The Coffee Tale

coffee shop inside old world village. didn’t know it was like a little town inside. quiet, european coffee shop with a nice european touch. good for some quiet reading or gathering. got the Turkish coffee which is a lightly sweetened espresso shot with a glass of water. presentation was cute. comes with a little piece of chocolate covered nuts and dried fruit too.
they seem to have nice looking pastries including cheesecake, nut bars, brownies.

I am at a crossroads. I have come to a point where I have encountered something that on paper has nothing technically wrong with it, and I don’t have enough expertise in it to really know what the level of quality is, and yet I need to come to a determination as to how to rate it.
So what do I do? Clearly a lot of people think this place is worthy of 5 stars, and who am I to say they are wrong? But I can’t say that personally it’s better than 3 stars.
So let’s go over what I experienced. We came in, were greeted by a nice woman behind the counter. It’s a Turkish coffee place, so I ordered a Turkish coffee.
Now I have no experience with Turkish coffee. For all I know, this was the best Turkish coffee around and Turkish coffee just isn’t my thing. I mean, it was fine. It tasted a little… smoky? Not super flavorful compared to other coffees I have had. And it’s a bit disappointing that for $ 3 I got half a paper cup’s full of coffee.
Don’t you all come in and yell at me that «Turkish coffee is supposed to be that amount» or «It’s known for the smoky flavor». Just because it was done right doesn’t mean I am required to enjoy it.
Is it fair, then, for me to rate down because my tastes are different? Yes, as long as I explain it in the review. Which I did. So there, if you didn’t read all of this, it’s your fault.

Organic caffe at best! Mediterranean delicacies very fresh, very nice ambiance, great design

Nice coffee shop with friendly staff. It’s always chill here, despite the costco zoo across the street and rotmuffen Krauts at the German store with their German attitude. The Turkish coffee was probably the kind that comes from a can but nothing is like my aunts and mom’s so I can’t hold that against them.
The stroopwafel was disappointing but kudos for the thought and selling it. I hope they stop buying from that place in lake forest and get some that don’t taste like it was made with whole wheat American sandwich bread. Probably made by a German now that I think about it.
I give it 5 stars for hospitality and true european coffee shop vibe.

Great tea, great coffee house setting, great service! I ordered the white peach tea and I really enjoyed it! When it was ready, they brought the tea to my table and poured it into my cup I front of me with a funky tea press that I have never seen done before. It’s a great place to use wifi and get work done!

Now there’s even live Music on Fri & Sat eve! And there will be a grand launch of «A Tale of Art & Music» where u can view & even purchase art from artists who will share of their work, along with great music: Sat, March 26, 4 – 6 pm. Don’t miss it!
Menu now includes a very yummy egg & cheese muffin! And if u haven’t tried their rice pudding yet, it’s gotta be the BEST in the world!!!

This place is fantastic. I’ll definitely come back soon.
First and foremost, the service is incredible. The man behind the counter (young, glasses) is very knowledgeable and really took his time to answer questions. I mostly asked for recommendations, but I heard other people ask him tons of random questions. Also, he didn’t just say «Get X tea»; he made sure I smelled the loose leaf tea, and gave me other options so I could be happy with what I chose.
Prices: WAY cheaper than what I thought. Everything is in the $ 3-​$ 5 range, and much better quality than anywhere else. The «full» size of cold brew is $ 8.
There were plenty of tables, and it was so nice and quiet. I needed to study, so I stayed inside. There were cute tables outside as well. A nice breeze flowed through as well :)
Study spot:
Tables
Outlets
Food/​drink options
Quiet but not too quiet
Wifi-​free

Great to start your day with freshly brewed coffee. Where else to go? The coffee tale! I love this place, location is great and the staff… They’re super nice! Highly recommended, they won’t disappoint you.

As a coffee lover, I usually try and explore local coffee shops whenever I visit a new city. I should say by far this was one of the best coffee shop experiences I had in SoCal.
They serve a wide variety of teas and coffee along with some quick bites. I ordered a white chocolate mocha and the lady serving the coffee mentioned I should get a pistachio bucklava and guess what after eating one I ended up getting one more.
Their small coffee size serving comes with a double shot expresso and the taste was spot on.
Coffee tale offers you a perfect ambience for both university students and working professionals, great place to read a book or go on a coffee date.
I will come back to taste more of their coffee.

Probably the best tasting cold brew coffee I had so far. Place is small and good for just chilling or doing homework. It is inside the old village next to the speakeasy bar.

My sister and I decided to check this place out since we both had work to do
We came on a Sunday at about noon and parking where no where to be found. We ended up having to park in the structure by the gym across the street. Not fun. When we arrived, I ordered the dripped coffee with soy and my sister got a soy latte. We also got four vegan/​sugar free cookies. Our total was $ 21. A little pricey but not bad since they are all specialty. Both our drinks were HUGE and were good. The cookies were not so great but they are sugar free and vegan so what do you expect? The girl working behind the counter was very nice and she brought the drinks out to us.
Their menu is pretty simple with not a huge list. Food items include cookies, croissants, and other pastries. They also have prepackaged juice. The inside of this place is pretty spacey. They have a few sofas, tables and chairs. It’s very cozy inside. They have free wifi for one hour then you have to pay. I would avoid the weekend since they have the market outside and parking and everything gets bad. We didn’t have to wait in line but there was a long line that formed once we got seated.

Tucked inside Old World Village (which is exactly like it sounds), this place is an absolute delight! They have a couch area with games like chess/​checkers, a large table, and a few smaller tables. They have drink specials every month, which are always great! They have a pastry bar which always looks delicious — rice pudding was so good. Great place for a good cup of coffee/​espresso/​latte. It’s quaint and quiet, a nice serene place to gather your thoughts and take a break from life!

Modern coffee shops strive to be the most socially relevant; the «coolest,» to say the least. The magical thing about Coffee Tale is that it achieves this feat without ever trying.
The interior is quaint and homey. Turkish inspired designs are showcased in the decorations and even the intricately made ceiling. Seriously, the ceiling is beautiful.
Now for the actual goods. The coffee can be made one of three ways: a pullover, Turkish style, and with a French press. While these are all tempting to try, the hero in this establishment is the Turkish coffee.
In Istanbul, Turkish coffee is served after a large meal. This tradition comes with the belief that coffee helps with digestion and cleanses the palate. Here at Coffee Tale, the servers create their coffee with an impressive level of authenticity. Served with a glass of water and a cube of Turkish delight (Narnia anyone?), the coffee is an experience that needs to be enjoyed. Don’t chug your coffee, but rather savor the taste. Once finished, a small mound of coffee grounds settle at the bottom of the cup. There’s a custom where you invert the Turkish Coffee and read the placement of the grounds. It serves as a conversation starter and a great way to impress your Tinder date.

Found this awesome coffee place due to a Groupon offer. It’s in the European village in Huntington Beach. It’s only been open about 9 months. I love the choices of fresh coffee beans. (From Sumatra, Brazil, Indonesia, and Guatemala)
They make the coffee 3 different ways. Your choice! French press, pour over, or regular drip. They also makes Turkish coffee. I had the Brazilian coffee made as a caramel machiatto. It was delicious. The coffee is bold, full of flavor with earthy notes. They have a nice selection of pastries and cakes. I had the pumpkin cheesecake. It was delicious! !
There is plenty of comfortable seating or you can take to go and walk around the village. The owner is so nice and friendly. He even told me if I didn’t like my coffee drink he would make me another. The tea also smelled so nice and fresh as we watched him make some for another couple. I will be back to try the tea the next time!

When I walked into this charming coffee house I was pleasantly surprised. It is nestled in the Old German Village unit #39. The coffee house looked inviting and warm. There was an array of coffees to choose from including Sumatra, Brazilian, Indonesian, Guatemalan and coffee preparations to you liking. You could do the French press, slow drip or regulated drip. Their coffee is more the European style and is really strong. If you like a good, strong coffee, you will enjoy. They even make Turkish coffee. The pastries and desserts were amazing. I tried the pumpkin cheesecake with actual pumpkin cake on the bottom. Delicious!!! I had the French press coffee with my cheesecake and it was a great combination.
They also have an amazing selection of teas and you can get a single cup or a large pot. Glad I found this hidden gem, as I will be returning again soon.

My parents took me to their friend’s gallery in Old World Village. After lingering for awhile enjoying the paintings we got invited to coffee and tea nearby. A coffee shop named «The Coffee Tale» was an appropriate spot to listen to the stories behind the artworks.
A charming little shop with a feel of Occident meets Orient. The interior was rustic and cozy. The vibe was calm and relaxing. The people behind the counter were very friendly. The patio was on the sidewalk facing Costco, so not a scenic view, but it’s not too noisy and also adds additional seatings as the shop is kinda small. Besides coffee, they also have a decent selection of herbs and tea to choose from with pastries that seemed to go well with them (such as baklava, etc.)
The crowd, mostly made up of students (probably from nearby Golden West College) and the Turkish coffee I ordered, brought back memories from my college life in Munich. During finals we used to drink around 10 of these cups a night. Of course those dorm-​brewed cups of caffeine mud were nothing compared to the ones served at The Coffee Tale. A strong and foamy brew with a taste of heaven (on ecstasy) that gets thick with sludge in the bottom. Don’t drink that sludge, unless you want to turn that taste of heaven into a taste of earth and have a strong stomach (I don’t). Even though the Turkish coffee comes with a side of water, I ordered a cappuccino to balance and smoothen out the bold, but delicious awakening on my taste buds.
I will definitely be back. The Turkish coffee is just too good to forget. Also their Rabbit Blood (Turkish Tea) sounds intriguing.

Quaint coffee place, that is a must visit! I’ve had Coffee Tale bookmarked for months before I decided to check it out. Boy, was I wrong for not coming in sooner! Don’t make the same mistake!
I’ve had their mocha latte, Nutella latte, lemon bar and rice pudding. All of which left my palettes dancing with joy. As mentioned by many other reviewers below, their lattes are smooth and creamy. Pastries are very tasty, too. They’re delicious little treats that pairs well with whatever drink you decide to have. If you’re not about coffee, they also have a wide variety of tea to choose from. Great for cold weather, whatever that means in California.
Thanks for existing, Coffee Tale! Love every bit of you!

After searching for months for the perfect study location, I found Coffee tale. My friend and I came upon this quaint location, which was set within the Old World Village. In our search for this place we were momentarily lost in the maze of buildings. The store was calm and quite, very much unlike your typical starbucks or typical coffee shops. Of all the times we have been here we have never found this place to be crowded. The staff are very kind and attentive. They will bring your order to the table. There are comfortable couch seating, tables for studying, and our door seating. The overall atmosphere of this place is calm and relaxing.
Pro:
–Quiet and Relaxing
–Never crowded
–Plenty of parking
Cons:
–None
Overview:
I actually love this place a lot. It peacefully and very clean. Its never crowded and I can get a lot of studying done here. I will coming back soon.

Just when I thought I’ve had the best, I stumble upon this place and have the smoothest, chocolaty, best mocha with an espresso note that lingers just long enough to wake me up.
This place has a great relaxing ambiance, not too crazy and loud. A great place to bring a date or buddy, just to sit back and chat while having amazing coffee.
Having made it my goal to find the best mocha, trying out several coffee shops from coast to coast, I would highly recommend The Coffee Tale to anyone.

I was leaving Costco, still have to make my way thru rush hour to get back home and craving coffee… not necessarily the hustle and bustle of the Bella Terra Star-cluster-&*@#s but something homey and delicious. behold, The Coffee Tale!
The rare thing about my journey here was I didn’t even find this through Unilocal,just stumbled upon it upon driving by and seeing it sticking out of the Old World (village) on Center Dr. They have outdoor umbrella seating like a European café, or you can walk up after parking and sit inside instead for a quieter coffee experience if you choose.
On approaching the business I noticed they use organic beans and that their coffee is carefully handcrafted, both a plus. I walked inside and greeted warmly, and delighted upon seeing the menu and wide variety of cool and cute décor.
The menu consisted of many espresso drinks, cappuccinos, Turkish Coffee, coffee of the day, and a few others all reasonably priced. All are made to order and they have some lovely pastries behind glass for you to also imbibe in. The seating is very old world mixed with middle eastern but comfortable, while the music is soothing and uplifting.
Best of all, for first time customers they can get a free coffee brew of the day for checking in there for the first time. I did get this to-​go after my sit-​down Turkish coffee, and both were remarkably delicious. Will definitely be making my way back to the Coffee Tale again in the near future, for café drink or dessert in a nice friendly setting, the way it’s supposed to be =)
Ratings:
Staff 5
Décor/​atmosphere 4.75 (except for some loud cell phone talkers… who eventually went away)
Coffee quality and taste 5+
Prices 3.75
Unilocal deal 4.25
Desserts N/​A (didn’t try this time)
Overall 4.55 It’s a hit! =)