Dark Horse Coffee Roasters — Restaurant in La Mesa

I was super excited to try this cool little coffee shop. I live around the corner and have wanted to stop for awhile now. Today I finally got a chance to stop in and man am I disappointed. I walked in with a friend of mine and greeted the barista excitedly to be met with a blank face. We said it was our first time in and asked for a recommendation. The question was completely ignored. It was kinda unbelievable.. So my friend asked about their drink 'S'Maple' (Salted Maple). The barista gave us three words 'its salted maple'. My friend and I were dumb founded. I asked her personal preference and she gave an expected latte recommendation. I asked what was a house favorite or specialty with no answer! So my friend and I order the S'Maple. My friend got it Iced and I got it hot. The drinks were cheap and you get what you pay for. The drinks tasted like weak coffee I could have made at home with my Mr. Coffee. Neither my friend nor myself could taste any hint of Maple or Salt. My friend and I even tried each other's drink. It tasted like weak coffee and skim milk. Disappointed my friend and I went home and doctored up our drinks with maple and sea salt. The drinks were saved but not worth...

I think we all know by now That S-B's stopped brewing anything that resembled coffee YEARS ago . So having Dark Horse so close to my house was like receiving a gift from the Gods themselves. Thank you DH for showing our little corner of the neighborhood what good coffee is all about. For the nuts and bolts, their bread and butter is Central and South American plantations, but have always had Ethiopian, for the most part, and are starting to include coffees from Kenya and Tanzania from time to time. The coffee roasting is just fantastic. Sometimes, the Columbian coffee, from a particular plantation is so good, and so special, Juan Valdez will have a few bags flown to him direct. Okay so he doesn't, but you get the picture. The coffee is always changing, too. Like a trip around the world. Can't speak much for the coffee beverages. Like going to any place for a mocha, or whatever, let them know how you like it (strong on the mocha, extra hot, etc.). That way, you won't walk away disappointed. All that said, have...

Coffee comes in 8 or 12 ounces. Cafe is located on the first floor of what I assume to be one of the more modern and fairly newer apartment developments in the area. In addition to coffee, they sell logo merchandise, vegan donuts, teas, and more. Service was friendly and the two baristas that were tending were skilled and knowledgeable about the products I asked about. They steamed the milk for my mocha perfectly, but there was a substantial amount of grounds settled at the bottom of both my hot, and my roomate's cold beverage. Ample parking on the side and roadside of cafe. A few areas to sit inside and in front of cafe. Nice, out of the way place to stop after a morning run in the neighborhood, or along a trip in La...