GEM COFFEE SD — Restaurant in San Diego

not a big coffee fan but i love hot chocolate with a splash of coffee in it.... i was craving one so i stoped at gem the atmosphere service and product were standard nothing special wouldn't say anything particularly bad just not special at all just regular coffee shop the experience went totally wrong when i witnesses a barista look outside and mumble no no no... now im curious i get quiet get by the door so i can hear what she has walked outside to say she proceeds to go harass a utility worker parked in a 15min zone when the barista returned inside i politely said not sure but i have family that are utility workers and a lot of times they have agreements with the city where they can park in loading zones 15min zones some places they'll let them park in the red to complete their work she said i dont know abot that but we need that spot for customers i said well ive been in here sitting for what 30min or so before i came in i was talking with a friends outside who was taking his aunt to the doctors offices thats 2 buildings down for 40min no one has come near that loading zone except for that utility worker maybe it just made his job easier so he wouldn't have to lug around all his tools barista cut me off and said "so what if i cant park there all day then no one can" oh so that's the issue can i go make my own hot coco with a splash of coffee of course i was told no employees only behind the counter so employees can go where i can't go just like utility workers can park where you can't the barista face was priceless clearly upset barista rudely suggests i leave politely i said oh im leaving in on my way out now you won't have to worry about seeing me again flashed my phone so barista could see i had googled the shop ill be sure to write a google review about the type of people that work here i turned and left all i heard behind me was wait no..... lol lol lol so you want to act like that but when you hear there's a chance people might find out it not ok to tell people how you were acting thats important to some people including me i dont support people who feel they can get things you cant but you cant have anything they cant.... the barista exact words "i dont care i cant park there all day no one can".... you can support them if you want...

This place is far from a “Gem”

I was on my way to another coffee shop and saw this a cute looking, empty café, open on a Sunday, so I pulled over to Gem Coffee - and Boy, What a mistake that was!

I came for coffee and they said the drip was probably cold by now (before noon) so they could charge me for a pour over, which was more expensive and would take longer - I opted for an Americano instead for a dollar less

I asked if they had any food options, they said all they had left were three croissants…

“I assume these aren’t vegan correct?” They looked at me like I was crazy & didn’t understand what the question was…

I asked, because on the pastry container, there were vegan food options listed on a paper menu taped to the case, but apparently they had no food available today…

I tried to use their Wi-Fi, but it was not in a form that could easily be rewritten; so you’d have to ask for all the capitalizations & play DiVinci’s Code guessing…

When my drink was done, the barista had a hard time getting the drink over the counter to me, like it was too overcrowded in there (with one other customer in there)

The seats outside & wobbly tables will make you last 15 minutes max… if you don’t spill your coffee within the first 15 seconds…

Stay away...

Nested on a busy street in between Vietnamese shops, I always thought this was an Asian cafe but it’s not. It’s such a cute urban cafe.

Parking may be difficult on the street. They have a small lot. The menu is also small. They offer food such as bánh mì that’s from Paris Bakery.

They sell their own coffee grounds. They also feature items from local artists and retailers like books, candles, tshirts.

We ordered a lavender latte and matcha. There’s only one size and let me tell you, the coffee is strong! Definitely worth your money and great quality drinks for such a...