I can't believe that I have not left a review for Holsem!! This is a long overdue 5-stars. I have frequented here for the past 2 years and it has never disappointed me. I always get the Matcha Mint Latte hot. Sometimes there's seasonal ones with roses or strawberry. It's a great spot if you can find good seats with charging ports. Otherwise it's pretty cramped or uncomfortable.
Joe H.
TL;DR - coffee quality check or barista training is non existent in this shop. No reason or rhyme why there's coffee chaff in my FETCO batch brew. - also pour overs shouldn't take 10+ minutes to brew with baristas walking away mid pour, and reheat the water because they ran out. Esp when you're not busy - plenty of seatings but layout in the middle feels like some clustered mess to maximize patreon rather than an actual thought out layout. Been to this shop maybe 4-5 times (only to meet with a friend who used to frequent) within the last 8-9 years since they opened, but every experience with them, unfortunately the coffee was subpar- to the point that any non barista can probably do a better job after watching a video or two on how to make drinks on YT. I'm not trying to bash on a small coffee shop that serves vanilla oat milk iced lattes on the quality of the coffee - but if you're trying to market yourself as a specialty coffee shop competing with dark horse around the corner, 100x trendy small plant/flower coffee shops that's been popping up with updated internals and cuter aesthetics - you best stay on top of staying relevant by keeping your coffee QC in check, or at least keep your aesthetics and internal space design more appealing. Tables that constantly rock, crowded 2 seater tables organized like some office space cubicles, I don't know why I'd go here than the many shops that are open around NP that serve much nicer feel to sit and work. If you take away the aesthetics, instagramable shots, no wow factor to draw the trendfluencers, what do you have besides subpar coffee that eventually fades away your relevance in a competing environment that is North Park?
Jason B.
The friendly staff, skillful preparation of delicious, quality-ingredient food and drink, and the diverse clientele make for one of the best "coffee shops" in the North Park area. The orange vanilla latte (both iced & hot versions) pair very well with their amazing avocado+feta toast (although i don't eat the accompanying arugula salad because... Who wants a salad made entirely from rocket? The acai bowl isn't bad, and their other offerings are yet on my to-do list.
Meg C.
The coffee and food is amazing but holy **** is the music awful and loud. Who wants club music with a heavy beat on a calm Saturday morning while you're trying to enjoy coffee? I asked about it and the staff said it's baristas choice. Too many good coffee places in walking distance to come back.
Cat N.
Delicious coffee. Cool vibe. Best of all there is parking right in front! The space is super open with indoor and outdoor seating. My decaf oat milk latte was the stuff dreams are made of. Smooth, strong, and creamy. Yes!
Lindsay Jane N.
Yall HAVE to try the morning bliss bowl! It was so fresh and super filling with lots of protein...add the sausage if you want! I was expecting a small mediocre bowl like most places but I was shocked with how large and fresh the bowl was. My boyfriend got the spicy breakfast melt and he said it was the "perfect sando" and evenly portioned.."could equal taste each ingredient in every bite!". Can you tell we're foodies? Haha customer service was great and very friendly staff and very fast with your orders. Definitely coming back!
Cathy G.
I've stopped in for a drink and a pastry several times, but they are a bit too pretentious for my taste. They do have a nice variety of original coffee drinks, but the high prices and the vibe do not encourage my return. They have a good location in the heart of North Park, but as a Boomer, I don't feel the love.
Gensica T.
Very strong drip coffee!! Food is a little overpirced but has general good ambiance. Music isnt too loud and employees are friendly. good place to get some work done and get a (coffee) buzz HAHA.
Sarah H.
Holsem used to be my favorite San Diego coffee shop when I visited SD back in 2015-2016. Fast forward to now, it's still one of my go to's in North Park, especially when want to sit and work on something with my laptop. It's very spacious with plenty of tables. However, the drinks recently have been a hit or miss for me. I love their strawberry malt latte but when I tried the orange vanilla bean latte, the artificial orange flavor was a bit strong and the drink was a tad sweet for my liking. I also tried the coconut power bowl and it was just average - I honestly couldn't justify the $14 price tag. The coconut yogurt is very light and watery which isn't my favorite texture for yogurt but I loved the candied walnuts. Given that, I'd still come back for their diverse food and drink offerings and the space. Workers are usually friendly and it's still one of my favorites.
Steven L.
Great place to grab a quick drink and do some work for an hour or so. If you're at a high table it gets uncomfortable pretty fast so opt for finding a low table with a chair that has back support. Staff was nice and the vibe of the place was great, it's not that quiet so don't count on having a meeting while being here
Coffee is okay in taste. I had their mocha. Nothing impressive but I'll give 4 starts for how clean and neat this place is. Customer service is also fast and excellent. The place has a lot of people chatting with friends or doing work on their computers. Barely any seats left. Worth a try for the other drinks because not everyone makes mocha good.
Sean H.
This has become one of my favorite North Park cafes! I really enjoy the decor, especially the marble and gold. It's very fancy feeling, with views of murals across the street. Their cappuccinos are very consistent and if you're in the mood for something fruity or sweet try their orange peel or strawberry malt lattes. If you're more of an iced coffee drinker you are missing out on skills of these baristas! Great foam consistency and frothiness.
Jasmine C.
A beautiful spot to go too and very aesthetically pleasing. The staff is always very friendly. I always enjoy their breakfast sandwich as well as their cold brew but I just found out they don't have the banana cold brew so hoping it comes back at some point. Though the Nutella cold brew is delicious too. Check out the place whenever you are in the area you won't regret it.
Ryan M.
Great coffee, service and minimalist interior! . The only complaint is the terrible music. Theyre constantly playing shitty rap and pop and BLASTING it. Like cool but it's 8am are we in a strip club?
Gracey K.
Amazing. I've done my homework here, I've met friends here, debriefed here, gotten amazing coffee... this place is so lit. Annie, i think her name was, has amazing customer service and treated my friends and i so well. Will always come back here for a good coffee and a good laugh with friends or family
I can't believe that I have not left a review for Holsem!! This is a long overdue 5-stars. I have frequented here for the past 2 years and it has never disappointed me. I always get the Matcha Mint Latte hot. Sometimes there's seasonal ones with roses or strawberry. It's a great spot if you can find good seats with charging ports. Otherwise it's pretty cramped or uncomfortable.
TL;DR - coffee quality check or barista training is non existent in this shop. No reason or rhyme why there's coffee chaff in my FETCO batch brew. - also pour overs shouldn't take 10+ minutes to brew with baristas walking away mid pour, and reheat the water because they ran out. Esp when you're not busy - plenty of seatings but layout in the middle feels like some clustered mess to maximize patreon rather than an actual thought out layout. Been to this shop maybe 4-5 times (only to meet with a friend who used to frequent) within the last 8-9 years since they opened, but every experience with them, unfortunately the coffee was subpar- to the point that any non barista can probably do a better job after watching a video or two on how to make drinks on YT. I'm not trying to bash on a small coffee shop that serves vanilla oat milk iced lattes on the quality of the coffee - but if you're trying to market yourself as a specialty coffee shop competing with dark horse around the corner, 100x trendy small plant/flower coffee shops that's been popping up with updated internals and cuter aesthetics - you best stay on top of staying relevant by keeping your coffee QC in check, or at least keep your aesthetics and internal space design more appealing. Tables that constantly rock, crowded 2 seater tables organized like some office space cubicles, I don't know why I'd go here than the many shops that are open around NP that serve much nicer feel to sit and work. If you take away the aesthetics, instagramable shots, no wow factor to draw the trendfluencers, what do you have besides subpar coffee that eventually fades away your relevance in a competing environment that is North Park?
The friendly staff, skillful preparation of delicious, quality-ingredient food and drink, and the diverse clientele make for one of the best "coffee shops" in the North Park area. The orange vanilla latte (both iced & hot versions) pair very well with their amazing avocado+feta toast (although i don't eat the accompanying arugula salad because... Who wants a salad made entirely from rocket? The acai bowl isn't bad, and their other offerings are yet on my to-do list.
The coffee and food is amazing but holy **** is the music awful and loud. Who wants club music with a heavy beat on a calm Saturday morning while you're trying to enjoy coffee? I asked about it and the staff said it's baristas choice. Too many good coffee places in walking distance to come back.
Delicious coffee. Cool vibe. Best of all there is parking right in front! The space is super open with indoor and outdoor seating. My decaf oat milk latte was the stuff dreams are made of. Smooth, strong, and creamy. Yes!
Yall HAVE to try the morning bliss bowl! It was so fresh and super filling with lots of protein...add the sausage if you want! I was expecting a small mediocre bowl like most places but I was shocked with how large and fresh the bowl was. My boyfriend got the spicy breakfast melt and he said it was the "perfect sando" and evenly portioned.."could equal taste each ingredient in every bite!". Can you tell we're foodies? Haha customer service was great and very friendly staff and very fast with your orders. Definitely coming back!
I've stopped in for a drink and a pastry several times, but they are a bit too pretentious for my taste. They do have a nice variety of original coffee drinks, but the high prices and the vibe do not encourage my return. They have a good location in the heart of North Park, but as a Boomer, I don't feel the love.
Very strong drip coffee!! Food is a little overpirced but has general good ambiance. Music isnt too loud and employees are friendly. good place to get some work done and get a (coffee) buzz HAHA.
Holsem used to be my favorite San Diego coffee shop when I visited SD back in 2015-2016. Fast forward to now, it's still one of my go to's in North Park, especially when want to sit and work on something with my laptop. It's very spacious with plenty of tables. However, the drinks recently have been a hit or miss for me. I love their strawberry malt latte but when I tried the orange vanilla bean latte, the artificial orange flavor was a bit strong and the drink was a tad sweet for my liking. I also tried the coconut power bowl and it was just average - I honestly couldn't justify the $14 price tag. The coconut yogurt is very light and watery which isn't my favorite texture for yogurt but I loved the candied walnuts. Given that, I'd still come back for their diverse food and drink offerings and the space. Workers are usually friendly and it's still one of my favorites.
Great place to grab a quick drink and do some work for an hour or so. If you're at a high table it gets uncomfortable pretty fast so opt for finding a low table with a chair that has back support. Staff was nice and the vibe of the place was great, it's not that quiet so don't count on having a meeting while being here
Restaurantji Recommends
Coffee is okay in taste. I had their mocha. Nothing impressive but I'll give 4 starts for how clean and neat this place is. Customer service is also fast and excellent. The place has a lot of people chatting with friends or doing work on their computers. Barely any seats left. Worth a try for the other drinks because not everyone makes mocha good.
This has become one of my favorite North Park cafes! I really enjoy the decor, especially the marble and gold. It's very fancy feeling, with views of murals across the street. Their cappuccinos are very consistent and if you're in the mood for something fruity or sweet try their orange peel or strawberry malt lattes. If you're more of an iced coffee drinker you are missing out on skills of these baristas! Great foam consistency and frothiness.
A beautiful spot to go too and very aesthetically pleasing. The staff is always very friendly. I always enjoy their breakfast sandwich as well as their cold brew but I just found out they don't have the banana cold brew so hoping it comes back at some point. Though the Nutella cold brew is delicious too. Check out the place whenever you are in the area you won't regret it.
Great coffee, service and minimalist interior! . The only complaint is the terrible music. Theyre constantly playing shitty rap and pop and BLASTING it. Like cool but it's 8am are we in a strip club?
Amazing. I've done my homework here, I've met friends here, debriefed here, gotten amazing coffee... this place is so lit. Annie, i think her name was, has amazing customer service and treated my friends and i so well. Will always come back here for a good coffee and a good laugh with friends or family