Philz Coffee — Restaurant in Encinitas

As others have mentioned, if you want anything than a pour over then you’re out of luck. If you want milk or sugar a merry dance back and forth between you and the barista is required; because at 45 years of age the owner apparently believes I have yet to acquire skills needed to add my own. My third attempt yielded enough of both to adequately adjust the taste. Apparently they want the coffee to be to their liking, a battle for which I am well equipped.

I think the thought process might be simplicity. But it simply is not simple; the wife’s black tea having a ‘me too’ moment as it was assaulted by not one but two sprigs of mint, an attack which, when combined with foamed milk, left her heading back inside with a look of abject dismay furrowing her English Teasmith brow. The Barista’s, unable to fully explain their terrible decisions, placated the wife with a new cup that remained black tea, untrainted by alleyway herbs or other such adornments. To their credit, they did send her back to the patio with a rather wonderful complimentary almond croissant and tales of how nice and friendly the Tea Error PR Department could be.

Sarcasm aside, they have an array of coffee flavours to choose from, a slick system of getting the line up dealt with every bit as efficiently as Star*ucks and some tasty, albeit pricy, baked goods. Once I got used to what to ask for to get my coffee nailed first time I’d probably...

I was told this place had great coffee so when we were in the area we decided to give it a try. I walked in and since there are only Starbucks around my area that's what I thought I'd walk into. But it was sooo different. First you stand in line and wait for you own barista to call you, then you give her your order and s/he makes it RIGHT there! In my case I had no idea what I was doing so I asked for some advice and my Barista was amazing and helped me make a decision. This is a COFFEE place and they have so many choices. But I decided on a medium coffee infused with Hazelnut oil. They make each cup to order right there and when it's done they want you to taste it and make sure it doesn't need any more cream or sugar which they will do for you. This cup of coffee was amazing!! My daughter ordered a hot chocolate and that was delicious, they also have different teas which were brewed right there. Everything was so good. Next time we will try the...

I used to really enjoy this coffee shop. It’s close to the beach, has a cozy and comfortable design, and the coffee has always tasted great. The atmosphere used to make it one of my favorite spots to relax.

Unfortunately, over the past few months the experience has changed. The shop often has a very strong and unpleasant odor, which seems to come from some of the chairs absorbing smells after being occupied for long periods of time by some people (who I cannot label them with words to respect them and also to comply with Google reviews policies). Some times we are even hesitant to sit on some chairs when seeing such inside the store. This makes it difficult to enjoy sitting inside, and it takes away from what used to be a very welcoming environment.

I truly hope management can address this issue with respect and effective resolution, because this place has so much potential and I’d love to go back to enjoying it the...