Hopper & Burr — Restaurant in Santa Ana

I've only been to Hopper & Burr twice, both experiences were great and in considerably different ways, sending the shop straight to the list of my favorite coffee shops in OC.

When I first visited Hopper & Burr, I was impressed by its bright, slick, and simple space. Lots of light and air between the big windows, high ceilings, and white walls, and just a couple of details so that the place doesn't look sterile. The coffee counter, which has only the bare minimum of equipments, extends to the sitting area as a bar with wide counter space. I had a Litmus, a tasing flight that is beautifully presented and tastes excellent. I also enjoyed the avocado toast, the sourdough was extra crunchy and the pancetta made it extra tasty.

I had thought Hopper & Burr is a minimalist coffee shop that pours a good cappuccino, then I discovered their understated seasonal menu during my second visit. Nothing about the menu screams I'm special!, not even the prices, but I immediately knew when I got the Cavendish. Instead of a generic flavored latte that I had expected, the banana milk espresso drink is a meticulously garnished mocktail with a creamy, slightly foamy, almost sparkly texture. I've never had something like that.

Later I had a Horchata Slushie for a second round. This time the name is self-explanatory but it led me to another discovery. Different drinks at Hopper & Burr are served in different vessels: collins, rocks, sundae glasses, even something that looks like an Easter Island head sculpture. The amount of creativity and attention to details in these drinks contrast starkly with the modest way they are introduced and the shop's casual atmosphere. In a market where special drinks are often gimmicks, copy cats, or not so special at all, Hopper & Burr's unassuming creations are the real deal.

Two visits in two months obviously don't make me a regular, but the small and stable team already looks familiar to me. Everyone behind the bar looks happy and proud of what they serve, yet never overly so. I can't wait for...

First time here and I had the unfortunate experience of trying a seasonal drink called the Smokehouse Capp - a cappuccino with some flavored syrup and a way generous amount of salt sprinkled on top. First of all, I am highly sensitive to salt (and hate salt in any desserts like not even cookies - I can immediately taste it) so totally my fault for getting convinced into drinking this by a patron sitting right by the coffee machine saying it was hugely popular (how?!). The barista let me replace my drink with a regular cappuccino after I tried the smokehouse but the damage had already been done after three sips. The salt burnt my taste buds and I could taste it as I licked my lips of the milk foam (with salt) and ultimately - an hour later I still could taste the remnants of salt in my mouth so much I had to vomit it out. I can still feel my stomach churning from the insanely salty experience and may need to go try to get more of the salt out of my body before I metabolize it and my body dehydrates. Street parking here isn’t bad and conveniently located next to a public parking lot. There are a lot of Asian patrons to this establishment and the coffee shop seems trendy. The other drinks might be more normal, and can’t speak for the quality of any other drink as my experience was probably out of the norm. The salt drink with almond milk was $8, for a small cappuccino. Not worth it in my opinion even if it had not...

How did I miss this local awesome coffee shop?

I was on my way back from a local trip and was craving an espresso tonic. Sadly, I only know of a couple places that do this in the OC area and didn't want to make the long drive to Smoking Tiger which was my usual go-to. However, I found a small shop that I seemed to have passed by a lot in the pre-pandemic days (Vacation Bar) via Yelp and stopped by.

Hooper & Burr is a minimalist, modern coffee shop that is excellent. I love the vibe and during these pandemic days, miss meeting up with friends or studying in one of these cafes. I came in, was greeted warmly by the cashier and put in my order for the espresso tonic (which is about $5ish). They pride themselves in their coffee and have the usual variations you'd expect.

It wasn't too busy on a Wednesday afternoon so my drink came up after about 5 or so minutes.

The espresso tonic here is wonderful. The espresso they used was a bit snappier (if that's the right word) than I was used to but loved how it paired well with their tonic (I believe I read it's their own tonic iteration but may be off). The amount is plentiful as well and was sipping on it the entire afternoon.,

There is a 2-hour free parking right behind the cafe as well as some metered parking around.

Hope to...