The Local Grind

Really great coffee and nice outside seating. The service was SLOW and not the friendliest.

Last weekend, I stubbed upon the The Local Grind and I am glad I did. It is a great place to stop for a pick me up. They make great coffee drinks and hot chocolate if you ask my hubby.

Just ate here for the first and last time. First of all, the menu is so limited the only choice you have is chili? Chili? or more Chili? No Brats. No Polish and worst of all no flavor. I tried the hot link — very tiny and nothing to rave about. Wish I could find a good hot dog in Solana Beach!

The LOCAL GRIND, is NOT the same as HOT DOGS YUM…
Local Grind was ran by a lady named Mary who served coffee and pastries in the morning until around 11am
Hot Dogs Yum! is still ran by a man named Randy who until recently was only open from around 12pm-​2am
The LOCAL GRIND has been closed now for a couple of months after Mary sold the trailer to the guy who owns HOT DOGS YUM (who has now started opening at 7am and remains open until 2am (or later)) So if you’re trying to review HOT DOGS YUM, they have their own Unilocal page :) xoxo

Never before had I tried or even considered a hot dog stand, but based on previous Unilocal reviews, this one looked promising. It also helped that the guy was so friendly and patient as we took our time deciding what to get: bacon-​wrapped hot dog with chili, BBQ pork burger, and nachos with chili. After we ordered, a big group of customers did, too, but even then, everybody got their food quickly.
The nachos are the best I’ve ever had: well-​proportioned, cheese melted just right, and just a huge mound of perfection.
I had always doubted bacon-​wrapped hot dogs because they just sounded so fattening, but I realized, who cares?! It was so delicious. The chili made it taste so… right. I couldn’t believe I had never had a bacon-​wrapped hot dog before.
The BBQ pork was okay; the sauce was a tad too sweet, but it was still exceptional. The meat was fresh and well-​cooked and was a good contrast to the hot dog.
We went back for seconds and actually conversed with the guy, who apparently has been in the business for just a little over two years, having transitioned from his stockbroker career. We conversed, and when our nachos came out, we realized that he had given us A LOT.
Needless to say, the service is excellent. It just felt so comfortable to chat with the guy about his business and about life surrounding it. He told us stories about cops stopping drunken guys on the street nearby, stories about why he started the hot dog stand, etc. Tipping him four dollars (for a $ 16 second round) didn’t even do him justice!
I can’t wait to return all the way to Solana Beach from Downtown L.A. just to have this again.
IT’S SO AMAZING. GO.

While all of the reviews for this joint are for the coffee, I happened to stop in last night… for a hot dog! =) Yes, call me crazy but my husband and I decided on a whim to pull over and check out their menu. We drive by this cart all the time and it was just time.
One thing about me. If there’s ever chili on the menu, chances are, i’ll be ordering it. I went with the Chili Cheese dog and my husband skipped the cheese and got the standard chili dog to go.
The guy that helped us was pretty chill and very friendly. Service was speedy and we were on our way within minutes.
No seating outside so we took our dogs to Fletcher Cove and enjoyed them. At first bite, I fell in love. Loved the snap of the dog and the spice from the chili AND the cheese. The cheese is nacho cheese and not shredded but this was fine with me. The dog got a little messy but I didn’t care… it was all part of the process.
Drinks are cheap. My water was $ 1 and my husbands root beer about the same. I’ll come back in a heart beat and will most likely order the same thing.

Great tasting coffee, super nice woman who runs it, and cute little stamps on the cups.
The prices were a little steep– on par with bigger chains. I would definitely choose this independent business over any chain, but I’ll stick with my cheaper UCSD on-​campus coffee shops before forking out the extra dough in the mornings.

seriously the best coffee ive EVER had and im not even joking! thehot chick there’s name is mary and actually has the best damn coffee anywhere! open 6 – 11:30 12 ish she’s there m-​f and has been for 8,9 years so she aint going nowhere anytime soon! i pass about 4 – 5 coffee places if not more when i go here knowing its worth it! support your local businesses!!! gitcher local grind on!!!

Did I search incorrectly, or am I really the first to review the Local Grind? I stumbled upon this fantastic trailer walking around Solana in a daze at 7:15am. Usually I grad a latte at Naked Café since it’s the closest option. This morning I learned that they open at 7:30. Dangit! Foiled again! I am not a normal functioning human being until I consume at least one latte in the morning. I kept walking and spotted the local grind in all of it’s glory. A cute gal made my tasty latte and informed me she is there at 6am monday through Friday. I know where I’m going for my coffee fix every weekday morning… Heaven in a trailer.