Forget Diedrich’s Coffee
The final nail has been driven into the coffin. The deal to sell its stores to Starbucks was announced in September and this week Diedrich Coffee Shareholders approved the deal. Since the initial announcement I’ve been on a quest to find a suitable replacement, and the winner is: (drum roll please …)
The Lost Bean on Newport Avenue in Tustin (a few doors down from the Tustin Brewing Company). I received a number of suggestions including Panera, Kean, and The Ugly Mug, but none quite fit my geographic needs. My discovery of The Lost Bean was purely serendipitous. I spent more than a few hours laboring under this year’s NaNoWriMo deadline in a quiet corner of the Lost Bean. The quality of the coffee and tea easily rivals that of Diedrich’s, the service is good — at one point the barista came to me asking if I’d like a refill, and the atmosphere is right. The food is also a cut above what you’ll find at Starbucks, though they do not have as wide a selection. As an example, I could actually taste the bananas and walnuts in their banana nut bread — as opposed to Starbuck’s aptly named “banana loaf.”
And yes, they offer free wi-fi, though you’d never know since there are no signs or mention of this fact on their website.
I’ve walked by a couple times, but never when I’m out looking for coffee – I’ll have to make the trip (all 2 miles of it).
Whoa. Never even knew about this place, and I’m there all the time (at the TJ’s). Thanks for the info!
Lucca, at the Orange Circle offers free wi-fi and also free coffee to Chapman students who purchase a pastry. Pretty good deal if you ask me! Plus supporting independent circle businesses is a pet cause of mine.
I am quite fond of their soup, sandwiches, coffee and gelato. Give it a try, next time you are in the area.
And here is their web site in case you care: http://www.cafelucca.com/
It appears they even deliver and you can order online. I suppose that means you could go use their free wi-fi and place an order from your table. =)