Ideal Coffee Bar
Ideal Coffee Bar — photo 2
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Ideal Coffee Bar

106 Beach St, Santa Cruz, CA

★★★★★3.3(19 Google reviews)

Crema's Take

Ideal Coffee Bar is a casual Santa Cruz spot perfect for grabbing a quick coffee or pastry with a friendly vibe, though you'll want to manage expectations around portion sizes and specialty touches. The real draw here is the outdoor seating when weather cooperates and the connection to a larger restaurant next door that serves hearty food like surprisingly excellent ribs and hot pasta. If you're after artisanal, single-origin coffee craft, you might be disappointed by their traditional approach, but it's an honest neighborhood place to linger on a sunny day with a basic coffee and snack.

What to expect

PastriesTraditional drinksLight foodOutdoor seatingQuick grab

Google Reviews

Mady Scopp
★★★★8 months ago

We ordered 2 scoops of icecream. It was $8 and it was the 2 smallest scoops of icecream I have ever seen. You would think it would fill up at least half of the dish the serve it to you in, but it wasn't even close. It's an absolute rip off. Not worth the money, unless you like paying $8 for just a few bites of icecream.

CM
★★★★9 months ago

First I ordered a chai latte. It was $9 and I gave a dollar tip, Even though they didn't have almond milk. I saw her pull out the box of pre-made Tazo chai and I immediately stopped her. Tazo? I tried using that stuff from the grocery store and it's gross. She said I could pick anything else off the menu but she couldn't do a refund because then she would have to call her manager. So I ordered a decaf Americano which was literally half the price. She made it for me and it was full of grounds. And not just a couple of flakes, there was grounds all throughout to where it was getting in my mouth when I took a sip. I mentioned it to her and she said that's just what happens with the decaf. So I left the coffee on the counter and walked out. Absolutely terrible place. I should have checked the reviews before stopping there.

Matthias pumpkin
★★★★11 months ago

Outdoor seating is nice when the weather is good. Staff is friendly but a bit slow to come around. The rib serving is huge and pasta is very food and comes out hot. The only thing missing is some bread. Overall a nice place to enjoy a meal

AJ
★★★★★2 years ago

Sweet quick stop to grab a bite, a sandwich, a snack, a scoop of ice cream or a cup of coffee. Right next to Ideal bar, let’s you check the space and maybe wonder if you would like a drink instead of chocolate ice cream 🙃 I got a lemon scoop on a hot day! It was not the greatest but it did the work! All the people working here are fabulous and friendly too 😊

Sakshi Garg
★★★★★2 years ago

Small place. No seating within the coffee bar. It is associated with a larger restaurant. This coffee bar serves marrianes ice cream. My all time favorite is 1020 flavor. Snacks are also available.

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