.

36 minutes is what it took them to prepare a latte and a matcha. Does their coffee taste good? Yes. Does it justify the more than half an hour wait? Certainly not.

I go here 2-3 times a week on a regular basis. Today, I ordered 10 minutes before my arrival using Toast tab, like I always do. While I was waiting for my drinks, I overheard the baristas communicating an estimated wait time of 15 minutes to those who were just ordering in store. I do not like to rush the baristas while they are working so I patiently waited, thinking their estimates were off. When I finally got my two drinks 36 minutes after placing my order, I asked them about the wait and this is what I heard back: “Oh we didn't know you were here. We prioritize those who order in store.”

I guess they expect mobile order customers to announce themselves when they enter…

A few other things I witnessed in the 26 minutes I spent waiting for my drinks are: an “ordered iced but got hot” complaint, as well as a...

I love love LOVE Equator Coffee! Yummy and delicious, and each location always has a great vibe to sit and enjoy your coffee if there’s seating available. The coffee itself gets 5 stars. I frequent this location the most. This rating is for the non-existent customer service I received today. I’m not asking for anything other than the basics of maybe just an acknowledgement that I’m waiting for my mobile order when I walk in. Scratch that, you don’t even have to say hello, but if I’ve been sitting for 10 mins and literally the only one waiting on a drink, no other customers, and there’s FIVE employees behind the counter/bar, chatting away, not one can make eye/contact (the bare minimum) and call out the name and order when it’s made? I saw a drink that was probably mine be made and put on the counter, and there it sat as not one person even acknowledged I was there. So I finally went up and asked if it was mine, and the guy read my name and gave it to me. I never thought I’d write a review this long over something so minor but this experience just felt so blatantly rude. Please do better do the bare minimum of...

Updated review 4/6/2025: Downgraded to two stars from five stars due to exorbitant wait time for food. 30+ minutes wait for a waffle breakfast sandwich w/prosciutto $14.50 is ridiculous. This is because the staff don't check if the correct customers are picking up. Someone else picked up my food even though I stopped him and asked the front girl to check if that was mine. She assured it was his. Sure enough, when mine came out, it was the previous person's. The staff didn't apologize and gave me a blank stare. They had to remake it. When it did finally come out, I was no longer in a good mood. Food don't taste good when people are in a bad mood. Today's front crew were incompetent.

Original review: Equator is an excellent coffee shop. We had the cappuccino (2 shots of espresso) $4.25 & almond croissant $6. Both were very good. I like sitting outside to breathe in that fresh air. They have a bike rack on the side. The only drawback is the wait times. It took 15 minutes for the drink to come out. They were nice enough to heat up the croissant, but by the time the drink came out, the croissant turned...