High Tide Coffee San Clemente — Restaurant in San Clemente

NOT BAD ! My wife and I moved to San Clemente a just a few months ago. It's an area we like and know pretty well....we've been coming here for 15 years to dine at our fav restaurants and cafes. Now we already have a fav coffee shop in San Clemente which serves the rich tasting coffee we like. However my wife's son who lives in Oregon gave us $50 gift card at Xmas for this coffee shop. On Sunday we decided to pop in here for lunch. It was pretty quiet when we waltzed in around 2pm. In fact there was a line behind us the moment we stood at the service counter. We ordered 1 x Latte, 1 x Cortado both with 2% milk and 1 x Italiano Panini to share. GIFT CARD ! When my wife showed our digital gift card on her iPhone there was an immediate problem. Apparently the owners changed their gift card supplier and Daisy the barista couldn't fix the problem at that point. We picked up our Latte and Cortado within a few minutes. My creamy latte tasted milky with virtually no coffee taste. I took it back to Daisy the barista and asked if it had 2 shots...yes it did was her response. I said that the house coffee must be very mild....she agreed. INSTEAD ! Rather than have it remade I opted for a Cortado...you can't go wrong with 2 shots in a 6 oz glass even with a mild roast. A young female food runner brought it to our table...it certainly tasted better. Shortly after my wife picked up our Italiano Panini from the kitchen window. It looked okay, tasted okay, nothing to get too excited about. This place is a little too casual...

High Tide Coffee is really, really good! They make my very favorite mocha (and I'm a picky chocolate fiend, so that should say a lot). The place has a warm, open, friendly vibe, and really feels like a very positive part of the community. I'm claiming best coffee shop in San Clemente!

Also, I have to throw an accolade out in recognition of an extreme employee honesty experience yesterday. My wallet and keys fell out of my pocket while sipping my coffee at High Tide. It contained several 100 dollar bills, my passport card, global entry card, DL, a gift certificate and a bunch of credit cards, as well as a house, mail and car key. Not only did I get it back, but not a single bill was missing! Apparently Jessica found it while closing and she and Karina kept it safe. Other employees also came into contact with my wallet the next morning, but it was kept safe and free of opportunistic plundering.

Thanks so much guys--I'm so relieved not to have to rekey locks and get passport, DL etc replaced! Also, very impressed that my cash was still there. Thanks also for the pervasive good vibes!

Much...

Alright guys, I do NOT do this a lot however HTC has gone above and beyond all of my expectations every time I purchase coffee, gifts, and or pastries! As far as the drinks go, I mean WOW you just cannot find anything like it in the area, they are so creative with their flavors and to me that is so important (I also worked in coffee for 14 years). As far as the pastries go, DELICIOUS! Not once have I tried food at HT that was not made fresh which is also very important for a coffee shop! Not only are the products up to par, but the owners are just the best. They bring a wonderful family vibe to the community and they really make each and every customer feel welcome and as if they've know them forever. They hire and train an amazing staff to represent what they have built and put all of their time, sweat, and tears into! As a small business owner myself, I am just beyond impressed with what HTC brings to the table and I hope you all go try them out for yourselves and see! Ps they also have the CUTEST merch around ❤

Love always, your DIE HARD...