Portola Coffee Roasters

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

Best coffee in the area. Specialty grade

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Portola Coffee Roasters is my top espresso pick when I’m out near SoCo Shopping Center. Always on point. We had an Iced Latte, amazing Banana Cream Matcha Latte and Cappuccino. The atmosphere here is so relaxing. Sitting by the fountain is a huge plus. Staff told me that their slow drip cold brew is a fan favorite. Will have to try it next time.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

Decent Coffee. Their blend leans on the fruity. I’m more nutty chocolatey. But glad I gave it a try. Will see how the beans are. Staff seems knowledgeable so went with thier Re/Mix recco for chocolatey nutty will update.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

PLEASEEE KEEP THE BANANA LATTE!! IT WAS THEE BEST IN OC! HAZLENUT LATTE IS ALSO AMAZING!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Waiting 30 minutes for you to pull 1 shot of espresso and some hot tap water is ludicrous.
The dmv is moving faster than the employees working here.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Best Coffee!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I stumbled upon this coffee shop in a clean, modern commercial development with well-maintained walkways and landscaping. It’s located inside a shared building space, with a few bar stools around the counter for seating. It’s not directly visible from the parking lot — you have to walk into the central courtyard area to find it, but the walk is worth it.

I tried their Colombian pour-over, and it was excellent. The beans had a bright, tangy flavor with just the right touch of acidity — really brought out the unique character of the roast. The barista seemed knowledgeable and clearly knew what they were doing, which made the experience even better. It wasn’t too crowded, but there was a steady line of people coming through — always a good sign.

Recommending if you’re looking for high-quality coffee in a quiet, thoughtfully designed setting.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Excellent coffee in the middle of soco shopping center. Typically long lines and they have daily drink specials. Nice seating area inside and out. Friendly staff

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

Coffee tastes great.
The barista was really nice!
She offered to make an iced macchiato similar to starbs. she's amazing.
Mon 3:25pm

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We ordered coffee online, and said the store was open. The store was closed when we got there—they took our money and never picked up their phone when we called for a refund. Wasted time, wasted money. Horrible experience.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Great place to chill, work, and drink coffee!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5