Coffee Code — Restaurant in Fullerton

Coffee Code is completely unassuming from the entrance. Located in a shopping center by Del Taco and across the way from Starbucks, I skipped past the location before realizing I missed my turn, and headed back.

Parking is ample. When I approached the cafe, I passed patrons with dogs who had a big water tray to drink from. By the time I left, hours later, the tray was still there, so it's clearly something Coffee Code will provide for dogs, which is nice.

Inside is totally different from the exterior - here you are met with minimalist white, clean lines, nothing on the walls, wood tile for the flooring. They have state of the art Italian equipment and from the looks of the beans they are selling, they roast a variety of their own beans. This would be a great option for those who brew their own espresso or coffee regularly at home - local, fresh beans!

One quip I have is that when I walked in, I couldn't find a menu anywhere. I paced back and forth to find one until I realized there's just the one menu in front of the person who is currently ordering. While I saved a spot with my bag, multiple others walked in and went ahead of me in line, so at this point the line was 5 people long, with none of us able to see the menu in the meanwhile. When I got to the front I needed a second to view the menu - I think that having a larger menu displayed would certainly help streamline the ordering process.

I asked which of the drinks are most popular, and the staff shared the Spanish latte and the Strawberry latte are most popular. I came by three hours til close, so by then most of the baked goods were gone, but it looked like a great selection. Note that when you pay, you will be asked to tip and tipping starts at 18%. I always customize the tip to reflect 15% - this isn't a restaurant where I would do 20% - I'm not sure if I got a funny look, but it kind of felt that way. I could be projecting!

I ordered, sat down, and got to work. Now, if you're looking for a coffee shop to work from, I'm not sure if I recommend this spot. The music was extremely loud. I have a great pair of noise-cancelling headphones and I could still hear some music through them. That's how loud the cafe is. The tables are also very small and very close together. There are five tables outside with ample seating, and inside there are only four, with usually two spots per table - they have a spare chair or two I saw them remove so I'm assuming they will provide those if you need three to a table, for example.

The staff remembers you and your order consistently. I noticed they simply alert a patron their beverage is ready. If they call it out, they simply don't know who it belongs to. They had three staff on hand all equally trained in all aspects of the business, so frequently some were cleaning especially closer to closing. Some staff are friendlier than others ;) I had a colder experience vs other patrons who came in later who had a different staff help them.

I ordered the ICED STRAWBERRY LATTE ($6.65? Around $6) - 6.5/10

The latte is extremely floral, slightly sweet, with coffee ice cubes. It's pleasant but one note, for sure. I realize they likely don't make this hot as the flavors probably bode better when iced. I appreciate the coffee ice cubes - I finished half and later had a second drink, in a way!

For vegan friends, it looks like they have alternative milks available such as oat, almond and soy, but that will run you an extra $1.25, same as if you ordered an extra shot of espresso! I don't understand when places do this as vegan milk, even high quality ones, is cheaper than whole milk.

They have an impressive selection of teas, which are loose leaf. I would be curious in trying their cold brew in the future, or a pour over, as I'd like to try their bean quality since it's their beans.

I just cannot recommend this spot for a work or study session due to how cramped and loud it is, but more as a spot to drop in and pick up a drink to go. Clearly they put a lot of care into their coffee, and that is why most of you are reading...

Alright, I’m not here to talk about anything except the coffee. When I go to any coffee spot I have a base line drink to try, which is just a simple iced caramel latte. I’ve been to a majority of the coffee spots in Orange County and let me tell you…the owner of Coffee Code knows how to blend a bean man. I have a mid to upper tier espresso setup at home where I conduct my own blind taste testing on my family. I’ll get the local shop’s beans and pit them against one another. I’m not even lying here…coffee code has won every single time with every single person I’ve tested the beans on. And there’s sometimes 3-5 different selections going on.

To note: $20 for a bag of beans is so much!! But take a look at some other local places and they’re at similar price points. What you should do is just buy their 5lb bag for $80 and the normal 12oz bag comes out to about $12….big savings people. I’ve only found one “alternative” that’s similar enough and that’s the Counter Culture brand. I wont give away the exact one that’s so similar! Go have fun and taste a couple of their blends!

Also, this shop uses Monin syrups….its super biased and I’m not basing my opinion on the price of the syrups by any means, but they’re the bomb dot com. I wouldn’t order on Amazon, but instead order from a supply house for like $6-8 a bottle instead of Amazon’s $17-20.

I’d love to chat with whoever blended their Fair Lady beans at Coffee...

I have been to this store many times, and I really like the coffee here, as well as the staff. Especially one girl with a round face—she is very sweet.

However, today, the girl in black in the picture showed an impatient attitude from the moment I entered the store. When I asked her questions, she only gave one-word answers whenever possible. I thought she was just in a bad mood, so I didn’t pay much attention.

But then, a white couple came in, and suddenly, she learned how to smile sweetly. Yes, she smiled. She even chatted with them. Is this discrimination against me?

I think this is my first time seeing her, so I don’t know what I did to upset her. Later, I asked her about this, and she said she was very tired—then rolled her eyes at me.

What a terrible experience! If she is tired, she should take a rest instead of bringing her bad mood to others.

Also, I know that you are a chain store. I couldn’t contact the manager at that store, so I can only post this at different locations. The store where I experienced unfair treatment is located...