The Barista Botanist — Restaurant in San Diego

I enjoyed a very good cortado and pretty good BB avocado toast from this new coffee shop in Pacific Beach, San Diego.

The place is definitely hip. I dig all the plants inside the shop. The cortado was smooth and rich. It was served in a very nice artisan cup. The BB Avo Toast was served on a well toasted sourdough bread. It came with freshly sliced organic avocado, a delicious pesto spread, cherry tomatoes, crispy onions, and micro greens for $13.

The toast was tasty. It did need a little bit more avocado and the need to be careful because some of the slice still had the avocado's rind in them. The pesto sauce was very good and the cherry tomatoes were bursting with juiciness.

Service at the counter was friendly, but I was a little confused because I ordered in, and they brought out my toast to me to my table, but they wouldn't bring out my cortado to me. I had to pick it up.

They need to be consistent with service, or choose one...

I know this place is cute, and I know the menu seems delightful but the reality is that it's just OK. Cold brew was watered down tasting. Espresso was oily and over-roasted. Pizza was good, but not life changing. Service was kind and quick but all the garbage bins were overflowing near the drink station and bathroom. Bathroom was pretty dirty. This place is an Instagram haven but in real life it's just another busy, overpriced cafe. Pros: -Menu has healthier options like grass fed, organic, and a wide variety of options. -place is cutely decorated and has a vibe Cons: -place is super small, crammed, really only comfy for a quick coffee. Not comfortable to sit down and enjoy a meal. Kinda ruins that cute vibe. -music is so loud you literally have to shout. It was 2pm and I couldn't even cancel the blasting reggae with my noise cancelling earbuds. -prices are...

So disappointed. The barista was texting the whole time and it took 25 minutes for them to pour a cold brew on some ice…. We got here at open and were the second people on line, so there was no orders to get caught up on. She was literally texting the whole time so she made the first peoples orders wrong then had to make them again then they made peoples drinks before ours and it took 25 min for them to pour a cold brew. Don’t get the banana cold brew it’s not even good. We threw it away after spending $9 and waiting 25 min.

Apparently there was employee drama, and other employees were texting her bullying her. So everyone was talking crap about each other and the boss and how he’s the adult and should step in….

I was planning to come back tomorrow to try the pizza and matcha but I won’t be giving this place any...