Coffee & Art

I hit up Coffee & Art this morning after a nearby yoga class…
I walked in around 7:45am and was greeted with a smile. Friendly service first thing in the morning before you start your day just sets you up for success, or so I am going to believe…
I smiled right back as I pondered the menu, learned a bit about the offerings before selecting a medium americano with steamed almond milk and an acai bowl. I paid electronically by credit card — they use Clover. I learned from my receipt that Dom is the barista that helped me – (Thanks Dom — you were great!) As I sat and waited, several other regular customers came in. Everyone was friendly, which is impressive so early in the morning!
I took my coffee and bowl to go and brought it back to my hotel room. I’m now all fueled up with healthy food and caffeine and ready to go… If I lived in the area, I could see this becoming an everyday routine. Sadly, I’ll have to wait to return until my next visit to the Gaslamp district.

Found this spot while visiting for the weekend. Went there for acai bowls both days and they were nothing but exceptional. Two main types: coconut and granola. You can even ask for both toppings.
And if you want you can make it to go. Great service

Always friendly and always fresh.

Cool little spot ! We stayed in the shade and people watched while sipping on some Guatemalian brew.

Omg! I’ve only been here once. The coffee I got was delicious! The café mexicano is by far one of the best coffees Ive ever taste. Thumbs up for that great idea of mixing those ingredients together. (Agave syrup, coffee, and chocolate)

My iced Mexican mocha was absolutely delicious – I asked for it a little less sweet than normal and it was perfect. Service was ok, not friendly but totally ok.
I like to work at coffeeshops so I base my feelings on that activity. There is very little seating at Coffee & Art. Just a couple small tables indoors and a few outside. I wouldn’t recommend it for working. I mean, you could work there, but it’s not super comfortable.
Food: they mostly serve acai bowls and some breakfast items, like croissants with various fillings. I was there around lunch and there were still some croissants left, so I got one with cheese, ham, and tomato. I wasn’t expecting much but it was totally passable. The cheese was melted and there was some dried oregano in there. The price was a little high ($ 6.50).
Overall, I’d recommend this place to get a coffee to go. Not really a great place to work since there is limited seating, but you could make it work.

This place is amazing and my favorite go to almond latte spot for Comicon. Dominic is not only an excellent barista but also incredibly kind AND accommodating. Twice he held the door open for me to slip in and order drinks just after closing. Go here and enjoy!

I come to SD once or twice a year and this is the ONLY place I will go for coffee! Simply the best! Dominic is the man for making a fine almond milk latte! He is a master barista! Make this THE ONLY PLACE YOU GO FOR COFFEE!!!

This review is strictly on the acai bowl:
I live in the 777 lofts above this place. I was super hungover from the night before, I needed something quick. Quick, but still a healthy choice. Read their reviews about the acai bowls, so I had to get myself together and walk down there. I forgot the guys name that made the bowl, but he was really nice! Again, I was too hungover to look at the art, but it was really cool, their little set-​up. I took my bowl to go and ate it upstairs at home, it was to die for. I think it cured my hangover. I couldn’t finish the whole thing in one sitting. The acai was nice and cold, with plenty of granola, honey and extra fruit (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and bananas). I liked the thick consistency of the acai. I will definitely come here again, since it’s downstairs from where I live. I’ll try to write a review on their coffee, which I haven’t tried.

Iced americano. Solid gold.
Espresso is all these guys make here, which is fine by me. After ordering «a coffee» or «iced coffee» and it being extra delicious — I got around to asking the barista how they brewed coffee and learned that it’s all espresso.
Too funny. Still amazing.

Came in one morning and had their coconut acai bowl with an iced vanilla latte — both were delicious! The building was much smaller than I was expecting, and the service was so-​so, but I will definitely be coming back again for that coconut acai bowl.

If I were a rich girl, yada-​dada-​dada-​dada-​dada-​dada-​dada-​da… I would move to San Diego, buy a sweet loft in the Gaslamp district, and go to Coffee & Art every morning for a soy latte and an Acai bowl.
As it was conveniently located right outside my hotel, I popped in the first morning after arriving in San Diego for a conference, and was reminded of how very wonderful southern California can be. I had never had an Acai bowl prior to this trip, and now, back in the Midwest where they are as elusive as the chupacabra, I almost wish I had never tried one, due to the fear I may never experience such glory again (almost).
The Acai Coconut is comprised of several healthy scoops of frozen, blended Acai berries, topped with mounds of fresh bananas, strawberries, and blueberries, then sprinkled with granola and coconut flakes. Holy smokes — I’m drooling.

The coffee is great and It goes without saying how good the Acai bowls are. The only problem I have with this location is there really aren’t that many places to sit if you’re looking for the coffee house feel.
The staff is really friendly though which makes it perfect if you are just looking to grab your coffee and go.

Cute little place in the heart of downtown SD! They have awesome hot chocolate! Great coffee. Smells wonderful. Friendly service. Clean restroom. They open and closed early.

Best place to come to for acai bowls! They are all so friendly there. Dominic and Sean are always so nice to my room mate and I when we come in. Their vanilla iced lattes are also very good!
Honestly this is the only place I come to for their acai bowls! Can’t get enough of them!

Our hunt for the perfect latte continues, and brought us here. We arrived hungry, thirsty for delicious coffee, and eager to try their wares.
I ordered a Mexican Mocha and a Tomato and Cheese Croissant sandwich, while my husband ordered a latte, and a Coconut Acai Bowl. Once our order was taken, we stepped outside onto the small patio and snagged the only open and clean table, which faced the street.
Our drinks came out first, and one look at the latte they handed my husband had me worried. It didn’t look like it’d be what he deems «quality», but I figured I’d let him do a taste-​test before fretting too much. And, once he did taste it, I could see the disappointment on his face. He said it was okay, but definitely not superb. My own mocha was good, but nothing spectacular.
The Acai bowl came out next, and I can honestly say, that was the most impressive thing about our visit. Not only did they provide a generous portion, the ingredients were fresh, tasty and filling. I shamelessly helped myself to my husband’s serving, telling myself that I wanted just a taste… The acai base had a nice sweet-​but-​not-​too-​sweet flavor, and the fresh fruit — strawberries, bananas, blueberries and blackberries — added the perfect tart/​sweet bite to it. The coconut was a nice touch, as well, but I think it could have been even better had they toasted it before adding it to the top.
The croissant sandwich was mediocre. I mean, really — it was cheese and tomato on a croissant, so I shouldn’t have expected much, but I was definitely underwhelmed. The cheese had herbs mixed in, and it was slightly melted and gooey — probably the best thing about the sandwich. I think I would have enjoyed it more had the tomatoes been roasted, or sun dried, or hell, even *seasoned*. I felt like they were expecting the cheese to provide all the flavor to the sandwich, which it just did not do.
I left more than a little underwhelmed by the service (they tried to give our order to another table, twice!) and the drinks. I definitely wouldn’t order a sandwich from them again, but at least the Acai bowls were good.

Located a few blocks away from the Horton Plaza Mall in the Gaslamp District, a few friends and I sought shelter from the cold in the form of warm, delicious coffee drinks! :D
True to its name, this establishment had quite the selection of both coffee and art.
As we perused the hot drinks, some of their more unique offerings included the Viennese (latte with honey & cinnamon) and Café Mexicano (mochaish with agave syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg). Both were quite tasty, although I enjoyed the Café Mexicano a bit more. And of course, there is plenty of eye-​catching artwork hung up on the walls, for you to look at and chat about while waiting for your drinks.
We ended up sitting at one of the high tables outside, which gave us a street view that was perfect for people-​watching. It was a great place to spend a (SoCal) winter afternoon with friends!

I was in the mood of trying something out of the ordinary, other than my typical Americano, so I went for a patrons recommendation, the Viennese which was an espresso with honey, cinnamon, and steamed milk (
). The small was $ 4.00.
The cinnamon was a little aggressive, but quite good with the rest of the coffee. I normally do not add sugar or any sweetener to my coffee, but the honey on this one was just right. It was not overly sweet, but just enough that pleasant overtones of honey hit me on each sip. Good espresso.
The gents who were running the show were quite hip and full of energy. Not surprising given that they are surrounded my fine coffee. In addition to the coffees, teas, and smoothies, they a provide simple breakfast items such as croissant sandwiches, oatmeals, and Acai Bowls.

I came here after stuffing my face full of Elite Event chow and drinking more than my fair share of wonderful cocktail. Camilla the Unilocaling Hen had already made plans with BB to check out a happy hour…
That left me with a «What should I do?» moment.
Should I (A) just waddle around hoping to not get picked up for public drunkenness?
Should I (B) find a place to sit, and maybe sneak in a little day nap?
No. Much like multiple choice questions of our youth, I needed to pick the BEST answer to my conundrum.
Correct Answer © go to Coffee and Art and get a nice Iced Dirty Chai and get the chance to hear different accents, see art, and unexpectedly get pissed at an ad for a morning news show I found on my cup.
For the record cup ad, Camilla, BB, and I agree that Fox Mornings are the best morning news show if only to hear Raul put two bit actors in their place, see Brad do bird impressions, or Chrissy the weather woman laugh manically about her bangs for hours. Serious news before 9am makes me grumpy.
I digress.
Iced Dirty Chai: Really good. Hit all points in that it packed that espresso punch I needed to get back on the horse of drinking and eating.
This place was a little spendy. Oh well, worth it.
If you are in the area and want a good espresso drink and also want to check out fun art don’t hesitate to make this your choice. It got me back into fighting shape for what would become forever known as «Elle’s Grubbin’s N’ Booze Saturday Spectacular.»

This entire review is based upon one excellent drink. Really enjoyed the medium Mexican mocha with 2 shots. It’s made with agave syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon, chocolate, and 2 shots of espresso. Really hit the spot, and I ordered it not too sweet. It was perfect. I like agave syrup because it’s a low-​glycemic sweetener so it’s healthier than regular sugar and it’s natural.
Hope to return so I can bump up my review to 5 stars after more experience with this little coffee shop! Has 5 outside tables and some inside.