CRAFT CAFÉ at Mingei

I stopped by here on Tuesday after going to some of the museums. I ordered an Americano with oatmeal and their feta and spinach croissant which was shaped in a waffle! I wasn't sure what to expect from this croissant since this Cafe is located in Balboa Park I figured it's fairly touristy in quality is not a type priority. But I was happily surprised my croissant was amazing! What a creative and tasty spin to a traditional croissant. Highly recommend this Cafe if you're in the area. They also have a variety of grab-and-go options and other food and drink items you can order.

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.

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.

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.

Absolutely delicious. Pretty decent timing. We sat outside with ours and it was lovely. Our kids enjoyed the food. We enjoyed our sandwiches. We wanted to try so many more things! The iced tea was awesome and so was the smoothie. We would absolutely go back again.

Stopped in for a midday light lunch and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and delicious offerings for someone who is gluten free. We had a beautiful fruit salad, amazing lemon hummus, some incredibly delicious salad from the case (snap peas, radishes, please tell me more it was so good!) and the best piece of GF carrot zucchini cake I’ve ever had! Thank you for the healthy and gluten free options! The staff were very sweet and helpful despite how busy they were. If I lived closer, I’d pop in regularly.

No bathrooms here, really nice employees, delicious matcha and other drinks! We ordered 3 drinks total. They don't have seating inside because the building is super small, but they have tables and chairs outside, under a covered walkway.

I ordered Chai Tea Latte and Spinach-Feta Cheese Croissant. Chai was pretty good and croissant was crisp and tasty. Both the ladies at the front handled the crowd pretty well and gave quick service. There’s plenty of outdoor seating to enjoy the San Diego weather, people watch and enjoy delicious food.

Cute little caffe to boost up your every to adventure out thru Balboa park. Service was pretty quick. They have lattes and cold brew Along with other caffeine delights and AND pastries. Cakes, cookies and danishes. OH My. Little pricier than the cafe across the way but better options on snacks and drinks. I didn't get to have parties. Diet and all but if you do let me know how how yummy them dessert are cause on my next visit it will be hard to choose on my own if I want a Lamont croissant or a piece of cake.

tldr; Rude staff relies on one-time tourists. Ordered a cappuccino and croissant - during long wait for the cappuccino I had an opportunity to observe the staff, the flow of the restaurant, and the general experience of dozens of customers. The staff was rude to most customers - almost rising to the level of indignation toward customers for simply existing. There was a strong vibe that there was no expectation that customers would return (e.g., tourists) and therefore good customer service was not required. Visibly frustrated with the delivery flow - staff would abandon customer orders (drinks and food) on a side table - in a way that appeared to punish customers for not being immediately present to receive their order. These orders were left unlabeled and unidentifiable by customers returning for their food. Some customers seemed to just guess whether the food left on a side table was theirs unaided by staff. The general vibe was that the staff was not responsible for the customer experience. This team needs training and ownership over process flows if the location wishes to improve its overall performance.

I stopped by CRAFT CAFÉ at Mingei on a sunny afternoon for a coffee before strolling around, but the experience wasn't great. There were only about 5-6 people in line, yet the staff seemed overwhelmed and frustrated. When I finally got to the front, I was met with unfriendly employees who weren't very patient. I ordered a turmeric latte but was given an Americano instead, and when I pointed it out, they seemed irritated that I even brought it up. The coffee itself was okay, and the location is nice, but the poor service was enough to make me not want to return.

No bathrooms here, really nice employees, delicious matcha and other drinks! We ordered 3 drinks total. They don't have seating inside because the building is super small, but they have tables and chairs outside, under a covered walkway.

Checked out this coffee shop at the museum, thinking the bustling crowd was a good sign and we were glad they were still open at 4:30 (every other coffee place around closes at 4) Tried their iced chai latte - it was just okay, though a bit on the watery side. We attempted to ask if it was gluten-free before ordering (husband is allergic), but the cashier seemed clueless about what gluten even is. This was pretty confusing considering they had labeled gluten-free baked goods in the display. And what was worse, those items were sharing close quarters with the regular gluten items, making them unsafe for folks with actual allergies. A bit disappointed with the experience, probably won't be back.

Great coffee option inside Balboa Park! Craft Cafe at Mingei is conveniently located in the center of Balboa Park and usually has a long line. On this visit, we ordered an Iced Vanilla Latte and a Blueberry Lemon Muffin The coffee was solid but the muffin was delicious! The frosting that was topped with poppy seeds was a nice addition. The space is pretty cool - located right beside the Mingei Musuem. Service was also solid. Overall, I'm glad they have a good coffee option at the Park!

We got a cappuccino with oat milk, a blueberry lemon muffin and a feta spinach croissant. Price was high 18. The cappuccino was bitter and charged an extra dollar for the oat milk. The croissant was delicious. 10 out of 10 recommend. The blueberry lemon muffin had a nice top but was dry, very few blueberries and no lemon flavor.

Nasty coffee drink that was totally watered down and with artificial flavor, bad service

This place is definitely a tourist trap! I do not recommend at all. Giving it a 2 star because the place looked clean. Ordered the Peanut Butter smoothie and it tasted watered down. It was just a bunch of blueberries and water.. did not even taste the peanut butter at all. It was $9.50... I would rather go to Jamba Juice. The açaí bowl (and the smoothie) took ten years to come out. It was not even busy and I'm 99% sure the açaí bowl was premade so I'm not sure why it took so long. But.. there was a HAIR in my açaí bowl. Extra protein I guess?! It was not a good experience. I would not come back.

They close at 5 but the savory food (non pastry baked goods) items closes much much earlier. I will say the croissant was delicious but not entirely satisfying because I was starving and wanting an actual meal of some sort.

I stumbled upon this really nice little café next to a museum. It seemed very busy, which allowed me to believe that it was probably going to be really good. They do have also a great selection of pastries that I have not been able to try, but they definitely looked and smelled delicious. However, I did try, a salted maple latte iced. It wasn't sweet at all and it was pleasant. I think next time I will try a different drink ask for the wait time. It was a little bit of a long wait because there was only one barista. I only give it a three star because I wasn't a huge fan of the latte and the wait time was pretty long however I do intend to try it again and hopefully change my rating.

Terrible customer service and weirdly hostile attitude toward being asked if the food they left out without saying anything was ours (it was). Why do we even tip when people act like this? Garbage behavior. Food was pretty decent though

The ambiance in the little cafe was very sweet! Quiet and not very busy when I went (sort of early in the morning - 9-10 am?) and the customer service was nice. The actual bowl took a while to come out but I don't really mind, it was good! I shared it with a few friends and they said they liked it too. I would come back!

I think this cafe is nice for when you want a quick snack or drink. The menu has a lot of options from teas to coffee, and offer pastries for a little munching. The location of perfect for before or after you have visited the museums. --especially on a hot day. Normally I'd get a coffee to enjoy, but I decided to have a tea for a change. I got the Lemon Lychee tea paired with honey as the sweetener. The drink came out right after I finished ordering which was very awesome! I think they put the perfect amount of ice for the amount that you pay and that really made me happy about my purchase. However, I feel like the drink was a bit over powered by the honey. That I wasn't so happy about, but it was manageable. I tried the Divine Smoothie and I enjoyed the flavor and the vibrant color that it presented. Perhaps next time I'll purchase a coffee for when I visit again. I would recommend this place as a compliment to your visit.

my friends loved their food, i didn't. coffee and milk for $7? gtfooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The cereal coffee is terrible. The coffee was bitter, and they only sprinkle a few cereal pieces on the top, unlike their instagram post. I drove to balboa to try this and sadly had to toss it. Not worth the money!

I love this coffee shop. Great coffee, great pastries, but the service here is bottom level garbage. There is one person in particular with dark hair piercings and shorter, around 5"10 who is completely rude and disrespectful. I walked up and waited for him patiently and smiled with no acknowledgment whatsoever. Then I kept looking for a hi hello how are you what can I get you; instead it was what do you want. Working in the service industry for my whole life, this was already upsetting. I said what I wanted and was short about it since he obviously wasn't in the headspace to be at work. I paid and went next door to the textile shop and overheard him saying "That Julia was not having a good day, being such a b***". I had it there. I looked through the glass and stated that I heard them and proceeded to go next door to get my coffee and food. Acted like everything was fine and asked if I wanted a fork and told him that he can't talk to people like this indirectly and especially in front of them. Was so rude no apologies nothing. These people you have running your cafe will eventually run it to the ground. Get better cashiers.

Food is amazing but the service is TERRIBLE the older blonde lady and young brunette were so rude I say hi good morning and they totally ignore me and they expect for people to leave a tip? How can I order if you are not talking to me lol so weird. Get better staff.

So glad this cafe was here for my sugar fix in Balboa Park!! Not much left in the late afternoon but hit the spot. Was worried their gluten free cake would be dry but it was moist and not too sugary. Chocolate croissant was good too. Rating this cafe against other museum locations and not nearby well-known establishments. Hope it helps!

very cute place to stop by and have a cup of coffee，the beans smells so good， however the matcha is plain

Their pastries are always bad Us they charge an illegal surcharge when using debit card that is not disclosed. Emailed one of their representatives and got no response. ​

My wife and I shared a turkey panini and a roasted butternut squash panini. Both sandwiches were so delicious with fresh bread, lettuce and cheese. It was hard to say which we liked better! There is no indoor seating but there are tables and chairs just outside the doorway in a shaded breezeway. This provided a nice place to eat with a view of the plaza and fountain.

Food and service was good. Beautiful crafted pastries and drinks. We skipped the pastries and went in for lunch! Yum!!

Very busy but the line goes quickly! All menu items looked great. I ordered chicken nuggets which were delicious! The divine smoothie was very good also. The Lemonade was so pretty! I didn't have any but I might try next time. I'm told it was really good. Definitely a great spot to grab a snack or light meal and continue walking.

Craft cafe is located inside of balboa park, i stopped by before entering the art museum and i am glad i stopped by! Paid about 8$ for the lemon cake, which felt a bit pricey but it was still delicious and a sizable portion! Worth stopping by to grab a quick snack before exploring :)

Great drinks! reward / lychee + coconut +rose 6. change / butterfly flower lemonade 6. And Good Food! Had this Cage wile going for a Balboa Park museum walk! Would definitely recommend in a Hot Summer Day

I was strolling through Balboa Park this weekend and made a stop at Craft Cafe which is annexed to the Mingei International Museum at the Plaza de Panama. It's a very small space where you walk in to place your order at the service counter and then wait outside for your name to be called. Baked goods, salads, and sandwiches were featured along with Dark Horse coffee, Paru tea, and smoothies. Some premade items were available in a refrigerator across from the counter so I grabbed a Vegan Soba Noodle Bowl ($14) for a snack. The container was filled with mushrooms, collard greens, kosho pickle, miso slaw, and furikake on top of a base of cold soba noodles. A cup of creamy dressing (not ranch) was provided with the item which added some moisture and additional flavor. Besides the dressing, it was one of the healthier foods that I have consumed lately. With so many food and drink carts around the plaza, this cafe is probably overlooked as an option unless you happen to be visiting the adjacent museum. The prices were a bit high, but I think that reflected the fact that most of the products were geared towards health-conscious customers.

Ok, I've been here enough times and they have great pastries, good coffee with bad baristas, and today..... today I waited 20 minutes, and I don't even mind the wait, but I got a grilled cheese instead of the nuggets I had ordered, after asking the man if it was 1) for Jenna 2) nuggets, and he said yes. Then I told him there was a mess up, he took the grilled cheese to the back, I waited another 10 minutes and got under cooked chicken nuggets :( I mentioned this to my friend, someone overheard and interjected that his son also got undercooked chicken nuggets today as well. Not a good look, and definitely not safe. I will go back for their pastries and maybe coffee but please for your sake don't order the food...

YALLLLLLLLLL THE FETA AND SPINACH Croissant is a must order. Their pastries and dough are cooked to perfection, great flavor, crispy, and flakey. The coffee and chai was delicious! It was pretty busy when we went but we didn't wait long at all.

Cute little spot in Balboa Park. Long lines. Drinks were good. But we avoided the pastries since there was a fly walking all over them and I definitely couldn't get myself to order any of them after seeing that. Tried the Divine smoothie which the kids enjoyed and I got the Tumeric latte. I enjoyed the latte and would get it again.

Just opened 3 days ago. Beautiful baked good and even gluten free options. Pre-made salads and empanoadas. This place was a life safer for us. Masks requires, dogs allowed. Wheel chair access with nearby ramps though it is tiny inside. Tables are outside along the walkway to eat.very nice quiet place. The salads are cool refreshing and nourishing. The lemon jasmine cookie was tasty, but the jasmine you only taste eating the jasmine pieces and the lemon needs more punch. The bacon Hatch chilie provolone biscuit was a bit plain, but everything was enjoyed. Just needs a little more flavor.

Horrible place just ordered a pepperoni Flatbread the young lady took our ordered we paid. five minutes later was told the pepperoni was frozen! Wow! I requested a refund the manger came out now get this she told us it would be refunded in 3-5 business days ! This is unacceptable you have my money why should I wait 3-5 business days to get it back? A good business manager would have given me cash back to save face and perhaps have a returning customer not her! Because she lacks customer service skills!

My kids & I stumbled upon this cute little coffee shop a few weeks back. Inside is adorable, clean, modern & bright. Pastry selection is on point!! So delicious! Premade options for breakfast & lunch. We really couldn't have been happier with the food, wonderful service & ambience (lots of nice tables outside) I am going back to meet for a first date tomorrow and will update after with my experience! :)

Cons: They sold me a rotten pastry. I started to eat it in my car on my drive home when I realized it was spoiled. I was too far to go back for a refund. No almond milk. Pros: Cappuccino was decent and service was fast.

Cute cafe, right by the Mingei; tables out front; they have some beautiful baked goods, and latte hit the spot. Friendly service, too.

The food options have really improved in Balboa Park! And this is a centrally located star! It's in the bottom of the Mingei museum so it's right in the middle of the park. The pastries and sandwiches are beautifully displayed when you walk in. There are coffee options, and as a dedicated iced tea drinker, I really appreciate that they serve Paru Tea, which is a locally owned, quality tea purveyor. They have some unique cookies and savory pastries that make the great pick me up to eat while walking around the park or sitting at the tables outside the café. Highly recommend this place!

Pastries and drinks are okay, but way overpriced. The cashier was rude too. Won't visit again.

Not sure I have seen a slower coffee shop but they may not have the resources and have high maintenance customers? Coffee was meh for the price.

The food and the pastries always look delicious. However, the staff is not very friendly. It's not a welcoming place to go. They also charge you a surcharge, which they don't tell you. I noticed it on my receipt afterwards. I've given them 2 tries and I don't think I'll be returning.

Not a great experience! Food is great, but the service took forever and this employee Sofia in the balboa location was so rude and in front of a room full of paying customers. The vibe is great, but if Sofia is working, I wouldn't go lol.

At first I was skeptical because this coffee shop was part of the art museum. We got the americano and was pleasantly surprised at the quality. The coffee was nutty and creamy and very tasty. Great quality stuff here. We walked around the park and the white crape myrtle trees out front are simple stunning this time of year.

Delicious! I had the egg croissant sandwich and a jasmine lychee iced tea, and it was such a nourishing, filling little meal! I'm used to Cafe's being so grab-n-go that you come to expect the food to be mid-level at best, but I can tell this sandwich was made by human hands just as I ordered it. The hot sauce it comes with is so flavorful as well! Definitely recommend.

This was my first time visiting the Craft café in Balboa Park. It is easily accessible without purchasing entry into the museum. Just so you know a great place for a quick bite, even if you're not taking the time to go through the museum. I had some delicious blueberry overnight oats, while my friend indulged in their cheese pastry. They have a variety of options to meet different dietary restrictions. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free etc. Their Matcha latte is definitely a must if you're a Matcha lover. It looked like they had a variety of coffee as well. Customer service was great and the atmosphere was clean. Several tables outside to sit and enjoy your meal.

I am so annoyed. The menu had an artichoke chicken salad sandwich on multigrain bread. It was $15, which seemed like a lot, but I decided to go ahead. It came on a not very good white bread roll and contained no artichokes. When I inquired I was told, "oh, we changed that". $15 for a take out sandwich is expensive. $15 for a takeout sandwich that isn't as represented on the menu is ridiculous. At the very least they should have advised me before I ordered it. I would not have. And the bill had an unexplained "surcharge".

Small but face-paced service and INCREDIBLE team members- Macey made my whole better for real. The food selection is honestly so thorough, it's very impressive ! And the coffee I ordered was the perfect flavor, high quality, and not too much ice like some places can't say enough good things! Location location location!

Conveniently located in the mingei museum. They serve local teas and coffees from Dark Horse and Paru. Enjoyed a cold brew and croissant. Plan on returning to grab and cup with the Paru Matcha

Their turkey sandwich & breakfast burrito were DELICIOUS Def coming back!!!!!!!!!!!!

The food here is...not great? It tastes like if high school cafeteria food was made with fresh ingredients.

Stopped in in a rare rainy day. My husband had a four shot Americano and he was in 7th Heaven. I had the chai latte with oat milk and i really couldn't stop raving about it. The perfect afternoon pick me up.