Saw this place for the first time today and was pleasantly surprised. Very clean and friendly. The French girl was very nice and helpful. Loved the Breakfast Sandwich with egg whites and Avocado. It was really so tasty and came in about 5-6 minutes.
Also, the toiled was exceptionally clean. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars: The coffee was so hot it burned my mouth. Didn't expect that at all. Otherwise: Great. I'll be back.
Went into this quaint strip-mall indie cafe on a weekday morning for a quiet alternative to Starbucks, hoping to enjoy a little breakfast while knocking out some work. Â I was left with mixed feelings.
Ordered a double cappuccino and croissant. Â The croissant was possibly the worst I have ever had. Dry, heavy, and stale...possibly baked days earlier? I tool it back and asked if I could order something else. The sweet girl working the bar was very apologetic and offered me any other pastry at no charge. Â I opted for a blueberry scone, which was much much better.
The cappuccino was not was I was hoping for. Â The roast had an acidic flavor, not like the smokey sweet espresso roasts I'm familiar with at Starbucks. Â A disappointing cup for sure.
Based on my samplings I would rate this place lower but it is saved by their kind service and quaint vibe. Â They have an extensive menu of sandwiches and smoothies which I have yet to sample, so perhaps those are their saving grace. Â I really hope they live up to their name and improve the quality of their espresso, however, or they will stand little chance in a town that knows and loves quality coffee so well.
It is a great big space for a coffee shop. I go here because it's convenient with plenty of parking, and near the freeway. Â Espresso Time seems family-run which is nice. The coffee does the job, but it's not very strong, even the dark roast. I would recommend upping the quality of the coffee by bringing an expert to give some suggestions, or educating their workers as baristas. Â Good luck!
UPDATE: On my visit today, the dark roast was so bitter and undrinkable, I had to throw it away. Â I'm reluctant to remove another star, because I think the place has potential, but they need to up the quality of the coffee and education of the servers regarding coffee - Especially for the higher than average price - A medium coffee is $2.25 (competing Starbucks is $1.95)
I was meeting a friend I hadn't seen in awhile and after looking on yelp in our agreed-upon area, I thought this might be a nicer option than the Starbucks down the street in terms of being able to sit and chat without tons of other people around doing the same thing...
It served that purpose & it has a lot of potential, but is really lacking in some areas. I understand the name has changed, but I'm not sure if it is still some of the same management and/or ownership. The menu board seems to be a carryover from when it was called Ciao. It is not accurate or very clear. I was thinking about a pot of tea, which the board said they had - but they do not... The barista indicated that they only had the S/M/L "to-go" cups, but not actual pots for tea. Â BUMMER! : (
(I later saw a man with a huge ceramic mug for his latte! Hum... I am sitting there with a to-go cup for my latte, yet an actual plate for my sandwich... But I digress.)
Their entry sign advertises organic coffee, but it is only one house blend and I had to ask about it. Thankfully from another review I knew they had almond milk (BIG plus in my book!) and so we ordered our drinks and breakfast sandwiches. We got our drinks fairly quickly, as there was only one other lady in the cafe when we came in. My latte was just above lukewarm, but oh well. We chatted and sat to wait for our sandwiches.
Most of the tables were dirty. The poor girl behind the counter was all on her own making our drinks and sandwiches and a line of about 4 people formed while we were sitting there. I think it took about 15 minutes for our sandwiches to arrive. It was good enough, but the egg white were "gloopy" for lack of a better word and made it a bit difficult to eat without falling apart.
With all their shelves of books, it seemed they had a book exchange, but there wasn't any sign indicating as such, so it might have just been their version of cozy decor. It wasn't great, but it wan't bad enough to never go back. Sometimes it is nice to have a place nearby that isn't corporate...
Note to management or owner: Staff your place with more than two people - and make sure they are aware of all that needs to be done to make the restaurant appealing. You may be slow, but I can guarantee your business will not pick up if you can not address the issues of cleanliness and speed of service. One barista and one cook is not sufficient to do that.
I have been to this place three times now, since the change in name and ownership. The first time, the girls were wonderfully helpful and super friendly. The drink they recommended was spot on and I was quite pleased with the service.
The second time I went, the two ladies there said that the morning girl had not shown up, so they were unable to make me a blended drink, so I left., disappointed.
The third time, all was well again and I got my drink and it was great. what I love about this place is that they have the option of Almond milk for coffee drinks, and not just Soy, like Starbucks. I don't drink regular milk and to be honest, I am not that big of a fan of soy milk, so having the option of Almond milk is a big plus in my book.
I have no idea how the food is. I only go there for coffee. And the coffee was good.
Looks cute from the outside and sadly it goes downhill from there. Â
Ordered the chicken grilled wrap lunch special. Â It reminded me of a hot pocket with grill marks. Â They insisted it was made fresh but everything was too perfect - the chicken and vegetables inside were the exact same shape and the grill marks were perfect. Â The place also needed a good sweeping and mopping. Â The girl at the counter was really nice. Â Won't be going back. Â Sorry
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