The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

UPDATE: I used to adore this place. Hence my original review. Today, I found out that we can no longer eat «outside» food in the coffee shop because it’s a kosher restaurant. Even bread or yogurt is not acceptable? (I was eating a piece of bread and was told to put it away or go outside).
I guess to some people, my irritation for this might seem minuscule but as a coffee shop, they should expect students to come and sit and study all day right? Most likely they will bring snacks. So them being more strict on this new kosher rule made this place no longer a good study spot for me .
I use to live right near CBTL and after moving far away, I always try my best to visit this place. The coffee is great, the study area is very clean and the staffs are excellent. Their lobby/​study area opens 5am on weekday so that’s awesome cause most coffee place opens around 6am. There’s a lot of outlets so this place is a great study place (be aware that it usually gets crowded on weekends so come early to reserve some seats!)
The big table in the middle have outlets underneath the table top itself (not on floor) so don’t shy away from that when you need to charge your electronics :)
I love their hazelnut and Thai tea ice-​blended. Their regular hazelnut iced coffee is great too. However, if you do not like sweet coffee, take caution cause it is fairly sweet.

It’s not the best coffee in the world. It’s just ok. But it’s a drive thru and it’s not Starbucks and it’s relatively close to me. So I will always return. Because I cannot go to Lofty Coffee or Zumbars when I have babies sleeping in the car. The service here is always spot on and their pastries are so good.

I have purchased twice from The Coffee Bean and unfortunately the coffee is too thick for my taste. The prices here compete very closely with Starbucks. I would rather spend my 5 to 6 dollars with Starbucks for the quality.

I don’t know how many times I have driven by this drive-​thru, and completely missed it. I have been working most of December in La Jolla, so it was nice to be able to order a drink, because at times I rush to work. In the early mornings I usually order a dark chocolate mocha. On hot days, I like to order the black forest ice blended. This location seems to have a larger place to relax inside, I am comparing it to my regular location on Clairmont Mesa by the 15. As I waited in the drive-​thru, I was people watching: People were studying, reading, and actually talking with other people. NICE!!!

Get your drink and food on a plate and glass cup. Makes ALL the difference and they’ll usually give you a bigger drink this way too. The people who work here are always smiling and love to offer suggestions. Parking isn’t too bad, but my favorite thing about this spot? TONS of seating, fast internet, and as long as the high school down the street isn’t just let out, it’s usually very quiet.

This was a quick stop for coffee and a croissant before seeing a family member off to the airport. The counter person patiently answered my questions.
My flavored decaf latte was fine and had a layer of thick foam. My savory croissant, warmed by the counter person, was flaky and tasty. The baked goods are delivered daily from a bakery, appropriate for a shop that specializes in coffee and tea.
The shop was filled with people reading, conversing, or working quietly on their laptops and tablets. This seems to be a comfortable neighborhood coffee house with a calm vibe. I will definitely return, should circumstances place me nearby in the future.

I’ve been here twice now and iI don’t think I’ll be giving it a third try.
The first time I came I had an iced vanilla mocha. The flavor wasn’t bad but the mix they use didn’t mix well enough. Sort of like when you mix hot cocoa in cold water. The powder just sits at the top. That’s what happened here. So I would periodically get chunks of mix through my straw. Today I gave it another chance and decided to try their holiday flavor «cookie butter» with soy milk. It was just ehh. Nothing out of this world. $ 4 for a small. So comparable to Starbucks but not in the flavor department.

I went in for coffee and the three black girls working were rude and not friendly at all. Especially the big one.
I noticed that the aura in there is whack too. Very cold and not appealing to the eye. On top of shitty service the coffee and environment sucks.

I really liked this place when it first opened. It was spacious, quiet, and had plenty of tables and outlets. I came here during the spring and summer of 2015 and it was my go-​to spot. I loved that there was ALWAYS a spot to sit at. I’ve never had any problems like I do at the few Starbucks near UCSD
There are a few downsides. CBTL here is only opened until 8 on weekends and 9 on weekdays, and a lot of students need places open later to study, but this is understandable seeing that this shop isn’t that close to UCSD. Also, I’ve always had problems with the wifi disconnecting on me every hour or so, and it’s also slow. I like to stay here for hours studying, meaning I’m going to need a lunch or dinner, but they don’t allow outside food in here. boo… especially when there is a great takeout sushi shop in the plaza!
Now that it’s fall and kids are back to school, this coffee shop is getting more and more crowded with kids running around without their parents and it upsets me that the vibe isn’t the same. More people are coming here than before, which is great business for CBTL but I just wish it was the same atmosphere as it was before.
I hope they fix their wifi! And hopefully these elementary school children won’t be running loose in here after school with their skateboards…

Thank God that Coffee Bean opened two blocks from my house because I used to go to the Starbucks about a mile away. Here’s why I like this Coffee Bean more than the Starbucks:
1. It’s walking distance.
2. They have a drive-​thru for those days that I’m heading to a meeting.
3. They have plenty of seating and free wi-​fi.
4. It’s deceptively large because it looks small from the street.
5. The Cold Brew is a better deal than at Starbucks which doesn’t have a drive-​thru.
There is one drawback to this location though… it’s really loud even when there’s hardly anyone there because it has the high «factory ceilings» with no foam or anything to dampen the noise. So, if you want to have a conversation, you really have to sit right next to the person you want to talk to.

Wow! This coffee bean is huge and has high ceilings. The open space format makes the place feel extra spacious an airy. Love the feel.
The feel is great and so is my soy café late! It’s perfectly foamy, warm, and delicious.
I was hoping to get a whole wheat bagel but unfortunately they were out of them. Maybe next time.

Been coming here to study everyday and I love this place. Because they have windows all around, the inside is very bright and makes studying easy on the eyes :) doesn’t hurt that all the workers here are all so nice!
I also come here for their teas which I LOVE. Try their tropical passion black tea. You’ll thank me.

I found the Holy Grail of coffee! I LOVE Coffee Bean! They don’t have Coffee Bean where I’m originally from in Norcal so I was excited to try this. This CB&TL location is huge! It’s great for studying and they also have lounge chairs outside and a drive through.
I’ve been here twice already, I would make this my usual morning coffee stop but it’s out of the way from where I work. I used to work for Starbucks in college and I’ve been loyal to their brand, but now I kinda wish I worked for Coffee Bean! YUMMMM! Plus their theme color purple!

As usual, you know what you’re getting into when you hit up Coffee Bean. This one is very fresh and clean, since it was recently opened, however the set up inside is a little funky. I see the reason’s why (since the registers being near the drive thru window is kind of a necessity) but the long walk to the register with no real «how to line up» section is confusing, and leads to cutting. At least it did when I was there, and had a few teens feel the need to waltz on up like three other people weren’t waiting.
In the afternoons it is jam packed and tough to get a table so if you’re planning on studying or something be prepared that it may not happen.
Overall, I’m there for the coffee which is consistent and reminds me of my college days in the ‘Bu, so I’m happy with it.

This CB&T location offers some competition to the Starbucks down the street. That’s karma because the Starbucks was responsible for shutting down a local favorite coffe shop years before in the same UC neighborhood. I found this CB&T noisy on a recent Wednesday morning visit. A lot of hard surfaces and open space makes this spot seem sterile rather than a cozy neighborhood coffe shop. Perhaps because it was a bank building before CB&T rented the building. Parking is easy since it is in the Von’s shopping center.
I accidentally grabbed another customers coffee (because they don’t write names on the cups). The snooty customer then asked the barista to make her a new one which I laughed off. But then the barista acted like she was pissed at me for adding to her work load. I miss my neighborhood coffee shop and I hate these chains for ruining my neighborhood. At my old coffee shop everyone knew everyone else. The employees knew the customers. Now my neighborhood is ruined by corporate coffee and employees with attitudes.

Stopped in on an early Sunday Morning and tried out their Smoked Salmon pre-​made sandwich on a wheat flat bread for $ 5.95 and a cup of hot lemon and herb tea.
The smoked sandwich is located in the chilled sandwich counter in the front of the ordering line, and it came a brown bag mixed with a clear plastic. For $ 5.95, the sandwich was pretty good and I had not complaints. The salmon was a little smokey and salty and like that is came with some cucumber and a mild spread of cream cheese (
). The bread was soft and cool from the refrigeration.
The lemon and herb tea was nice and hot and had a mild flavor. Service at the counter was warm and welcoming. When I was finished with my eats and tea, one of the employees came by to pick up my trash and clear of my table for me as I worked on my laptop.

This is a GREAT CBTL! It’s so new still as of Feb 2015.
*I like how spacious it is and how clean it feels. this is my go to choice for a workspace away from home.
It even has a drive through.
The people who work here are nice and when they got my order wrong, they really felt like they cared! I think the one that helped me was JP? I’m usually great with names but forgot his! I’ll update if I see him again next time.
The tea lattes we got were delicious and perfect tasting for me. I got the dream and my mom got the tropical passion tea latte. She loves it.
Parking can be tight due to the many other businesses around but I found a space, not too far away.
Tip: Go here if you need a workspace away from home.

New location for the chain, and an impressive one. They’re open late (till 9) which is a plus for after hours meetings or studying and they have a patio that will be plesant in the summer, strung with festival lighting and with patio tables.
It’s bigger than it looks from the outside but loud, like super loud. The vaulted ceilings make it airy, but echo-​y too. Additionally, they need to have someone do more rounds and wipe tables.
My other beef is that the internet cut out like 10 times while I was there and was super slow. I get a lot of coffee shops are trying to reduce the number of people of laptops staying for hours: But for chains like Coffee Bean and Starbucks? The free fast internet is their saving grace as far as I’m concerned. The coffee is so so, but I frequent both to work and spend money there each week because of the convieniece.
Step up the bandwidth and clean up the crumbs and I’ll take meetings there all the time!

Came here after a crazy day. After running all over the place it was late and It was chilly so we went inside to get something warm to drink. We all ending up getting Mexican hot chocolates.
Mine was regular but my mom and grandma got it with dark chocolate. It was really good both ways. With the dark chocolate the cinnamon was more subtle than with the regular. With that we shared a blueberry scone which was very nice. Especially since they warned it up for us.
A great end to a crazy day.

I walked into this newly opened Coffee Bean and immediately was greeted with warm light, and a country-​esque kitchen feel to the store. The vinyl-​type flooring has a wood design, and combined with the partial open ceiling and floor to ceiling windows, the entire atmosphere exudes a «country chic» feel. Furniture and wall décor is simple, and non-​distracting.
I ordered a café au lait and a sugar-​free vanilla latte. They got both drinks deliciously on the spot, and in a quite timely manner. Granted, there was only one customer in front of me.
I love Coffee Bean, and am super glad that one opened up in University City!