What a wonderful and unique cafe! The ambiance was excellent and there was plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Robust selection of teas. Honestly might have had the best thai tea I've ever had in my entire life - very sweet, but also such a complicated and subtle flavor. I did manage to find an outlet - an entire extension chord in fact, which was awesome.
It so good to see a place in business as long as they have. I got the Vietnamese coffee for myself and a limoncello (cheesecake like) dessert for my hubby❣️He loved it and wanted to know when I was going back. They even sell wine by the glass. How unusual for a coffee/tea place. We'll be back❣️😜
I love the tea options available at Cafe Bassam, displayed in large glass canisters about the venue for you to smell each aroma and see the loose contents used to fill each tea bag within while selecting your choice. The ambiance is nostalgic with various antiques on display. I look forward to decompressing here after attending downtown events before heading home.
Amazing service! Bassam even recognized my friend that had moved away for several years and was back living in SD. It's a truly special space that you have to experience. My caramel latte was so delicious!!
I like that there was a lot of tea options that you can slowly browse before ordering. They also have a lot of drink choices, not just tea. Service was fast.
Not a lot of seatings available inside and most them are only single seats. But there are smaller tables and seatings outside.
The street decent parking at the meters.
Been here several times over the years, sad to hear they no longer serve food items. Why still have a food menu up though?
Beside that a relaxing and comfortable place to hang, the owners always chilling there and the baristas are nice ladies. Decent coffee, the real star is the vintage decor, cozy ambience , and Mediterranean offerings
Absolutely love this cafe, the staff is very nice & welcoming.
The tea is amazing we got the sage black tea & we loved it. The water was boiling hot & the tea concept is very unique. The ambiance has a nice vintage feel to it.
A cafe with a lot of character! The antique furniture in the cafe give it the vibe of somewhere Oscar Wilde would hang out. The glass jars of tea and other things like cinnamon that are scattered around can be opened and smelled too. This is a nice place to work with a nice big table near the counter. Our waitress was also nice and friendly
A very very impressive tea house, they curate some many different kinds of tea from all over the world. There’re many Chinese tea that I really remember but never seen at US before. I tried a rose tea which is quite nice. My husband had an espresso, it also tasted pretty nice.
We dropped by for coffee before the museums open in Balboa Park. This was our first time in this cafe and it was close to the park. The inside of the cafe had unique antique decorations. The front person was friendly. The coffee drinks were good.
The cafe has an antique feel to it with lots of wooden tables, mismatched chairs, some gorgeous lamps, and an array of teas on display. I got a matcha latte and it is actually one of the best I've had in a while! Just sweet enough to cover the dryness of the matcha powder without being overbearing. I met a friend here and the cafe was quiet enough for us to hang out and talk for a few hours. I always like such cafes. The girls at the counter were very nice too!
Came here to study and it is so cute. Vintage little coffee shop and noisy like other coffee shops but the ambiance is beautiful. The white mocha was great. Also, the cashiers I have dealt with have been kind🥰
A real San Diego gem! Owned and operated by the same owner all these years. Imagine a classy, comfy coffee and tea shop with countless flavors & blends of tea and coffee, filled with antiques, and offering fresh healthy dishes for breakfast, brunch(!!), lunch, or a casual dinner. You will fall in love with this place: different languages, cultures, voices, and ages all blend together perfectly.
The owner is often working in the cafe. chatting with customers and offering "a little taste" of this or that. Our party was treated to several middle eastern dessert pastry samples and variations of coffee drinks.
The staff is hip, chill, and knowledgeable. This is a San Diego secret. Perfect, any time of the day.
delicious tea and helpful staff. Really nice design and aesthetic. Art and decorations were clearly well thought out and curated. There is a 75 min limit on seating inside.
We’ve loved this Cafe ever since moving to San Diego in 2012. Eclectic atmosphere, with amazing offerings of coffee, tea, wine including port and lunch/diner fare.
Our favorite is the baklava sprinkled with pistachio with an Americano and a glass of port. I highly recommend Cafe Bassam.
I'm so glad I stumbled upon this beautiful cafe! I needed a good place to work and this is definitely now one at the top of my list! The customer service was great - the staff were friendly and I got both my drink and food promptly. I was happy that there seemed to be a good amount of power outlets, which was great for working on my laptop. I also appreciated that the music wasn't too loud or distracting - huge bonus to me! I will definitely go back again soon!
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