This Valentine's Day, I was a little lost. There were any number of things I could have done to make me feel like a sad little single girl, so I decided to be extremely lame and come hang out with my mom. At least I'm not going to be hungover tomorrow. Thankfully, 2 of my favorite gays live down here, and they took pity on my poor alone soul and kidnapped me to get coffee. After discussing the various locations in the area, we ended up here. I ordered a mexican mocha, which was pretty tasty (although I should have considered the caloric content- have to keep the girlish figure for the potential suitors), and we hung out in the safe room- this place used to be a bank, apparently. The staff is friendly and although the seating is not really conducive to relaxing over a cup of coffee, I dug it. Next time, I think I'm going to stick with my usual latte- maybe with a date. Or maybe not. read more

Stayed in a flat at Pleasure Point, and Coffeetopia was a few blocks from there. Great espresso, nice bites to eat. One day I had the ham and cheese croissant, the next ~ some berry bar that was yummy! Cool that this used to be a bank, and part of the seating area was inside the vault. I wish there was more info on what bank this used to be, of perhaps make up stories about random bank robberies and shootouts. If I was perhaps, um ... stoned -- I might have liked the artwork. I just hope it's temporary and that they change it out. read more

This really is my favorite coffee shop, ever! I have been going here since I was little. They always satisfy my coffee fix. A few years ago I discovered the Mexican chocolate mocha.... uh there are no words to explain it's yumminess. They have great pastries and bagels to choice from. Also vegetarian and vegan friendly. The staff is always friendly and I am never waiting long for my order. They have 2 rooms with a bunch of computers and free Internet. The place is pretty small but well lade out. They do not take credit cards so bring your cash, or use the ATM in the front. read more

My friend used to work here, where she learned to make "the best latte in the world." And she did! Now that she's not there anymore, I'm not too impressed with the service. Their lattes are really good, but there are at times some unfriendly people behind the counter. Bummer. But since I don't live here anymore, I don't stop by there as much. I prefer to get my lattes closer to wherever I'm at: Gayle's if in Capitola, Surf Cafe if in Aptos. Downtown I usually go to Pergolesi's. read more

The people weren't warm and fuzzy but the coffee was damn good. That is all. Ok a bit more: Try the Guatemalan. I normally have to use cream and sugar but here only a teeny bit of both, really great flavor courtesy of the brew bar (something I've only seen in Santa Cruz so far). Kudos for the coffee but crack a smile, I'm not here to rob the place :) read more

My favorite coffee shop in the world. Coffee is superb, their mochas are ridiculous. But the real reason I go is for their jalapeño cream cheese bagels. The bagels are fresh. The cream cheese is legiiiiit, the jalapeños are fresh, not jarred. And they pile the cream cheese on so high, it's almost towering. Mmmmmm..... read more

When my fiance and I feel like escaping the city for a weekend - we come down to Santa Cruz. We've developed quite a routine (see reviews for Cafe Cruz, Hanks at the Hook, and Aptos St. BBQ). First off, we always grab breakfast at Coffeetopia. I order a non-fat sugar-free hazelnut latte and a whole wheat egg bagel with cheese, tomato and no butter. To get the full experience - don't order to-go. You gotta sit in the old bank vault, and read one of the local hippie papers while you're there! Wish they accepted credit cards though. read more

Two stars for the snooty girl. boo. Three stars for having Earth Balance for the bagels!! The girl who actually took my order was nice. I really, really, liked their hummus. The mocha was just so-so. Not real chocolaty (sp??) and the coffee was weak. read more

I have been going to coffetopia in Live Oak for more than 15 years. I now live in Aptos but make effort to pop in whenever possible. Today we were at beach stopped in for coffee and desserts. We walked in and were greeted very rudely and agressivly told to wear masks. I went to car and got mask as i was putting it on .The same person came charging out of back area and started in harrasing me again. I really hope that the owner reads this I will not go back. No customers were in coffee shop just two employees. The girl was polite and tried to smooth things over.The guy was a real jerk. so disappointed to loose one of my favorite spots. read more

Been to both Santa Cruz locations. I see going to a new coffeehouse like a field trip when I was in grade school. Was pretty amused seeing peeps drinking and studying in the former bank vault. The coffee was just okay, especially the ones you dispense yourself. If you want some decent tasting coffee at Coffeetopia, I'll have to recommend the brew bar. Boiling water is poured through a cone filter that's filled with coffee grinds of your choice. The coffee slowly drips from the filter and straight into your awaiting cup. Sure it takes time for your brew bar coffee to be ready but your beverage is more robust and flavorful. It's worth the wait... read more

I'd kill for a coffee place like this in San Jose, where I now unfortunately live. Santa Cruz is way spoiled in coffee houses. If you are a drip coffee connoisseur, like myself, you will know that the brewbar is where it's at. I like the Guatemalan slow-pour. It is slow when 8 million people come at 10 on Saturday. They do what they can, with four people at their respective stations. If you don't expect to wait for your bagel, then you're kidding yourself. My stiff brewbar comes up in a respectable amount of time--always. Also, they do their best to produce a real cappuccino. They actually serve it in a porcelain mug for you. A little bit too milky for my taste, but they give you the heart on top and the soft foam, which classifies a real cappuccino in my book. For you latte-lovers...grow a pair. I'm sure they're good, but if you need that much milk, drink a freakin' pint before get your coffee. I don't understand that. read more

My fave. I am no longer an employee here (3 years woot) and haven't been for years. But, this place has a special little piece of my heart. The owner Dave has an extremely overzealous passion for coffee and his precious Zawadi Chai. The staff are super friendly if you are and the line out the door is there for a reason. So many people came back every day just to hang out with us and drink our tasty drinks! Don't leave without trying a bagie with jalapeño cream cheese, or the smoked tofu (and don't forget sliced tomato, please). Mexican Mocha? Oh yeah. Brew bar? I like it fast pour. Coffeetopia is a cornerstone of east side santa cruz, from local surf hang out to supporting local artists. Don't go anywhere else, or you will be sad and so will I :) read more

Super bummer about their lattes. Espresso had a terrible taste to it but employees were very nice

I normally don't write negative reviews but I couldn't hold myself back. First of all this place only takes cash. Then I got charged $1.95 to get a $20 bill. So I go to purchase a bottled water to use the wifi as my car is getting an oil change nearby. The Barista has the balls to ask me if I have anything smaller than a $20 bill. Of course I don't I just got the money at the overpriced ATM. So I asked for the code for the wifi. He told me there is no code! I just spent almost $3 for wifi. So today I am initiating national "punch a barista in the face day!" read more

I love Coffeetopia! Fabulous choice of seating inside and outout, a cool bank vault to hide away in, the Internet always worked, the food is fab with treats that are always fresh and varied, plenty of different kinds of drinks for us weird people who do not drink coffee and tea. I even had my little dog in the bank vault with me....and no one noticed, or probably would have said anything. Good parking, always a newspaper to read there, bathrooms are available and clean. I spent my life there at the end of my college days. They do have computers you can pay to use....but, I never used them. Now I am in Portland, OR and there is not one single place I can go to that is as good as Coffeetopia. I am still exhausted from looking all day yesterday for something new to keep in my back pocket (Ava is okay, but...it doesn't sparkle with its own personality)...and, well its just a sad state of affairs. Coffeetopia on Mission St? Its okay. It is LONG and narrow...I remember that. read more

I really like this place. I've liked them since their original location years and years ago in Boulder Creek. Their coffee is excellent and their specialty drinks are as well. It's one of the very few places where I'll ever order a mocha- especially a white chocolate one because it's that good. One thing I miss, and perhaps I just caught them on an off day, is the flavored whipped cream. They used to feature different flavors of whipped cream and that, alone, was worth the trip there. Hope it's not gone for good because that little detail really set them apart. Not a lot of places to sit at this location, but lots of parking and it's easy in and out if you just want to pop in for a drink. read more

Portola was a stomping ground for me when I lived in Live Oak and was so convenient to bike there. I love the outside patio of this Coffeetopia on Portola. Always friendly service, two seating areas with plenty of plug ins and free wi-fi. They were so nice to me when I ordered a coffee and didn't even have enough money on me for the bagel too. I was like .50 short, but took my order...and they hooked it up with the cream cheese! Next time I went I put a 50% tip in the jar, because not most places will pay for your 50cents! The coffee is pretty good. Not amazing but I go for the friendly service, the location, the ambiance, (the door that looks like a huge safe is pretty cool), and the wi-fi. I spend an hour or two there sometimes so my only downfall is that a few times I've the bathrooms have been done. Drinking lots of coffee and no bathrooms just don't mix. If the bathroom thing was always working and the coffee was better, this place would get 5 stars from me! But it's a great location and read more

This Coffeetopia has: a weather station with a flat-panel monitor cycling through various weather-related websites, a fish tank, free wi-fi, a computer rentals area, outdoor seating overlooking the (not-so-scenic) road, and tables in a converted bank vault (my favorite feature!). Coffee is decent (they have a brew bar), service is great. I love hanging in the bank vault. When I went today, the vault was completely full up and everyone was sucking up the free bandwidth on their laptops.... It's small and it feels cozy and I just feel good about coming here. We grabbed drinks then headed down 38th to catch a walk along East Cliff. It was perfection. read more

My go to Coffee shop. Great quality. The staff is amazing. I mean really friendly, helpful and good at there jobs. I recommend this establishment for anyone. read more

Underrated spot in Capitola/pleasure point! Surprisingly delicious coffee and a quieter spot. Verve and Cat & Cloud provide a fun place to people watch, but if you want a good basic cup of *less expensive* coffee and a quiet place to read this place is for you. Parking is easy, staff friendly, and lots of indoor and outdoor seating. read more

Pro's: Great coffee selections, great coffee hangout. A cool place if you have a dog. Con's: Not the greatest snack selection. Often (very often) out of bagel types advertised. Service isn't always that great, they can get distracted it seems, and have forgotten or taken a long time to make an order. read more

Came from Sacramento and found this coffee spot. My carmel macchiato was very good and I tried the bacon breakfast burrito and everything was wonderful. read more

Coffetopia seems like the type of place that definitely as it's regulars. There were people riding up on their beach cruisers with their flip flops and refillable jugs. They have this cool little coffee station for drip coffee. It has like 5 or 6 slots and you put the cup in and each cup is brewed individually...or at least that's what it looked like. I had a double non fat sugar free caramel latte and it was $4.50...kind of on the pricey side. It was good though and didn't have that burnt coffee taste like Peets. The front room is a computer area with a bunch of desktops. The back room is cool. It has a big bank vault door (which is open, of course) and seems to be the "quiet" room. People were in there quietly reading or working on their computers. It's a cute place, with a great selection and the staff was really friendly and helpful. read more

It's tough to give this joint four stars, as I really would like to give it only three. The house black coffee isn't particularly strong or flavorful, and they close too early. But the bagels are delicious, the baristas are cute and friendly, the place is kept warm, neat, and clean, and they have a giant table to sit around. These later qualities more than make up for their bland house coffee. I have not had any of their espresso drinks, but I suspect they are tasty--it certainly smells coffeelicious in this cafe. As I wipe the crumbs of an egg bagel from fingers to type this, I'm drawn to the attention to detail in the construction of my breakfast from Coffeetopia. Everything-egg-bagel with butter and a large black coffee is the way to go. read more

I lived right down the street from Coffeetopia and I loved getting up an a foggy Santa Cruz morning and walking down the street with my roommate to grab a warm mocha and a toasted bagel with cream cheese. This coffee shop is warm and cozy in the morning and you see a lot of the same folks on a regular basis. The coffee drinks are delicious and there is a room with free wifi if you need to hang out and do some work. There's a couple places to sit outside, but seating is limited inside..mostly just grab your coffee and go for a walk kind of a place. The staff is pretty friendly and they keep the surf report rolling on a screen near the door. It's a wonderful place to get your morning started :] read more

Best study place in Santa Cruz!! Lots of open seating and space. Some days it gets pretty crowded and impossible to find seating though, so be wary of weekends if you want to come here and sit down. I usually get the mocha, I'm no coffee snob but its usually pretty good. Whip cream and chocolate shavings, yes please. HOWEVER, they ~always~ get my order wrong, since I always ask for here and they usually give me to go. The service is very unstable, and sometimes the person taking my order is super nice and other times it seems like the person could care less about my order. I'm not going to ding any stars off though, because this place has helped me through so many exams and final essays that it deserves all my 5 stars. read more

I have been coming here for years, and I think I really liked it at one point, but every time I have purchased a beverage here over the past year or so, regret it. The coffee is terrible and bitter. The Matcha Latte is BITTER. Perhaps this is not their speciality, but it just seems like they could put more effort into their craft. When you serve drinks, they should not be bitter. I know in the current climate everything is a little difficult, but this has happened every time for the past year. I hope they improve. I think the only reason they have survived is because of location, like so many establishments in Santa Cruz. Step it up! read more

I've been coming here for two years. Sometimes the service can be a bit, um, surly. But for the most part, I feel like the employees are there to work and provide as quick of service as possible. The bagels are great, the schmear is good, the toppings are all good (please consider offering a vegan cream cheese option!). The latte's are great. The espresso is great. They have a nice selection of tea. All around great coffee shop with good food offerings and decent service. I wish there were more establishments like this in Santa Cruz. read more

Great place. I've been coming here for years. Sad to hear that Coffetopia and Heathers Bakery can't figure it out and get along to do business. Kelly's Bakery is definitely a step or two down from Heathers. I understand that heathers needs to be consistent but I believe the quality of their products is worth the negotiation. I hope you, coffeetopia, can bring back heathers products to all of your locations. The three stars is only significant of the heathers issue. the people, service and other products you carry are a 5. read more

This is a funky cool chill location to grab a cup of organic single origin Joe, or an awesome smoothie. The decor is "interesting" (never sipped coffee inside of a bank vault before). It's a little on the dark side, but there are plenty of tables for setting up your laptop to work on that overdue term paper. There's a good deal of outside seating available as well in case the sun is calling! Check them out! From the tasty treats to the delicious drinks, you'll be happy you did! read more

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Great brew bar, wide selection. Healthy snacks. Outside seating perfect on a warm day. Local art hangs on the walls.

This is the spot in Pleasure Point . In the morning you will find all the local characters from the old guys to the surfers to the surfers. The coffees are great and the staff is very friendly. read more

Breakfast burritos = yum. Cold brew coffee...yes! Very local, surfer, Santa Cruz feel. The only problem is coffee shops like this are all over town. read more

Coffeetopia - "Feed me" strikes again....wolverine - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

the register lady was very rude to my friends & i. my bagel was good it self however it would've been better if it wasn't served with a side of attitude. read more

We use to love this place. Stopped in this morning and was less then pleased. Uptight? Probably but I keep my dog on a leash, not so much here. Ordered a small white mocha, two bagels and a cold brew with vanilla.....and then we waited and waited and watched 6 people after us get their orders... We got the mocha and bagels and then waited some more.....and then some more.........As we waited in the parking lot, we noticed three HUGE signs saying " do not park and leave the parking lot"....? wtf? ohhh because Cat and Cloud are across the street with their competition? really?? this parking lot is never full....so why so hostile about the parking.....? Went back inside to see if there would ever be a cold brew with vanilla....."I'm pouring it now" riiiiight..... no, "I'm sorry"...., just snapped his words and sarcastically said "thanks" If they were more concerned about customer service rather than the competition across the street, they wouldn't need tacky huge signs warning patrons they will get a ticket or towed.... totally tacky. read more

Let me start with a few things first. Great, cute atmosphere inside. Lots of outside seating. WiFi. BUT! I have been coming here for 8 months now, every weekday! My kids take Martial Arts right next door. I had just been in to buy a drink a few minutes before when I tried to bring my potty training 3 year old son in to use the restroom, when I noticed the closed Bathroom sign. I asked if we could get in due to the fact my barely 3 year old had to go NOW! Employee MIKE refused us by saying only "Thanks for respecting the sign" very rudely! I pleaded with him but was still denied so I took my child out to the bushes when he cried to me that it was not pee he had to do...but he had to go #2. So we went back into Coffeetopia to beg again to use the restroom, I explained our situation but was denied once again by MIKE. I looked down the hall to the restroom to see why we could not enter, saw no reason, floors were clear and dry, nothing in the way...and begged again still he denied us, so I took my son potty anyways!! as I came out of the restroom to leave the store, I shook my head in disappointment, I was then verbally attacked by MIKE for shaking my head! He was yelling at me in front of my son and all the customers! I was astonished and shocked by his behavior! I said "You have got to be kidding me! My son is 3 years old!" It was insane behavior! So I contacted the Owners to let them know of the situation, Let me say this... They both separately apologized for Mike's behavior. They also viewed the video of the incident! The owner then called me and gave me the biggest apology! (Which I have on record) I was grateful for his apology. A couple days later one of the managers came up to me to apologize as well, but MIKE still works there!!! It is very hard for me to understand why he still has a job there, he is a time bomb waiting to go off, he is rude, mean, verbally aggressive, and completely unprofessional!! My Kids still go to Martial Arts and love it deeply, so not being there is not an option for us since it is RIGHT NEXT DOOR! But now when I am there I am uncomfortable and afraid he may strike again at me and my kids. I do not understand why Coffeetopia would keep an employee working for them, representing their company, somebody so outrageous. And not even have him Apologize immediately for his crazy behavior. So BEWARE! as along as Mike works there I will not spend a penny, and wish I could take back the $800 I have spent there. plus all the tips. Even if they did fire Mike,I am not even sure I would ever buy coffee there again, since they have allowed Mike to remain on staff after this incident. I am very disappointed in the bad business decision of COFFEETOPIA to keep MIKE aboard. read more

I just went to Coffeetopia for the FIRST time after driving pass it for years. I regret not going sooner! I ordered a Mexican Cocoa, which taste just like my mom's hot coco, and a bagel with cream cheese. The stuff was super friendly and helpful and generous with a cream cheese. I will definitely continue to keep going back to try other things on their menu! Except for the Coffee, not because it's bad but because I'm not a coffee person. read more

An everything bagel with their house made jalapeño cheddar cream cheese is a MUST try. It's heaven on earth. Worth every single carb.

I like this little coffee shop. It's located right near Pleasure Point. They have a great selection of coffees and specialty drinks. They serve bagels and breakfast burritos. Everyone is always super friendly. read more

They have some of the most interesting chai I've ever had. They make their own from scratch. It's some kind of funky African tea and a home-brewed recipe with kind of a smoky flavor. It falls into "spicy" and not too sweet (I really don't like sugary chai so this is part of what makes it so good). I am in SC about once/month and will go out of my way to get to this place for an alternative take on the typical chai latte. It scratches my itch! read more