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Category: Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhood: Sorrento Valley
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Delicious. I found this place only because of a recommendation from a barista friend (who apparently comes here a couple times a week). Otherwise, it's a pretty unassuming location.. it's in the strip mall located next to the 5 north entrance and next to the train station.. and it's only labeled "Coffee Shop".
But don't let the outside fool you, it's a total gem! It's a tiny coffee shop with a very simple menu and they roast their own beans. I tried their dark mocha (under "Foofy drinks") and my roommate tried their nutty squirrel. Deliciousss and strong, just the way I like it... plus it had a pretty leaf on top.
It's a pretty small cafe.. about 4 2-person tables inside.. I studied there for a good few hours (free wifi :), but I do feel kind of weird studying in small cafes since I feel like the barista is waiting for me to leave. And since we came on Veteran's Day, I feel like it was probably not the most accurate depiction of how busy it normally is there with the commuters coming in and out.
Other than that, excellent coffee and interesting ambiance. If I'm looking for a good pick-me-up I'll stop by here, though I do wish they were open on weekends and later on weekdays.
Dark Mocha. Yeah, they file it under the section of the menu for "Foofy Drinks," but lawsie mercy that sucker is good. Liquid friggin gold....especially when your eye-lids weigh as much as elephants, which happens to me quite often.
The staff is friendly but not creepily chipper, they're efficient, and they know their regulars exceptionally well. And they know their coffee - seriously they all have hands stained from roasting and handling the beans, and you can see grounds under their fingernails. They live arm-deep in coffee, and that makes me happy. It's that kind of service and care that makes an establishment succeed, and I really really hope this place succeeds. Now if only it could succeed without anyone going there so I could have it all to myself................
The coffee is great! Definitely the best in San Diego. I love walking in Zumbar and smelling that wonderful coffee roasting aroma.
However, besides the coffee, everything else Zumbar has to offer isn't as rewarding.
I had the mocha and it okay. It lacked strength and didn't seem well balanced between mocha, espresso, and milk. I didn't enjoy it very much.
The pastries aren't that great. The chocolate croissant is bland and dry. The muffins are so - so.
Service is good though.
Go for the coffee. Forget about everything else.
Ok, so my pal Shelli and I are back to meeting for coffee at least once a week. This time around Zumbar fit the bill since she was going to be in the Sorrento Valley area anyways.
With all the glowing reviews here on Yelp, I had high hopes for this place and was excited at the prospect of finding another indie coffee house that knew what they were doing when brewing the bean.
The place is small, with seating for about 14 inside and another 4 or so outside. Free wi-fi is available and they have a very limited selection of pre-made pastries. More on those later.
My iced mocha was quite good and would have earned this place four stars, but the food... ugh. The pastries would have been fine and tasty if they hadn't absorbed all the other fridge smells by being unwrapped. Shelli spied a bran muffin and went for it. One bite into it led to the unfortunate realization that saran wrap matters.
At first, I didn't believe her because the croissant I ate wasn't bad.. then again, a croissant isn't as spongy and apparently absorbing as a bran muffin. One taste from me and.. yuck... it had that kind of chemically, coolant taste that only comes from a fridge.
Maybe it was just that one pastry, we thought.. so up to the counter she went. I went with her for moral support.... well, that and another one of the excellent mochas they're serving. The counter girl was nice enough to ask if she wanted her money back or an exchange. Shelli, being the eternal optimist she can be, decided to give another pastry a try. This time, it was the zucchini bread.
Back at the table with a new sense of hope, she bit into this one and that same sourpuss look after tasting the bran muffin appeared on her face. Uh oh, I thought... this time, I only smelled it and sure enough, it smelled just like the last one tasted. It's an unmistakable smell and taste.. .very unnatural and somewhat sickening.
When I owned a coffee house, there was a time when I bought pre-made pastries too, and I know they can be tasty enough for a coffee house without the room or resources to make their own. But for goodness sake, use saran wrap to keep the things fresh and tasty!
If I'm in the area again and feeling brave, I'll add a pastry to my delicious mocha and see if they've fixed the nasty tasting pastry problem.
In the meantime, go there for the coffee... it's great.
Located in an unassuming strip mall off of I-5, Zumbar is small but actually a pretty cool cafe on the inside. The double espresso was balanced with a good body, leaning towards earthy and nutty flavors with a hint of citrus. They roast their own beans in house on a Probat (i.e. legit), which you don't find often in San Diego. The best shot of espresso I have had in San Diego (not counting Perks Cafe at UCSD, which uses Barefoot Coffee from the bay area), which isn't saying a whole lot considering the poor state of the San Diego coffee scene, but Zumbar is a good start in the right direction.
Tiny, out-of-the way place, seats about 12.
Zumbar roasts its own beans giving the place a great aroma.
The service is quick and polite and their menu boasts the regular coffeehouse favorites.
Recommendations: the dark chocolate mocha - it tastes just like warm, freshly baked chocolate cake.
Definitely a nice place to grab a pick-me-up.
Awesome coffee & coffee drinks. I enjoyed the Nutty Squirrel and Dark Mocha. Tried a croissant and a bagel. Both were acceptable, but nothing to write home about.
Drawbacks:
1) limited hours - not their fault, business severely drops off in the afternoon.
2) hard to get to - not really their fault, this strip center is located nearly under the 5 freeway and surrounded by twisty odd traffic streets. Exit off the freeway is easy to miss.
3)Small space - again, not really their fault; the space is well used but when busy get a bit crowded and noisy.
I work nearby and I have a had coffee here several times. I would definitely stop here! Service is quick and the prices are good.
Consistently the best coffee in San Diego. This is a place that knows how to roast beans and how to use them. Easily the best pulls of espresso I've had in San Diego.
It's such a relief to go somewhere that knows what a cappuccino is. Their cappuccinos have never failed. Their americanos are awesome as well. But I usually just get a french press coffee, cuz nothing tells you as much about the quality of the beans and the roast as unadorned, simply prepared coffee.
My only complaint (if I can even call it that), is that they don't seem to offer different roasts for their beans. I think they do all their beans at "Full City". Personally, different roasts bring out different characters of the bean, and some beans are better suited to certain roast levels. But that small gripe is not enough to detract a star from this standout.
San Diego can be a good-coffee wasteland, but Zumbar makes it all better.
The Zumbar is Excellent! The staff is great, Steve is great and the coffee is great! Did I mention they are great?
The coffee shop always has a good selection of baked goods and interesting art to look at while you enjoy your breakfast.
Please stop by and enjoy a great cup of Joe!
STOP! stop telling people about Zumbar! I really don't want everyone to know that this place has the best coffee in town. Rich delicious flavors with enough caffeine to curl your hair and make you break out into a sweat. Yeah baby, thats what I am talking about..CAFFEINE..wooHOOO (oops, maybe I had too much).
Now if it didn't taste so delicious it would be just a place to jump start your day, but its a wonderful break from routine coffee places. The service is great and the art is wonderful.
"Hey Kurt, your usual latte?" That's what you can expect from Steve, the proprietor, if you frequent Zumbar. When the foam settles, it's the best latte I've had (period). Plus, Steve actually roasts his own beans on site and is famous for his French press. The shop is small and unassuming, great for a commuter (right across from the Coaster station); less so if you're planning on staying for a while.
I yelped:
* Great Coffee. If you go to a coffee shop for coffee, then this is your place! Best coffee, latte, mocha, coffee-like fufu drink, etc. going.
* Beats 'Bucks. Steve roasts a mean bean that gets gets your palate percolating.
* Food's good too. Same baked goods they sell at Pannikin.
Needs help:
* Not so much room to study/chill/read etc. But it's got everything you'd want: free wifi, cool music, frequently changing art on the walls from local artists...
Zumbar is a little coffee shop nestled in Sorrento Valley across from the Coaster station and the 5. Since my work is not too far from this coffee shop, I visit Zumbar quite often.
Personally, I'm not really about the hype of "support your local coffee shop because Starbucks is evil, blah blah" spiel, not because I don't want to support a local business, but most little coffee shops don't really have that good of coffees or teas and I have yet to drink the perfect mocha at one of these places. What I do know is that for what small selection of coffee and teas Zumbar has, it is amazing.
In fact, it would be harder to find fault with any of the drinks I have had at Zumbar. I cant. Its all been very good. Here is my breakdown of the wonderful drinks I have experienced there:
Dark Chocolate mocha- extremely rich and tasty. If you love sweet, hot coffee drinks, you'll like this
Coffee of the day- Incredible - A++ It is by far the best brewed coffee around. It has incredible flavor and doesn't have that gross burnt coffee taste most places have. When its a cold day, grab this.
Iced Tea - Damn- its good. This coming from someone who absolutely abhors tea unless its their own mix of pre-packaged Lipton brand thats been sweetened to the point that it will blow your pancreas away. Zumbars' iced tea has a nice smooth flavor to it. Add a little bit of sugar, or none at all, and your experience will still be: Damn- its good.
Iced Blended coffee - this is great if you want something foo-foo and cold.You'll find it listed under "Foofy Drinks". Absolutely fab.
The shop is very calm and relaxing and usually features art from local artists to adorn the shop that get switched out every couple of months which makes it nice to come into a shop that not only has great coffee, but also keeps the place busy with some new decor from artists.
So if you are into supporting small business owners with great coffees and teas, then look no further. This is the place to be-
Hands down the best coffee in San Diego. Roasted in the shop, it's as fresh as coffee can be. The owner has such an obvious passion for his coffee and it comes across in every cup. The caffeine content is magically higher then any other coffee I've had. To the point where co-workers have asked me if I'm on drugs or drunk. It's fun to drink.
If you like the fru-fru drinks, those are incredible as well. They use high quality chocolate. The blended mocha tastes like liquid cake and will crack you out on caffeine. The iced Dark Mocha is to die for as well! Seriously the yummiest treat ever.
If you're into the beans, he always has a fresh selection and a variety of organic varieties too. The shop blend (El Mundo) is my favorite. So muddy and good.
Its almost impossible to have a bad day with Zumbar coffee running through your body. Do I sound excited? I am. It's that good.
An unassuming little place in an out of the way strip mall, Zumbar is easy to miss. I had no real expectations, as it's a bare-bones cafe but was pleased to see a happy little roasting oven sitting at the back. And this little roaster brings forth a really damn fine cup of coffee. It made my morning!
Holy S...that's some freakin' good coffee!!
This place is great. As noted, they roast their own beans and the owner is extremely passionate about coffee. The staff is very friendly as well. They quickly learn what you like to order and will be halfway there by the time you get to the counter. Its 1.75 for a large coffee.. They obviously take great pride in their product.
Headline: "On-ramp strip
mall shop makes best cup a joe"
Go outta your way.
http://adbusters.org/t...
This place has thebest coffee and lattes around. The French press is always fresh and roasted onsite. Steve always remembers us and our fav drinks. I Introduced many people to this place and they all like it better than that other place. He has some strong coffees if u like. Great décor. Great art
For some wholly inappropriate reason, the Coaster has an absurd schedule going against the flow of traffic. If you work in Sorrento Valley and want to take public transportation back into the city, you need to catch either the 3:21, the 4:05, the 5:29, or the 6:01. If you happen to get out of work, as Sarah does, at 4pm, you are screwed basically. And if you're me, and someone else is Sarah (who is your significant other who doesn't have a car yet), you lose a lot of time driving to and from Sorrento Valley.
But that someone else, when you're too busy at the Liar's Club to go pick her up, may hop across the tracks and walk north of the onramp. She could notice a nondescript strippette of a mall--well, actually, it's awesomely descript: "The Grill", "Coffeehouse", "Mexican" the signs graciously explain. And she just might order a cappuccino.
i haven't had many cappuccinos since the Brazilian barrista left Cafe Nefeli in north Berkeley, and none since i've come down to San Diego. And now i know that's only because i haven't been in Sorrento Valley. Seriously, this heater was perfect: The espresso was a bit nutty and finely expressed, and the foamage was peerless! No scorch and burn, no bubble-bath action--amazing consistency and body. Could've eaten it with a fork! Color me impressed. Seriously impressed.
Unimaginative sign? Check.
Overimaginative, overpriced, and undertalented art? Check.
Divinity in coffee and cream? Check-plus w/ smiley face & gold star.
UPDATE:
The current art is much better and now i happily drink Zumbar coffee everyday--i like the Sumatra best, but their India roast is a close second.
AGAIN:
Sarah has a car now, so i don't go as often, but there's been no drop in quality with the increase in patrons. Right on, Steve.
You would never know about this place unless you ride the coaster It doesn't say Zumbar so you wouldn't be able to find it either. But it has the best coffee I've ever had. Ssshhhh....I'm not spreading the word. Oh and really good scones too!
It's 9am & I'm buzzing happily 500 miles north of Zumbar in the San Francisco Bay. Ladyfish & I swam down to San Diego last weekend & picked up a pound & a half of the good organic Sumatra.
Looking forward to placing a web order soon!
Sorry Zumbar, your hours are terrible for me. Why do you close so early on the weekends? Somewhat understandable due to the fact that the work week is over, but pleeeeeease stay open a little later than 2pm???
Update: I met the World's Fittest Man here. His website is: http://www.joe-decker.com/. I think he… Read more »
This lovely Friday morning, I was fixing for a latte. I remembered there is a Coffee shop that is less than a mile from my office. It's right next door to the "The Grill". "The Coffee Shop" sign outside was so simple, yet blunt. I climbed out of my car's warm haven and took a few steps in the nippy air and walked into the cozy coffee shop. There are about 2-3 tables. Heard the murmuring of a couple suited business men, and one gentleman typing away on his laptop. It's very small, and I had no idea where the line began. My instinct directed me after smelling the fresh roasted coffee beans and watching the white beans turn into rich dark brown, ready-to-brew goodness. I ordered my tall latte and in about 2 minutes, I had my fix. My latte was executed perfectly. I also ordeded a cup of their house brew (for a co-worker). All totalled to about 5 bucks, not bad. If I were to go to Starbucks, I would've waited at least 15 minutes and paid twice as much. My new morning fix is at Zumbar.
Their menu is limited, yet so plentiful in taste. This humble coffee shop also has baked goods, similar to those you'd find at Starbucks. I didn't get to sample anything. Unfortunately, it's nearing summer, and I need to get back into shape. Deduction for 1 star because of how cramped this place is.
Here I am now, all buzzed off my caffeine fix and typing away about Zumar, I need to go back to work.
THANKS ZUMBAR! See you bright and early Monday morning.
Okay...I'll admit it...I'm an addict. I didn't even like coffee before I was introduced to this establishment, but now I can't stay away from the dark mocha. Two shots of espresso, frothed whole milk, yummy dark chocolate, and gourmet whipped cream - not too sweet and not too bitter. I'm in heaven....this beverage is worth every cent. Never mind the "latte factor".....I'll pay $3.80 on a daily basis to help support this habit. Did I already mention I didn't like coffee? Incredibly friendly vibe, fresh baked delectable delights, and the coffee guru who started this operation even entertains music requests. Free wireless internet.....need I say more?
Coming from the East Coast, coffee was merely a necessity for getting started early in the morning. Starbucks was what I considered "great coffee" merely because it was consistent from store to store.
Then I found Zumbar. And learned that "great" was not the same as "consistent".
I will never forget my first sip of the French press coffee. I literally stopped in my tracks, turned to the owner (Steve) and asked why his coffee was so good. That started a conversation about coffee preparation processes, brewing methods and growing locations. I found that I actually have a preference for coffee from Guatemala over coffee from Sumatra. Amazing: there was a difference in taste!
Starbucks has nothing on this shop's finely crafted brew. If you want to learn about coffee, come to Zumbar. If you want to truly taste and appreciate coffee, you must make a stop at Zumbar. If you want a coffee prepared and served by friendly, knowledgeable people who know most of their customers by name, visit Zumbar.
You'll never regret it.
By far the best coffee shop in the Sorrento Valley/Mira Mesa area. Word to your moms.
Zumbar knows its business is coffee and sticks to what it knows. I've been going there every weekday for a lunch time caffeine fix for about a year now. I appreciate that Zumbar is a no nonsense coffee shop, meaning you can purchase really well-crafted coffee drinks and not a whole lot else. Do you need a sandwich, a CD, and the coffee drink equivalent of a milkshake? Go to Starbucks. Do you want a fine cup of joe made with beans that were roasted in-house? Go to Zumbar. Yes, you can get the standard juices, bottled waters, and some tasty pastries but Zumbar is about the coffee. As it should be.
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