Coffeebar Byul

I used to come to this place a bunch because it was one of the best coffee places in Irvine. I don’t know what happened but everything sort of went downhill. I didn’t start Unilocaling until recently so that’s why there isn’t an updated review or something. The coffee used to be really delicious. Now its weak. The latte froth or foam used to be super velvety and delicious. Now its so solid it might as well be bread. And the prices are still expensive. I’m really sad I had to give this place a bad review.
Ambiance is nice though.

I am a loyal customer to this place but, this is the first time I have ever experienced such terrible service from one of the employees (who is new btw)…We ordered our usual and in the the middle of our payment transaction… She ignores us, walks away to fill up the water kettle, leaves our cc In the machine, we are ask for our cookie and she says okay and doesn’t give it to us and just keeps talking to the other employee. Her attitude was EXTREMELY unpleasant. A total disappointment to the other employees who work so hard and do so well to go the extra mile to give their customers that warm, perfect local coffee/​tea shop feel these other shops lack… Pretty disappointed about this experience and one that I hope NOT to encounter again… But, due to the EXCEPTIONAL quality of Byul. I’ll be coming again… Just hoping when this employee is not here to serve me… (Not quality)… :/

I don’t understand why this place has some negative reviews. After moving to Irvine from Catalina Island, I wanted to find a friendly coffee shop to relax/​hangout with friends. The coffee and pastries are fantastic. The atmosphere is great too, they always have good music playing.

Byul — Korean for Star
A nice little coffee joint in Irvine with drinks named after cities. We ordered the Paris and the Athens which tasted pretty good. I enjoyed the casual theme they have going on and seems like a go to place for the college students from Irvine to study at.
Service was great, coffee was great, and the star themed atmosphere was also great.

The decorations look great almost had a hipster look in this Asian plaza.
The customer service was bad and they were EXTREMELY strict on outside food…
The coffee by itself was pretty good but definitely not worth the price. It’s worth trying out though for the first time.

I wanted to like this place…
But I kinda don’t. I don’t hate it though. I went on Valentine’s day for an after dinner treat. I was craving something chocolatey and they said the only close thing they had that was iced was an iced mocha latte. I got it non-​caffeinated and with dairy substitute (additonal 50 cents). It was pretty gross, not gonna lie. It was bland and I couldn’t finish it. It was way too watery and had no flavor. I like my drinks not too sweet but this tasted like something where ice had melted down and you would trash. It not worth the $ 5 that was paid for it. However, I had a sip of their acai berry smoothie and it was pretty good. It was a little on the sweet side but not bad. Nothing special though.
For two medium size drinks it was $ 11. We originally asked if the acai berry can be mixed with other smoothie flavors but they said no. Drinks are pricey here. For example, a large Vietnamese coffee is $ 6.75. For quality, I think it’s expensive. Their coffee beans may be good but the drinks we had were not executed well. I want to go back and try their fraps and hot drinks. Maybe I’ll have a change of heart. They also have some snack and food items. They had some dried fruit chips for sale. I thought those were cute. They also have paninis, waffles, pastries, and specialty chocolate bars for sale. They also sold little things to make coffee, teas, coffee beans and jars.
The guy behind the counter was very nice. Our drinks came out fairly fast. We went on Valentine’s on a Sunday night and it was pretty busy but no line. I would come back for a second try but not sure if the opportunity will come since there are just so many other drink places in the same plaza.

Came in with my family on a Sunday morning. They had something for everyone — apple juice and hot chocolate for the kids, coffee black for myself, and americano for wife. Owner came out and chatted with us, was a very pleasant experience.
They have free wi-​fi, its bright, quiet and seats are comfortable. I noticed a group of young people working together on laptops.
They also have an excellent selection of cookies and pastries, although we did not try them.

This is a negative review towards this establishment, because of an employee: asking if it’s okay to turn down the music or the base.
So I come here frequently to get work done. It’s not a bad place at all! But when I asked one employee if he can turn down the music or the base, he refuses with a negative intentions…
You know those people tell you «no» just to mess with you.
I mean the ridiculous music is to entertain the people who come in.
I just get these headaches because of it. Ofcourse I don’t care for their music either, and I don’t care what they play.

Order a slow drip coffee, it was very good. They had 3 roasts to choose from, my friend ordered a different one and it was also excellent. Had a v friendly lady help me. I was thrilled to get a fancy slow drip without the bullshit hipster attitude that typically comes with it. I was also thrilled at the lack of squatters there. I had a place to sit, imagine that! I’m very glad to hear they have a 2 hour limit to the WiFi so customers can have a seat. They had Italian Opera playing which gave it a classy feel. Will be back soon.

I’ve been wanting to check this place out for the longest time since I’m always eating in diamond jamboree and today I finally for the chance to! The inside is pretty nice, a lot of people were studying so I guess it’s a nice study spot. The guy at the register was really helpful in offering recommendations since it was my first time. I ended up ordering the athens latte and my friend got the shanghai latte. The shanghai was a little sweeter than the athens but I really enjoyed both of them. I was pleasantly surprised cus I’m usually kinda picky about my coffee. Both lived up to the description on the menu but still had an overall coffee flavor. if that makes sense lol. The latte art was super pretty too! Only thing I can really complain about is the price. Our tab was over $ 10 for two small coffees, that’s pretty steep in my opinion and for that reason, I probably won’t be back. I can admit that they have good coffee though!

Super hip and international, this coffee bar serves quality drinks and snacks at a higher price. The menu is overwhelming with drinks from several East Asian countries, Europe, and other parts of the globe with various hard-​to-​pronounce names. Although the seating seems casual, this place is overly pretentious with its drink selection.
I ordered a liege waffle and an iced milk green tea (Japanese style). The waffle was pretty average, partially attributed to my attempt to avoid extra sugar, but I expected something more than just a plain Belgian waffle with a few sugar bits. Maybe it would’ve been better with nutella and bananas. The tea was well brewed with a nice sharp flavor that made it unique from other milk green teas I’ve had and it was quite refreshing, but really expensive.
I brought my laptop to try to get work done– but the music is really loud– which would also make it somewhat hard to even casually chat. The music was super hipster which I did like. Also to get wifi you need a code, and my friend had some trouble activating his but after restarting his mac it worked. For a place to chill this is ok, but I felt the vibe was a little too pretentious for me.

I have been to Byul many times on my break between classes, and after yesterday’s visit, I finally have to call it quits. I have now witnessed, on multiple occasions, the owner treating his employees very poorly.
The woman usually working with him on weekdays is very helpful and polite, and even remembered me from the many times I’ve come in. However, on a visit a few months ago, when she had a question for the owner about the register, he violently tapped it saying «Here! You push this button here! Is that too hard!?»
Cut to yesterday, when a different employee seemed to be working on payroll and tax information for the coffee shop. She had a few simple questions and minor concerns (I was trying not to eavesdrop TOO much), which were, again, met by this man’s short-​tempered flustered responses, and violent tapping on the computer screen. If this is how he acts in front of customers, I can’t imagine what goes on behind the scenes.
In line with multiple reviews below me, this man is irrational, has a bad temper, and seems to be very belittling. There are other coffee shops in and around Irvine (Tomo, BLK, Kean) that operate like legitimate businesses and offer higher quality drinks at a better price.

Sam is the craziest person I have ever encountered!
I purchase 2 cookies for $ 2 and a milk tea.
The employee Sam asked if I wanted it heated up. I asked if I can just have one heated up to eat for now and to save the other one for later. He informed me that they had to be both heated up or not heated up at all. I questioning why couldn’t they separate the cookies individually, he basically said there’s no way he could give another bag for the cookies.
(Seriously how CHEAP can this place be?)
While we were waiting for our drinks, my boyfriend asked Sam if he could tell him where the water cups were. Sam looked at him is if he was stupid and couldn’t figure it out on his own. It’s like Sam expected my boyfriend to read his mind…
Employees are around to guide customers. They’re not there to give attitude to everyone they encounter.
Later on I decided to asked the other employee if I could cancel my drink order because it was taking way longer than anticipated and because of Sam’s rude remark. He soon called Sam over to ask what had happened. The other employee apologized to me and explained to me that the teas take about 7 minutes to make. Right after he told me, Sam immediately said «that’s what I told you earlier!» He soon asked if he could refund me. While he was refunding me, the other employee told Sam to stop what he was doing. Sam basically talked back to me said what he had done «was not personal». Honestly, Sam didn’t inform me that’s how long the teas take. And also don’t talk to me like I should know better.
After my boyfriend wrote his review. We received numerous messages from Sam basically harassing us and asking us to take down our reviews. These messages continued all the way to 2 AM.
I called earlier today asking to speak to the manager, just to make sure other customers don’t have the same encounter as I did. My gut feeling tells me that it was Sam who answered the phone because his first reply was, «we don’t transfer phone calls to manager because we get a lot of solicitation phone calls». I simply told him that I am a customer and I would like to talk to his manager. He straight up told me no so I asked «what is your name?» Then he was like, «what is your name?»
Honestly it is really dumb to be playing these games?
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Sam, if you can’t take the heat stay out of the kitchen!
I really hope this review is a wake up call for Sam to change his attitude and his mood towards all his customers.

Let me start off by saying I used to love this place.
When they first opened I’d come here quite frequently and grab a drink, usually a coffee and some pastries and get some work done.
Tonight when I came here I was utterly disappointed. I came with my girlfriend and a friend to unwind after a hectic weekend and was thoroughly disappointed in the service and food here.
The person behind the counter, Sam is potentially one of the worst and arrogant employees to exist within Orange County.
My girlfriend bought some pastries and a drink for us. She bought two cookies and a drink.
My girlfriend asked if she could have one of the cookies heated up as she planned to save the other one.
Sam told my girlfriend that they could only heat up both cookies together. She questioned why couldn’t they separate the cookies in individual bags, he basically said there’s no way he could give another bag for the cookies. I guess it’s against policy to give two bags for two cookies.
When I got up to ask Sam where the water cup is he looked at me like an idiot. Being helpful seems like a chore to this guy here. When he finally told me where it was he seemed like he was doing me a huge favor.
12 minutes went by and we still haven’t received our drink. I get it if you’re busy but you’re not.
My girlfriend asked the other guy working if she can cancel her order due to Sam’s rude remarks and the long wait.
This guy felt terrible for what had happened. He soon called Sam over to ask what had happened, Sam basically said what he had done was not personal
He asked Sam where the drink is and Sam said it’ll take another 7 minutes as all milk tea order take 7 minutes.
Wait, what were you doing the last 12 minutes then?
That guy seemed to be a lot more helpful and cancelled the order.
Nobody has 19 minutes to wait for a drink.
There’s too many cafes here. If I’m going to spend my money you bet it’ll be somewhere where I feel welcomed.
*The best part is Sam messaged me off Unilocal after this review asking me to take it off. Guess where one of the places he reviewed was. Yep, you guessed it, this café! So much for honest reviews right?

Love this place. It’s great for studying or hanging out – there’s plenty of seating and a nice long table against the wall with outlets right on the tabletop. Free wifi – you get a two hour slip but you can just ask for another one when it runs out.
The coffee is really good too, both times I’ve come here I’ve had the Paris latte (white chocolate and lavender). It’s not too sweet, the foam is amazing, and the flavor is consistent throughout. Anytime someone orders a waffle, it smells amazing. I intend to try more of their items soon.
Overall, I’ll definitely be back. The workers are friendly and the ambience is laid back and inviting. It’s not cheap, but worth it in my opinion.

Ahhh I love this place! Their Hanoi Iced is a contemporary take on a Vietnamese Coffee classic.
Nice toast on the beans with the creaminess from the milk — perfection. I think I’d prefer more ice in my drink, the amount of milk turns it more into a latte than a genuine Viet iced coffee, but definitely a great try!
A little on the pricey side, but if you’re really into your teas and coffee this is a good place to go. Comparable to Portola (at the Mix and 4^th Street Market) without the pretentious attitude.

Great Coffee nice people!
Came by here cuz I saw the shop in Diamond Jamboree plaza.
I took my Pour Over Drip Black just because I wanted to see if this place is legit…
The place looks pretty nice inside but I didn’t hangout too long I just got my coffee to go :)
BTW, they do get their beans from a reliable source: Kean

For the coffee, it’s pretty solid. One of those serious barista coffee shops with fancy espresso machinery and exacting measurements of ingredients… yes, where coffee becomes a mix of art and science :)
Great drips and specialty lattes with interesting flavor combos. Looks like they use Kean coffee beans. I ended up trying the Paris latte, which has a hint of lavender. The taste was pretty subtle. Probably will stick with a drip next time…
They also offer pastries from Cream Pan, a friggin delicious Japanese pastry shop in the area. They go for $ 1 after 4p, so stock up haha: D The overall feel is pretty modern, but still homey with its quaint shelving and fixtures. Great place to do some reading, but if you need your laptop, forget it. Wifi lags… so painfully… and you’re limited to 2 hours.

So… last time I said I get a drink but wouldn’t stay. And look who stayed.
Good thing because I am now able to upgrade this place from my previous 3 to now 4 stars (yippee!). Came here on a sizzling hot September day so of course we had to go iced drink style. Ordered the Hong Kong Tea Latte over ice and also a soy iced mocha. Their drinks are seriously spot on. The Iced Mocha was not overly sweet and had a great mocha flavor that didn’t taint your palate with with artificial flavoring.
Since we stayed, of course WIFI was a requirement. The cashier provided us with two WIFI codes good for supposedly two hours before the Internet would stop working and virtually kick you off. The Internet speed remains dial up slow, with the pages loading in quarter chunks at a time. Manageable though, but could definitely use improvement especially given we are no longer in 1999.
Overall had a pleasant time here so kudos to Coffeebar Byul for being a great study café. Until next time!

Located in the Diamond Jamboree Plaza, you will find Coffeebar Byul.
Cool, Hip, Modern vibe for all the coffee and tea hipsters. They have a great variety of frothy concoctions to choose from as well as delectable pastries.
I always get the Vietnamese Iced Coffee or the Dark Chocolate Mocha.
The few times I have been here, the staff have been knowledgeable and quick.
Definitely a place to stop by when in the area.