SOUL GRIND
5400 CA-1 Pacifica, CA
Contact: 650-898-8660
WWW.SOULGRINDCOFFEE.COM
IG @soulgrindcoffee
Facebook
Date Visited: September 12, 2019
Young but bold. Soul Grind is an awesome coffee shop close to the ocean. And I mean close! The parking lot is plentiful, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get a spot right away on a nice summer day. No complaining at the beach though, you know the rules. I waited for maybe 30 seconds before a spot opened up, he was a friendly surfer who threw me a shaka as I pulled into his spot.
I walked up to what looks like a completely redesigned mechanic shop. There are huge glass windows mixed with wood and a great deep blue color. Their logo was simplistic but emphasized the waves and good vibes, I was digging it. Woah! Talk about space, the ceilings are two-stories high covered in wood paneling, concrete floors, garage doors, a fireplace, and a freaking roastery in the back!
But it doesn’t stop there. They have a large coffee menu, a handful of fresh pastries, sandwiches, quiches, melts, and the tastiest looking breakfast bowl. Not hungry but you want to relax? They carry almost a dozen different beers and four different types of wine. I ordered a medium coffee and come to find out that it’s going to be my first pour-over on this coffee adventure. Pour-overs are known to bring out the flavor in the brew and enhance the notes.
I found a seat near the window and an outlet to charge my computer. Then I heard “Spencer!” My coffee was ready. Ah, now that was a delicious roast! I went up to compliment the coffee and ask if there was a manager I could speak with to find out more about Soul Grind. This is when I met Sophia, she was the manager on duty. I come to find out Soul Grind just had their first-anniversary last month. She informed me that a lot of the customers are in fact surfers. They come in every day, rain or shine, clothes or wetsuits, to grab a bite and a cup of coffee. Sophia stopped suddenly and said, “I have someone even better for you to talk to.”
A few sips of coffee later, here comes a surfer-looking guy coming right towards me. And he says, “Hey man, I’m Eddie.” He is the co-owner of this fine establishment and he treats Soul Grind as if it’s his baby.Eddie is a local surfer that found the need for a coffee shop in the area. Eddie was working in SanFrancisco for about 9-10 years and would drive to Pacifica to get away, he wanted a change. He and his business partner Ramin built this place from the ground up. They happened to come across this location and the timing lined up just right, it was meant to be. The planning of Soul Grind took about two years, but they gave it their all. They want people to know that they are, in fact, the closest roasters to surf break!
Soul Grind was named after Eddie’s love for both roller skating and surfing. A soul grind is a trick when the front roller skate is grinding on the inside grind plate and the back skate is going the same direction. Additionally, they want the vibe of this coffee shop to be laid-back, low key, and a low-stress environment for customers. No matter what someone’s going through, this is a place for them to kick back and relax. Soul Grind offers tons of seating both inside and outside, they even have an amazing patio out back.
As I was writing this review, Eddie came up to me again, super thrilled and thankful for everything I’m doing. He gave me a list of other coffee shops in California to checkout. Eddie then hands me a bag of hisEthiopian roast to take on the road with me, some stickers, and his personal business card. I couldn’t let his kind gesture go unanswered, I ran to the van and ripped it apart to find him one of my Find ThatCoffee stickers. When I came back and handed him the sticker, he handed it right back. Eddie insisted that I put it on his Ford F-150. He couldn’t be a nicer more genuine guy. Today I didn’t only meet a coffeeshop owner, but I made a friend. Awesome day.
Soul Grind gets a perfect 10/10 rating for their bathrooms. They offer two bathrooms that were super clean, fully stocked, and well lit. I highly recommend checking this place out.
