Cafe Bottega — Restaurant in Riverside

I wanted to like this spot but didn’t have a good first experience. We ordered at the kiosk, but the card reader wasn’t reading our card, so we chose the option to pay at the counter instead. Since the only two workers were busy in the back making drinks, no one came to the register. I assumed we could just pay when our drinks were ready, but after waiting about 20 minutes we noticed people who ordered after us were getting theirs. When we asked, the worker just said that the order doesn’t go through unless it’s paid. This seems like a common issue, but it wasn’t explained anywhere, and the kiosk still lets you enter your name which is confusing.

The café itself is very small with not many seats, and it felt overcrowded with less than 20 people inside. We ended up sitting by the window, which was hot and uncomfortable since the shade wasn’t down during the middle of the day, and the AC didn’t seem to be cooling the space.

When we finally got our two drinks about 10 minutes later, they were just okay and not worth the long wait. Overall, the space is cute but not practical, and the ordering system is not great with the “pay at the counter” option. For a Saturday afternoon, it felt like they were understaffed. I probably wouldn’t come back unless I ordered...

absolutely love this place but their timing is absolutely unacceptable. it takes over 25 minutes for a drink to be made every time i come in here. i’m not sure what the issue is wether the recipes or math is too hard to comprehend but i’ve personally worked at a smoothie shop. this service is unacceptable and it’s reoccurring. so please, whoever runs this joint. train your employees thoroughly and correctly before leaving them to tend to this location by themselves because they’ve proven time and time again that they can’t handle the pressure and timeliness that accompanies this job. drinks shouldn’t take 20 minutes, not even 10 or 5. especially when you’re the only customer in the shop. timing should be 3 minutes and under. i’m sorry to say this because i am a very understanding person but if they cant meet the expectations after working at the joint for so long, they shouldn’t be working there. this place is too great to have bad employees let it...

Genuinely love the place and what they offer. I have gone about four times. Each time I've gone, it was a 50/50 experience, and it was either satisfying or underwhelming. Most of the employees are kind and welcoming and seem to care about their customers. However, the wait time is intense as usually when I were to order online or in person for two or three drinks, they would be ready within forty minutes. I understand that there could be many orders which would explain the long wait. Which is something I generally don't mind. But, in situations where I order two drinks and the presentation of said drinks are disappointing, it makes the whole experience a waste of time. One drink I ordered was a coffee with no ice. After waiting 40 minutes, I was presented a cup that was half full. I know that ice takes a big part in the volume of a beverage, but it's absurd to pay for a 6 dollar drink and be met with half a cup of coffee. It's simply not a good...