Lofty Coffee Co.

What separates Lofty from the grab-and-go coffee stops along Coast Highway is the coffee itself — sourced from locally roasted beans and treated with the kind of attention that makes a pour-over worth the extra two minutes it takes to make. While Herb & Sea is doing the dinner-occasion thing down the road, Lofty is anchoring the other end of the day, and doing it with more intention than most spots at this price point.

The Turkish latte is the order if you've never been — it's not a novelty, it's genuinely good, and it'll reframe what you thought a coffee shop on the 101 was capable of. The salted caramel latte holds its own too, but the pour-over is where you see what this place actually believes in: bright, fruity, specific. Not just coffee-flavored coffee.

Food is straightforward and mostly solid. The egg and cheese croissant sandwich is the go-to for anyone who wandered in for caffeine and realized they were actually hungry — it's the kind of thing that earns return visits. The pumpkin soup has shown up on the menu seasonally, though reviews are mixed on execution, so stick to the pastry side of things if you're unsure.

The space itself, up on the second floor of the 101 building with outdoor seating and enough room to actually open a laptop or sit across from someone, does real work for the neighborhood. It's pet-friendly, kid-tolerant, and genuinely locals-first in a corridor that can tip tourist-heavy by midmorning on weekends. Solo seat at the bar, coffee in hand, coast breeze if you're lucky outside — that's the move.

One honest note: the service has been inconsistent in reviews, and if you're ordering anything beyond coffee, manage expectations accordingly.