Sugar Coffee & Tea

Really cute, down-​to-​earth coffee and tea spot! I came with the anticipation of getting coffee but, I was impressed with all the teas that they have to offer! I can’t remember which one I decided one but, it had coconut and it was so refreshing! They have a little patio with seating and an inside seating area as well! They also offer a variety of fresh pastries!
This place is perfect to bring a friend and catch up with!
I’ll be back! :)

My boyfriend and I go to Sugar almost every day and are so thankful it is close to home! The staff is amazing, the owners are the best, and overall, the vibe of this coffee shop is amazing :)

This is an update to my review 11 months ago. I typically order a small Americano with an added shot to make it extra strong. I also expect to find a good amount of crème on top making it smooth and creamy.
Lately I get the strength but no crème. It’s as if they put shots on bottom and pour hot water spoiling the drink.
Now I’ll be searching for a new source that can make coffee like I’d find in Europe, Seattle or Portland. Any suggestions welcome!

This is a great little privately owned coffee shop. They made me a great two shot Americano which I enjoyed with a Bavarian Nut Cookie.
The Americano was quite strong in a good way for a two shot Americano and it came piping hot. Its flavor was rich an robust with a smooth after taste and no doubt provided the kick I needed and help me get the work I needed to get done. The Bavarian Nut Cookie was fantastic. It was softer than a scone, but similar in flavor in a delicious way. The semi sweet chocolate was just right and the nut’s crunchiness provided a great texture throughout the cookie.
The offer free WiFi with plenty of comfortable seating inside and outside. They have a front porch and a back patio. They have plug ins and the place is relatively quiet since they do not have continues music playing. In addition to the coffees and teas, they also make toasted bagels with topping such as butter, cream cheese, and jams.
I liked the down to earth friendly service. I learned through the employees that they do not provide drip coffees because they French Press instead.

One of my favorite coffee shops to study or work from. Inside and outside seating with outlets! The coffee is good and the staff very nice. Typically can find parking pretty close by.
So grab a cup and spend some time enjoying a peaceful afternoon.

Really love this place. Quiet, great for working, plenty of outlets which is really nice. I’d much rather come here than Pannikan or Lofty. The people that work here are super nice as well. Kinda feels like a coffee shop version of Cheers, people know each other and are very friendly.
Just one thing that I think could be improved (although I get you can’t please everyone all the time!)
They don’t have a traditional chai latte which is sort of a bummer. Instead they have chai tea latte which is kind of on the bland side. Maybe they could get a real chai latte soon? :)
Update: You can ask them to add the vanilla sweetener which makes it taste more like a traditional latte. It just depends on the server.
Probably my favorite coffee shop in Leucadia/​Encinitas.

Young gentlemen was nice and courteous as I came in. He welcomed me to Leucadia & stuck up a short clnversation. Ordered an iced mocha nonfat, which was really chocolaty. Yum! Plenty of seating with the view of highway 101 lol. WiFi is quick too.

Awesome little shop! Great coffee, friendly staff… smaller menu and seating area then the coffee place down the block, but absolutely deserves a stop!

I decided to give Sugar a second chance, because everybody makes mistakes.
I was pleasantly surprised that the service was nice, warm, welcoming, and approachable. And bonus! They now stock Toranni vanilla syrup, even though the barista said they «relented». I’m so glad they did.
The parking still sucks and they have some mechanical issues with the patio. But, all in all, they’ve become what they set out to be and for that, I’m happy and will be back.

I finally decided to visit this establishment after driving past it countless times and with the line at Panniken way too long today was the day.
Colossally disappointed.
The low rating is for the horrible customer service. There was a girl and a guy working, the guy was a nice guy. He left coffee grounds in my french press though which I don’t think is supposed to happen. The girl, who was handling the cash register, was distant, discourteous, and doesn’t know the art of conversation which is essential in the service industry. She was much more interested in her friend who had visited her than providing me with a good experience. I regret leaving a generous tip given she didn’t deserve it.

good coffee. Nice relaxed atmosphere.

coffee was good, egg sandwich was good. Guy behind the counter was really nice. Girl behind the counter was awful, she was downright rude and insulting, I could not believe it. Where are these people learning customer service? She treated me like I had no right to ask for what I wanted (you know as a customer, ordering coffee?) first I had questions and she ignored me (they had macaroons on the counter and she acted like my asking for the flavors or what was good was such an irritation to her) no big deal I thought maybe she just didn’t hear me and it was fine. I ordered a large latte and was charged for a large latte. I needed a large latte at 10:30 while staying at a hotel and not having my own at home. the size they give you for «here» is not a large latte. I looked at it and thought «I will need more than this» and asked «is this the large size» and she acted soooo bothered like how dare I question her. She looked it up and I had in fact been charged for a large latte. I said oh well that’s ok can you just give me more or make me a small or something? (I already had a cup) instead, she sighed and said «its only a quarter difference» and gave me a quarter and walked away. lol as if that solved every problem and if she was annoyed because the amount of espresso was the same in either she could have explaiend that to me like a normal person (or at the very least someone working in CUSTOMER SERVICE)
I would not be at this place I’d always wanted to check out but finally have a reason if I wasn’t already in a stressful situation where I needed to get my coffee out and use someones wifi. I always order coffee and food when I do this but today it was really important, really important and I needed coffee. large.
the nice guy that took my order came out with my sandwhich and asked if everything was ok and I said well, yeah except I was just wondering you knwo, she gave me a quarter but I really wanted a larger coffee??? and he was like oh no problem and made me a larger coffee…
SHE CAME OUTSIDE and said what was the problem? I was like… uh…well I ordered a large latte, and I just wanted a larger latte and he had asked me if everythying was ok and he is making a larger latte.
She was like oh well, what’s the problem was it not enough espresso? what uh, looking at me like I’m the worst, biggest idiot on earth. I was like, I don’t know… I just wanted what I ordered but couldn’t really say it before she gave me another dirty look and sighed harder and walked off.
she dropped off my latte while keepign the largest possible distance from me and did not look at me
OMG this seemed like a great place with good coffee and wifi… this girl has issues.
Guy was nice and deserves a better coworker.

Lovely little coffee shop. Great place to catch up with a friend while sharing a perfect french press!

Sweet simple spot, the coffee and service is excellent! Cortadito excellent! Love small shops! We should all do our part in shopping local!

This is the best café in Encinitas. Free wi-​fi, quiet, not crowded, with plenty of plugs inside and a cute side patio outside. The coffee is phenomenal — I asked the server what she recommended, and she said coconut milk latte, so I got that. It was amazing! Not too sweet, so you could taste the espresso in it!
There really isn’t any food, but they have bagels, VGs, croissants, and typical pastries. Just don’t come expecting lunch.
Also — their coffee comes in a french press with a little timer. So awesome!
This is my new favorite spot and I’m so glad I found it. I’m definitely coming back.

I found my favorite coffee shop in the area ! I’m new to the area and don’t have my wifi/​cable hooked up yet so I’ve been looking for places to grab coffee and use the wifi — this is my spot. It’s a cute mellow spot and I felt comfortable hanging for a few hours. The staff were friendly and I didn’t feel rushed at all.
PROs
FREE WIFI
Amazing strong coffee served in mugs and cups (not to-​go style :)
Outlets for computer plug-​ins everywhere
Quiet and cute
Friendly staff
Outdoor seating/​back patio and a few tables inside

Very cute alternative to Pannikin, less crowded and ultra charming. I was looking for something else and ended up parked in the little strip mall next to Three sisters jewelry and liked it a lot and will come back next time I am in Encinitas. Coffee is great and folks there not attached to their laptops, so normal humans, what else you can ask? oh, the beach so close. What a perfect scenario!

Super cute, unpretentious and quaint little coffee shop. I had to pick up a custom jewelry from Three Little Sisters (another cute little place!) in the same complex and grabbed a quick cup of coffee to go.
Parking was super tough since all the spots were so small and I have a minivan (gasp! hey, I’m a mom!)
I wanted a french press but I can only drink decaf and the lady recommended the espresso method for the decaf. I had a latte and I’ve been in a really good mood ever since! I don’t know what they put in the coffee but I seriously can’t stop telling my kids I love them and am in happiness overdrive right now! LOL
I may raise it to 5star if I keep going to this place. I must try the french press some day.

Do NOT come to this coffee house– because I don’t want you to take my tables! After one visit [update: many visits!], I’m in love with this place. Inside it has chic contemporary décor that sets itself apart from the usual beachy-​casual vibe of downtown Encinitas and Leucadia area. It is small, but it’s like a personal sanctuary! I think there are two tables for two and one table for four inside. Beyond the French doors, the overwhelmingly-​charming patio has about 6 tables for two, and there are another two tables outside of the front entrance. But that’s it, so beware that you won’t want to plan on having super-​private conversations here, and during busier times you may not be able to find good seating.
Regardless, the Americano I got was much lighter than the dark espresso from Coffee Bean than I’m used to, but I still enjoyed it. For those who don’t like super-​black coffee, I’m sure this isn’t a problem.
Smokers: there weren’t any no smoking signs and I suspect I could probably have gotten away with enjoying one cigarette on the patio when I was the only one out there, but I didn’t try.
The one woman who was working the place was in a good mood and treated everyone nicely. I liked her.
Give this place a try! Especially if you go to the Pannikin– I think Sugar is a total upgrade.

This is a quaint, little sweet spot on the west side of 101 in Encinitas/​Leucadia in a small shopping center (about four unassuming shops). Service was super friendly and helpful. I was undecided on which tea to get so the staff, both of them, helped me pick out a delicious black apricot tea.
I took my tea to go but I was so tempted to sit on the back deck and soak up some sun. It feels like a little slice of paradise back there. Sugar also sells some baked goods but on this particular morning I decided to forgo the sweets. It looks like they even had some gluten free products, if you’re in to that sort of thing. (Which I’m not, for the record — bring on the meat and flour.)
One thing that was a bummer is that my tea was way too hot to drink for about 15 or 20 minutes. I was so tempted to take a sip given the delicious apricot smell wafting out of my cup. For kicks, when I got home, about 20 minutes after getting my tea, I measured the temperature and it had cooled down to 146 degrees Fahrenheit. Anyway, I don’t think I can ding Sugar for my too hot to handle tea since the ideal steeping temperature for black team is over 200 degrees.
For anyone who has been to Little Fish Coffee in Hanapepe, HI (on Kauai) you may find that Sugar is reminiscent of that shop — high quality tea and coffee in a relaxing atmosphere