Public Square — Restaurant in La Mesa

I have 10+ years of coffee experience, from running programs to consulting. This place is the real deal y’all.

Came here on a busy Saturday. The line was consistently 10+ deep, but moved at a good pace. The person on register was making sure each person felt comfortable and well taken care of, while being mindful of the interaction time. This pacing allowed the 2 baristas on bar to get more drinks out faster so things don’t back up too much. It’s all about pacing in a busy shop setting. They do this perfectly which keeps the atmosphere nice and relaxed. They make it look effortless.

The coffee they serve is from some of the best roasters in SoCal. It’s great stuff. Whether you’re looking for a sweet latte drink or are an espresso / black coffee nerd - you’re gonna be in great hands.

The food here is also so much better than it even needs to be. The coffee quality alone is enough for it to be a destination, if more people knew about it. But they put just as much love and care into the food as they do everything else.

DON’T SKIP THE SCONES.

They’re the best I’ve ever had. I didn’t know a scone could be so perfectly light, soft and fluffy on the inside and just crispy enough on the outside. I knew that’s how they’re supposed to be, but I’d never seen it before. These are not the cold, rock hard scones you’re used to getting at coffee shops. These come out of the oven warm. You can choose the type of butter you’d like with it too. I opted for guava.

I’m from Texas originally, and I can honestly say that their homemade biscuits and gravy may be the best I’ve ever had. I was shocked. Floored. It was like being group hugged by my momma, her mom and my great grandma all at once. If you’re looking for something hearty, do your soul a favor...

Normally I am a fan & promoter of small businesses, working hard & motivated to provide unique experience to the local neighborhood. My typical experience at this local coffee shop has been pleasant, lighthearted, & overall good.

Today unfortunately that was not the case. I witnessed by far one of the worst cases of public shaming, lack of empathy, & straight up degrading behaviors by an employee there towards an elderly gentleman in a wheelchair, doing his best to try & take a seat in this establishment.

The employee walked up to him, told him to put his chair outside & just stared at him, hovering over him until he moved. He was doing his best to get to the couch, but obviously needed some help. She just waited till he sat back in his chair and scooted into the corner & dropped his head into his hands & started tearing up. It was so embarrassing for this man. Who mind you just spent $ at this place. My friend & I couldn’t take it, walked over & helped him to the couch to get comfortable & hopefully enjoy the rest of his morning. Thankfully the young man sitting next to him sat & talked with him for over an hour & the elderly man smiled through their conversation…

For the owners at Public Square… if you are going to promote kindness, equality, love, & positivity, teach your employees that it doesn’t stop at healthy young adults & kids. Be your word & honor what you praise & promote with ACTION.

It starts from the top down. And the kindness offered by the patrons of your establishment brought joy & most likely hope to an elderly man who was crying in your establishment because of...

Public Square coffee House is located in the heart of La Mesa downtown with street parkings. Some of the meters don’t take Apple Pay or cards so bring your quarters for the metered parkings. This coffee house is very popular so there was already a line formed inside to place order even at 2pm in the afternoon on week day. Love the interior layout and aesthetic, plenty of indoor seatings and outlets. Super nice ambiance and colorful decor and fun playlist . Pet friendly for outdoor seatings. I ordered a hot black sesame latte with oat milk. Barista was very kind and brought the latte for me to outdoor seating. One of the patrons was so impressed how it was presented and said it was almost too pretty to drink. The sesame latte was decent, tad weak on the espresso and was luke warm and too creamy, probably had too much oat milk. Next time I will make sure my latte is hot and has stronger expresso taste. I also ordered a sugar scone with flight butter, fig and honey flavor. They gave an assigned number for the food ordered. When it was ready, they brought it to me with fork, napkin and a note card with an inspirational and uplifting message. The sugar scone was beautifully presented and the fig and honey butter was very tasty. Scone was airy inside, not dry, and has a crunchy top and bottom, almost like a cross between a croissant and a scone and not like the traditional scones. Waitstaff was very friendly, welcoming, gracious and helpful and interacts well with guests, even newbies. Will come back to try their soup and sandwiches and...