Café 1134 in Coronado

Café 1134 is located in the heart of Coronado, just a couple blocks away from the famous Hotel del Coronado. When you are taking a day or afternoon to explore this delightful San Diego community, I recommend a pause at this delightful café. Don’t fall into the tourist traps: The Hotel is lovely, and you might like to have a drink at a beach bar and enjoy the view, but only one! Because everything at the hotel is outrageously overpriced. Nurse along one tea or beer, but when you actually want to eat something, head down Orange avenue.

The menu is fairly extensive for a café, but definitely not moving into the restaurant category. They have sandwiches, pastas, breakfasts, pastries, and desserts. They also have a full coffee bar selection, with all matters of lattes, espressos, and the like, as well as hot chocolates, teas, and iced drinks as well. Don’t be fooled by the boxes of tea bags on the shelf; they café has an extensive selection of loose-leafed teas behind the counter, just out of sight.

The staff is fast and efficient; they are friendly, but more focused on the job at hand, which is great! When I was there, there were several people in line in front of me, and the line could have easily taken ten or more minutes to move, but the two baristas moved us along in just a few minutes, and I was very pleased.

Formerly a sister restaurant to Café 976 in Pacific Beach, the Café 1134 in Coronado still has a similar vibe to the beach café. However, some differences also exist. While the appearances are similar, Café 1134 offers only a few tables outside, with no garden surrounds. Still, it pulls off the more urban vibe as you watch the people (mostly tourists) wander around on Orange Ave., the main drag of Coronado. It affords some interesting people-watching, provided the weather is nice.