Credit to encinatas101.com
We opened our first café on North Coast Highway 101 in 2011. And fifteen years later, we're still here!
In fact, we liked the block so much, we opened a second location across the street. (True story!)
After more than a decade of watching this neighborhood from behind the counter, serving the morning regulars, and welcoming first-time visitors, we've picked up a thing or two about how to spend a morning in Encinitas.
Coffee in Encinitas: How Lofty Ended Up On Both Sides of the Street
Lofty Coffee started as a single café at 90 North Coast Highway 101 Suite 214.
It was founded by a local family who wanted to build something rooted in the community, rather than just passing through it. The idea was simple: locally roasted coffee, scratch-made food with organic ingredients, and a space for the surfers, remote workers, and neighbors, all in one.
That original café is still the heart of what we do. It's a relaxed, coastal space designed for everyday routines: beach mornings, casual brunch, and familiar community energy.
But across the street at 97 North Coast Highway 101 is Lofty Roasting Works, our second Encinitas location. It started as the place where we roasted all of our coffee, and has since grown into a spacious, bakery-forward café with its own energy. The space is open and calm, built for people who want to settle in with a laptop or spread out with friends.
Two different experiences, same standards for coffee, food, and hospitality. Here's how we describe it:
- The Original Lofty Café for a classic coastal brunch experience near the ocean
- Roasting Works for a bakery-forward, craft-food-driven morning with a calmer, more spacious feel
Both locations serve the same menu of organic breakfast plates, house-baked bread, and specialty coffee. Here are a few menu items worth knowing about:
- The Encinitas is poached pasture-raised eggs with avocado and organic artisan toast
- Aztec Mocha is dark cacao, cinnamon, and cayenne
- Organic Acai Bowl has been a guest favorite since day one
Remember, since the two cafés are across the street from each other, picking one doesn't mean you won’t get a chance to visit the other!
Encinitas Morning on the Pacific Coast Highway: What to Expect
Most guides will tell you to grab breakfast and head to the beach. That's not wrong, but it skips the part of Encinitas that makes people come back!
Here’s what to expect, depending on when you show up:
- Early morning is when the surfing crowd filters through; if that’s you, make sure to check surf conditions at Swami's before the lineup gets crowded.
- Mid-morning the shops open, the sidewalks fill in, and the boardwalk turns into a consistent flow of people.
- On Sundays, the Leucadia Farmers Market takes over with local produce, flowers, and prepared food. (In our opinion, it's the best morning of the week to be in Encinitas.)
What most separates Encinitas from Carlsbad or Del Mar is the pace. The PCH coast moves at walking speed, and most of the locals who've been here for years will tell you that's the whole point.
Encinitas Attractions Within Walking Distance
We've had fourteen years of telling people where to go after their coffee, and a few spots come up more than any others.
Self-Realization Fellowship Meditation Gardens
The Meditation Gardens are the recommendation that surprises people the most. They're free, they sit on a cliffside overlooking the Pacific, and the trails wind through gardens with koi ponds and ocean views that feel wildly out of place for a beach town. It's quiet by design, which makes it the perfect counterpoint to a busy morning.
Moonlight State Beach
Moonlight Beach is the beach most locals will point you toward. Wide sand, blufftop access, and a morning crowd that thins out early enough to feel like you have the place to yourself. The walk from the 101 takes a few minutes.
The Encinitas Boathouses
The Boathouses on Third Street are two ship-shaped homes built in the late 1920s. They're private residences, but the walk-by takes two minutes and most visitors have no idea they exist.
San Diego Botanic Garden
If you're up for a longer morning, San Diego’s famous Botanic Garden actually resides here in Encinitas! It’s less than ten minutes from downtown Encinitas, with 37 acres of themed gardens and trails.
Why Encinitas Is a Coffee Town
Encinitas is not a grab-and-go kind of place. The coffee culture here reflects the same thing that defines the rest of the town: people want to know where their food comes from, how it was made, and who made it.
Specialty coffee has grown steadily across North County San Diego, but what makes the 101 corridor different is that independent cafés still define the stretch. You won't find a drive-through chain anchoring the block. The businesses that have lasted here are the ones that invested in the neighborhood, sourced with care, and gave people a reason to stay longer than they planned.
That's why it’s important that Lofty roasts locally, and sources with intention. It's why we bake our own bread and make everything from scratch with organic ingredients. And it's why, after fourteen years, two locations felt like the right call.
If you're planning a morning in Encinitas, start here. We'll be on both sides of the street.
Visit Lofty Coffee to see the full coffee menu!
