Work In Progress — Restaurant in Costa Mesa

I was so excited to check this place out based on the pictures but I was super disappointed in my drink. I got a hoijicha latte (hot) and a loose leaf tea (hot). I had no issues with the loose leaf tea but the hoijicha latte was such a weird texture, it felt like I was drinking straight up powder. It almost tasted like it wasn't dissolved/mixed at all so when drinking it I can feel all the powder going down my throat and it was also VERY bitter. I have gotten hoijicha lattes at many other places but have never had one like this. I couldn't even finish half of it, maybe I should have asked the baristas to remake it but the line was very long and they seemed very busy. Other than this all the baristas were very friendly and welcoming but I came on a Monday afternoon and there were no spots to sit but parking was...

Work in Progress in Costa Mesa is my go-to spot for a consistently great flat white. They use Stereoscope Coffee, but in my opinion, their baristas are even better trained than Stereoscope itself. The roast is a light to medium profile, smooth and balanced.

There’s always a line out the door, which says a lot, but it moves quickly. The one downside is that they don’t use organic milk (like Juliette’s and Endless Quest do), but aside from that, I love it! Their pastries are good, but they sell out fast—so if you miss out, you can always grab one next door at Blackmarket Bakery.

I stop by about once a week, and it’s always worth it. The vibe has a subtle European feel, almost like a café in Spain....

This is a super cute area, and a hidden gem nonetheless. I got a Matcha latte with an Ube milk, it was pleasantly sweet, but not overbearingly sweet. The Matcha flavor was not as prominent as I would like, but it makes sense since I did get an Ube flavoring to it. We also got a regular latte with a maple brown sugar syrup, which was pretty delicious. The seasonal summer sandwich I got was very good and the breakfast burrito was excellent. The staff was extremely friendly and it was a pretty clean coffee shop overall. I would definitely come back here, but I recommend getting there early since the parking does tend to be on the terrible side as it fills up...