Where: The Coffee Cart Café, 11575 Sorrento Valley Rd Suite 201, San Diego, CA 92121
Open: 7:30 AM – 2:00 PM Monday – Friday
What: Common Ground batch brewed drip coffee ($3.50)
Find them at: https://www.thecoffeecartsd.com/ • https://www.instagram.com/thecoffeecartsd/
What I’m listening to: Teddy Swims “Lose Control”
The Coffee Cart Café is unexpected. I did not expect it to be next to the brewery where I would get a beer. I parked across from a flapping COFFEE flag and felt the siren song of coffee beckoning from the wide open garage doors. Like a hummingbird looking for some sugar, I was pulled towards the pink tables, poking out onto the open sidewalk.
Inside, I find a coffee bar staffed on this early Friday afternoon by Matt and Courtney. I don’t usually call out the baristas in this column, but I feel compelled to do so. They provided excellent service. Beyond that, they were fun, pleasant to chat with, and more than willing to appease an annoying customer (me) with a smile. Even if the coffee wasn’t good, I’d still have been happy. That wasn’t a problem.
I ordered a batch-brewed coffee. I missed the specific roast, but it is mentioned that it is from Common Grounds.* I tasted dark chocolate and vanilla. It was served in a bottomless blue mug on a saucer. I have no scientific basis for this claim, but I think a nice blue mug makes coffee taste better.
Courtney let me know it was Happy Hour. Umm, what? I thought. Happy Hour? This is a coffee shop, right?
She assured me it was, but they still offer discounts from Noon to 2:00 PM on large specialty and seasonal drinks and 15% off all pastries. The pastry case was filled with “Made Fresh Daily” delectables from Split Bakehouse. You’ll find Split’s (often vegan) pastries at cafes all over the county. I can’t say I’ve ever been disappointed by one of their cheese danishes, raspberry pop-tarts, or chocolate croissants. I briefly considered using Happy Hour to clean out the case.
The Coffee Cart Café is in the SOVA Science District–home to biotech companies, volleyball camps, and New English Brewing. The SOVA brochure lists The Coffee Cart Café as an amenity for potential incoming businesses. It appears to be working. While I’m sitting and sipping, a steady drip of customers stop for a lunchtime coffee to say hello. Many are on a first-name basis with the baristas. All of them leave on a first-name basis with my dog.*
The Coffee Cart Café is a better coffee shop than one might expect in a business park. Its location might be the only drawback (solely based on my convenience). Getting off the highway can be a pain if you’re not already heading into Sorrento Valley, but you should. It will be worth it for the coffee and the company.
*Common Grounds is among the most used names for coffee shops and roasters. Was this coffee roasted in Kentucky, Massachusetts, or Brazil? No idea.
**What is it about humans that we can become best friends with a strange dog almost immediately but leave an interaction without asking the dog’s human’s name? I always meet other dog owners, and our conversations always include introducing our pets but not actually meeting each other.
Want to hear the stories of local coffee entrepreneurs or learn how to brew a better cup of coffee at home? Listen to the Coffee People and Coffee Smarter podcasts featuring lots of local coffee roasters like Crossings Coffee, Mostra Coffee, and Ignite Coffee Company. You can even stream the latest episodes on The Coast News!
