Lofty Has Two Cafés Across the Street From Each Other in Encinitas, and One Is the Roastery

Overview

Lofty Coffee has two cafés in Encinitas, at 90 and 97 North Coast Highway 101 — directly across the street from each other.

Their own line: "The two cafés are across the street, making it easy to choose the one that best fits your plans… or visit both!"

So the first useful thing this article can do is tell you which one to pick.

90 N Coast Hwy 101 — The Original Lofty Café. This is where the whole thing started, in 2011. It has the bigger menu — poached egg plates, wraps, sandwiches — and it's the one described as being near the ocean.

97 N Coast Hwy 101 — Lofty Roasting Works. This is the roastery. Smaller food menu, no poached egg plates, no wraps. But it's where the coffee is made, and they describe it as having "open, work-friendly seating with a relaxed, focused atmosphere."

So: breakfast at 90, laptop and coffee at 97. Or both, since it's a thirty-second walk.

Here's the thing to check before you drive, and it's a real problem.

Their website and their own ordering app publish different closing times.

The website says both Encinitas cafés close at 4 p.m. Their ordering app says 3 p.m. And the app lists a Wednesday close of 1 p.m. at the original café that doesn't appear on the website at all.

Call (760) 230-6747 before a late-afternoon trip. It's the same number for all their cafés.

The Coffee

They roast in Encinitas — "Roasted with love in Encinitas Ca." — and single-origins are roasted once a week, on Mondays.

What makes the coffee programme worth taking seriously is that they name their farms. Not "ethically sourced" in the abstract — actual people:

• Morning Dove Blend draws on Valle Inca, a co-operative in the Cusco region of Peru, and on the Sagastume family in Santa Barbara, Honduras — "Don Pedro Sagastume and his 5 children produce the pacas varietal across their individual farms"
• Colombia Luminosa is "produced by Alexander Vargas and his son Arley on their family farm, La Piragua, in Huila, Colombia" — four-time Cup of Excellence finalists
• Burundi Busambo comes from smallholders in the Busambo community in the hills of Kayanza, grown at 1,850 to 2,100 metres, Red Bourbon, naturally processed and dried on raised beds for 20 to 25 days
• The decaf uses Swiss Water — their reason: "it's free of added chemicals and only uses the cleanest water"

Four-time Cup of Excellence finalists is a serious credential — that's the Colombian national competition, and placing four times is not luck.

Their stated philosophy is refreshingly plain: "Our roast philosophy is simple, find the sweet spot." And: "Every coffee has a different spot in the roast spectrum where it tastes the best."

On sourcing: "we seek out farms, co-ops and importers from around the world that grow and transport in a sustainable manner," and they say "traceability of the coffee's journey from the farm to our roasting works is of equal importance."

What to Drink, and What It Costs

Espresso and milk:

• Espresso, double — $4.25 · Long Black — $4.45 · Macchiato — $4.45
• Cortado — $4.95 · Cappuccino — $5.45 · Flat White — $5.45
• Latte — $6.25
• House coffee, bottomless — $4.25. Campfire blend, and note: "Only served until 12pm"

A bottomless house coffee at $4.25 is the best value on the menu — just get there before noon.

Pour over, which is where the single origins live:

• Morning Dove — $6.95 · Campfire Blend — $6.95
• Decaf Sunset — $8.95
• Colombia Luminosa Washed — $9.45 · Burundi Busambo — $9.95 · Colombia Luminosa Natural — $9.95

Specialty and seasonal — all $7.25 unless noted:

Mocha · Aztec Mocha · Campfire Latte · Salted Caramel Latte · Turkish Latte · Lofty Style NOLA · Chai Latte · London Fog · Matcha Mint and Milk · Pumpkin Spice Latte $7.45

Cold:

• Kyoto Style Cold Brew — $6.45 (canned, 12oz — $5.45)
• Cloudy With A Chance Of Cold Brew — $9.25 · Pumpkin Pie Cloudy — $9.75

Tea — $4.95 for most, $5.95 for the Organic Dragon Pearl Jasmine. Hot or iced: Assam, Earl Grey De La Creme, Masala Chai, Moroccan Mint, Chamomile, Blood Orange Rooibos, Hibiscus Blood Orange.

For a group: a 96-ounce Take Away Coffee Box, about ten cups — $44.95.

Growler refills: $6 for 16oz, $10 for 32oz.

The Food

There's a real kitchen. Their claim: "Made from scratch in our kitchen using the finest quality organic and natural ingredients."

At the original café (90 N Coast Hwy 101):

• Bread and spread, one piece of toast — $2.95 · one egg — $2.95
• Artisan bread and spread — $4.95 · two poached eggs à la carte — $5.35
• Avocado toast — $8.95
• Autumn Harvest Salad — $11.95 · Strawberry & Whipped Banana Cream Toast — $11.95
• Organic yogurt and GF granola — $12.95
• Hummus & avocado toast — $13.95 · seasonal soup — $13.95
• Turkey & avocado croissant — $13.95 · sausage, egg & cheddar croissant — $13.95
• Poached eggs, "The Encinitas" — $13.95 · "The Cedros" — $14.95 · "The Carlsbad" — $17.45
• Acai bowl — $16.95 · The American — $16.95 · Chipotle chicken wrap — $17.95

At the Roasting Works (97), a shorter list — organic artisan toast $4.95, Toasted Quickie $8.95, the same salad and toasts at $11.95, yogurt $12.95, hummus and avocado toast $13.95, soup $13.95, both croissants $13.95, acai bowl $16.95. No poached egg plates, no wraps.

Kids: steamer $4.45 · yogurt and granola $5.95 · poached egg and toast $6.95 · grilled cheese $7.95 · PB&J $7.95.

Vegan and gluten-free options are flagged per item, and milk substitutions include house-made almond milk and organic oat. Dairy is organic Straus.

Their eggs are labelled "S.L.O.E." — which, in their ordering app, stands for sustainable, local, organic and ethical. (Their website uses the acronym without explaining it, which is a small missed opportunity.)

Beans to Take Home

12 oz / 2 lb / 5 lb:

• Keeping It Classy Espresso — $21.95 / $43.95 / $94.95
• Morning Dove, organic — $21.95 / $43.95 / $99.95
• Campfire Blend, organic — $21.95 / $43.95 / $99.95
• Sweet Blue Blend — $21.95 / $43.95 / $99.95
• Sunset Organic Decaf — $25.95 / $51.95 / $119.95

Single origins, 12 oz only: Colombia Luminosa Washed $26.95 · Burundi Busambo $27.95 · Colombia Luminosa Natural $28.95

Grind is free — whole bean, drip, French press, AeroPress, cold brew or espresso.

Subscriptions run from $17.10 prepaid or $19.00 pay-as-you-go for a 12 oz bag, with weekly, fortnightly, three-weekly, six-weekly or monthly delivery. Prepaid is the cheaper of the two. Order Monday or Tuesday for the freshest single-origin, since they roast those on Mondays.

How to Visit

The Original Lofty Café

• 90 N Coast Hwy 101, Suite 214, Encinitas, CA 92024
• Opened 2011 — the first Lofty
• Website hours: Mon–Fri 6:30 a.m.–4 p.m., Sat–Sun 7 a.m.–4 p.m. (their app says 3 p.m., and 1 p.m. on Wednesdays — call)
• The bigger food menu

Lofty Roasting Works

• 97 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024
• The roastery, with a bakery and provisions market
• Website hours: 7 a.m.–4 p.m. daily (app says 3 p.m. — call)
• Work-friendly seating

Both: (760) 230-6747 · free wifi · order ahead via their app

The other four Lofty cafés: Solana Beach (132 S Cedros Ave) · La Costa (7740 El Camino Real, Carlsbad) · Carlsbad Village (2742 State St) · Little Italy (444 W Cedar St, San Diego). There's also a location inside San Diego Airport.

Good to Know

• Call before a late trip. Their website and app disagree on closing time by an hour.
• Bottomless house coffee is $4.25 and stops at noon. The best deal here.
• Breakfast at 90, laptop at 97. The original has the full kitchen; the roastery has the better seating for working.
• Free wifi at both, and they say so explicitly — unusual and welcome.
• The $44.95 coffee box covers a meeting, about ten cups.
• Order beans Monday or Tuesday for the freshest single-origin.
• Prepaid subscriptions start at $17.10 against $21.95 retail — roughly a 22% saving.
• Ask for the Colombia Luminosa. Four-time Cup of Excellence finalists is the real thing.

The Takeaway

Get a bottomless house coffee at the original before noon, eat The Encinitas, then cross the road to the roastery with your laptop.

What makes Lofty worth writing about isn't that Encinitas has good coffee — it has a great deal of good coffee. It's that one family started this on Coast Highway in 2011, now roasts its own beans across the street from its first café, and names the farmers on the bag. Don Pedro Sagastume and his five children, Alexander Vargas and his son Arley. That's a supply chain, not a slogan.

For more spots worth knowing, browse our Local Picks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Lofty Coffee in Encinitas? Two cafés across the street from each other: The Original Lofty Café at 90 N Coast Hwy 101, Suite 214, and Lofty Roasting Works at 97 N Coast Hwy 101, both 92024.

What's the difference between them? The original, open since 2011, has the fuller food menu including poached egg plates and wraps. The Roasting Works is the roastery, with a shorter food menu and seating described as work-friendly.

What are the hours? Their website lists the original as 6:30 a.m.–4 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m.–4 p.m. weekends, and the Roasting Works as 7 a.m.–4 p.m. daily. Their own ordering app lists 3 p.m. closes instead, with a 1 p.m. Wednesday close at the original. Call (760) 230-6747 to confirm.

How much is coffee? Espresso $4.25, cortado $4.95, cappuccino and flat white $5.45, latte $6.25, specialty lattes $7.25. Bottomless house coffee is $4.25 but is only served until noon.

Do they roast their own? Yes, in Encinitas, with single origins roasted once a week on Mondays.

How much are beans? $21.95 for a 12 oz bag of most blends, $25.95 for the decaf, and $26.95–$28.95 for single origins. Two-pound and five-pound sizes go up to $119.95.

When did Lofty start? 2011, in Encinitas, as a single café. The business describes itself as family-founded but doesn't name its founders.

Is there wifi? Yes, free wifi at both Encinitas locations, which they advertise for remote workers and students.

How many Lofty locations are there? Six cafés — two in Encinitas, plus Solana Beach, La Costa, Carlsbad Village and Little Italy — and a location inside San Diego Airport.

Are there vegan and gluten-free options? Yes, flagged per item on their menu, with house-made almond milk and organic oat milk available.