Communal — Restaurant in Oceanside

Overall Thoughts: I highly recommend adding this place to your list whether it's a one-time try or your new regular spot. Innovative and unique menu items for all and beverages that have the perfect ingredient ratios and actually taste like the beverage - not masked with sugar. Friendly chill vibe where you could possibly make some friends or just work quietly on your own.

Working Remotely: This is a great spot to find peace when you are working remotely. There is a lot of foot traffic (which is amazing) but the chill vibe is never disrupted with the amount of customers they have. They also have a lot of wall plugs for computer/phone chargers and different types of seating for groups, pairs or singles.

Food & Drink: Their drinks come in one size and I think that is a smart operational move. You keep drink processes and measurements to a minimum and allows customers to have one less decision to make. I have had their matcha latte with oat milk (iced), half/caff latte with almond milk (iced) and the avocado bagel sandwich. It was great to see they had a gluten-free bagel option. Their matcha latte is now in my Top 3. It's smooth and there has never been any matcha left unmixed. The drink isn't super sweet like most places I have tried. You can add your own sweetener to any drink if you want. My almond milk latte was delicious as well. You get the taste of the espresso but it's not overbearing to the milk - perfect ice to liquid ratios, too. I've sipped on my beverages for a few hours and they have not been watered down. Their menu consists of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. This isn't a party zone though which is nice - the alcohol is for the chill, relaxing moments. The avocado bagel sandwich I had was layered with healthy ingredients and each of those were perfectly proportioned just like the drinks. The textures paired well together with the crunch of the gluten-free bagel, creaminess of the cheese & avocado and crispness of the leafy greens + zucchini ribbons.

Staff & Customer Service: The staff is very knowledgeable about their menu and were very quick to give recommendations if they were out of a product. I noticed their patience with customers when they're trying to select a drink / food. Consistent with cleaning tables and making sure there are spaces available for patrons. They're very friendly and seem to work well together to keep the flow of operations going. I also noticed that either the owner or the manager would have meetings with his staff members one on one. This showed me that there is dedication to the staff and an effort to keep a connection between employees.

Shop & Florist: The shop area is placed perfectly near the register so if there is a line you can explore the various items they have to offer. They have different products: nail polish, day planners, wine, coffee, plants, candles, honey, etc. The flower shop is a really neat addition to the cafe. I read great reviews of the bouquets they have crafted for weddings and events - it adds a vibrant fresh element...

I had the most incredible experience working with Communal’s floral department for my wedding day! After reaching out, I was connected with Tatum who is the Floral Lead at the Oceanside location and I cannot gush about her enough! Tatum was an absolute dream to work with - extremely kind, understanding, encouraging, and overall just wonderful communication from start to finish throughout the entire wedding planning process. I was a very anxious bride and she was so comforting every step of the way! I really wanted a specific flower included in our arrangements (calla lilies) and she explained that they would do the best they could to include these for me, and they delivered 100%! (Even though I totally understand that some of this is totally out of their control due to the season and which flowers are up to their standards, etc. but it meant so much to me that they made my dream flower happen!) I also sent some inspiration pictures and Tatum really understood my vision, and she helped me with suggestions to achieve the look that I wanted (I wanted a small piece of greenery on each plate and she made a suggestion for eucalyptus, and it turned out even better than my inspo pic!) I was very stressed about coordinating the pick-up timing as my father was picking up the florals, and she was so accommodating and offered multiple options to make things work. She also answered all of my anxiety-ridden questions (Can flowers last okay in air conditioning in a hotel room? lol) with so much kindness and never made me feel annoying! We ordered my bridal bouquet, groom’s boutonniere, twelve bud vases, two larger floral arrangements, and individual greenery for each plate and I was in love with every single thing that we received! The mixture of florals and greenery was exactly what I was hoping for and I wouldn’t have changed a thing! And this was so sweet - the boutonniere with the calla lily had a thick stem, so Tatum even threw in an additional boutonniere for free in case I didn’t like that one, and so then my dad ended up having one to wear! Working with Tatum was seriously such a dream and I couldn’t feel luckier. I couldn’t recommend Tatum and the Communal floral team more highly! Thank you, thank you,...

First, I’d like to start by saying that I am from Oceanside, CA—born and raised—and I love supporting local businesses. That’s exactly why my sisters and I chose to visit Communal instead of going to places like Starbucks or Panera for our morning coffee and brunch.

Unfortunately, our experience was far from welcoming. One of the employees, Crystal M, was incredibly snarky and gave us attitude instead of simply explaining how things are done there. Rather than providing helpful service, she made us feel like we were a nuisance.

I would also like to note, from the moment we walked in, it was clear we were not welcome. The staff barely acknowledged us, and when we asked about seating, we were told there wasn’t enough space for a party of 14.

What made this even more frustrating was that when I checked the back patio, There was plenty of seating available and I saw a party of 17+—who happened to have different colored skin—being immediately accommodated with smiles and polite service. They were seated without any issue, the contrast was undeniable and deeply upsetting.

The clear disparity in how we were treated versus the other groups in the café was humiliating. No one should experience this kind of discrimination, especially in a public space that claims to be welcoming. It was an incredibly disheartening experience, and I will never return.

However, I do want to acknowledge the older gentleman who served us our food—he was incredibly kind and helpful, which gave me hope that not all of the staff share the same poor attitude.

That being said, management seriously needs to address this issue because one bad seed can kill a tree. No customer should feel unwelcome or disrespected when choosing to support a local business in their own home town. If you’re from Oceanside, then you know we treat one another with respect and lead with love, this business however — does not. Don't be misled by the other reviews as we were. I truly hope they make the necessary changes before more people have a...