Elixir Espresso Bar

I was very pleased that this place was opened very early Sunday morning because not many are. Opening at 8 am on Sundays, I was a able to get a great Café au lait, a Viennese crêpe, and good use of their free Wi-​Fi to get some needed work done.
The Café au lait was very good. It was smoothed by the hot milk and robust from the quality coffee roast. It held its flavor well and was quite enjoyable to drink with the Viennese crêpe. The crêpe was filled with natural cinnamon. The crêpe itself was very well made and was thin with a great light crispiness and color. The sprinkling of powder was just right with the correct amount of sweetness. The crêpe also came doused in some great tasting honey.
The place has some seating inside, mostly high chairs and tables with several chairs along the walls. Ecletic would be a good way to describe the way this place has been furnished, but in a good way of course. The young lady running the espresso bar not only made my Café au lait, but she also made my crêpe. She was a one woman show and did a solid job on both, including her service.

Best cup of coffee/​cappuccino and croissant in town ! Great location in a old building foyer where time has stood still for a hundred years. They also serve breakfast and fruit crepes made fresh and serve gelato — good find thanks to great Unilocal reviews — thanks Unilocalers!

A great little gem here in the heart of Downtown San Diego. I love coming here when I am in need of some luxurious lattes. The foam art is always well done and comes out quite nice. The environment inside looks quite upscale, almost as if I was stepping foot in some Manhattan coffee place, not San Diego. Service was fast and friendly. Definitely will return for more when I feel the lag coming back to me. Prices were on par with Starbucks.

excellent preparation. Fussy me, I’m holding back, because the coffee is just a little bit more roasted than I like. A beautiful spot, and they also make crepes and those seemed quite a bargain.

Wow the coffee here is very good. I highly recommend the Caffe Viennese, lightly sweetened with cinnamon and honey. And because it’s in the lobby of the old Marston Building, very dog friendly.

Great coffee, service a little slow but with one person working the counter what would be expected.

Beautiful and quiet oasis in downtown area. They pull foamy delicious shots from Calabria coffee and offer tasty choc chip cookies among other baked goodies. Friendly, quick service… one of four cafes in San Diego.

Lovely (very) little place tucked in amongst all the other buildings.
The young woman working the counter this morning greeted me and everyone that came in the door with a smile and earnest conversation.
The coffee is beautifully done (I had a Café Viennese) and *piping* hot. The crêpe was a little too sweet. The very generous application of gnutella was appreciated but truly needed bananas to balance it. (Sadly they were out but they were very fair in adjusting the price accordingly without my asking.)
As I mentioned, this is a small place. It’s definitely made for foot traffic but there are a handful of tables if you want to sit. The music is just loud enough to give you your own space without being so loud you couldn’t chat with a friend.
I quite enjoyed my morning and if the schedule allows will be back for more coffee and maybe some gelato (despite the chill in the air).

Doesn’t matter what you drink or eat at Elixir… it’s all great. My personal go-​to is the Mexican Mocha on ice. If you are coming from out town make sure you make a trip to Elixir. Well worth the walk or drive!

I was in San Diego for the day and was in a coffee shop mood. I search what’s near walking distance from my hotel and I came across this place! I went through the photos and saw crepes. Since I was looking for breakfast too, I knew this would be my one stop happiness. As I step in, I immediately thought it seemed like a place I could hang at for a while. Most seating was high stool chairs and was spread out a bit in smaller back sections. I had the «yummy yummy» crêpe and added a coffee with it.
I found a small table and found myself waiting about 15 minutes. When I noticed that the person that was behind me in line earlier had gotten their order, I was confused. So I go up to the register and ask if they had my order ready. Turns out somehow they forgot about it, but apologized about the wait and said it would be ready within 3 minutes. By the time it was on my table, I was instantly happy again.
Strawberry banana crêpe with Nutella is the best ever. Elixir, you did not disappoint.

Ambience: Elixir is located in the lobby of a downtown-​San Diego building so it looks very unique, complete with photographs from yore, a metal filigree elevator cage, roped off shoeshine pedestal chairs, «wicker» work lounge chairs, rickety tables, and high chairs with complementing tall tables.
We drove 17 miles to get there as the reviews were great on Unilocal,for a lazy Saturday morning.
Food: To tell the truth, I was quite disappointed with the fare. Their coffees come with latte art, and once I got past the aesthetic fancy, it was just regular coffee that we drove 17 miles for! We also took the strawberry-​banana crêpe with added nutella for 6.25.
I am a vegetarian, and never have had a crêpe before in my life. I was unable to chew and swallow my bite, but I am not sure whether I dislike crepes in general (because of the eggs) or it had something to do with this one.
I could taste quite a bit of burnt old butter so I am 70% sure it might be Elixir. Semi-​cooked strawberries are something I dislike, so I am blaming myself for experimenting over breakfast.(Don’t do it, people!). The crêpe overall was too sweet and too big even for 2 hungry people. (I discarded my share)
I felt the employees there were a bit too self involved, I was uncomfortable to ask more questions about the history of the coffee shop or how it came to become the lobby of a law-​office building.
We came away not knowing anything new, and disappointed at my 21 $ expense (chai tea, latte, and crêpe + tip + gallon of gas)
The one positive is that Elixir is within a few minutes distance from the bay so you can try their coffee instead of Starbucks before heading out on your tours of USS Midway, the Segway tours, or cycling around downtown, the Kissing statue photo-​op, etc.

Great prices, tasty food, free wifi! Café is located at the bottom on an office building. I got the Breakfast Crêpe, double espresso and a coffee. Crape is packed with ham and cheese. Nice medium roast coffee with a smooth balance. $ 12 including tip

I was staying in San Diego recently near the Gaslamp district and was looking for some great coffee. Many locals recommended this place.
I had an awesome Latté and a muffin. The coffee tasted amazing and the latté art was really nice. The inside of the place was very spacious with many areas to sit. The Barista was very friendly and approachable. I got there right as they opened and she was by herself but doing a great job and keeping a smile. When I travel to San Diego this will be my new go to coffee shop. Next time I hope to try some of their crepes.

It is very hard to find a great coffee shop in America, especially when visiting from Australia. … until now!
Jackson is very courteous, and makes a great macchiato.
Great atmosphere, very relaxing.
The lattes are amazing too.
We will be back, especially during our 5 day Convention.

I was spending the day with my wife in San Diego for our anniversary and was looking for a great place for crepes and a chai tea latte since those are two of her favorite things. My initial Unilocal search brought me to a location in a mall. I was looking for more character and atmosphere and found the downtown spot. We loved the old Marston building and its old caged elevator. We even toured the building and took the lift for a ride after our meal.
The crepes themselves were massive, especially for the price. While we did have to wait for our three crepes to be made, we took that to mean that quality was being put into our meal. Plus that gave us time to walk around and appreciate the history of the building. There are photos of when it was a department store and if you look around you’ll notice some things are still hanging around.
It was hot out so we opted to have our chai tea latte iced. That was a good call. Even better was to get a gelato float. Ours was coconut gelato in hazelnut Italian soda.
The service was great and we look forward to coming back!
The only thing we wish was more variety in the menu. Keep up the good work, Elixir!

Stumbled upon this great spot while walking down C Street to the train station. I was dying for some coffee, and this was the first place I came across. What got my attention was the service window overlooking the street. If they didn’t have that open, I probably would have missed it all together since I wasn’t really looking for it – but brilliant move on their part to get attention from foot traffic passing by.
Though it’s small from the outside, there is a good amount of seating on the inside. They have limited pastries available for purchase as well as some scrumptious looking crepes with a variety of different fillings.
I went with a regular Americano and a bear claw. The coffee came out quick as there was nobody else in line, and I could see the dark liquid bouncing off the insides of the stark white cup. I knew this was gonna be good. The bear claw was large and I was lucky to snag the last one. It comes in a paper bag making walking and eating an easy task — just know that the flaky goodness will get all over your face and shirt before your next destination.
I’ll definitely make this a morning coffee spot the next time I’m staying in the area or coming to and from the train station!

I walked here from Ross which is directly across the street. Ordered a cinnamon honey crêpe and Mexican coffee. They are awaiting new patio furniture but set me up outside with a chair and table. The meal was great. Best crêpe I have ever eaten! So relaxing and the staff goes our if their way to assist. I will definitely recommend and they do vegan fare as well.

I love this spot! I’ve only had the coffee but it’s good enough to make me walk the 10 minutes to come here as often as I can! I pass up on the other multiple options literally right across the street from me or at least closer, to come here.
The coffee tastes, fresh, and has a unique great flavor. I do the vanilla latte. The syrup is un like any I’ve had. Much less sweet and syrupy than starbucks. It tastes, expensive? Fancy? Just better quality than any other I’ve had. It’s worth it to come here.
The service is great, Esp Cynthia who’s been really nice to me and remembered what I got the 2^nd time I came in. That kinda stuff makes you want to come back. Great job on this place, you made a regular out of my boyfriend and I !
–they offer crepes too, they smell delicious!
And they do the cute latte art, always a nice addition.

I’m so glad I found this place, thanks to Unilocal!
while my boyfriend and I were getting in line to order our coffee, I knew the coffee had to be amazingly good when the guy in front of us said, «This is it, this place makes the best coffee in town.»
Best coffee in town indeed. My latte and expresso were so good! Tasty and flavorful. I also loved the milk art. I’m probably going to make a stop here every time I visit San Diego.
We ordered the Breakfast and Yummy-​yummy crepes. Both were good. Not the best I’ve ever had, but it went well with our coffee. No complaints here.

Looking for a local coffee fix during our Girls’ Weekend & Elixir Espresso Bar totally hit our fix
1^st day’s latte was outstanding — perfect ratio & no sugar required; 2^nd day’s latte was bitter & needed dressing up but we were the *very* first lattes of the day & maybe the machines needed a bit more time to warm up?
Advised their smalls came w/​a double shot & when I asked for a triple shot both days & wasn’t charged extra — totally loving that!
So would definitely continue to come here if in the area — huge fan!

J’aime bien ce café. Je suis venu ici deux fois, et chaque fois le café était parfait. Je trouve ce café très similaire que ceux en France. Il y 4 petit tables en face du café et quelques dedans. Les travailleurs sont gentils et vite, et le prix n’est pas cher.
Le café est vraiment bon, ça goût, à mon avis, comme le café. Aux États Unis je trouve que le café est un peu différent, le goût n’est pas le même. Il manqué quelque chose.
Attention: Il n’y a pas du parking! Il faut marcher ici.
Each time I come here everyone is so nice. I haven’t caught any names besides Jackson, he works on the weekends.

Bön je vais commencer à écrire mes critiques en français pour être certaine que notre culture culinaire se propage dans la bonne langue… On a tellement de bonne place pour savourer le café à Montréal que lorsque l’on traverse la frontière, on opte souvent pour le bon vieux Starbuck… Mais je vous dirait que le meilleur latte que j’ai bu hors frontière était ici sans hésiter. La place à l’air de rien, dans une rue cachée, mais trouvez la, ça vaut la peine. Et en passant, y’a pas juste leur café, mais leurs crêpes, oui oui j’ai dit crêpe, pas pankakes…:) a essayer sans faute. Au plaisir des papilles!