Reborn Coffee
24338 El Toro Rd A, Laguna Beach, CA
Crema's Take
“Reborn Coffee in Laguna Beach pulls you in with spacious, welcoming vibes and genuinely skilled espresso work—their cortados are elegant and their pour over technique is worth the visit. The reviews reveal a shop with real heart when the team is on, though consistency with service has been a sore spot, so your experience might depend on who's behind the bar that day. It's the kind of place where locals gather and seem to stick around, best appreciated when you can settle in with your laptop and let their specialty drinks do the talking.”
What to expect
Google Reviews
The coffee is good and the chocolate croissant was ok (it tasted stale). I would give this place a sub zero for service. A girl with blonde hair attended me and off the bat, she was snide and acted like I was a bother. It was my first time here and I just had general questions. When I got my drink, it was hot when I ordered ice. She continued to argue with me stating I ordered it hot. Ive seen other coffee places that will remake the drink without being argumentative. All this happened before 640am. I give my money to businesses that have kind service and good product. Unfortunately, I'll be avoiding this place like the plague. I wouldnt be surprised if she argues with me on this post.
Who hired the dictator? Literal buzz kill! Overnight the vibe went from warm, friendly coffee shop where you can get a tasty coffee with ease to frustrated, disgruntled place to wait forever for a poorly made coffee. I’ve been a near-daily regular here for a long time, but the new management (Janelle) is actively destroying the community feel of this shop. Her approach is bizarrely militant—no greetings, no thanks, and she treats her staff with an aggression that’s uncomfortable to watch. She has implementing a “sit-in fee” add on fee while simultaneously watering down recipes to save on syrup. To make matters worse, she even got rid of the dog water bowl outside. It’s a complete lack of hospitality. With an employee saying they’ll get in trouble if she puts a bowl down for the dogs. She’s also a bottleneck on the bar; I’ve seen multiple people walk out because she can’t keep up with orders. Expect a long wait even with no one ahead of you, expect extreme wait times for a subpar latte if there’s just a few ahead. It’s like she’s never made a latte in her life or worse, she’s intentionally going slow. It’s a shame to see a local gem turned into such a cold, inefficient, and unfriendly place. I’ll be taking my business to SB or Seven Seas where they actually appreciate regulars, drinks taste consistent and are made timely and don't charge you extra just to sit down. The quality has dropped so significantly that I have personally watched multiple customers take one sip of their matcha or latte, throw the nearly full cup in the trash, and walk out. This isn't just a minor recipe change; it’s making the product undrinkable. Myself and many other regulars are all reaching our limit of her in a short period of time. If this management style and the decline in quality continue, we will be taking our daily business to the SB less than a block away. It’s a shame to choose a large corporate chain over a local shop, but at least the quality is consistent and the environment isn't hostile. Ownership needs to act before they lose their entire regular customer base. The prior standing baristas are so lovely but you can feel the impact in the air from the new managers hostility and new ridiculous rules.
I showed up at 8:40 am on a Sunday and waited around for about 9 minutes without the baristas taking my order (timed as we had a commitment across the street at 9). There was a single other person in line. We left and will not be back. I overheard the baristas telling the person in front of me they were under new management. Not sure if this is driving the sudden change in speed/quality of service.
Truly feel reborn! So me and my coworker drew the short straws and had to work Christmas Eve in the rain. What better way to start the rainy day than to visit a new coffee shop? So appreciative of Reborn being open and everyone working. We got to the shop and inside is a great layout. Good window corner for reading, working or studying, general area for 2 person coffee and chat, the works. Music volume just right and the playlist was a good vibe to hang out. Honestly we loved the map on the wall, for some reason we had a long chat and got lost in the map completely forgetting ourselves and deciding what we wanted to order. The staff was super nice and seemed like everyone was genuinely friendly even for being out and about the day before holiday. The menu has a good selection and options. I chose to shake things up from a little bit of coffee fatigue and get the blueberry matcha. Since writing this I’ve had another blueberry matcha which only improves my impressions of Reborn’s. The sweetness wasn’t too much, the matcha was well blended, and wasn’t overly rich and creamy. The blueberry was a nice hint rather than being an overbearing splash which made it so nice. Also splurged and got the bear claw! It got cold from our drive but was still very good. Thanks and Happy Holidays!
I was looking for local coffee shop and came across Reborn Coffee. They made an elegant cortado and the place is very spacious. I was quick to notice that they have a great local following with people brining in their own reborn coffee cups ready to be filled with their house blend. If you are looking for a cute, quiet coffee shop to enjoy your coffee or get a little work done, highly recommend this spot.
Crema Reviews
You might also like
Freelance Coffee Project
★ 4.6 (149)
Tucked into Laguna Beach, this plant-draped spot creates an unconventional…
Redshift Coffee Roasters
★ 4.8 (297)
Redshift Coffee Roasters is a serene Laguna Beach escape where serious espresso…
Endless Quest Roasters
★ 5.0 (77)
Endless Quest Roasters is a beautifully curated coffee destination where the…
Blue Bottle Coffee
★ 4.5 (423)
Tucked inside a shared workspace in Laguna Beach, this Blue Bottle outpost…