Café Mingei

I really want to like this place — it’s cute and there’s lots of nice outdoor seating in the plaza. I’ve stopped in on two Saturday mornings and I’ve only ever had their regular coffee. The first time it was not horrible but not great. The second time it was pretty horrible. Extremely weak. I would love it if they would a) brew their coffee to the proper strength b) offer a nice dark roast option. It’s nice to walk to the park and have a destination. I hope it improves. So much potential.

Too sweet not enough coffee taste. Figured hammerhead (espresso + coffee) would be super strong.

Teeny tiny. Great coffee. Nice people. I grabbed a cappuccino and wandered around Balboa. Good for a quick stop but not a full meal.

We walked for 3−4hours in Balboa park, it was awesome but at the same time it was tired, so we desided to go into some café in Balboa park. At the center of the Balboa park, there is a café’s name, but it looks good. They have simple menus and I like it because I don’t need to consider. It’s located behind the mosaic snake statue, this tiny shop is basically an indoor coffee cart with standing room only. You could think it’s uncomfortable, but I think if you take out your coffe and sit next to the café, then you can enjoy beautiful scenery of the Balboa park and your delicious coffee. The employee of that café was very friendly, and he made a good coffee for me. The taste was good enough power to walk around Balboa park more. I hope I could come here again, and I will try another thing.

Cute little café located in Balboa Park.
**note the6 have no indoor seating ** however there is tons of outdoor seating available all over the park.
They offer up a selection of teas and coffees. Snack items and sandwiches. I really liked habing their iced tea here. You might have to wait a few minutes for them to brew it up fresh for you. Worth the wait.
Friendly service! Pricing is the same as any other coffee shop around town.

Amazing coffee. Great customer service! I’m so picky about my coffee, and this place seriously exceeded my expectations (and they are high). The foam was perfect, the espresso was delicious – perfection! If you’re a coffee snob and you need a fix while visiting there, I highly recommend this place!
**if you’re used to Starbucks this place will not be to your liking. The espresso is not burnt and over roasted, and the milk hasn’t been sitting for a long time. Just an FYI for those that prefer Starbucks.

Homemade sodas are excellent, way better than Starbucks. Haven’t tried the coffee yet but it has to be better than Daniel’s across the way.

My macchiato espresso was fast and delicious! Friendly staff await, and thank you for the water dish for the dogs.

Friendly service, try their white tea (with coconut and saffron!) Nice place to chill on a Saturday morning before everything opens.

Super cute place. Syrups are house made… we had the Coconut salted caramel latte and it was seriously delicious. Also tried the white tea iced tea… Had a really good coconut flavor. Very quick and more bang for your buck than the coffee cart. Also had legit choc chip cookies .Will be back!

Got an iced mocha. Not good. I’ll avoid the dramatic Unilocaler here going on about how the death of someone in the family was not as terrible as this mocha was, and instead just say simply, it was not great.
* Watery
* Espresso tasted like watery coffee, no espresso flavor
* Chocolate seemed to be low grade, like Hershey’s or swiss miss. Mostly sugar not really chocolate.
There is at least one other coffee place in Balboa, «Daniels,» east/​northeast of Mingei. Will give that a go next time, or more likely, carry something in.

The stuffed croissants are THE BEST morning pick me up. They have some really cool coffees, and is probably my favorite coffee place in Balboa. The only thing I wish they could add is a white chocolate flavored mocha. You have to try the Vietnamese coffee and flat white!!!

Absolutely my fave coffee place in Balboa Park! The coffee is good. The syrups are made in house. The service is amazing and then there’s the pastries. … OMG they are fantastic! In a very short time I’m a total regular because I am hooked on just about everything about this place. I work close by so its barely out of my way to head over and they open at 8am which is ultra convenient. Now lets get down to the grind– why is this place SUPER awesome? Well it’s not just one thing– but a big part is the service. Most times we get Maria and she is awesome :) I don’t actually know her so it might seem weird that I so heavily sing her praises but she is funny and witty and she knows her coffee. I drink it– I just don’t know anything about it. She has lead me down a coffee discovery path of no return– Thank you. No but really she has answered all my silly «what is the difference between _​_​_​_​and _​_​_​_​? «questions with a smile and helped tailor each drink to my preferences– its MUCH appreciated. So far I have tried:
Almond-​joy-​ous-​ness iced latte– BY far my FAVE
Macchiato
Capuccino
Grapefruit Italian Soda
Vietnamese coffee
Flat White
Iced Mocha
Spiced Honey Latte
and for the munchies…
Savory Crossiant filled with goat cheese, chives and basil
Savory scone with cheese and jalapeño
Sweet Crossiant filled with Cream cheese and almond?- I dunno but it was GOOD
Sweet Crossiant filled with almond filling
They have various cookies from the Cravory-​another awesome place
There’s Italian sodas, San Pellegrino, teas and some other delish looking treats. If you are in area I def recommend trying it out!

Simple menu, quick service, only coffee spot in the park that I know of.
Stopped in during a Saturday morning walk through the park. With so many people around and groups working out in the park, I was surprised I was the only one here. Tucked just behind the mosaic snake statue, this tiny shop is basically an indoor coffee cart with standing-​room only. Only one guy was working, and he was very friendly. I appreciated that he made my drink before ringing me up.
My large almond milk latte cost me over $ 5 (extra charge for the milk). It was tasty enough, and it’s very central in balboa if you’re visiting the museums and walking around, but honestly, next time I’m walking across the laurel street bridge I’ll probably stop at starbucks instead.

I love spending time in Balboa Park and really enjoy drinking good coffee. So when I passed this place a few times, I decided I needed to try it.
My friend and I popped in, and I decided to splurge on a fun flavored latte that was featured on their wee chalkboard. After they started on my drink, they rung me up — my SMALL latte was over $ 5! Thrown for a loop, I gasped, «Highway Robbery!» but as my drink was already in the works, I handed over my valuables (er​.my cash).
My gut reaction was apparently really offensive to the barista at the till, because she got all up in a huff and got in my face — comparing their prices to Starbucks (um, no) and «locally sourced coffee.» I just slowly backed away and came back when my drink was ready.
It wasn’t a bad coffee – probably about par with what you’d expect from a Starbucks, but my wallet will stay far away, thank you very much. I’d rather spend that cash on some wine over at Panama 66!

*** Seriously, seriously weak coffee … no bueno. ***
These guys must be making a living off location only?
They are in the middle of Balboa Park and only compete
with the Japanese tea garden across the way. So it is either
weak a$$ coffee or weak a$$ tea. I chose the coffee apparently.
*** I am gonna BYOC next time I come to Balboa Park, for sure. ***

The one star is for the coffee. The place is really cute and I really wish I had had a better experience. I ordered a vanilla latte and it was extremely bad. Not sure exactly what was wrong: the coffee beans, the machine, the water, the barista but it tasted sour and acidic… so bad I can’t even describe. I was not going to pay $ 4.75 for a cup of bad coffee so I kindly asked the barista if he could remake it. He kindly said yes but he managed to make an even worse latte. Management please make it better, I really want to like your place.

Came in with my mother-​in-​law, husband and our sleeping 2 year old.
Very awesome, genuine place – from the food, to the ingredients, to the staff. Just very cool. They had a special — a surfer tea and I asked about it. The woman behind the counter explained it was an earl grey tea with coconut cream and had certain syrups in it. I must have looked at her crossed eyed b/​c anything with syrups I stray away from (Just think about all the crud in Starbucks syrups…) She picked up on my hesitation and immediately explained how the syrups were made and what the ingredients were. It was great for her to volunteer the information AND know that much about the food and drink they were serving! Plus, the «surfer tea» was AMAZING! It was incredibly unique and would have never thought to ask for something like that.
Very cool experience and cannot wait to go back! Thank you!

Excellent spot for a quick coffee & snack. Having a great busy day in Balboa park. Needed food but the restaurants all full & too much food, just wanted coffee & snack… and there was Café Mingei.
Hole in the wall takeaway spot but with tables outside. Coffee was good and the 2 scones we shared (1 savoury & 1 sweet) were fresh baked and delicious. Friendly staff and barista good with coffee options.

So so sooooo scrumptious! The staff is really friendly too! Jeff and Brian helped me decide between a Café Cubano vs. Flat White. Let me just say it was a tie, because I bought both! what a Hidden Gem in a truly gorgeous park.