Morro Bay Coffee Co

LOVE this cute cozy coffe shop! The service is awesome and friendly! Highly recommend I start my work week every morning here!

Just ate dinner and wanted a coffee for dessert. We «Yelped» this coffee house and drove straight over. Pulled around back to park and noticed a gentleman coming out the back door with a bike and locking the door behind him… closing 25 minutes early according to the sign posted on the door.
Fast forward one month later… same place for dinner, same want for coffee, approximately the same time of day… Parked around back, walked in, ordered 2 Café Mochas and drank a WONDERFUL cup of coffee! Asked for it extra hot and it was perfect.
We’ll definitely be back. hopefully the first visit was just a fluke and we’ll update to a perfect 5 stars.
(Service was fine. Quite gentleman, but friendly. Place was clean… a BIG plus for the restroom)

This place is great! Once you drink the coffee here it’s hard to drink the other commercial stuff. I like Black Horse in Slo but the coffee here is on a different level. A coffee spot for the true «black» coffee drinker! Good job ya’ll! Oh, and their food is delicious for the price. You’d be paying a couple bucks more anywhere else. Not to mention their staff is always friendly… so win win!

Always happy with my breakfast here. I’m a sucker for egg and cheese with veggies on a bagel or croissant. Real ingredients, real care. Coffee is fair trade and/​or organic. Cozy spot for morning nutrition before work.

Amazing quality coffee and food. Worth the money and the patience of having only one worker doing ALL cooking and barista work by themselves. Great environment, wonderful baked goods/​pre-​made sandwiches etc. The long-​haired man Samuel is a very hard worker, made the best breakfast burrito I’ve ever had. :)

Easy to get to from Morro Heights houses. Right on a round about, which is neat, but the scuzzy rentals in the back are a bit scary. Lock your car. Early there was only one person, but she was very polite and efficient. The coffee was really good, and they have homemade pastries. The cold coffee was good, too. Good stop if you’re making a quick getaway on the 1. My favorite coffee place in Morro Bay.

My experience was really short, but really nice! The gal helped me pick out a delicious cookie to my liking and now I’m out to adventure the PCH

We were in town for one night and we read on Unilocal that they had coffee on tap– how can I say no to that!!! It was a 10 minute drive from our hotel. It’s quaint little shop (like the rest of Morro Bay — which I am completely in love with) with a lot of variety. I got the coffee with nitros and the batista recommended the berry scone. I usually take stevia and cream in my coffee but with the nitros coffee, there was no need for either! The scone was just as it should be — crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and full of berries! Stop by this hidden gem, you won’t be sorry.

More expensive than other places and the coffee is on the weaker side (even with some added espresso shots), but typically less of a wait.

Drab coffee, dull staff, expensive! Better choice is McDonald’s! Stopped in on my way to Hearst Castle, big mistake!

They have coffee ON TAP! Need I say more? It’s the Caribbean Coffee thing that comes in Pony kegs. Also, they made an amazing double cap– dry. Not much of a tea selection, but it is a coffee shop after all.

This review is purely for those looking for good coffee. The service was great, the cashier really friendly. The ambiance… well, there really wasn’t any. It’s clean, though!
We read about acidic coffee at Top Dog, so decided to give this place a go. Having just had amazing coffee in SF, the standards were high. Being spoiled by consistently excellent coffee back home in Australia, we really struggle to find places where beans are ground within a minute of the coffee being made, where milk is steamed to micro-​foam smoothness…
Not here, either. A cappucino and a latte, and both were meh. The latte was actually bad and tasted almost more like chicory or cardboard than coffee.

I really like this place for a few reasons.
1) The espresso is really good. It is not burnt and has a very creamy taste.
2) There are always people there, but you do not have to wait long. They are prompt with orders and it is really nice to be away from downtown and get in and out. Not having to find parking is a plus!
3) The staff can be hit or miss. I, personally, love Taylor. She is the sweetest and knows my order by heart. I have had a few issues ordering sandwiches there due to wanting a BLT (used to be on the menu) but for some reason one of the girls was always adamant about not making one even when it was on the menu! Either way, they all make a good coffee and that is usually the only thing I am there for. Overall, quick, prompt service with a smile. And if you get Taylor, you are in for a treat!
4) The gentleman owner is always kind and says hello, even though he is always busy. I appreciate the ‘stop and say hi’ approach.
This place has really good espresso. I feel the best in Morro Bay.

I am so happy we stopped here. While on vacation, we had been steered to many a local coffee place for «good» coffee and were disappointed every time. Our experience here was exactly the opposite.
Good smells of freshly baked goodies emanated from the tiny kitchen as we walked in. We had stopped for a cuppa Joe before hitting the road, but we ultimately ended up plopping down in some chairs, sipping our coffee, sharing a superb peanut butter cookie, and listening to some very mellow music. I did not let Mr. B drag me back out to the car until I had also acquired a cinnamony peach muffin and a schoolhouse ranger cookie in case of an emergency. You just never know when you need something like that. They were fabulous, by the way, and luckily the emergency never happened.
The coffee is fair trade. I really liked his brews this morning, a decaf Sumatra, a medium Papua New Guinea, and a bold, dark brew from Central America whose name I forget. There was also a flavored coffee, hazelnut. Being able to serve yourself from the pump thermoses made it easy to concoct my own custom blend with great results. And it was super hot. Absolutely no complaints.
Rodney was manning the counter and identified himself as the baker, coffee maker, cleaner upper, plant waterer, and owner. A friendly but shy kinda guy, he made us feel welcome.
I have to offer my apologies to Rodney. I took copious pictures of his little coffee haven, with him included, and all but one did not download properly. Lost. Gone. They were great, btw. Bummer.
This small coffee stop is barely noticeable and is off the little downtown main drag. Sadly, so easily missed. If you are getting on the Hwy 1 on-​ramp leaving Morro Bay, you just passed it. Go baaaaaaak!
We shall remember and return on our next Central Calif Adventure for sure.

My mocha tasted like hot milk. Absolutely no flavor. The girl working had absolutely no personality. I dumped nearly my entire drink. Not impressed… Will definitely never be back again.

A 2.5 star would describe this place perfectly.
I’ve been here three or four times now, but twice I’ve dealt with the same guy at the counter. Both of those times I gave him a friendly «hello» and on both occasions he’s said absolutely nothing.
Open your mouth you mute. Speaking and greeting people is part of the food service business.
The coffee is served out of pump thermal canisters and serves its purpose. Nothing special though.
The place itself has plenty of seating in my mind and food options should you be hungry.

Having lived in Morro Bay in the early 90’s (went to Cuesta/​Poly), I remember when this space was something else, and then when it first opened as a cute coffee house by the prior owners, many years later. Of course, it’s now owned by the fine people who operate Chablis wine-​tasting cruises down by the Harbor.
Whenever I’m passing through Morro Bay, this is a no-​brainer for mochas/​espresso/​capps to wistfully wile away some time. The drinks are tasteful and satisfying, the views are plaintive, the vibe is laid back in a manner that only sleepy little MB offers, and which keeps city folks coming back for more decompression therapy.
That doesn’t mean sacrifices on the high-​tech end, either: they offer free FAST (20 mbps) wi-​fi here, without any of those pesky timed sessions that give intermittent disconnects. So drag that laptop along on your vacay, if you really can’t break free of that need to be connected (AKA internet addiction. I confess to having that monkey on my back: I don’t even get the «one week of sobriety» key-​chain from IAA, thanks to THIS review! You guys OWE me a big one for this, as I GIVE and I GIVE sooooo much for you all)!
Someone mentioned in a prior review the landscaping not being maintained? Say what? I’m looking out the window right now, and it looks like the typical drought-​tolerant xeriscaping encouraged by local cities. Look at those pretty golden hills up close and you’ll see it’s dried grass: they appear barren and dry for a reason, since the area just doesn’t get that much rain.
As far as customer service, things have definitely improved from the «dark ages» in the recent past (I see mentioned in the other reviews). Every morning I’ve been here for the past week, there’s been a steady stream of customers who get a genuinely warm greeting from the friendly owner (Rodney), and fast service. Many are locals, and I’ve vicariously caught up on the local chit-​chat, thanks to some judicious eaves-​dropping (don’t worry: your name didn’t come up).
But none of that pretentious «we’re better than you» sneering or elitism attitude to be found at «other» coffee houses, just a relaxing experience. Thanks!

A place on the highway and away from the waterfront. There isn’t much seating, nor was there much of a food selection to go with the coffee.

Cute place but didn’t know coffee. I ordered a macchiato. I had a feeling the gentleman taking my order didn’t know what it was. Instead of simply asking me, I was served a giant sugary latte by the equally confused young barista gal. Supremely disappointed as it was the opposite of what I wanted. Folks, if you don’t know what someone ordered — just ask. I assume they thought since Starbucks has a «caramel macchiato» that I wanted something big and sugary. Having been a frequent barista in college — let me enlighten thee: macchiato means «marked», meaning you mark the espresso or caramel down the center of the foam. When someone orders a single or double macchiato, all they want is for you to pour a shot through some foam. If they say latte macchiato, you make a latte and pour the shot down the center etc.

I’ve been coming here since it first opened when two women (and one mom) who worked at Kelley’s in Cayucos first opened it. Since then they sold it to the owners of Chablis Cruises who feature dinner/​wine while on the protected estero known as Morro Bay (plus a silent partner sister who I think is in Annapolis one of my old stomping grounds).
Addressing the points made by some of the negative posters:
1. Service.
When the new owners first reopened they and their family were here a lot. Not anymore. Even when they weren’t here there were at least 2 Barrista’s on shift.
Their strategy has changed. Top Dog and the Rock down on Main are the popular hangouts for locals. And that’s how you make money in this or any economy by becoming rad for the locals. The tourists typically love places like that especially those from the megalopolii.
To save money they hire younger HS \ early college age with little to no experience, but leave them twisting without a more experienced partner.
Part of being a bartender (yes, even coffee) is to put on a bit of a show. Be front and center encouraging conversation, etc. while working. Yes, it’s hard but you get better tips.
Needless to say the more talented Barrista’s learn this quickly and move on to better jobs rapidly. Rapid turnover certainly hurts this business.
2. Coffee, food, etc.
Still good. Was far better before, they’ve drastically reduced what they offer. Have to wonder if they are trying to sell the business and bail.
The original owners (one is recently deceased) built this business on their personalities and quality goods. But both were a bit flakey as many of us are when we are so young. That aspect of the business is gone.
Instead it’s manned by kids who must sink or swim. It’s not their fault and all that I’ve met try very hard to succeed.