Communal Coffee — Restaurant in San Diego

Prior to visiting, I heard about Communal Coffee from friends and they've always had positive things to say about this spot. Seeing all the aesthetic photos of the business, it was hard not to want to come to visit myself!

PARKING - They have a VERY limited side lot with 30 minute parking spots, otherwise you'll have to opt for street parking which gets full very quickly.

SERVICE/ENVIRONMENT - I was honestly surprised at the size of Communal Coffee! The outdoor patio area has umbrellas and shading for sunny days, and once you go in there are several tables scattered across the shop. They have bar seating and also a more private room where people looked deep in their work, if you needed a quieter space. They also have several vendor items ranging from jewelry, clothing, books, flower bouquets and more! Service was quick and friendly. If you find a table outside or deeper in, I would stick around to grab your drinks as it's hard to hear names being called out during busier hours.

DRINK - Sweet Mint Cold Brew ($6.00): I'm a huge fan of most coffee concoctions that have mint in them, and seeing as this already had oat milk included, it was right up my alley. Beautifully presented with the sprig of mint, but taste-wise it was disappointing. It felt diluted and left me wanting more flavor. I've definitely had better mint coffees at other establishments.

Latte Flight ($8.50): My friend ordered this and actually asked if she could add on another flavor as she wanted to try all three and they happily obliged! However it was hard for her to carry as they didn't give her anything to transport the glasses to the table, so she had to go back. Similar to the Sweet Mint Cold Brew, the flavors were very light in these. You could tell which flavor was which, but it still left me wishing they were more prominent.

OVERALL - Maybe we ordered the wrong drinks, or maybe they were off in their drink making this day. I do think the environment and aesthetic decor made my experience better, but I'm not sure if I'd come back just for the vibe. I hope if I return, the next drink will be more satisfying. I would also be open to trying a food item as they have a wider selection than most...

Communal is an AMAZING place to get some coffee and has an enormous amount of space to sit and work. Despite this it can be pretty crowded but I don’t think that should stop you from visiting. It’s easily once of your favorite places for coffee in the San Diego area and I highly recommend it to anyone that loves coffee. We will certainly be back.

Order: I didn’t get our exact order but the prices were in line with what you would expect.

Review: Communal Coffee was our last cafe of the day and it seems like we may have saved the winner for last. Communal is a huge cafe that is crammed with seating both inside and outside and styled like a flower shop. They have a large collection of oddities for sale in addition or coffee and just next door is a full flower shop. This really lends a very creative, whimsical, natural air to the entire cafe and I absolutely loved it.

We started by ordering an espresso and tonic, then later got a pour over and a cappuccino, and finally got a seasonal latte to go. Every single one was fantastic; and I genuinely don’t know what I would call out that they should do better. The staff was friendly, the service was quick, the coffee was amazing, and the space was wonderful. I suppose they only negative we encountered the entire time was that while it was pretty easy to find a table, it was very challenging to find an open table near an electrical outlet to charge our computers.

Overall I think Communal is one of our two “must visit” cafe’s in the San Diego area, so, you know;...

I've lived nearby and visited communal countless times. I have some nice memories here. But overall the place seems to sacrifice everything for the vibes/aesthetic.

Their custom-branded sleeves and the like are so cute. It's too bad they can't spring for lids that actually fit on their cups.

Their toaster oven is adorable. Or at least it was, until it got burned. But it can barely warm up a croissant.

Their croissant, and other pastries, are actually delicious. It's too bad their case holds flies in more often than it keeps them out.

Their coffee is so chic — in name and in ingredients. But the flavors/proportions are inconsistent and hit-or-miss in their experimentation.

At first glance, the place looks like it came out of a catalogue. Very millenial modern. But a lot of the furniture is uneven, scuffed, dented, or otherwise damaged in ways that indicate it wasn't built to last. It's too easy to accidentally spill your coffee on a lot of the tables or hit your head on the wobbly umbrellas.

The line often goes out the door, which looks impressive. It would actually BE impressive if it weren't for the fact that it's a result of baffling line management.

Generally, I like and will still go to the place. I just don't think it's the 5-star experience other reviewers make it out to be. Attempts to reach out to the owners or staff about some of these issues hasn't led...