Winn H.
Yelp
TLDR: Classic blue bottle location with expensive parking. Drinks are on the sweeter end, but the compromise is that portside view while being sheltered from the weather (and sandy beaches).
Tip: Try to find street parking, because the parking structure is $10 for the first hour - no smaller increments!
- - - - - -
I don't frequent Blue Bottle too often, but the one at Via Lido is not one that I would consider frequently visiting. For starters, parking is quite expensive. Street parking is difficult to find, and parking in the structure is $10 / hour and $2.50 per 15 mins after. (They do not do validation.) Parking at the nearby plaza opens your car up for towing, as there is an attendant actively keeping tabs on cars. (And they even mentioned that they actively tow.)
Outside of parking complaints, walking into Blue Bottle "from the back," I discovered Hanahaus, a workspace that you pay $4/hour to use - awkward! Thankfully, Blue Bottle does have some seating, which was fairly comfortable, and they also have well-lit high tables and potentially some meetings rooms in the back, though I am unsure if Hanahaus owns those, too.
Having not visited Blue Bottle in a while, I went with the Winter Nola, one of my previous favorites, with oat milk. This drink was intensely bold, not milked down, but very sweet and harder to enjoy. While the staff were friendly and the portside views were majestic, I am unsure if I will be returning for a quick coffee meetup.