Lulu Carpenter's

I don't drink coffee, but with a boyfriend who is a connoisseur I spend an awful lot of time in coffee shops. Lulu's has a wonderful patio (the heat lamp isn't warm enough though...) and loads of tea choices. Like most coffee shops in sc, the temperature isn't ideal most of the year, but everything else is pretty enjoyable.

Both our food and coffee were underwhelming. The cappuccino was okay (not great) but our sandwich and burrito did not get finished.

One of my favorite coffee places in Santa Cruz. The back patio has a nice garden that's relaxing on summer days and the inside area is a great place to work, study or chat. Good espresso and a surprisingly large assortment of treats and snacks in the deli case. The music is usually solid and the people behind the counter are friendly.

My Favorite coffee shop in Santa Cruz. I have been going for at least 15 years, (even back when it was Cafe Royal.) They are open late nights and Holidays. Love an afternoon on the side walk in front or a little private time in the back patio. Consistently great coffee.

amazing coffee with a ton of non dairy milk options… AND vegan breakfast burritos? AND perfect weather to enjoy the coffee and burritos while sitting at a table out front? perfection.

All the coffee beverages I've had here have been excellent, and although the food can be a little pricey, it's quite tasty too. If you're into studying/working at cafes, as I am, here are a few considerations to keep in mind:

- The wifi is decent, and no longer has a timer related to purchase amount as it used to (a very good change).
- Outlets are present, but limited. Thankfully, people seated next to them seem willing to let you run your cord under their table (or even over it if need be) pretty consistently.
- It can get crowded in this place during peak hours, especially on weekends—it is at the top of downtown after all. Be aware of this, especially if you know you're going to need one of those primo outlet-adjacent tables.
- Many of the smaller tables in this place seem pretty wobbly. Be prepared to bring a shim, or get creative with some napkins.

Beautiful interior and nice outdoor seating areas, including a small quiet backyard area. The quiche was amazing, as is the new brunch offerings. The mocha was subtle, not too sweet and very good.

Their customer service is terrible. Instead of listening to customer feedback, and responding in an appropriate manner, they responded by referring to my friend as a “Karen”, and attempted to publicly shame, and humiliate her on a public forum. They even went as far as to post a not so nice text exchange between management and staff to try and further shame her when their initial comments were not well received. If you like being treated like garbage, and being disrespected, Lulu Carpenter’s is the place for you.

My only gripe: their outlets are subpar. Theres not enough outlets to accommodate the amount of people coming in to study. They're too loose to hold onto power adapters for computers. I understand that it may not be aesthetically pleasing to have a lot of them, but the functionality of it as a place of study for me is fleeting, which is my only use for the place.

Besides that, the atmosphere is superb. New art is introduced occasionally, which seems to be local artist work. There's a good bathroom, for which you just have to ask for the code. WiFi is available, codes are on the receipts. I usually just ask somebody for theirs, which isn't changed often at all so I don't have to constantly ask stranfers for theirs or buy a cup of coffee each time.

The lighting is decent in certain spots of the study area, which is understandable since the ambience of a hipster coffee shop is what's at stake here anyway.

The patios can get cold but there are heaters in front and back. Not much lighting there though. Good for getting rowdy in behind a corner, or two.

Overall it's my favorite place to study frequently. I just wish they'd upkeep their outlets, and have more of them. Maybe introduce a power strip system to accommodate more study-ers. I'd change my rating if this happened.

Every time I have gone here for one of their delicious sounding menu items, I have been very disappointed. Today the cook put bacon on the egg and cheese biscuit that I ordered, and he served it without the sriracha sauce that I asked for. Instead of remaking the sandwich, he just took out the grease dripping slices and told me, "Bacon is good."
Thank you Vincent Vega.
They take such a loooong time preparing your food, you'd think they could get it right.