Idego Coffee — Restaurant in Poway

To be honest, writing this review feels a bit difficult for some reason😀 Let me start by saying that we found this coffee shop through reviews on Google Maps. Of course, we looked at the ratings and photos, especially how the coffee is prepared — we pay close attention to how the drinks look, and whether they do latte art. The main highlight that drew us in was the fact that they roast their own coffee beans on-site🥰However, when we arrived, the interior design felt very ordinary. Just a regular setup — some tables inside and some outside. Everything was okay. One thing I really appreciated was that the barista asked whether I wanted my matcha latte sweetened or not👍 That’s important to me, since places often add syrup by default without noting it on the menu, and I personally don’t like sweet drinks.

As for the drinks themselves — they were just okay, honestly. I can’t give this place a full 5 stars. I’ve definitely had better matcha and coffee elsewhere, but what they serve here is still good — solid quality. Again, the fact that they roast their own beans is a big plus. As for the matcha latte specifically, it had a bit of a strange aftertaste. I’m not sure if it was the type of matcha or maybe the milk, though I doubt it was the milk. It was fine, but something felt slightly off.

Oh — and I almost forgot, we also got a chocolate croissant, which unfortunately seemed like it wasn’t fresh. that was a bit...

The coffee was good. But I'd encourage everyone else to get their coffee to go until they up their game on creating an inviting space.

I enjoyed the Mayan iced, it was really delicious. It was just the right amount of sweetness with a tiny bit of spice. It was also inexpensive relatively. Loved it! Makes me want to go back just to try another drink.

There was free wifi and chairs, but it wasn't cozy coffee shop vibes. No cute stickers or paraphernalia that you could get that made you feel like you belonged to a place.

The decor away from the coffee bar left a lot to be desired and the map painting needed another coat of paint. In general, the weight of the room felt off, and it was empty almost the whole morning I was there. Private can be nice, but not in this case. It felt like a hotel lobby or even like a yogurt shop, where you just want to get out. Everyone else who stopped in got their coffee to go. Thankfully, it wasn't a jaring space, or else I would have left. Just plain and I felt stuck-to-wall.

There were also a couple outdoor tables that looked shared with the burger joint and I did see an open outlet near one of the counters/walls for those hoping to keep their laptop charged. The bathroom was clean.

The service was quick and polite. Not friendly or conversational, but definitely not rude. It was good.

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What a cool little hidden gem in Poway. I always look for a different coffee spots when I'm in different areas. I did not want Starbucks so I searched on Yelp and found idego coffee. It looks interesting so I decided to stop by. I'm glad I did because the owner here is very nice. He gave me some good recommendations for pullover. I noticed these machines that I have never seen before so I asked him about it. He told me they were pretty much automatic pull over machines. How cool. He told me they were about 15 grand and by the looks of it it seems like it was worth it. I could just imagine how much time and energy he saves. I got to see the machines I work and they are so awesome, I wish I could have one at my house. Donor is real nice and we had a brief conversation about his history and these machines and I was a cool thing. I'll definitely come back to try his other pour over flavors and see those...