CRAFT CAFÉ at Mingei

We stopped by thinking it would be a faster service than Panama 66 and less expensive than the Prado and the restaurant in the Mingei. I tried the chicken and artichoke sandwich which was toasted and had a very strong pickle flavor. The small latte was great. One person tried the quiche, another a charcuterie from the fridge. I got a small kombucha that was about $5.

The four of us sat outside at small, white metal tables and chairs on the sides of the hallway outside. Folks are walking through, but it was shaded and near an outdoor enclosed exhibit of Sew Loka's sewing machine and jacket. There was no bathroom there that I could see, maybe inside the Mingei Museum?

Needs work: As you can see from the photo, the menu is posted as you enter on the wall on the right, another near the front, and there was one menu near the register. The lettering is so small and light colored it was hard for us to read them. I asked the cashier for a recommendation and I could not hear her. It was kind of a comedy of errors. They need to get a QR code for folks to look at it outside as well as a larger menu placed outside the place. A second thing they could improve was the amount requested for a tip. First of all, it's counter service and they do not bring the food to the table to serve you. Second, the tips start at 22% and go up! There was no enthusiastic welcome in or chatting with customers to help them decide on some delicious food items. You can of course decide to not tip, but what happened to starting at 15%? It's too much.

Nice cafe to grab a bite to eat or drink while exploring Balboa Park. Highly recommend stopping in at a non-busy time on a weekday because the interior is tight and can get very crowded which can lead to an unpleasant experience. Despite having a small space, they have quite a large menu with many seasonal offerings. I ordered the Cherry Matcha and it was delicious. The sweet cherry foam balanced the earthiness of the matcha very nicely. We also tried the Lemon Lychee Black Tea and it was good. Other reviews mention the prices are too high, but most cafes in this area charge the same prices. We visited around 1:30pm on a Tuesday and they were out of quite a few pastries. I will be returning to see how the menu changes for the next season.

Just bought 4 items close to $40. Deserts are okay, but the Turkey Panini disgusting. I threw up parts of it. The cheese was thick and rubbery and the Turkey tastes like chicken. I don’t know it was disgusting. From the price of the sandwich I paid for I was expecting high quality produce, but it was lack thereof.

highly recommend turmeric latte

Very good food and a nice outdoor eating area.

The Americano tax, or how much a cafe charges to blast some hot water over an espresso, is a good measure of a coffeeshop. The best, rare birds and noble souls, give us this water for free, while the worst, dogs and demons, charge a whole American dollar. The Craft Cafe charges $1.25. Shameful! The sign of a rotten soul. Reform yourselves.

My food had a hair in it and I ordered a açaí bowl for 15 dollars just for them to give me a bowl that doesn’t even look half appetizing and they didn’t put and effort into my bowl

Delicious!!!

I need something to eat while waiting for a friend who was running late for over an hour.

The ham quiche was delicious, the tea was hot, the service was quick as no other customers were there. But then my friend arrived, she said that the cappuccino was weak and she had to wait too long because there was a long queue.

The mighty & green energy balls is lovely, but the sunny seed & chamomile isn't recommended at all.

I was sitting in front of the Mingei entrance and entertained by feeding mices and a tiny bird who came under the bushes. Lovely.

This is a wonderful place to stop and get a Danish and a cup of coffee or tea and sit back and relax and look at all the beautiful scenery.

Love having this cafe in the neighborhood and in Balboa Park. Drinks and pastries are always good. Definitely try the matcha lemonade; it's delish.
It's a small space with all tables outside. And not surprisingly, it gets busy so be patient. If you need bathrooms, they're inside the restaurant area or across the small street, near the Prado.

Great macaroon and matcha late workers are a treat! So nice!

Probably the best iced mocha latte I’ve ever had. Very tasty which was perfectly creamy and had the right amount of sugar. Only two people were working so a lot of the pastries were gone, so cannot really blame the workers. Definitely give it a try!

Poor service. Bartender slow to approach and leans on counter

23 minutes for TO late. Ridiculous