My trip to San Diego (including Solana Beach) might have been brief, but I'm extremely happy that Lofty was one of my stops. I was able to go with a local regular, so I got hoooked up with the insider know-how. I got a bit too excited by all of their coffee drinks, but in the end, I decided to try their mocha. I also got an order of their in-house made artisan bread (with butter), some fresh avocado and a liiiittle bit of salt n' pepper to sprinkle on top. Firstly, the mocha was absolutely beautiful. I'll upload a photo of it on here, but I love it when coffee houses make cute little patterns in their drinks. When I eventually willed myself to mix the foam in, I got to try the drink, and boy oh boy was it delicious. It was sweet but not overwhelming, mastering the delicate balance of coffee and chocolate that so many places get slightly wrong. As I noted before, I was completely blown away by the fact that they make their own bread and, trying it, the difference that I tasted was incredible. The bread was soft, light and delicious, with an adequate but, again, not overwhelming amount of butter on it (Lofty sure knows how to do portions!). The added avocado was non-negotiable for me; being in California and not getting avo toast?? Yeah right. The little bit of salt n' pepper wasn't completely necessary but was recommended to me by my local friend and although the additions themselves made a small difference, it brought the food from good to great, which makes a world of difference overall. There's a decent amount of seating available and, being in a beautiful city, most of it is located outside at cute little tables and benches. We managed to snag a spot perfectly in the sun so I could soak it all in before returning up North to the regular gloom of the Pacific Northwest. As an added bonus, we saw so. many. dogs. We were in heaven! There was a squad of Shibas, a lounging Golden Retriever, and other assorted woofers. Cafe was amazing, dogs were amazing. I would give this a 6/5 if possible, for doggo appearances. Great job, Lofty! read more

Lofty Coffee - Lofty's mocha. Adorable, delicious. - Cafes Near Me - Solana Beach, California

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Best coffee shop on Cedros hands down! Expertly crafted coffee drinks and great health food choices as well. I love their baked goods which are always fresh and nice to have for afternoon snack to accompany any coffee or tea drink. Tea is by the way very good quality. Lofty's tea options are very high quality. Tea is served in a nice tea pot which is a plus for me being a tea snob. read more

French toast really good usually I got two of them) Recommended Lofty Coffee for breakfast. Calm environment and friendly staff. They fast and polite read more

Love the eccentric coffee served here. 10/10. The London Fog is definitely a no. 1 too. Also the blueberry muffin

Love this location! They added additional seating, but you should still consider yourself lucky if you are able to find a spot. The staff is so sweet and welcoming. Try the Aztec mocha with homemade almond milk if you like heat. It's my fav! Thank you for being there guys. You are appreciated! read more

Great spot for New Year's Day indulgence. Mocha was excellent though actually could have been a tad sweeter. Don't recommend the croissant...it seemed a bit dried out and they didn't warm it. That said, my daughter loved her iced salted caramel latte with oat milk. She said Lofty is now her favorite coffee shop! read more

Just went to Lofty for breakfast. Been coming here for a while. Ordered my food from Justin to eat at the restaurant. They brought it to go. I asked to put it on plates. Justin was rude , Arrogant and combative. Told me I was wrong and stood by it. .. pretty intense read more

Pretty cafe good for chatting and spending time with friends. I've come here with different people a fews times, had great conversations every time. Atmosphere is both chic and inviting. Baristas are young and hipsters, mostly friendly but maybe talk a bit too fast? They don't give receipts unless I ask. Oh, one girl made a frown face when I pointed out there was a fly flying and touching through all the scones and etc. She shrugged and said something like, well it (the glass cabinet displaying baked goods) doesn't have a cover.. I'm not eating those after seeing the fly. She did say they can bring ones in the fridge, but that attitude was not nice. Oh well. We still had good time. Not so good for studying- I didn't see any outlets and the sunlight was too bright to work on a laptop. It's pretty much all outdoors and open walls. Latte is good. Iced Americano is good. Restroom smells good. Overall, definitely coming again, and probably some more times:) read more

Great service from Marc. Very good experience, we spoke about Elon Musk and Joe Rogan. I'm not in the area too often but next time I am, I'll do my best to stop by. read more

The salted caramel latte is a delight, plus the people who work at the cedros location are the best

Latte wasn't so good without sweetener. Pastry wasn't very good either. There are better options right down the street.

I miss Cafe Zinc! They actually used to care about their customers. Today, two days after Christmas, Lofty Coffee workers made drinks out of order, giving them to customers who ordered after me for reasons that were not clear. Perhaps it's because I ordered a hot chocolate? The food is also terrible. After one bite of a "strawberry shortcake," I gave it back to them. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. This is not real Solana Beach. This is fake gentrification, the kind that could give a guano about people. I will go elsewhere where people want repeat customers. GO TO CLAIRE'S! It's a block to the north. read more

Was waiting for the cashier for a while to take my order as he talked to his coworker...overall bad customer service. The coffee was also very milky and not rich. The pastries are not warmed and very cold. read more

For a coffee shop, I'm sure they are fabulous. Heck, they even have coffee in their name. Unfortunately, I can't drink coffee. So, why am I in a coffee shop you may ask. Because most coffee shops have other offerings I do enjoy. Like teas or chai lattes as well as snacks. Lofty does not do as well on the non coffee drinks as most other coffee shops I visit. Their selection is limited. The teas they do have are very tasty, I haven't found one yet that I do not like. But I'm not a fan of their chai. I'm not exactly sure which spice they put in it that my taste buds don't agree with, but it's definitely not my favorite. It's acceptable, but not my favorite. Maybe if I drank coffee it would be the bestest ever. Their snack offerings are very well made and give the appearance of being very healthy. (I'm not sure of the calorie content or actual ingredients of their muffins, so I can only say appearance.) They do have some vegan options, as long as you catch them before they run out. read more

There was a lot of people around the time I went. I got the New Orleans Iced coffee. It was watered down, not sure if it's supposed to be that way. They had some unique choices and that might have drawn to the appeal of new and trendy. I am more for the simplistic and traditional with my coffee so this place wasn't a hit for me. read more

Lofty Coffee - Cafes Near Me - Solana Beach, California

Super cute little coffee shop. I didn't order coffee, but the Acai bowl was pretty good and decent serving size. Overpriced though, so probably will not be back anytime soon. read more

Cool, casual yet modern, open-air cafe in the heart of beachy Solana Beach? I mean, how can you go wrong?! Yelp directed to me to this location as I headed up the 5 freeway to a meeting up North (I hailed all the way from downtown...). Friends have told me that Lofty should be on my coffee-lover's brain list, so I stopped in early Friday AM. Tried a macchiato (okay), cold brew in a to-go bottle (not sure why they called it Kyoto-style, as recently been to Kyoto, there were very few coffee spots and none serving cold brew; this was okay), and purchased their Ethiopia beans for home (these were amazing). Friendly service, which is nice to see. A couple of middle school-aged kids came in to get a morning muffin, which was cool to see such casual intimacy here. read more

Tasty drinks decent coffee and good people watching on Cedros avenue. A must visit place when visiting Cedros avenue shops.

Love their coffee and the shop but disappointed today that guy who made my coffee wasn't really wearing a mask. Had it under his nose and hanging off his face. read more

Cute little coffee shop with wonderful service and open atmosphere. The patio is shaded and perfect after my morning run. I walked here so not sure how hard parking is but it looked like street parking mostly. I ordered a cafe latte with half and half instead of whole milk and it was killer! I almost wanted to order a second one after I slammed the first one. The latte was a bit pricey but very good quality so I didn't mind. I would definitely come back here, loved it! read more

Lofty Coffee - Cafes Near Me - Solana Beach, California

Got a table! During lunch! On a holiday weekend! The coffee was good enough, but the gluten-free American Panini was possibly the best gf sammich i've had in my life. Next time, i'll ask for extra pickle, and perfection will be attained. Especially sitting next to this little guy. read more

Lofty Coffee - Table companion at Lofty - Cafes Near Me - Solana Beach, California

I was told really good things and was so excited to try it. It's a really cute coffee shop and there was a long line. I ordered a pastry and the aztec mocha. It was awful. I've had many things spiced with cayenne as I frequently use it and it was undrinkable. I honestly feel like the barista who was chatting everyone up was paying no attention to making it because it tasted like she accidentally put in triple the amount needed. read more

I have been coming to this place since it first opened. It was really nice to have a great quick place for a coffee and a light snack after the farmer's market on Sunday. Well, the word is out about how great it is. Now there is always a long line. Fortunately, the service is quick and the staff is wonderfully sweet and attentive. I know it is a coffee place but you must try the hot chocolate. They can make it with almond milk which is out of this world because it is made in-house. Now that I have been yelping for a while, I realize what a cool application this really is. Yelp has become my "go to" site whenever I go to a new city around the world. I've also been able to communicate with yelp friends from around the world whenever I travel to a new city in order to get advice of where to eat and also for business information. Yelp is also a great way to keep track of your past experiences and it has become a digital record of where I have been and how much I enjoyed those locations. Yelp is also a really great place to connect with people in your own town to see what is going on and what is fun and which restaurants are new and exciting. Try it, you may very well enjoy becoming a yelper also. read more

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Favorite coffee spot in Solana Beach! Quick and delicious. Staff is so friendly. The baked goods are 10/10 too

There are few things in life as bad as salivating over a pastry in the morning -- then finding out the taste is NOTHING like the look. The three of us got the cinnamon rolls. They're big, so we all declared we should have only bought two and shared. So instead we would only eat half of each and take the rest home. Not eating the whole thing was no problem. The rolls were dry, dry, dry. Like "Were these made yesterday?" dry. We took leftovers to go ("Maybe microwaving them would bring them back"), but no one had the stomach to eat them again. I don't drink coffee, but the others said it was fine. My hot chocolate was acceptable, if uninspired. read more

Really good coffee and service is very friendly. Parking can be difficult at peak hours

Best coffee ever. Moca was amazing. A Lemon poppy seed cookie also great. The place is nice and ideal to enjoy a coffee, especially in a cold day. read more

Limited menu, trendy place, weird greens served with everything. We ordered the black ham and egg crescent, it was really good, but a bit expensive. I ordered the cold brewed coffee and liked it, the wife had the salted caramel latte and LOVED it. It's popular with the hipster crowd, not my type of place (guess I'm just getting older!). read more

goodbye! I hate this place to death. Like the workers are pretty nice and I like the ambiance but the coffee tastes like dirty sock water. I don't understand I've ordered pretty much every drink under the sun here and it's horrid. Don't go here if you like coffee. P.S. There's always cute dogs here so that's why you got 2 stars you're welcome and thank you dogs for your services read more

friendly staff - good coffee. do we need more when we hit that afternoon slump? didn't think so! space is super cute, although, you'll always be "in the way" if there are a bunch of people. staff was excellent when ordering and still so when i requested "only the smallest amount of honey" in a tea we ordered. hubby's black coffee was a hit, the tea was piping hot and delicious, and my chia latte was good. i don't know that i would choose the chia latte again because i didn't think the flavors were strong enough for me, but hey, definitely not a bad cup either. next time, my eyes are on the mexican coffee (that spice is speaking to me). if you're in the area, definitely stop in. it's so refreshing to meet baristas who genuinely seem to care about your order - this staff is excellent. read more

One of the best coffee shops in San Diego. Love that they only use organic dairy products and they even make their own cashew milk! Only critique I have is make a larger coffee size please! The lattes are so delicious the standard 12oz (I think, maybe it's a tad larger) is not enough. I highly recommend trying a honey latte. It's not on the menu but they will make it for you. :) The staff is very friendly and it's a great atmosphere to sit and have a morning joe. read more

Lofty Coffee - Cinnamon honey latte :) - Cafes Near Me - Solana Beach, California

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Excellent local roasters off the coast of Cali's golden blue. Ethiopian and Costa Rican pour overs were decadent, presentation was chic and aesthetic. Homey and quality. 10 out of 10 recommend. read more

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This by far is my favourite coffee shop in all of San Diego. "Keeping it Classy Espresso" is delicious and so smooth. Only thing is that, the coffee goes down to quickly making you want more. Not necessarily a bad thing. Ohh, and they always give you a heart in your lattes. read more

Lofty Coffee - Cafes Near Me - Solana Beach, California

How does a coffee shop make you wait in line for 20 minutes and have no splenda. I wish I could give no stars

As a former barista, I am constantly thankful that Lofty Coffee is just down the street from me in Solana Beach. Not only is the location awesome for grabbing a coffee and exploring the beautiful art district of Cedros, they have ample tables and chairs along with some barstools facing the street making it a great place to hang out as well. It is a very dog and kid friendly atmosphere like most of Solana Beach (hence why I love it here), but the coffee they are very serious about. Probably the most consistent milk I've ever had, I've had multiple baristas make my latte and it is always dead on perfect. No burnt milk hallelujah!!! (AHEM starbucks...). If you are looking for something iced hands down the best one is the blood orange and hibiscus iced tea. AMAZING. I wish they had a bigger size because I could probably drink a gallon of that without difficulty. No sugar needed! All in all one of my favorite local spots, happy to see them succeeding! read more

Chill spot for gathering with friends or colleagues- didn't have to wait long before snagging a table for 6.. awesome location, delicious coffee! #craftbrews read more

This cafe was super trendy and the vibes were really nice. The workers are extremely kind as well. I was there on a swimming training trip&i went with a couple of my teammates to grab a latte! The latte tasted really good and it gave me my daily dose of caffiene, which was indeed needed! I'm also a sucker for a good latte art too read more

Lofty Coffee - Latte - Cafes Near Me - Solana Beach, California

The obviously highly skilled barista at this obviously highly serious coffee shop effortlessly made me a flat white. And by effortlessly, I mean that they literally put in no effort, scalding the milk to the point of oblivion while chatting distractedly with employees and regulars, and then carelessly dumping it in with nary an attempt at artfulness. Fifteen minutes later -- once it cooled off to the point of drinkability -- I got to enjoy its lovely burnt aftertaste. As a first time (and last time) customer, I want to share how it feels to be served shitty coffee by someone who is obviously skilled because they don't recognize your face and don't think you know better. It sucks. (I gave two stars and not one because I also picked up a bag of Keeping It Classy espresso and pulled it at home - it was fabulous). read more

I'm here at least once a week - sometimes twice. Okay, last week it was 3 times. In my not so humble coffee lovers opinion, Lofty is one of the coffee joints doing it right in North SD. They've got the java, they've got the execution, they've got the pastries and cold brew - it's all there and wrapped in a branded package that is so SD Coastal. We always went to Encinitas - but this one is closer to our house. No inside seating at all so beware, on an El Nino day you'll be empapado mi amigo - or lucky enough to be under the few tables with canvas cover. My BF and I are weekend patrons and always order a light breakfast and coffees early to start our days off right. They also do a very nice presentation of hot tea if you're staying onsite. My order is always as follows for food: Gluten Free Bread, toasted, with butter I get a side of sliced Avocado to put on top, sprinkled with salt and pepper A vanilla latte, or Early Grey tea. Sometimes, the Salted Carmel drink they do if I'm feeling like sweets (its VERY sweet) The BF gets drip coffee or a pour over and a croissant. If he's super hungry, he adds the slo steamed eggs and avocado. Side Note, the avocado is always perfectly ripe here. I don't know how they pick them, but I've never had a bad side of avo here. Cheers to another amazing local business. read more

I am so pleased that Lofty has opened this location! The slow-cooked poached eggs, french toast (can be made gluten free), chicken apple sausage, and chai tea lattes are some of the best in San Diego. The cafe fits right in with a nice Sunday stroll along Cedros. I will visit and re-visit often. read more

Lofty Coffee - Cafes Near Me - Solana Beach, California