I like there dessert but the place it’s so quiet they need some music and more options of the sweet..
Emily
Best service ever!! Alyssa was so kind over the phone, helped with the cake prices and was just very kind and respectful! Gave me the best impression of the shop!! Definitely will be buying from here!
Gella miranda
ice hazard latte and dirty matcha is so good
Tejka Jambal
They serves stunning cakes that look like art, perfect for photos. However, the taste is just okay, lacking the wow factor to match their appearance. The cozy vibe and friendly service make it a nice spot. Worth a visit for aesthetics, but don’t expect flavor to match the looks.
Bethany Perkins
Cute and creative-ish but my latte tasted badly burned and the desserts looked… not at all delicious. Fussy and plastic and like they’d been there forever. And expensive. And I was there to get something sweet, too! Walked out with just my overpriced coffee which I probably won’t drink.
Lina Messaoudi
I stopped by excited to try the cotton candy, but unfortunately found out it’s no longer available—even though it’s still listed on the in-store menu. Definitely a letdown, especially since it was one of the things I came for. It’d be great if the menu could be updated to reflect what’s actually offered. Still a nice spot, but a heads-up would’ve saved some disappointment!
Deja Vu
I came in to grab a latte to go and to get some macarons as a gift for my niece who got hurt that day (just a little feel better) i had an hour drive home in the rain so I was hoping i didn’t have to go look for gift bags etc.
I asked the lady at the counter if she had cute gift boxes and she did!!! I got some macarons and they went into a cute pink box!! I also got some for myself 😃😃😃
The macarons were delicious!!! Im picky! The vanilla latte was also delicious not as sweet as other places but I like that because every place makes it too sweet and I prefer to cut down on my sugar intake.
The tables had chargers/outlets which is now impossible to find at any other coffee shop!!
Overall I had a great quick experience and my niece was very happy to receive her little macaron box :)
I live far away but I’d definitely come back.
Christopher Gorrie
Came in around 10:30am today (Tuesday). The place was empty except for two customers. The baked items looked very pretty in the display case. The atmosphere was calm, and the interior design was great.
I ordered a flat white with oat milk and a charcoal latte with almond milk. Both non-dairy options received an upcharge of $1, which I wasn’t notified of prior to ordering. It was fine, though, as I could see them on the screen—just thought it was a bit odd the cashier said nothing about this as I made the choices.
I received the flat white first, and when I went to the counter to get it, the barista/cashier notified me that the table I’d been waiting at was reserved for parties of 4 or more, so if a group came in I’d need to move. I found this a tad overly militant, since I could simply ask the incoming party if I could sit at the table with them. In any case, the shop only had two people in it.
There were also stickers on the tabletops proclaiming no outside food & beverages and no Wi-Fi use without a purchase. These are understandable asks, but all of these factors started adding up to make this place feel cold, off-putting, and oddly overbearing for a cute little coffee/dessert shop.
As for the coffee itself—it was nothing to rave about. The espresso wasn’t remarkable, and the balance of milks in each drink were a bit off. The charcoal latte—called a “special drink”—on the menu, was only slightly darker than a regular coffee, and had nothing special to it at all.
I think LAB could be a great place if they stepped up customer service, were a little less hypervigilant about minor customer behaviors like seating choices, and did A/B testing on their espresso drinks to really bring them up a notch.
Update: Came in for a retry today and was the only customer in the store. Owner was pleasant and easygoing today. Ordered a peppermint mocha and stepped outside for a bit. The owner handed me my drink when I came back in—it was not bad, though the peppermint flavoring was slightly off on the back-end, just a bit artificial tasting. All-in-all, a better experience today, but also I ordered to-go and waited outside. I’ll try a third time to see what happens!
Alex Zer0
Things were nice and quiet and the music was good. The coffee is average and the staff is kind. I just wish they’d given me a fork to eat my cake with. Then only other things I don’t care for is that a table blocks the dessert case so it would be nice if they had a cake menu since you can’t see half the signs for dessert to order any. Also the bathroom could be cleaner. The plant in the bathroom had months-years of dust on it and couldn’t breathe through the pores and hadn’t appeared to have been watered in just as long. I felt bad for it so I washed all the dust off in the sink and watered it. Hopefully it makes it.
Uttam Kumar
The dessert was good but the guy taking the order in the register seemed least interested in selling . No smile, no courtesy , lacked enthusiasm and energy . Went there at 10 pm yesterday
Wanna gatekeep this place but it deserves 5 stars!! I tried their strawberry ice cream it’s pretty decent. It’s quiet, has cozy music, perfect for studying (almost every seat has outlet). Will try desserts next time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Strawberry
Jules
The desserts are really beautiful but overpriced at $11 for a tiny sugary dollop (the size of a macaroon)
I had the dulce de leche which had a great layer of caramel but otherwise too sweet. The cakes are actually outsourced from another bakery
The taro shaved ice was ok- came w 2 scoops of ice cream…but no fresh taro chunks…I think it’s just syrup on ice…so not as much variety on the texture-
Saturday afternoon: Most of the tables were filled w students studying - so they have a pretty quiet atmosphere w outlets
Cute coffee table books
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Mai Style
Sweet Mango cake was sweet and fluffy.. Really enjoyed itDulce de leche cake was delicious!Charcoal latte was good! The charcoal settled at the bottom like gravity.. It did give a darker hue for the drink. The coffee was just alright..Dirty matcha was just okay. It's strong, but the flavor was too unique for me .The "large" cakes were extremely expensive.
I like there dessert but the place it’s so quiet they need some music and more options of the sweet..
Best service ever!! Alyssa was so kind over the phone, helped with the cake prices and was just very kind and respectful! Gave me the best impression of the shop!! Definitely will be buying from here!
ice hazard latte and dirty matcha is so good
They serves stunning cakes that look like art, perfect for photos. However, the taste is just okay, lacking the wow factor to match their appearance. The cozy vibe and friendly service make it a nice spot. Worth a visit for aesthetics, but don’t expect flavor to match the looks.
Cute and creative-ish but my latte tasted badly burned and the desserts looked… not at all delicious. Fussy and plastic and like they’d been there forever. And expensive. And I was there to get something sweet, too! Walked out with just my overpriced coffee which I probably won’t drink.
I stopped by excited to try the cotton candy, but unfortunately found out it’s no longer available—even though it’s still listed on the in-store menu. Definitely a letdown, especially since it was one of the things I came for. It’d be great if the menu could be updated to reflect what’s actually offered. Still a nice spot, but a heads-up would’ve saved some disappointment!
I came in to grab a latte to go and to get some macarons as a gift for my niece who got hurt that day (just a little feel better) i had an hour drive home in the rain so I was hoping i didn’t have to go look for gift bags etc.
I asked the lady at the counter if she had cute gift boxes and she did!!! I got some macarons and they went into a cute pink box!! I also got some for myself 😃😃😃
The macarons were delicious!!! Im picky!
The vanilla latte was also delicious not as sweet as other places but I like that because every place makes it too sweet and I prefer to cut down on my sugar intake.
The tables had chargers/outlets which is now impossible to find at any other coffee shop!!
Overall I had a great quick experience and my niece was very happy to receive her little macaron box :)
I live far away but I’d definitely come back.
Came in around 10:30am today (Tuesday). The place was empty except for two customers. The baked items looked very pretty in the display case. The atmosphere was calm, and the interior design was great.
I ordered a flat white with oat milk and a charcoal latte with almond milk. Both non-dairy options received an upcharge of $1, which I wasn’t notified of prior to ordering. It was fine, though, as I could see them on the screen—just thought it was a bit odd the cashier said nothing about this as I made the choices.
I received the flat white first, and when I went to the counter to get it, the barista/cashier notified me that the table I’d been waiting at was reserved for parties of 4 or more, so if a group came in I’d need to move. I found this a tad overly militant, since I could simply ask the incoming party if I could sit at the table with them. In any case, the shop only had two people in it.
There were also stickers on the tabletops proclaiming no outside food & beverages and no Wi-Fi use without a purchase. These are understandable asks, but all of these factors started adding up to make this place feel cold, off-putting, and oddly overbearing for a cute little coffee/dessert shop.
As for the coffee itself—it was nothing to rave about. The espresso wasn’t remarkable, and the balance of milks in each drink were a bit off. The charcoal latte—called a “special drink”—on the menu, was only slightly darker than a regular coffee, and had nothing special to it at all.
I think LAB could be a great place if they stepped up customer service, were a little less hypervigilant about minor customer behaviors like seating choices, and did A/B testing on their espresso drinks to really bring them up a notch.
Update: Came in for a retry today and was the only customer in the store. Owner was pleasant and easygoing today. Ordered a peppermint mocha and stepped outside for a bit. The owner handed me my drink when I came back in—it was not bad, though the peppermint flavoring was slightly off on the back-end, just a bit artificial tasting. All-in-all, a better experience today, but also I ordered to-go and waited outside. I’ll try a third time to see what happens!
Things were nice and quiet and the music was good. The coffee is average and the staff is kind. I just wish they’d given me a fork to eat my cake with. Then only other things I don’t care for is that a table blocks the dessert case so it would be nice if they had a cake menu since you can’t see half the signs for dessert to order any.
Also the bathroom could be cleaner.
The plant in the bathroom had months-years of dust on it and couldn’t breathe through the pores and hadn’t appeared to have been watered in just as long. I felt bad for it so I washed all the dust off in the sink and watered it. Hopefully it makes it.
The dessert was good but the guy taking the order in the register seemed least interested in selling . No smile, no courtesy , lacked enthusiasm and energy . Went there at 10 pm yesterday
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Plenty of awsome dessert and perfect coffee.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best coffee in San Diego.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wanna gatekeep this place but it deserves 5 stars!! I tried their strawberry ice cream it’s pretty decent. It’s quiet, has cozy music, perfect for studying (almost every seat has outlet). Will try desserts next time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Strawberry
The desserts are really beautiful but overpriced at $11 for a tiny sugary dollop (the size of a macaroon)
I had the dulce de leche which had a great layer of caramel but otherwise too sweet.
The cakes are actually outsourced from another bakery
The taro shaved ice was ok- came w 2 scoops of ice cream…but no fresh taro chunks…I think it’s just syrup on ice…so not as much variety on the texture-
Saturday afternoon:
Most of the tables were filled w students studying - so they have a pretty quiet atmosphere w outlets
Cute coffee table books
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Sweet Mango cake was sweet and fluffy.. Really enjoyed itDulce de leche cake was delicious!Charcoal latte was good! The charcoal settled at the bottom like gravity.. It did give a darker hue for the drink. The coffee was just alright..Dirty matcha was just okay. It's strong, but the flavor was too unique for me .The "large" cakes were extremely expensive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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