People's Coffee

The staff are great! Tammy is really friendly, always has good conversation, and makes great coffee! Watching her do her work is a thing of beauty, and keeps me coming back!

tHIS IS A GREAT PLASCE TO RELAX CATCH UP WITH FRIENDS. WI-FI AVAILABLE. THE BEST COFFEE NEVER DISAPPOINTED !! THE STAFF IS MARVOLOUS ALWAYS A BIG SMILE MAKE ME FEEL COZY.

Best Mocha I’ve had in a long time! Exactly what I needed to start my day off❤️

Coffee was good and the staff were really nice. The outside patio was comfy with tables in both the shade and sun. I'd come back here again.

Best coffee in santa cruz! Small and local place with a nice atmoshpere and staff. They have freshly baked pastries that are delivered every morning by a local baker. Thier coffee is perfect and so smooth. They are pet friendly, have free wifi and work computers you can rent per hour. Great for meeting spots or grabing a quick cup of joe.

Loved setting up shop and working at this amazing coffee shop. The drinks, food and atmosphere are great. Can’t wait to come back :)

Cute little coffee shop. Great selection of delicious healthy snacks and not so healthy snacks ;) I was impressed with their hot tea selection. There are comfy chairs and couches to sit on inside as well as outdoor seating. The staff is friendly and the shop is ran efficiently.

The coffee has a great and distinctive flavor that is robust without being too “tangy” or too “dark.” The atmosphere is comfortable and relaxed. The service has always been friendly and still efficient. It’s obvious why People’s has been around for so long. What caught my eye today was the game section which is neatly kept and located in the alcove behind the bar near the restroom and ATM. It had a number of interesting games including some that are locally created.

Love it here! Service is great and the food is so good. The coffee is amazing!🤩

Great cafe with the kindest young woman behind the counter! I had my caffeine already for the day so getting decaf at places makes me nervous as it’s often an afterthought. NOT HERE. yay!! Paired with a matcha cookie. Their patio outside has a lot of space and inside you get that local hangout vibe which is really cool, esp for students when studying. Thanks for a memorable visit.

Rocker D'Antonio

The coffee has a great and distinctive flavor that is robust without being too “tangy” or too “dark.” The atmosphere is comfortable and relaxed. The service has always been friendly and still efficient. It’s obvious why People’s has been around for so long. What caught my eye today was the game section which is neatly kept and located in the alcove behind the bar near the restroom and ATM. It had a number of interesting games including some that are locally created.

Niecky Ovando

Love it here! Service is great and the food is so good. The coffee is amazing!🤩

Tibor

Great cafe with the kindest young woman behind the counter! I had my caffeine already for the day so getting decaf at places makes me nervous as it’s often an afterthought. NOT HERE. yay!! Paired with a matcha cookie. Their patio outside has a lot of space and inside you get that local hangout vibe which is really cool, esp for students when studying. Thanks for a memorable visit.

Excellent service and I highly recommend the matcha latte. The kind of place where they know your name if you are a regular.

I love everything about this sweet spot. They have the best vegan options for breakfast, lunch & snacks. The staff are always amazing.

If you are looking for the most epic neighborhood spot that warms your soul with the best coffee around this is it! Every time I’m here I meet the coolest people Filled with synchronicities and positive energy. They have unique items on the menu like quiche, pho broth and empanadas and also traditional baked goods along with breakfast bagels and other goodies. So Grateful I found the local spot!

Seriously the best black coffee in Santa Cruz. It’s so good you don’t need cream or sugar! Forget the new and trendy, this local standby is seriously the best for flavor. Everyone who works there is also super friendly, including the owner.

Absolutely loved this coffee shop. I can't wait to visit Santa Cruz again so I can stop by. I found them on my first day and stopped by every morning of my trip.

Hands down the best Pho bone broth! Better than any pho restaurants I’ve been to. I heard it takes 3 days to make the broth. A true labour of love. Their post-workout shakes are amazing too!

A small coffee shop with delicious coffee and other options such as pastries. The indoor and outdoor seating areas are nice, and it's a great location to watch cars drive by while chatting with friends or enjoying a peaceful coffee to yourself. Perfect for when you're in the area walking around, after a workout, before or after fueling up, or whatever else brings you nearby.

This coffee shop has an awesome vibe. Great coffee as well!

Jennifer Gallacher

Seriously the best black coffee in Santa Cruz. It’s so good you don’t need cream or sugar! Forget the new and trendy, this local standby is seriously the best for flavor. Everyone who works there is also super friendly, including the owner.

Ella RB

Excellent service and I highly recommend the matcha latte. The kind of place where they know your name if you are a regular.

Rini Kusyuniati

Hands down the best Pho bone broth! Better than any pho restaurants I’ve been to. I heard it takes 3 days to make the broth. A true labour of love. Their post-workout shakes are amazing too!

Robert Wilson

A small coffee shop with delicious coffee and other options such as pastries. The indoor and outdoor seating areas are nice, and it's a great location to watch cars drive by while chatting with friends or enjoying a peaceful coffee to yourself. Perfect for when you're in the area walking around, after a workout, before or after fueling up, or whatever else brings you nearby.

Jennifer Hicklin

I love everything about this sweet spot. They have the best vegan options for breakfast, lunch & snacks. The staff are always amazing.

J Q

If you are looking for the most epic neighborhood spot that warms your soul with the best coffee around this is it! Every time I’m here I meet the coolest people Filled with synchronicities and positive energy. They have unique items on the menu like quiche, pho broth and empanadas and also traditional baked goods along with breakfast bagels and other goodies. So Grateful I found the local spot!

Oct 25, 2025/ menu

Great busy place every time I went there they where busy, more so than Starbucks so that should say something. Great location in downtown in main area of shopping area. Nice street music played by locals to enjoy safe very clear. Area I go here every time I visit Santa Cruz a out 4 to 5 times a season

Good coffee, good service. The owner allows dogs and is usually seen hanging around barefoot, if seen at all. Decent seating inside and out. Not my "favorite" coffee in the area, but they do the trick just the same.

I needed fresh air and a bit of vitamin D, so I decided to support another local business and rode the pint over to the Peoples Coffee which I recently saw was still open. They have some single chairs on their terrace, so I could enjoy my banana bread and coffee in the sun while “indulging” in social distancing... 😅 It was a nice touch of “normal” to grab a coffee outside the house for once again. Thanks for still serving that black gold! 😊

Great place, great coffee...I go because of Cody, the coffeehouse dog, a big old loveable hunk of love..... He wasn't there this morning, they said a customer complained about Cody....I left crying without my Latte, I was so upset BRING CODY BACK!!! He means so much to so many.... That one customer can find another coffee place. We protest.

Good coffee. A tad over priced. But good coffee

Very good coffee. Even better staff. The clientele is very friendly and family oriented. Not your typical pretentious SC coffee loungers. One of my favs in SC for coffee and atmosphere. Definitely get the kale/apple muffin. Sounds odd but it was amazing.

The place had a very nice atmosphere, the interior was very cozy. The people who worked there were very friendly. The only thing we were slightly disappointed in was that the picture of the coffee on google were very different in the reality

Natalie Puzanova

The place had a very nice atmosphere, the interior was very cozy. The people who worked there were very friendly. The only thing we were slightly disappointed in was that the picture of the coffee on google were very different in the reality

Ordered latte’s. One hot, one iced. Both delicious. Service is always cheerful and timely. It’s a very nice neighborhood coffee shop.

Lovely coffee shop. Food items are inflated for what they are. Coffee is good alongside their smoothies. I enjoy coming here on a weekend morning before going to the beach.

Jim Hunter

Good coffee. A tad over priced. But good coffee

Cam-0-spaM

Lovely coffee shop. Food items are inflated for what they are. Coffee is good alongside their smoothies. I enjoy coming here on a weekend morning before going to the beach.

Holly Augustine

Ordered latte’s. One hot, one iced. Both delicious. Service is always cheerful and timely. It’s a very nice neighborhood coffee shop.

Friendly service, busy, lively coffeehouse in Live Oak with surf/sports decor. Family friendly with a kids’ table /play area.Dog friendly. The organic coffee, iced drinks, organic snacks plus the casual, cozy atmosphere make it a pleasant place to visit.

Good coffee and staff, but do not come here to work if you do online remote work via VPN/remote server as the WiFi is hotspot only and it’s way too slow. Was getting between 1-2mbps

Management changed this year, they took down all the cool decor and prices just got higher. Same wonderful staff though, they always have a positive attitude. I hope their pay was increased.

Madison Benton

Management changed this year, they took down all the cool decor and prices just got higher. Same wonderful staff though, they always have a positive attitude. I hope their pay was increased.

Patrick Malabuyo

Good coffee and staff, but do not come here to work if you do online remote work via VPN/remote server as the WiFi is hotspot only and it’s way too slow. Was getting between 1-2mbps

Honestly, the only thing good about this place is the location. Everything else is stale or from a discount bakery. The muffins and bagels are hard, the coffee has no depth, the tea has no flavor, and the place feels like a locker-room that has not been cleaned in 3 months. I'll go the extra mile to Peets where the coffee and tea taste really really good and the service is pleasant.

Good reviews, coffee mug in logo, "We only do Americano" when asked why my standard black coffee was being made on the espresso machine. Granted I'm a coffee snob and most people probably don't care, but this should be noted somewhere.

Jeremy Nusser

Good reviews, coffee mug in logo, "We only do Americano" when asked why my standard black coffee was being made on the espresso machine. Granted I'm a coffee snob and most people probably don't care, but this should be noted somewhere.

I brought in my own 16 oz coffee mug. It was $5.50 for a regular coffee. By the way, they only make Americanos (water and espresso). Was scalding hot and not great. Didn’t finish it. Was a waste of money.

I’m so disappointed! For years, People’s was my go to for a reasonably priced cappuccino and delicious homemade banana bread. I would drive across town just for the experience. Except for the cheerful and friendly staff, the vibe now has completely changed. The prices have doubled and the banana bread has been replaced with an uber sweet cakey bread with no banana flavor or walnuts. The cappuccino was very good. It was nice while it lasted but with so many options in Santa Cruz, I won’t be driving across town to come here anymore. ☹️

Alexandra Nicklas

I brought in my own 16 oz coffee mug. It was $5.50 for a regular coffee. By the way, they only make Americanos (water and espresso). Was scalding hot and not great. Didn’t finish it. Was a waste of money.

Ellen Solway

I’m so disappointed! For years, People’s was my go to for a reasonably priced cappuccino and delicious homemade banana bread. I would drive across town just for the experience. Except for the cheerful and friendly staff, the vibe now has completely changed. The prices have doubled and the banana bread has been replaced with an uber sweet cakey bread with no banana flavor or walnuts. The cappuccino was very good. It was nice while it lasted but with so many options in Santa Cruz, I won’t be driving across town to come here anymore. ☹️

This was my first time going to peoples coffee. Not a welcoming environment. Everyone stared at me inside like I wasn’t supposed to be there. The barista was not listening to me as I gave her my order, but was instead talking to her coworker. She messed up both of my drinks. Then she didn’t even let me keep the messed up drinks. There was also a dirty dog behind the counter. The chai taste like it definitely comes out of a carton

I'm no longer giving my business to Peoples Coffee. I really wanted a cup of coffee this morning, but a man was all over the place, no mask. I called to let them know and was told "we want this to be a safe place for everyone"... well, saying and doing are two quite different things. The person I spoke to said she knew who I was talking about and some people are difficult to deal with. So let the difficult person carry on? NOT ok!!!

I would give no stars if still able to comment, Why are dogs allowed INSIDE an establishment that sells food? I was a customer there and moved away from a table with large long haired dog in attendance (due to severe allergy to dogs). The owner of dog then released it to wander unleashed inside the cafe, and I asked her to please take it away from my table as I was asthmatic and allergic. She arrogantly said 'Oh, he is a hypoallergenic breed and proceeded to ignore my request until my friend reiterated my request for forcefully. Attention, health department. By the way, this was not an identifiable 'service animal'.

Cute place, however, it’s absolutely ridiculous what we got charged for a dirty chai. They don’t have it on the menu, so they charged us for a chai and two add shots which brought the total for one to $11.25. A dirty chai price should be comparable to a latte, which was around $5.50. We ordered two and the total was $22.50. When we were aghast, the woman working let us know “she only makes minimum wage.” I love to buy local, but this establishment will not be getting any more of my $$.

Terrible! Avoid at all cost! I went to this place for the 1st time this morning. I waited at the counter with only 1 person in front of me for 10 minutes. After that person ordered, the counter clerk went to make his coffee. No one else stepped up to take my order. The only other worker was in the side room (probably taking a break) talking to the only other worker making the previous customers coffee. No one said anything, especially like, "we will be right with you". I was completely ignored for another 10 minutes waiting to order 1 simple cup of coffee. I walked out, never to return. Bad service with a "we could care less" attitude, looses customers! Enough said!

Beach Guy

Terrible! Avoid at all cost! I went to this place for the 1st time this morning. I waited at the counter with only 1 person in front of me for 10 minutes. After that person ordered, the counter clerk went to make his coffee. No one else stepped up to take my order. The only other worker was in the side room (probably taking a break) talking to the only other worker making the previous customers coffee. No one said anything, especially like, "we will be right with you". I was completely ignored for another 10 minutes waiting to order 1 simple cup of coffee. I walked out, never to return. Bad service with a "we could care less" attitude, looses customers! Enough said!

Jacqueline Escala

Cute place, however, it’s absolutely ridiculous what we got charged for a dirty chai. They don’t have it on the menu, so they charged us for a chai and two add shots which brought the total for one to $11.25. A dirty chai price should be comparable to a latte, which was around $5.50. We ordered two and the total was $22.50. When we were aghast, the woman working let us know “she only makes minimum wage.” I love to buy local, but this establishment will not be getting any more of my $$.