Lion Coffee – Balboa

So this review is actually a very sad one to have to write. My wife and I have been regulars here for I’d say a good year and I’ve always gotten pretty decent service. Today we decided to go and get two frappuccinos. We rolled up with about 7 minutes left until 3 p.m. yes I know this is cutting it close but when you’re open till 3 p.m. you should be open to make drinks until 3 p.m. there were two people ahead of us one which got served fairly quickly. There was another younger guy there chatting it up with the barista on duty. My wife and I waited patiently while they chatted up they seemed to have been flirting more than anything. We finally get to the window 3 minutes after 3pm. Mind you the guy she was chatting with has had his drink in hand for at least 5 minutes. Once we got to the window we were told that it’s too late to order any blended drinks and that if we wanted anything at all it would have to be a hot drink. Normally the specific barista with really cool blue hair typically takes very good care of us but today I just guess we weren’t her flavor. After telling us we were there 5 minutes prior to the closing I think she even realize the attitude and her tone of voice and gave us two free drink coupons which I guess will suffice. Really sad to write this review! If we decide to go again hopefully we get better service.

Update to my review. I’ve been by twice in the last week and both visits were very pleasant. I wish I could erase my first impression of this place when I visited months ago and the barista barely looked up from her studying to make my coffee for me.
Both times, I was greeted by a friendly barista who quickly made my drink while she chatted with me. I also tried the acai bowl which was very good!
A huge thank you to the owner who contacted me to encourage me to come back, and assured me what I experienced was not normal.

I had an amazing experience last week. The barrista «Reyna» was super sweet and really knows her stuff. She stayed a little later than closing time to help me. The acai bowl and the chai tea was so great! Customer service makes a huge difference in any establishment, and Lion Coffee in Balboa has amazing customer service, especially with Reyna! Thanks for making my day!

This place is definetly a jewel. TBH I was expecting it to be a small shop aligned with the the other stores of the strip mall. Imagine my surprise when it’s this little drive thru hut of joy. Coffee was strong and delicious, just like how I like my men. The girls were wonderful and for the first time in a long time, I finally find a place that offers fresh bagels and fast breakfast foods. I will be coming back when I’m in this neighborhood :)

Fell in love with Lion coffee on a visit to Hawaii. Upon transfer here it was awesome to see a Lion coffee stand! This place is awesome the two women that were working when I came by were kicking butt and taking names! Fast accurate service polite employees and delicious coffee! Looks are decieving dont drive on by cause it looks busy or its not that great looking of place. It is awesome coffee for an awesome price!

Matcha green tea and bonzai bowl (pb&acai) were both awesome treats
Thanks for staying open a little after close to help me today! I’ll definitely be returning :)

and now they serve Acai bowls! Take my money. here just take it!
I love this little coffee hut in the middle of some random shopping center off the Balboa 256. Its the only place where the coffee will seriously punch my stomach and give me a shot of extra energy.
What I love about Lion Coffee has the best coconut latte ever! its not overly sweet but its the right amount of coffee and coconut. They even have island flavors that my partner loves like macadamias nut white chocolate mocha. Yep… drool.
Even though its a drive through hut, we just walk up to it anyway to chat with the nice baristas. I mean, how rude is it to pull up and than just drive off. Give them a little aloha for working so hard!

I was so excited to try some acai this morning, and I heard lion coffee was the place to go. Unfortunately my taste buds thought differently. Seriously was upset at the amount of fruit I got, it was two whole strawberries cut into 4 and half a bannana :(taste like nothing. Other than the bowl, the customer service was good. The girls were pretty and awesome, the coffee was great, but the acai bowl just didn’t make the cut for me :(

Not worth the price. It is almost $ 8 and it is small and pre blended. You can get triple amount and size for the same price in OB.

Their Kahuna Coconut coffee is amazing. Just ask for a little less syrup as it gets really sweet. I didn’t like their smoothies at all. I would just stick to their coffee. The staff have been friendly for the most part. I keep forgetting to get my card stamped when I go here. Don’t forget to pick one up to get a free drink!
They have a drive thru which is cool.
They currently have a groupon promo going on. If you’ve been on the fence about going, buy one! It’s a great deal!

I was happy to visit finally!!! The two girls serving were sweet and answered all my questions. Very informative! I always go the other direction opposite to this coffee drive-​thru… so today I was delighted to finally come to a Loin Coffee. I had the Kona 100% accompanied by two little cute Hawaiian cookies. I felt the coffee was strong, however throughout my day, it seemed to become acidic.

I am seriously lucking out with Lion Coffee popping up wherever I move to. I enjoy no other coffee brand more than Lion and these coffee shops prepare it to perfection!
I was heartbroken when a Lion Coffee opened up at my house and then 2 months later I moved. Then, miraculously, a new Lion Coffee spot opens up at my house! It’s like they know that I’m a good customer t have. :) They had a great offer of K Cups, buy one pack get one free. SOLD!!! My regular order is always their Kona Iced Coffee. I can’t get anything close anywhere! That is the exact potency and taste I expect from my coffee and until the day I can find out how to make it at home that way, I’ll be returning here whenever I can to get it.

They have the best tasting acai bowls ever. Service is friendly and fast! I recommend the coconut Waimea bowl! !! Must have… so convenient to my office! They’re going to be seeing a whole lot of me!

I’ve never had a bad experience there. The service is fantastic the coffee is out if this world. Can’t say enough good things here.

I rely on Unilocal,& i was in the mood for an acai bowl that was near my area so i search and this place comes up & from the pictures and other reviews it shows it has lion products so im assuming it’s run by the same kiosk near mesa college.
+ plus
–They have a variety of acai bowls & coffee drinks etc.
–They take cash or card
–They ask if you want a «to go» bag if you’re ordering one item, Which i thought was Nice #ecofriendly
–the acai bowl i got was okay i would give it a ⁶⁄₁₀
–my order came out pretty quick
–their coffee is definitely the best
–management must be doing something right because they have opened 3 locations in the passed, what? 5 or so years lion was only available in hawaii the first time i had it.
— neg
–there is one person working who seems a bit cranky forgot their name.
–their prices are well, pricey for all 3 locations i paid 10 bucks total (including a dollar & some change to tip because i like tipping & understand how important tips are to workers in this industry)
–i wish they had different sizes for acai bowls.
–no bathrooms obviously, since its a kiosk.
–i couldnt see their drive through sign if they have one, probably wasn’t paying attention
Probably wont go to this location again. Because i like being able to enjoy the coffee smell & ambiance of a coffee shop (downtown) Definitely was an experience though. And good if you are In a rush.

3.5 stars
I’m kind of struggling to rate this place. At the suggestion of another Unilocaler, I just HAD TO HAVE an iced vanilla macadamia coffee. Found the place okay, but parked because the drive-​thru factor was a little lost on me. No signs, although I knew you could drive up. Then a car pulled up, so I waited in line behind it. I’m pretty sure that’s not what you’re supposed to do. Lol. Their menu is large and all the bowls looked tasty. One girl was working, but it was kind of hard to hear her through the window with the noise of the busy street, and using a tablet, I couldn’t see how much I owed, so I just handed over a card.
My coffee was tasty but I needed to add a lot of sugar, even with the vanilla syrup in it. A large will cost you more and is significantly smaller than a venti, but I’d go back.

Working next door is very convenient. Love the coffee bold. Alhoa gave great service and i will be coming back for more.
If your not it mood for coffee try a delicious smoothie. You can get acai bowls or bagels.
Bottom line if your driving by dont forget to pull in the drive thru window. you dont even have to get out the car.enjoy.. MAHALO

My new obsession: Iced Vanilla Macadamia Coffee with a little bit of Almond Milk for added creaminess.
Heard about Lion Coffee from my friend who is absolutely in love with it, wanted to try it out and boy am I grateful. Don’t let the little kiosk fool you, it packs a punch. My sister ordered the Coconut Acai Bowl and she couldn’t stop eating it and I can’t stop drinking my coffee, wished I got a Large instead of Medium.
The girl that helped us was also really sweet and patient with me while I took forever to decide on what to order. I would definitely come back here every chance I get.

On my way to Home Depot off Balboa & Genese, I was suddenly in the mood for some coffee and just my luck I saw a sign for Big Island Coffee, a small little shack sitting in the parking lot directly across from the AMPM off Balboa. To my surprise, I found out this place is operated by the same people who run Lion Coffee, another great coffee place that has locations downtown and by mesa college. As usual I went with the 24-​karat 100% Kona coffee, you can never go wrong with this stuff, very smooth coffee that you don’t ever need to add any creamer or sugar to. Great service and a even better location for me, since Home Depot visits are quite frequent for me and just another excuse to grab more coffee!

Showin a little Aloha! Stopped by here after receiving an email that this location was now open. This little coffee stop is part of the Lion Coffee family. And they serve up Lion Coffee with the Aloha spirit.
Just opened in early Decemer 2014. Located on Balboa Ave near Giovanni’s restaurant. Plenty of parking in the lot. Also a picnic table set up outside for outdoor seating.
They serve coffee drinks, smoothies, acai bowls and breakfast burritos. It has a walk up window or a drive thru window.
This location again is part of the Lion Coffee family. You may also order their products online at
and have it shipped anywhere in the US.
Welcome to San Diego location #3!
Stop by and show your Aloha to the coffee baristas here. (Dont forget to tip)