May 13

May 13 coffee and doughnuts in costa mesa.

i grew up in the suburbs of los angeles, and i can say that until a year ago, i had never been to costa mesa because i never had a reason to. and then sidecar doughnuts opened. and then i read about portola coffee lab. even then, it's an hour drive each way, so it took some time before i could commit to at least two hours of driving just for coffee and doughnuts. but this past saturday, we finally did it!

located inside SOCO, surrounded by high-end shops and home furnishing stores, their open 360 degree operation is beautifully designed in bright whites, grays and greens, with wood and metal accents throughout. a bit off to the side is a bar for extra seating where you can see their shiny white roasting machine. james and i ordered a cappuccino and flat white, respectively, and while the wait was long, it was definitely worth it. plus, i always enjoy watching the various drinks being carefully made at each station.

3313 Hyland Ave, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

after coffee, we stopped at sidecar doughnuts & coffee, where the line was out. the. door. this wasn't our first trip to sidecar, but last time it was a stopover on the way to newport beach, and there definitely weren't this many people!

after the wait to get into the shop, many of the items on the menu were out. they were furiously making more in the back, but that just meant more of a wait even after you paid. i can't believe how busy they are! i was sad we were just getting our donuts to-go, because that meant we wouldn't get to eat them warm and freshly made. we did, however, order a trio of their buttermilk drops, aka the best doughnut holes ever, to munch on while we waited. so good!