Bird Rock Coffee Roasters

The coffee here is sour. I don’t know who decided that coffee should be sour, but they’re wrong. I guess if you like sour coffee it’s not bad; I’ve had worse. My wife said her chai latte was weak.

Good coffee, espresso was nice. My issue is the cappuccino, there shouldn’t be sizes. Cold brew was very tasty and wifi was fast.

Bird Rock coffee has been my favorite source of awesome beans for a while now. These guys know and love their coffee. And that can be smelled, tasted, seen from the beverage they craft and beans they sell. Their alternative brewing methods are a must try if you’re tired of bad cups of joe. The baristas are knowledgeable and super friendly so ask them if you’re overwhelmed by coffee lingo as I was (WTH is V60? Etc).
You’ll never ever go across the street to get coffee (Starbucks) ever again once you try Bird Rock. Support your local business! Drink better coffee!

If I didn’t live in north county, this would definitely be my regular coffee hangout! Thank you Unilocal for once again not letting me down.
My husband and I were in the area, and we wanted a quick caffeine fix before hiking Torrey Pines. When I searched the area for coffee this place popped up as #1, and rightfully so! Everything about this place screams quality coffee with a semi-​hipster atmosphere
1. Live music
2. Open air seating
3. Pour over bar in chemex glass containers on display
4. Dozens of patrons all dressed either beachy, extremely casual, or in full on Lance Armstrong style cycling gear
My husband ordered a plain old cold brew, which he loved, but as for me, I had to get the drink called «Trophy Wife,» which is a macadamia nut latte. Being from Hawaii, I always notice if there’s a macadamia nut flavor option available for anything. The macadamia nut taste was very present without being overly sweet. I hate when coffee drinks are drowned in simple syrup or flavored syrup and the coffee flavor gets lost in all that sugar. I could definitely taste the quality nuttiness of the drink AND have good coffee notes! I will definitely return the next time I’m in the area

Coffee I had was quite acidic and not delicious. Just the drip coffee. Needed some whole beans so I bought a small bag. $ 17! Rip off! I thought it would be special for that price because they go through great lengths for their coffee (so I hear) but it really wasn’t that great. Specially for the outrageous price. Bitter and acidic beyond what I feel acceptable. Bird rock blend is what I had. I’ll stick to the delicious Italian coffee I know. 3 stars cause they were very nice.
Tasting better after the fourth day drinking it. Half way through the bag. Wanting something else fast.

One of the few places that I would actually spend more than $ 10 on a cup of coffee. I had the Geisha and that extremely smooth. The taste was very similar to a tea.
The servers were very kind in giving detail explanations to us and the kind of aurora each bean produced.
The place was a normal size for a coffee shop. I enjoyed how it was open window and have a decent amount of seats. Great way to capture the sun. Only thing I didn’t enjoy was the parking. Be wary of the one ways and roundabouts when going to this place.

I almost gave up hope finding good coffee in La Jolla. Glad I didn’t. The espresso here is on point, and the baristas actually know what breve is. Yay! I bought espresso at the storefront, went through it at home, and ordered more online. So yummy!
Thanks guys!

Nice neighborhood coffeeshop. On the day of the visit the espresso roast was more acidic than id prefer but certainly not bad. And while the venue wasnt too crowded our order took a few minutes which is cool because the place is nice to hang out.

I’ve read articles about this coffee shop/​roaster as the National Micro Roaster of the Year and finally visited this Bird Rock location on a weekend. It is sort of funny that this place is right across from a Starbucks. The street parking was not hard to find.
I love the open layout of this café that allows us to feel the outside beachy air. So nice. It was a smaller place than I expected. The seating was limited especially when some people with their laptops were hogging the tables.
As to drinks, Sugar Daddy cold latte my husband had was sweet and smooth with nice spices. It was delicious, if you like something sweet.
I had a cup of pourover of Kenya. This was very disappointing. As I do my own pouover at home, I was curious how this famed roaster will do their pourover and I saw how it was done, but it lacked the preciseness and meticulousness that I wanted for pourover. The coffee was too strong and tart to drink black and I had to add a packet of sugar so that I can drink it, which I never do normally. This pourover for $ 6? Mmmm, I’ll have something else next time. Plus, I really didn’t like my special pourover in a brown mug. (I know that may not have anything to do with the taste, but you know what I mean…)
The selection of the beans was a lot less than I expected for an award-​winning roaster. There were only three different kinds of beans for sale on site except for Espresso and Decaf. Kanya, Columbia and some other standard something. This was totally surprising and disappointing. Do we need to be their online store member to get more selection of beans? I bought a bag of Columbia blend. The beans taste great. They give excellent crema each time even when I use a cone coffee maker. I love the fruity acidity and bold but balanced flavor. Great beans!
So, if you live in the Bird Rock neighborhood, you have a nice neighborhood café. Yes, i would definitely choose this one over Starbucks across the street! I don’t live around there and I will not particularly miss this café but I will definitely check their web site to buy more beans from them.
When are you guys coming to the North County???

Love this place. I always take family and friends who are coffee lovers. I prefer just black coffee or a cold brew personally. I also buy their beans for brewing at home. I like the idea of shopping locally. Their products are responsibly resourced, and taste 10x better than any chain coffee shop. They have multiple locations around San Diego if you don’t live near La Jolla. I just like this location because if you walk a block down there is small park with great ocean views. It is also a great hang out and date place.

Okay, Over my stay in Sandiego I searched for the best coffee shop, and I’ve tried a couple. This tops them all.
I liked the vibe of the place, and the little roaster in the back.
Definitely worth visiting if you want to enjoy a great cup-​o-​joe!

Made the trek to see what the fuss was about. There was a long line of (likely locals) in line.
Parking was a bit difficult.
Menu had fun names for mocha’s (Sugar Daddy, Trophy Wife, Gold digger). Ultimately, settled on our trAditional cortado and Hario V60 Pour over. Roast was good.

I was looking for the elusive Geisha coffee, but unfortunately it is available to roast only at this location around the holidays. One of the baristas suggested the v60 pour over (a 3 or 4 minute process) of their Yemen roast.
This was perhaps the best coffee I have ever had, and that includes Jamaica Blue Mountain.
I made the drive to La Jolla this morning to try the main location first, and I certainly will try the Morena and Little Italy locations soon.
The head barista this morning (I wish I had asked for his name) was easily the most knowledgable I have met, and answered questions I’ve had for a couple years about Kope Luwok coffee that made me realize why I’ve never seen it in San Diego and now never want to get it (he said cats are force fed the beans).

Very nice and quiet area.
Lots of parking nearby but most of the spots are 15 minute parking only.
Pretty small coffee shop, but there’s tables inside and outside for those of you who want to work or study. Only problem is, there wifi is only free for 1 hour and there aren’t outlets at every table.
I had the Macadamia coffee cold, and it was pretty good. Nothing amazing.
Not quiet sure why this place is so popular, but its a pretty decent place.

If you’re in San Diego and love coffee, it’s definitely worth the drive to get here. I’ve been to San Diego for several vacations and always make a point to stop here.
I love the low key, open atmosphere of this location. Ample street parking and open seating. Free wifi (one hour).
Get one of the v60 pour over coffees and you’ll never think of coffee the same way.
Try a specialty latte with almond milk– my personal favorite is the sugar daddy (spiced mocha).

Dude-​brah, this coffee shop by the ocean is bodacious. In the heart of the quieter surf town of Bird Rock is this awesome coffee joint. The espresso is made with a high level of attention to detail and the cold brew is perfect for a hot day out on the beach. The pastry selection isn’t huge, but it is fairly extensive as well. On nice days, which is nearly every day here, the big doors are opened up for fresh air and sun and there are even window sill benches to sit on. Beans are roasted on site as well in the back, explaining the tasty fresh note to the coffee. The vibe here is much more relaxed than the more fast paced La Jolla.

Parking: 15 mins parking and 2 hour parking on both sides of the roads.
Place: This place is not that small as people described! Chairs outside and inside. Love the open window atmosphere.
Drink: Came here a couple of times. Love the trophy white not that sweet yeah.
Wifi: only one hour free wifi is provided.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Casual beach vibes, open storefronts its roll-​up windows, insanely knowledgable talent, and some of the best damn award-​winning coffee you’ll find in Southern California!
THE GRIND
Delicious, consistent, even the most demanding coffee snobs will fall in love with the quality of beans + house roasts here.
I came down to roam the tide pools during low tide and realized Bird Rock Coffee Roasters was right down the road. Can’t come down this way and leave empty-​handed. So I picked up a bag of El Socorro Maracaturra. (It had a sticker saying 92pts from the 2015 coffee review. I know… I’m a consumer whore.) can’t wait to get this home and into my V60!
THE VERDICT
GO!!! — Bird Rock is a rare treat when I’m in the neighborhood, or when I have an urge to drive through La Jolla.

Cute spot!
My boyfriend ordered the Guatemala pour over coffee, but they were out. He got the Sumatra instead, which was very earthy, almost gritty. Not the best pour over he’s had. 3 stars.
* Trophy wife (macadamia nut latte) — 4 stars
Great nutty flavor, and I loved that the whipped cream was homemade — cold, with actual weight.
* Pretzel — 3.5 stars
Fine, nothing to brag about. Wish they’d toasted it, probably would’ve been amazing.

Parking generally is horrendous, but once you can get past that, you’ll be okay. If you’re in a hurry, plan at least 30 minutes to grab a cup. We came by in late afternoon, when it wasn’t very busy, maybe 8 – 9 customers. At least it didn’t have people hanging out the windows lol, like it usually does early mornings, so we decided to stop at a perfect time. Most times, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters is very packed with people… locals mostly. There weren’t many people there then, so we ordered and were served within 15 minutes.
I had camomile tea, with sugar, soy and light whip. It was served steaming hot, and smelled so sweet. I enjoyed it very much and finished every drop, which I don’t always do, but this was perfect! My daughter, and friend, had Earl Grey black tea, with soy and raw sugar.
We noticed it was such a welcoming atmosphere, and the room we were standing in was cool and calm, as we found ourselves looking at all the paintings on the walls, cause they were such interesting subject matter, and there were so many of them. There was such a nice breeze blowing through the massively huge front windows, which made it cooler than it was outside. So we decided to linger a little and enjoy this cool respite. Great atmosphere.
I did need a bathroom break before we left, and I found their ladies/men’s room clean, cute & whimsical.
Will we return? Yes, absolutely. I want to check Bird Rock Coffee Roasters out a LOT more, as they quite obviously have so much more to offer. Very nice and genuine people, too.
PS –I’ve been here several times for my caffeine fix and everyone is so sweet. And I like how you are greeted upon entering. Any business is always appreciated by customers when it’s genuine, so thank you so much for that!