The Other Side Coffee House - CLOSED
Category: Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhood: North Park4096 30th St
(between Lincoln Ave & Polk Ave)
San Diego, CA 92104 (619) 521-0533
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Free
25 reviews
Neighborhood: Gaslamp
"The YOGURT WAR IS OVER in my opinion, this is THE BEST DAMN YOGURT PLACE IN TOWN!! It just opened on the corner of 4th ave. and G St. …" read more »
25 Reviews for The Other Side Coffee House
This is my first review. I have been to this place. It's a nice place. It's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a nice coffee shop with wi-fi and AC. So I have two criterias. First one wi-fi and second one AC since it's been so hot. I don't know where to write but I'd like the "AC" part added at the review pages.
PS: This place didn't have when I was there about a year ago and it was so hot.
I gave 1 star because of the absence of AC. Over all it would be 3. Ok place.
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The place is now changed hands / ownership and is now "Filter" http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Awesome place to chill, but I believe its called "Filter" now (recent name-change) either way, wide open spaces to call your own and drinks that keep you jittery til 4am. perfect for studying, surfing the free Wi-Fi or looking at porn (Adult store right next door... not that I ever... Nevermind!) i enjoy the windows and people watching, and the common folk in the area are an eclectic bunch.
Pros: pool table, lots of room, people brought their dogs in (either good or bad depending on your POV, I guess), Wi-Fi, open mic, good coffee. My mocha was made with Mexican chocolate, which has a cinammony taste, and was huge. Cons: overall feel is kind of dumpy, like they furnished it with stuff they found at the curb. I don't mind non-suburban Starbucks sterile decor, but my chair was sinking in the middle, my table rickety and appeared to be made out of lightly sanded particle board (don't wear pantyhose, they'll snag). Their baked goods are straight from Costco and marked up, so I didn't buy anything. But it seemed like a good place to people-watch, as others have noted, it's got character. They don't seem to mind if people hang out in there nursing 1 cup of joe for 10 hours.
Ok, this is a pretty cool place. What more can be said about a place that serves up great Coffee, Open mic, Shoot pool, and is still open to 3 in the morning. YUP! 3 AM...so are you trying to knock out that report? Finish that homework and need a blast? You trying to get away, and or just take a break from the normal bump and grind that is life? The "Other SIde" might be worth a shot!
Try the HOT CIDER! It will blow your mind! Personal: I like sitting here, with a "Hot" Cider, and sometimes you swear you watch the world go bye! ;)
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This place is ideal for people who are self-employed and need a quiet and comfy place to work (during the day time). The free WIFI works really well, my iced soy latte is excellent, the service is polite and friendly, and I'm super content setting up shop and getting some real work done.
I'm a huge fan of Claire de Lune, but this place totally wins in the WIFI and personality categories. The decor is very artsy without being pretensious. I think this will become one of my favorite places to work and sip a cup of joe.
Thanks everyone for your recommendations!
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I agree with another post, the place is cold. Not as comfy cozy as I'd like. I've been happy with the hot drinks I've ordered. Lattes and americanos. I wish they had better selection of baked items. But it's hard to beat the place I work. The employees were friendly and fast. All around it's a nice nearby coffee shop to hang out. It's close to home for me. I'm a bit of a critic since I'm a barista in University Heights. I'm pretty spoiled. But I find that I'm happy when I go into the Other Side.
There is a lot of seating and a few big, comfy couches here which is nice, especially since I prefer not to feel like people are practically sitting on top of me when I am eating or 'working' on my laptop. It is also pretty dead most of the time but the few that do frequent this coffee shop are colorful to say the least.
My favorite is the cashier that works there Saturday's. He is a riot. This last Saturday morning, though he was in such a mood that the whole shop was filled with tension and no one felt comfortable ordering drinks or food from him. We all pretty much hid behind our laptops in an attempt to avoid the storm. At one point I heard a guy ask the cashier after placing his order if he would prefer he leave. That cracked me up. I don't think this was appropriate behavior by any means since this cashier's mood was bad business but for me it was entertaining.
For the cashier's unprofessional behavior and the really, really stale bread on my sandwich I should give this place 3 stars, but I know the cashier was just having a bad day so I added a star back on my rating but I'm still leaving one star off because the food is never that great and it is really over priced. But the coffee is good and there is free wifi and it usually has a comfortable and peaceful atmosphere.
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Siting here right now playing on my computer, my wife next to me working on her homework. Listening someone playing the piano. Drinking my Chai tea latte and thinking if I should play some pool. Great coffee house with free WI-FI. Employee's are friendly and helpful since I've never been here before. Oh and apparently today it's open-mike night.
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i absolutely love this place! for a while i came here every single day to do all my studying! Good hours~ good coffee~ great people~ and BEST OF ALL FREE WIFI!! woooooooooooot~! what more can i ask for xD
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This is a good place to study when you need somewhere open late. They are open until 3 am every night and that is probably the best thing about it. The chai latte was pretty okay, tasted reminiscent of starbucks to be honest. My friend got a white hot chocolate and that was far superior to my chai latte so I would recommend that to anyone trying this place out. The decor is interesting and there are a lot of tables to choose from. There is also outdoor seating. The service was fast and friendly.
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I'd give this place 3 and 9/10 stars if I could. I love what they're trying to do. All the elements that make for a cozy, patron-friendly, everyday coffee shop are there, but for some reason, it doesn't all come together - at least not yet.
The decor is nice and tasteful enough, the couches are deep and welcoming, the free WiFi is stable, the service is fine, and the drinks are even served in gigantic mugs. There's even a pool table in the corner.
There's just a little something missing. Maybe it's because I see it as an amalgam of the things I like in a dozen other coffee shops and the problem is one of perception rather than execution. If that's the case (and it very likely is), all the more kudos to The Other Side for bringing together such good things.
Regardless of my issues, I'll be coming back soon to have my opinion refined.
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My sister introduced me to this place. We went at like 10 oclock at night and stayed for hours. It's a perfect place for doing homework and just chillin on the computer. Baristas were awesome and very helpful. There's always a colorful crowd in this place and always someone to talk to. Open mic nights are pretty entertaining too. great place to just chill or even bring someone for a date. free wifi too!
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I was bored last Saturday afternoon and decided to stop in at the Other Side. I'd passed it a bunch of times, but I'd never had a chance to sit and study or read. It's a little dark and awkward looking in the day light, and the heavily used furniture doesn't have the same charm as Claire De Lune, but it's pretty nice. The free WiFi rocks, the chill couches are nice, and the service was pretty friendly.
It was pretty deserted on a Saturday afternoon, but I could see more people come by as the evening approached. It seemed fun enough, but I think I'll have to go back a few times just to feel the place out a bit better.
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This place is a freakshow with free WI-FI. If you're not sure what I mean, I mean, this is where freaks go to feel 'normal' and I'm OK with that.
There is always a place to sit at The Other Side, there is no crowd, this is good for someone who hates the bandwagon and hates large unruly crowds.
Me and my pal Tracie love going there to play intense games of UNO, yes it's true.
I also go there to write.
I like it for groups, it's got bigger tables for meetings and it's rarely got obnoxious live entertainment that makes it difficult to talk, which I like in a coffee shop.
Plus it doesn't have that library "shhhh we're studying" vibe like the upstairs floor at The Living Room in Point Loma.
They have late hours, they have good choices of Non-fructose corn syrup soda like Mexican COKE with real sugar--ohhhhhhhhh yeah.
Food is tasty too, and they take bank cards, sigh, it's perfect for an idiot like me who rarely carries cash.
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it breaks my heart to diss anything of the neighborhood, but diss i must, and diss i shall.
i don't know what it is about the other side coffee house. the pluses....i agree...it's roomy, lotsa tables, great for laptop noodling/working, but...it lacks something.
it isn't very snugly, or comfy. it's usually clean but lacks personality. when i go there, i feel cold, even if the air isn't particularly chilly. and being female, i feel a bit weirded out that so few women patronize the place. i always wonder if it's a lonely gay man's coffeehouse - not that there's anything wrong with that, but i feel stuck not knowing what's up with that.
i attended the open mic night once with a new companion. it was aight... just "eh." i should probably go a couple more times to really know.
i want to enjoy this place, but i kinda don't,.
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This place reminds me of Twiggs because of the red walls, but it lacks to warmth that Twiggs offers. The soy mocha I got was just OK. It wasn't amazing or anything, but not terrible either. The customers and employees are both quite eccentric, and what I've realized is that San Diegan men really love coffee houses. When I entered, there were about ten men, and no women. Anyway, that's fine!
There's free WIFI, many many tables, and very quiet AKA very conducive to productive studying. There's a pool table and couches if you just want to lounge. This place is quieter than many coffee houses so if you like studying in coffee houses, but get distracted, this may be the place for you!
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I like this place for it's Wi-Fi and quiet, but I often find myself wondering why more people don't hang out there. It has the makings for a great social place: plenty of space, tables galore, pool table. The chairs aren't very comfortable, but there are several cushy couches on which caffeine-addicted hipsters could easily lounge. Not sure why this is the case, but it's borderline creepy. I have never been there with more than five other people in there, and it's a large space.
Indifferent employees, sub-par coffee and a sense of wasted potential took a couple stars away for the Other Side in this reviewer's humble opinion. It is very quiet, however, so when I need to get some serious studying taken care of and don't feel like venturing too far, I sometimes still head here. Sometimes.
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The Other Side Coffee House prints their name backwards, as if The Other Side is being reflected. This is hokey enough to almost keep me from stopping in there, but it's proximity to my home eventually outweighed the cheese factor. I'm glad I finally went in! They make great breakfast sandwiches, among other things. The coffee is good and there is plenty of seating--including a sofa and a few outdoor tables. The pool table and WiFi cap it off as my new favorite hang out and writing spot. I can't give it the full 5 stars because the decor lacks character, which is important to me when I'm considering coffee shops. But it's still a great place. Maybe it's character will stand out more to me over time.
**Edited: I've been back a couple times since I wrote this review. I have to say I have always had good, friendly service, and my lattes have been excellent. It's also usually pretty crowded. But I go there pretty exclusively on weekends. Oh, and there's some giant art on the walls. I don't know if it's new or I just missed it the first time. I still dig this place.
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A couple years ago, this would have been five stars......
.......but now, it's three and freefalling down. While the food is good, the rudeness and incredible attitude of the staff are doing a lot to drive people away from the place
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I visited this coffee house for the first time on the night of the blood moon (the full moon of October). I went specifically to watch the Atash Maya Troup (http://www.atashmaya.com) dance and feel their vibe.
The feel of this coffee house is warm and inviting. I brought my children to enjoy as well, and my daughter will atest that the strawberry smoothies are simply scrumptious.
I like the fact that there's a pool table in the back, along with a couple of couches to lounge on. I would definitely go back to just sit and do some writing. But from what I can tell there's always something interesting going on in this joint, from open mic poetry readings to belly dancing on the first Friday of every month. This is one coffee stop I'd like to frequent more.
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this place definitely deserves 5 stars. i went to this place to "help" my best friend do her homework...[see erin below]. i didn't really help her she did her homework and i kept her company.
there are lots of tables, so much that my friends and i took about 5 minutes to decide where to sit, we retired to the small couch that obviously shouldn't have fit the 3 of us, but we made do.
there was only one guy working at the time, but he was super cool and friendly. he put up with our indecisiveness so that definitely earned him the "cool stamp of approval."
the teas are great, the sandwiches were yummy and the WIFI never dropped the WHOLE entire time i was there.
the place was very welcoming, it's like studying at home, it's quiet enough for you to study but you don't have to whisper like you're in the library, they play kick ass music that get you in the mood for studying, they close at 3am but at 255 when you're packing up, they are still cleaning but they are not rushing you out of there or kicking you out or even making you feel like you should leave. so overall, check this place out and yelp it!
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For poetry open mike's this place is the best! Wednesday night's at 8:30! The hosst is the lovely Lisa B. and the crowd of readers are always outstanding.
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The Other Side Coffee House has officially moved up to slot number one on my imaginary list of favorite coffee houses in the city. I went there for the first time tonight and found out they are now open until 3am!! Their WIFI is amazing.. no drops the whole night, and I was there from 9:30pm to 3am (finals week). The guy who helped us at the counter was the only one there, but he was suuuuuuper nice. After drinking the same iced coffee for two hours, I ordered a sandwich. He forgot the bacon on my sandwich, and when he realized it later, he offered to make me a new one for free and give me a free drink. I declined and said I'd just munch on the bacon I didn't get if that was okay, so he brought me a plate with bacon strips,two kinds of cheese, and tomatos to snack on. The place was quiet enough to study, but not so quiet that you have to whisper. Lots of space, and it wasn't too crowded. The couch I sat on was comfy, and the people who were there were chill and were either friendly or minded their own business right up until closing time at 3am. The only thing I would say is try not to have to pee a lot because the bathroom is kinda scummy, but I will for SURE be back. They treated me wonderfully and so did their iced coffee and their free wifi. It was much more homely than some other coffee places and lacked the weirdos some other late-night places attract. Oh yeah, and there is a pool table! Looove it.
UPDATE: Try them out on a Wednesday night between 8:30 and 10:30. They have an open mic night called "Say What", and the MC is a lovely lady who keeps everyone entertained. Most of the time the acts are entertaining as well. It just has a nice vibe (though make note of these times if you want quiet study time because that wouldn't really work), and there is often free food from really good local places and tons of great, friendly company and talent. Do it!
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The iced coffees here are the biggest in town. This summer is hot and unbearable. I can no longer order hot coffee, so I'm constantly on the lookout for the best iced coffee spots.
The Other Side is it. They get an extra star for the pool table and wi-fi.
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