Cafe 976

05/06/2008 Posted by katiapolster

I can bet mikewag is either employed by this cafe or their PR firm. Hard to believe anything is good about this place after reading the reviews. Luckily for me, I have never been and will now make sure to never go. I don't support businesses that treat their customers this way. They will eventually go out of business.

05/05/2008 Posted by jbennie

We came for the garden and fell in love with the food. Our waitress Stephanie suggested the Acai Bowl (get it with the works!) and then I opted for the good morning bagel, which filled me up. Liz got the waffle and stole some of my Acai bowl. Get the Almond Joy, iced, if you want a treat. Stephanie took care of us, gave us directions to the surfing beach, and was fast, friendly and anticipated our every need. What a perfect meal. The sun filtering down on us, the interesting people going by or at other tables, the fragrant roses and other colorful flowers and hummingbird babies in a nest in the Magnolia tree! It just doesn't get any better, until we ordered a piece of crumb cake to go, which did the trick after surfing. We loved everything about this place right down to the great art on the walls (and the cool old time photos in the bathroom). I think I want to move in here.

Pros: Good ambience, interesting delicious dishes, perfect service

Cons: Time went by too fast

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

04/29/2008 Posted by mikewag

WOW! I have read the reviews from February 2008 and all I can say is what liars! This place was voted best breakfast 2007 for a reason, they have awesome food and service. People who think they are renting a table for a day with the purchase of 2 food items need to get a reality. I think Katieblue and Shabazz420 (is that a cannabis reference?) are the nasty couple we encountered there on a Sunday in Feb. It was a lovely day and people were swinging from the trees, hoping to get a table. We (5 of us) asked this couple who had GMAT books out if they were leaving any time soon and they said no, even though they had no food in front of them and nothing in their cups. We got a table after an half hour wait, right behind them. An hour later, the owner identified herself and explained to them that she had noticed they had been there for more than two hours after eating and that if they wished to study or use the internet during peak hours they were more than welcome to take a table inside. She thanked them for their patronage and explained that especially on busy days it wasn't possible to occupy an outside table indefinitely. They said they understood and would move. Yet right after the owner left the gal said she had no intention of moving. As we were leaving 20 minutes later, the owner again talked to them and the guy just started screaming at her about how come she was picking on them. "How come she was KICKING them out?" She again calmly offered them a table inside and a refill of their long empty drinks, but reiterated that with a full restaurant and people waiting, it was policy that the outside tables are not for studying or internet use at that time. They left, yelling at her the whole way. As a student I hope other students learn what peaceful co-existence is. The guy has gone there for 5 years yet claims he didn't like it at all? Pleaze! It's a cafe that allows studying, not a study hall that sells food. Don't ruin it for the rest of us.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

02/17/2008 Posted by katieblue

Don't go!! Be warned - it takes forever to order, forever to get your food, if you get it at all, and if you do, it will be cold. The owner is a grouchy, greedy, curmudgeon who tells customers to leave if they are sitting there with a book. Despite the fact that the place offers wireless and bills itself as a place to hang out and study, the owner will personally come over and harass you and kick you out of the restaurant for staying too long (I was there with another person for 1 hour 30 minutes and both ordered a full breakfast with drinks). I have never been treated so badly in a service environment before. Even McDonald's has better service than this place and better food. Additionally, the owner is a miser who consistently turns down local non-profit organizations who are trying to do good. The owner 's mentality is the antithesis of Pacific Beach. Don't support such a horrible place. By the way, I tried to give this place a 0 star rating, but the site wouldn't let me.

Pros: Flowers

Cons: Everything, especially Annie the owner

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful

02/10/2008 Posted by shabazz420

I've been going there for 5 years and will never go back. The food has never been good, and the "herd mentality" long line to order has always bothered me. Today, my girlfriend and I ate there and the owner came over and asked us to leave - we were studying after we finished our meals and my girlfriend was still drinking her tea. I understand she's running a business, and that's cool - I'm fine leaving. She definitely didn't speak as kindly as you'd expect someone to in this circumstance, but we were ok with leaving, though a little turned off. She said she'd appreciate if we'd finish up what we were doing and take off. So, with every intention of leaving when we were done (as she said), we started to finish our quick discussion about a GMAT prep question, and not 2 minutes later, the troll of an owner comes over and says "guys, seriously!!!" We were just about to leave, too, and she rudely came over and unprofessionally handles the situation by saying "guys, seriously"???? She was extremely rude to us, but thankfully we let her have it, too, honestly trying to make a slight scene to turn off her other customers by showing how rude and unprofessional she was. She singled us out for her rudeness apparently because we had books out, but there at least 3 tables around us that had been there longer just talking. Great logic there! Terrible experience. I hope no one ever goes there to endure the mediocre-at-best food, slow service, and mean money-grubbing owner!!! I would encourage anyone who reads this to take your business to any one of the superior local coffee joints (Javanican, Java Jones, etc.) before considering this highly overrated dilapidated joint.

Pros: None. Period.

Cons: Terrribly rude owner, unprofessional service, unpalatable food, long line

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

02/23/2007 Posted by travelbug29

I was sitting in a quiet sunny nook of the cafe for about 45 mins, reading and drinking my coffee, when the owner of the the cafe came over to tell me to move so she could squeeze 8 people around the table I was sitting at. In exchange I could take the groups previous table in the middle of the chaos by the entry way. So moral of the story, unless you have a large group your service is not appreciated. Unfortunately I have already given this place a good amount of service. It's good to know there are other great coffee houses in PB that will appreciate my patronage.