A Better Buzz
A coffee spot with an edge, Coffee Dose encourages those without a sense of humor to stick with Starbucks. Photo credit The Vine.
Some of Irvine’s best coffee shops are tucked away inside office parks. You may have to navigate through an office building maze to find these places, but that only makes discovering them all the more rewarding. Sick of Starbucks? Get a better buzz at one of these gems.
Coffee Dose
Coffee Dose promises to cure whatever ails with the elixir of your choice. Photo credit The Vine
If a cafe could be punk rock, it would be this coffee stand in a complex called Corporate Park. Coffee Dose is anything but corporate. On the contrary, Coffee Dose promises to soothe all of your caffeine cravings with its “Anti Bitch Serum” (aka espresso). This tiny spot, dubbed Dose in the Box, offers drinks for those with any conceivable dietary restriction in addition to classic coffee house fare: matcha lattes, teas, and even lion’s mane “coffee” drinks are available. Feeling peckish? Sandwiches, toasts, bowls, and pastries are all yours for the taking. The Crack Bun is pure heaven. Coffee Dose has seating and a grassy area for cool moms to bring their toddlers along.
Monday - Thursday, 8AM - 4PM (kitchen closes at 3:30pm)
Friday - Sunday, 8AM - 5PM (kitchen closes at 4:30pm)
7 Corporate Park
Irvine, CA 92606
Wall Writers Coffee
Wall Writers offers an airy, sunlit spot for enjoying a coffee or (thanks to its free wifi and large outdoor space) working with a change of scenery. Photo credit The Vine
This large coffee shop is located next to the Asics and Digital One corporate buildings, near the corporate headquarters for Taco Bell and regional offices for Ford. Despite its big business neighbors, Wall Writers has a decidedly artsy vibe. An extensive list of pour over coffees, classic espresso drinks, teas, and kombuchas as well as baked goods, parfaits and toasts are all on offer. Bathrooms are available in an adjacent building (ask for the key card to get inside) and wifi is free. Parking can be limited. If you get a spot, plant yourself at one of the large tables inside the airy cafe or on the leafy patio to take working from home on the road.
Monday-Sunday 7:30-2:30 (with plans to extend hours to 4:30)
7755 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, CA 92618
Herb & Ranch
Herb & Ranch offers work-from-home Irvinites with a change of pace: all the amenities needed to take a few hours of your work day in new setting. Photo credit The Vine
Tucked inside the UCI Research Park, this mini food hall offers espresso drinks, avocado toast, a breakfast burrito, a biscuit sandwich, and an enormous freshly baked blueberry streusel muffin. It also might have the cleanest bathrooms in all of Irvine. Slick black and white photos of farm animals, rustic light fixtures, and long wooden tables lend the spot a modern farmhouse aesthetic. Outdoor seating abounds, wifi is free, parking is ample, and plugs are available to charge your devices (remember your cords). Part of Top Chef contestant Brian Malarkey’s restaurant group, Herb & Ranch also offers toasted paninis, wraps, bowls, salads, and an excellent sea salt chocolate chip cookie baked fresh every day.
Monday - Friday, 8:00am-3:00pm
5301 California Ave #140
Irvine, CA 92617