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The Ugly Mug

4.4 (272 reviews)
Closed 6:30 am - 4:30 pm

The Ugly Mug Photos

Business Info

THE UGLY MUG ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Good for working
Good for kids
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - The Ugly Mug

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Aquarium
Jessie D.

First time trying the Ugly Mug! The staff was super sweet and chatty, and the atmosphere was perfect for meeting up with a friend (or studying if you can handle the noise and lack of WiFi). My matcha was lovely and I will definitely be back to try more options!

The Donnie Darko. 10/10
Sarah G.

Yes, I behaved like a tourist, taking videos and pictures of my experience here. I just really liked the whole vibe. On top of that, our drinks were outstanding. So was service. I saw a gigantic double-crust pie in the display, and enjoyed my first slice of whatever olallieberry pie is. The barista warmed it up and added some whipped cream. My drink was the Donnie Darko, which was espresso, almond syrup, and heavy cream, iced. I wasn't expecting to love it so much. They have a lot of local zines and stuff to read, and they have some cute stuff for sale, like the slingshot journal I bought for $12. We need a place like this where I live.

Octopus art on ceiling
Deirdre R.

I came here to meet a friend and had a great experience. Have been here often and enjoyed it in the past too. Their death by chocolate brownies are a must try. I always love looking at their fish tank too and the coffee shop is clean. I had fun looking at their stickers and bought one. I saw a barista scraping a sugar cube on a fresh orange to put in an espresso drink which gave me great ideas to try at home! Very great drinks my chai masala was good. The baristas were pleasant and very good at their job and I felt like the coffee shop was welcoming to all people of all types which I loved. I enjoyed looking at the octopus artwork on the ceiling. This coffee shop is good for relaxing, reading, studying, meeting friends, or having a snack. They have lots of different types of milks for you and there is a bakery nearby so you smell good fresh bread although I don't think they sell it there but I'm not sure. I give the ugly mug coffee 5 hearts!

Not too sure what the cup says. It's super old, worn and most likely not part of a set, but just some random mug... I'd go back because it's a nice spot and a cool place to write, but lord only if there be a little update on the those ugly mugs lol .

Iced mocha, earl grey tea
Annabelle R.

We came by on a Monday afternoon and loved everything about this place. Easy street parking right out front, quirky decor and inviting atmosphere, with lovely artwork on the walls, including awesome animal paintings by Wendy Maness (oil on canvas), even a fish tank and board games near the back, and diverse seating options. There were so many great items on the menu, including ice cream soda and ice cream floats, though I went with my regular, an iced mocha. It was amazing here, fresh, cold and creamy, chocolatey, just really great flavor enough to set it apart from all the other places I get it from. My bf got the earl grey tea and enjoyed his beverage as well. The staff here was outstanding, friendly and helpful. The employee even told us that every Monday customers can roll a dice, and if we get a double, we get $5 off a purchase. We didn't get a double, but that's still kinda cool. Even cooler, they do live music here on certain days, and possibly other events as well. Love this coffeehouse, and would defintely recommend it!

Ray o' frickin' sunshine cappuccino
Megan B.

AMAZING coffee! Been here multiple times and have never had a bad drink. They have all the standards plus some unique coffee drinks that I haven't seen anywhere else (and are totally worth it). I recommend the Ray o' Frickin' Sunshine: espresso, soy milk, orange zest. They also have good coffee cake and rotating quiche flavors (some better than others). The Ugly Mug is on the corner of Porter and Soquel, hosts open mic nights, and is 100% the Santa Cruz/Soquel vibe. I highly recommend swinging by if you are in the area. Plenty of seating me good music. As for service, super kind baristas, laid back and cool, and the owner sometimes hangs around and he is so funny. If you want a no-fuss coffee place, this is the one for you.

Outside mural
JoAnn S.

It was a great place to meet with friends!!! I got coffee from a large coffee vessel in the back--nothing to brag about, but it dis give me a caffine rush. Next time, I will have them make a fresh cup. Also, I had a cookie, and the server heated it up to make taste fresher. What I love about The Ugly Mug is that it is a place where people can go to hang out with friends or meet new friends. You can find out what is going on in the community. If you are too shy to go up and talk to someone new, you can look at everything on the walls, and maybe take pictures. Food: 4 stars Service: 5 stars Ambiance: 5 stars

coffeez

this place is awesome good vibes nice staff verrry yummy coffee(especially mocha) and i love the fishies too! easily my favorite coffee place in santa cruz ! i'll hand the phone over to my friend aiveen now for her review: Hi! I'm sitting with my iced Mexi latte and boy do I feel great. what a lovely drink. the crowd here is also a vibe, everybody seems chill, which says a lot. Ugly mug, more like yuhhh mug.

Menu
Michelle V.

Hipster coffee shop. I loved the decor and the aquarium. They have been in business over 25 years. Nice to see the survived the pandemic. And....must give recognition for the most unique bathroom! I thought it was a joke at first since the door looked the size of a small closet. They managed to fit a full size toilet & sink inside.

Rose matcha and mocha latte

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2 years ago

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

Pastries good Coffee Awesome! Many other options to try out. Would I come back again? YES!!!

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5 years ago

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

Cool little local spot. Little sumn sumn was delightful as well as the witch hazel. Cool fish tank for the kiddos to stare at.

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4 years ago

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6 years ago

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5 years ago

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9 years ago

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7 years ago

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4 years ago

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6 years ago

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7 years ago

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4 years ago

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7 years ago

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8 years ago

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

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5 years ago

I went to this place and ordered a iced coffee and I got mostly cream and milk and a little bit of coffee.

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7 years ago

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2 years ago

great coffee and selection of snacks and pastries including gluten free. we went here everyday while visiting Soquel

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11 years ago

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8 years ago

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4 years ago

Best local coffee shop. Super friendly courteous staff. Great selection of drinks. All good vibes.

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Page 2 of 7

Ask the Community - The Ugly Mug

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Eddie and the team at Coffee Conspiracy make the highest quality espresso coffees in Santa Cruz…read moreCounty! They use single origin light-medium roast beans at their coffee bar and sell bags for home, too. I only use their beans at home. Their quad-shot latte with whole milk is banger. Ps. If you're a pseudo coffee lover who is more interested in killing the coffee with burnt (dark roast) beans, pumps of vanilla or pumpkin syrups, etc, this is not your jam. This is the areas spot for just extremely good unadulterated espresso coffees, done right. No noobs.

I've been trying to visit this particular coffee shop for quite some time now! Every time I swing…read moreby they were always closed or I just missed them! Lol I would always wing it and never take a picture of their store hours either! So I'm sure it was operator error! I am so happy for this particular brick and mortar because the first time I met the owner was on a bicycle on West Kliff or maybe East not to show I used to walk a whole thing during the pandemic! He was a really cool gentleman selling coffee on a nice looking bike and everything was clean, cut! Their menu items have changed and I'm glad he got more coffee companies to collab with! I loved my Stimulation Theory- it was smooth and had great frothy flavor with the perfect accent of cardamom! Everything within the Cafe is black and there a lot of joint seating areas. Granted when I got there, the individual spots were already taken. I sat an area meant for a larger group. I also enjoy the death metal music, grated it was played at the normal coffee shop volume level. Hee. So I've never actually HEARD that style of music at such a low decimal level, so it actually was quite comedic to me. At the same time, I'm glad it wasn't super loud like other rock shows I've been to! But still very much a vibe!! I can't wait to go back and try other drinks and pour overs that they have!! I can't wait until they get pastries or some sort of pop-up since I love my carbs! Hee

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Coffee Conspiracy - Love their murals!

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This spot captures the Santa Cruz beach vibes. Just blocks…read morefrom Natural Bridges and the Light House surf spot the morning customers have their shorts and hooded sweaters and wet hair baptized from surfing in the waves. The service is fast and chill. The food and drinks are made with care. The seating area has shade but some of it gets the morning sun so you can warm up as you sip your coffee.

SUPER CUTE CUPS! Coffee is okay. I forgot I've been here in the past, so wanted to write a review…read moreto jog my memory in the future. They now change $0.25 for to-go cups, which I guess is a Santa Cruz ordinance. Can you imagine them doing that elsewhere? Oooooh my city would make a killing off that! Husband got his usual cold brew ($6.25 inc cup fee). No complaints except they don't fill it to the brim even if you don't want room for milk/cream. I got a tiramisu latte ($8.25 inc cup fee). I could see why they call it a tiramisu latte because of the mascarpone foam and the lady finger. It was decent, but I think I would have enjoyed a standard vanilla latte more. I also personally didn't like how the cold foam dripped down the side of the cup because it got all over my hands! As a former barista, I always made sure my drinks were clean before handing them out.

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Strawberry cream latte, Oh my goodness!

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Shrine Coffee - Main entrance is behind the silver car, just to the right of the statue

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Main entrance is behind the silver car, just to the right of the statue

Coffeetopia - Coffeetopia

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The espresso is hit or miss (maybe depending on who is working that day). The breakfast burritos…read moreand bagels with lox and cream cheese are great.

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The Ugly Mug - coffee - Updated May 2026

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