Portola Coffee Roasters

Rachel from Portola coffee was extremely unhelpful. She is very patronizing and refuses to answer my questions. As a matter of fact, she will mockingly repeat her answers to my questions like a broken record. Horrible customer service.

Service: 1

Portola Coffee Roasters is my benchmark for espresso in OC. The drinks are dialed in with a light-to-medium roast profile that keeps everything clean, sweet, and expressive—never bitter, never muddy.

My order here is always a two-stop routine. First, the flat white: silk-fine microfoam, steady warmth, and a rounded sweetness that lets the shot shine. The latte art isn’t just pretty; it’s a sign of how well they texture milk—tight, glossy, and consistent. Then the cortado for contrast: compact, velvety, and a touch brighter, with enough structure to carry through to the last sip. The art still lands on the smaller glass, which tells you everything about the baristas’ control.

Service is calm and precise—scales come out, shots get weighed, and milk is steamed to the exact texture rather than “hot.” Turnaround is quick, but nothing feels rushed. The space is uncluttered and easy to settle into, whether you’re grabbing a focused solo coffee or a quick catch-up.

If you care about espresso drinks done right, make Portola a regular stop. Flat white for comfort, cortado for clarity—both showcase why their lighter roast approach works so well. Detour-worthy, every time.

Also, they sourced their pastries from farm shop, which is phenomenal!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Love this place! I make a point to stop by anytime I’m in the area. Great variety of drinks and flavors. I’ve noticed most of the bad reviews for this place are from people who were in a hurry or most likely brought a rude energy when ordering (I see it all the time!). I’m not saying that’s an excuse for service to purposely be slow, but what you give is what you get. I’ve always been kind and considerate of the baristas and never waited more than 5 minutes for 3+ drinks (At their worst, maybe closer to 10min if there’s a line). Can’t please everyone!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This pmace is usually make good coffee. Sone kimd quality beans always they use

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Very light matcha
3/10
Just milk

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

I went to SoCo Plaza in Costa Mesa before going to work today, it was my first time ordering and now i know to avoid this place. it took them 10 min to make my coffee and it was not busy, cashier girl kept asking me if its latte that I want to order, when I wanted just coffee with hazelnut syrup and almond milk 🙉 I get it, its hard to understand something thats not on the menu, very complicated order 🙄😮‍💨 they are very slow, don't go if you are in a hurry

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 3

Service: 1

The coffee itself is pretty good. The consistency with iced coffee needs work. The lattes have too much milk or not enough coffee. Sometimes they also don’t get filled up - more like 80% full. Is that the ice? Idk 🤷‍♂️. The cows milk 🐮 is basic/not the highest quality. I tried the alternative milk and they were just okay. Overall I would stick to the cortado or cappuccino in the future if I were ever to come back. I would expect higher quality and consistency for the price and location.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

I stumbled across Portola Coffee Roasters while wandering through the OC Mix and was really glad I did. It’s tucked into the food court, but it has a clean, modern vibe that makes it stand out.

They roast their own beans, which is always a good sign, and it shows in the quality. I stopped in during the early afternoon and was served right away — no line, just friendly, efficient staff.

I went with the Kyoto cold brew, made with a single-origin bean, and it was easily one of the best cold brews I’ve had. Smooth and balanced, not watered down at all, with the flavors shining through beautifully. I picked up notes of dark chocolate and black cherry, which made it both rich and refreshing.

It’s the kind of coffee that makes you want to go back out of your way for another cup.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

They got my order wrong and honestly it’s the part of the order I got was was extremely over priced for how bad it was. The matcha latte tasted like milk with a whisper of tea. Skip

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 1

I’m so mad I had to write a review because anything matcha needs to be avoided. I ordered a matcha latte with oat and all I taste is oat milk for $7.50. The matcha ratio needs to be upped or the price reduced because it’s not worth it.

Coffee is great most of the time. Cold brew will keep you zoned in and the vanilla latte is always a safe choice.

Funky place. Hard to find but good!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Took an Uber 15 minutes one morning while staying next to the convention center to have exceptional coffee. Got there at 7am, enjoyed my coffee. Was it worth an upcharge$40 roundtrip in Uber fares between my buddy and I? Kind of 😂, yeah.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Oh my goodness gracious flavor special this coffee was delicious!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Always an excellent experience, so glad they are still here after a decade or so. Great fresh roasted coffee!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We ordered coffee, but received pretty embarrassing customer service. The 3 male baristas together decided to delay our order, making it very obvious that they wanted us to wait. Several orders placed after ours were completed before ours, and even after we inquired about our status a few times, they said they were working on it, but clearly were not. I was baffled at first, but then realize that they were probably bullying us for not giving a tip with our order? Or b/c we were minorities? Still unclear since they did not choose to use words to communicate anything but these silly antics. When they finally gave us our drinks, they made amazing foam blobs in our lattes. Wow. I was pretty disappointed by their unprofessional behavior. I expected more from an establishment like Portola Coffee Roasters. If it was because they expected to be tipped before doing their job, they lost out on our custom to tip (generously) *after* service. I would not have put it past them to have spit in our coffees. I have pictures of the 3 baristas, but thinking twice now to post them. I do not wish ill on the 3 men -maybe just to realize that they could make different choices and that their behavior reflects not just their own character, but represents the character of the company that hired them.

Service: 1