Freelance Coffee Project

Pastries were good. Very little seating available, with a lot of wasted space that could be used for additional seating. Coffee is served in one tiny size, and hot coffee is just warm. Not on my list of cafes to go back to.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 4

Service: 3

Coffee is a 10/10- single origin beans. Baristas are great. The space is beautiful and cozy. The playlist is always perfect. No notes!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

☕️

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Good coffee and best ambience around here for a coffee shop.

Coffee was great, but overpriced for sure. Baristas were wonderful. Would love comfy chairs or more work areas near the fireplace. Most importantly, pleaseeeeeeee upgrade the playlist the music playing was actually incredibly distracting.

Atmosphere: 4

Service: 5

I am so tired of coffee shops charging nearly $7 for puny-sized drinks. And, of course, they only offer this one size, so you can expect to be ripped off no matter what you order. No outlets either. Nice decor and atmosphere, and employees are kind, but that’s all they have going for them. The music is *slightly* less obnoxious than your average coffee shop. The chai is nothing to write home about. Will not be returning.

Service: 1

Incredibly overpriced for a mediocre product. Ended up paying over $9 for a matcha, and that’s one thing if it was amazing, but it wasn’t.
Also took forever to get my drink, they had forgotten about it. The wifi situation is weird and there’s hardly anywhere to sit.
This place used to be chill, great vibes and they didn’t charge for alternative milks, that’s all changed. Won’t be going back.

Try the mocha

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

On my 1st visit to Freelance I tried their Kenya roast with my espresso. The Kenya was excellent, very smooth. Their staff ( Krista & Omar) were polite pros. Their space and casual atmosphere was nice. Didn’t seem to be any soft comfortable seating, so 4 stars not 5. This unique coffee shop & roaster is worth a visit.

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

The matcha was okay.
I need to come back and try their coffee.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

Great coffee and atmosphere! Cozy indoor and outdoor seating

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Amazing spot with great coffee.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Came in on Father’s Day - the staff was so friendly and kind and the cold brew was the smoothest I’ve ever had. The atmosphere was really nice. Couldn’t recommend it enough.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Freelance Coffee Project is one of our go-to spots—easily our second most-visited coffee shop in Costa Mesa. We love exploring all the local cafés, and this one stands out for its good drinks, outdoorsy ambiance and cool interior design.

Service is always great, and while they have solid coffee, recently we’ve all about the matcha here. The iced matcha is one of the best around—nothing flashy, overly sweet, or gimmicky—just a really clean, straightforward, high-quality matcha.

I recently tried their seasonal strawberry matcha and loved it. It had a subtle strawberry flavor without overpowering the matcha or adding any artificial sweetness. It still looked like a proper green matcha drink, which I appreciate.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Not many people think of coffee when they are seeking a refreshing drink, but Freelance is offering just that this summer.

I ordered from their summer drinks menu that featured a melon flavored latte. I was attracted by the unique combination, and it did not disappoint. The melon syrup was sweetly refreshing and complimented their single origin brew. I highly recommend ordering it iced.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4