Lightbulb Coffee La Mesa — Restaurant in La Mesa

LightBulb Café: A Disappointing and Discriminatory Experience

I’ve never been one to leave negative reviews, but the experience my friends and I had at LightBulb Café was so troubling that I felt it was important to share. We visited this café as college students, looking for a quiet place to study—something many students do in cafés, expecting a peaceful and welcoming environment. Unfortunately, what we encountered at LightBulb Café was not just poor customer service but an experience that felt deeply discriminatory and hurtful.

Initially, everything seemed fine. We found a table, connected to the Wi-Fi, and began working on our homework, planning to stay for a while. As a small business that serves the local community, we assumed this café would be an ideal spot. However, after some time, we were approached by a worker who treated us with an inappropriate and unprofessional attitude. From the moment this person spoke to us, it felt as if we were doing something wrong simply by being there. The tone was rude and accusatory, and instead of being approached with any kind of understanding, we were made to feel as though we had committed some kind of offense by sitting down without ordering.

We understood that small businesses rely on customers ordering food or drinks, but there was no warning, no polite request to order something. Instead, we were told, quite harshly, that we needed to leave immediately and were even asked never to come back again. When we questioned why there wasn’t any signage or prior notice explaining this policy, the worker insisted that signs were posted. Yet, after thoroughly checking, we saw no such signs that were clear or visible to us or other customers. This lack of communication about their policies only added to the confusion and frustration.

What hurt the most was the way we were treated. As non-Arab customers, it felt like we were being singled out based on our ethnicity, treated as if we didn’t belong simply because we were not of the same background as the owners or most of the staff. We were treated with a level of disdain and rudeness that no customer should ever experience. The worker’s attitude was completely unprofessional, and instead of engaging us with respect, they made us feel like outsiders in a place that is supposed to represent and serve the local community.

To add to the hurtful experience, we are Muslim women who wear hijabs, and it was especially disheartening to be approached in such a disrespectful manner by someone within our own religious community. One would expect more hospitality and understanding, particularly in a café that serves a largely Muslim demographic. However, the way we were treated left us feeling dishonored and discriminated against, as if our presence in the café was not welcome.

After sharing this experience with a close friend, I was shocked to learn that this wasn’t an isolated incident. My friend informed me that multiple people from our community have also experienced similar treatment at LightBulb Café. Some have even been shamed and told to leave for reasons just as trivial as ours. Others, aware of the café's discriminatory practices, have chosen not to visit the café at all because they’ve heard about the unwelcoming environment and poor customer service. It seems that this café, which is supposed to represent the local community and foster a sense of belonging, is doing the exact opposite. It’s creating an atmosphere where people feel excluded and unwelcome.

LightBulb Café needs to seriously rethink its customer service practices and the way it treats people who don’t share the same ethnicity as the owners or staff. A community café should welcome everyone, not shame and exclude them. I hope the management takes this feedback to heart and works to create a more inclusive environment because right now, they are doing a disservice to the very community they claim to serve. For anyone considering going to LightBulb Café, I would suggest you think twice—especially if you’re looking for a welcoming,...

Oh how I wish this coffee shop was located in Clairemont for convenience. I had been wanting to try out this place for a long time and finally had the chance to go. I liked it so much the first time I went, that I went a second time less than a week later.

I've ordered the iced Turkish hazelnut coffee, iced cali pistachio, coffee cake, and chicken & munster panini.

The coffee here is literally sooo creamy, I was taken aback by it. I always order non-dairy milk (typically oat) due to a dairy allergy and when I was drinking the iced lattes here it was creamy to the extent that i was worried I was drinking real milk at first LOL. So fear not my non-dairy folks, you won't be missing out on milk at all here in your coffee at all :')

If you're ordering a Turkish Hazelnut, the drink itself is very sweet so if you aren't big on sweet drinks, ask them to make it less sweet. They also have a really cute lightbulb coffee cup for an additional charge which I honestly think is worth it bcuz of how cute it is.

The coffee cake here is also HUGE. I have never seen a slice of coffee cake so big before in my life?? And it's only $3.50 which is even more shocking. The coffee cake tasted fresh, was super light, had the perfect amount of crumb topping, and wasn't too sweet. It complimented the Turkish hazelnut coffee veryyyy well! I even took some coffee cake home to do a taste test with my mom who is extremely picky with coffee cake and hates like 98% of coffee cakes she has ever tried, but this coffee cake changed her and she actually enjoyed it! So if my mama is approving of this coffee cake, you know that says A LOT!

The chicken muenster mushroom panini here is also extremely delicious. I typically don't order chicken sandwiches but was told by the workers that it's their most popular sandwich so I had to give it a try. I ordered mine without the muenster cheese and it was actually really delicious! A lot of the times when you omit cheese from a sandwich, its super dry, but the sandwich here wasn't dry at all. I felt like there was a good amount of the spicy sauce they put inside the sandwich. The sandwich had a variety of textures going on which is what you want in a sandwich, because who wants to eat a mushy sandwich.

The decor here is very unique but it's very cozy. I plan on coming here again in the future to just chill with some friends.

Also for my Arab peeps, they have Turkish coffee here! For the non-Arabs reading this, Turkish coffee is basically espresso shots on crack LOL.

There is plenty of parking here so no need to worry about whether you will find a spot or not.

If you want creamy, smooth, and unique coffee flavors; delicious coffee cake; and yummy sandwiches this is the spot to check out. You'll...

Yesterday I decided to give this place a try. I had made food deliveries from the establishment in the past and wants to check it out for myself.

Upon walking in, it gives a very enviting livingroom vibe. I found curb appeal impression to be the highlite of my experience.

Prior to ordering, I needed to use the restroom (Old Man Bladder) and found it to be unclean. I mean really unclean, especially the toilet. Yuck. After recovering from my restroom experience, I decided to forge forward into a possitive and relaxing experience.

I was a bit shocked to see that a basic sandwich without any side or drink cost nearly $15.00. I ordered a Panini, a Beagle with Cream Cheese and a coffee drink and water for me (Gotta offset the cost somewhere.) My bill was just under $30. After recovering from the bathroom and the high cost, I paid by credit card selecting the "No Tip" (More offsetting) and because they were not providing table service and were not especially warm and friendly. As I tapped my card, the total went up to over $35. It appears that there CC processing machine was offended with my "No Tip" selection and charges me $5.18 for a tip. I was irritated but chose to let it go and save the hassle of arguing with the staff that I did not tip them. The Food was of quality (Good Bread) but poorly constructed with an uneven dist ributin of ingredients (Cheese on one half only was the main problem.) Attention to detail was clearly not a priortiy for the kitchen staff.

Overall, I have to say that Light Bulb gave it there absolute best but fell far short of bient good enough for an memorable and overpriced dining experience. I frequently enjoy a sit down, table service, 3 course lunch for $11.00 at my favorite chinese dine-in resteraunt. Now those lovely girls do earn there tips.

Try using the time that the behind the counter girl(s) are not using to enhance their customers experience to check the bathrooms. Yuck.

Also, ever thought about daily specials that could make it more reasonably priced. $7.50 for a Cream Cheese Begal in a bag. Get Serious.

In conclusion, I have read other less than favorable reviews and notice that the establishment's response take a more defensive view unstead of accepting direct criticism as an opportunity to focus on improvement and appreciation for the time people spend to write...