Coffee Maru

The customer service is so bad. I never actually went in but I called and asked what time the hey closed and the lady on the phone was being so rude. She literally sounded like she was mad for some reason. After the phone call I remembered that I had forgotten to ask if they had donuts because I was craving them. I made my boyfriend call back and the same rude lady answered and guess what? She was still rude. I decided not to go in because if she was rude over the phone I can’t imagine how she is in person.

The strawberry juice is soooooooooo great!!! The owner their is not that good at English but he is so kind and nice! You guys should try the strawberry juice!!!

Nice clean peaceful coffee shop serving real Café Latte, not a milk with a drop of coffee Starbuck like…
they also bring you coffee to your table.
Will be back

I always go in in the mornings and rarely anyone is there. Ive tried their coffee (great) and what i love best is the kiwi and strawberry fruit smoothie. THEY PUT ACTUAL FRUIT. Literally can taste the grinded parts of fruit in the drink. Customer service is always nice and prices are reasonable. Definitely a regular here now!

I ordered their jujube tea and my partner ordered the adlay tea, both teas were delicious! It’s a small and quiet location (I went in the morning during the weekend), and there is ample parking (free too). Friendly staff too!

After dinner with the fam at a nearby restaurant, my mom wanted to have some coffee and dessert and suggested this place. She prefers it to other places because it’s quieter and there’s usually plenty of seating (it’s in an older plaza with less traffic). Plus, it’s owned by a middle-​aged Korean couple – my mom’s comfort zone. There were 8 of us and we didn’t have problems finding seats. We ordered at the counter and they brought out the drinks to us. The décor is nothing fancy but it’s clean and pleasant and the owners were really nice. The coffee was decent and we had a nice time relaxing in the low-​key atmosphere (no obnoxiously blaring k-​pop, thank god!)
STEPH JUDGEMENT: Definitely non-​corporate Korean mom and pop coffee joint.

A small, Asian coffee place near Ding Dong Dang in Garden Grove. My girlfriends and I wanted to hangout after we ate at Jang Mo Jip, and this place had good reviews so we stopped by. The place was pretty empty on the night we came because it was pouring rain, and pretty late. My coffee was average, but their extensive list of teas sounded good. Service was great.

Pros:
This has been one of my favorite places throughout college, great for a post-​KBBQ drink run and has been a place of great memories even from high school
— The quaintest little place, very cute café vibe with tiny little tables
— I’ve only tried the milk tea and iced coffee, both very very good (the milk tea is amazing)
— There’s always a nice Korean lady there taking orders
— Parking is never an issue here and it’s right across from Ding Dong Dang
Cons:
— It’s not super cheap (sadly) but quality makes up for that every time don’t you think?

This place is decent, only went here since it was in the same plaza as Kansai. It’s super hot today ordered strawberry watermelon I asked for light boba, I got no boba, oh well. it’s alright definitely had better kind of watery. Not somewhere that I would go out of my way to come back. Prices are decent.

It’s not a modern or hip place, just a humble Korean coffee shop. A lot of the «younger» or hip places are always so loud with people crawling in and out and baristas shouting out orders. This place was dim and quiet, a perfect place to get away for a few moments and enjoy some good quality coffee. A lot of older people are here probably for this reason. I got a simple french vanilla latte with just a tad less sweetener, and it was perfect. The latte-​milkyness did not overpower the espresso, so it was a perfect combination of bitter, milky and subtle a sweet. They don’t have a small size though, only a regular and a large so I had a lot of leftover coffee.

I used to come here all the time. This tiny coffee shop was my #2 to place come. Always welcomed and gets greeted. This place is really great for those people who just want take a sip of coffee&tea and relax. There’s none of those loud musics and obnoxious talking around you. Feels like a home. Very relaxed and chill. They give you complimentary korean snacks to bite on. I always get their korean traditional hot teas. I’m not entirely sure about their coffee bc I’ve never tried them. But their krn traditional teas are wonderful. They make it homemade rather than a tea packets and instants. Oh and free wifis and there are outlets as well.
I’m taking off one star bc they recently changed the owners and now the teas I originally always get taste very different now. But I will try different tea and write another review then.

The tea here is delicious and the staff is really nice. It’s a hit or miss with most people and I’m docking a star because of the menu size and language barrier – since they don’t speak much English.
No worries though because they’re still really nice and even brought out complimentary treats for my friends and I to eat on occasional visits (they offered it to all the customers and I thought that was sweet of them). I recommend the hot Japanese Apricot if you’re into flavorful and aromatic teas.
I really like the ambiance of the place too. It’s not too loud of obnoxious like most boba places around Garden Grove, but that may be because the customers here are generally older Koreans. It’s a great place to sit down and talk or enjoy tea and a book by yourself.
Definitely will be back when it’s raining because this place just makes me feel cozy.

Such a cute little coffee shop.
Just be warned… this place is a Korean hangout for OLDER Koreans. The older customers will stare at you if you aren’t Korean. They are also pretty territorial when it comes to coffee shops, too. They’ll be loud as they want to be, stare at you some more, smoke next to the entrance, etc. Why? Because they can and the person running this place won’t care because they’re getting business. If you don’t mind all that, do try this place. :)
The ajumma who runs this place is such a sweetheart. We ordered 2 iced black coffees and one unsweetened black tea. Some drinks that are advertised on the board aren’t usually available since they’re seasonal or they simply ran out of a certain fruit. If that’s the case, move on and get something else.
She doesn’t talk much either and won’t give you «service», so don’t expect it unless you go up to her and ask her. It’s just how it is. She doesn’t understand English that well, so bring your Korean friend along or just don’t be too complicated with your order. If you plan on giving them a crappy review for not knowing English, just don’t come. You’ve been warned.
Back to what this review should be about — Their coffee & black tea. Coffee tasted bitter — just the way I like it! I just wish there was more for the price we paid. The black tea was steeped from one of the tea bags* (you can choose) and ice was added. Our friend liked it and had no complaints.
*The tea bags are high quality and you won’t find Lipton or some Celestial Tea bags here.
One more thing. if you are easily bothered by insects, do not come here. The coffee shop has REAL plants inside and they like to keep the doors open for fresh air. It’s YOUR responsibility to keep the insects from flying into your drink and desserts.

I came here expecting that they have some food as well like other Asian coffee/​tea places, but they had mostly drinks with some packaged goods. I ordered a latte to keep me warm on a cold night after Karaōke with friends. It was decent coffee, but it took the lady a while to make it. Still, it’s a nice setting and I wouldn’t mind returning if I were ever in the area again.

I came here this morning to do some work and hang out. They had a lot of interesting teas, but it was early and raining so I decided to get coffee instead. I got a cappuccino and thought it was just okay. The weird thing was that the cup it came in smelled of cinnamon. So, every time I went to take a sip, my mouth expected a different drink. That might have been part of the reason why I thought my cappuccino was just okay.
Service was also okay. The atmosphere was nice though. There were about six tables and the lighting made it seem quite cozy. The place was also quite empty this morning, so a good place to work in peace.
Overall, the atmosphere made up for the just okay drink. I will be back when I want to get away from the crowd. Hopefully, the other drinks are better.

I must have come at a bad time, late Monday morning, because the service was terrible. I had some spare time before class and wanted a nice place to work and chill.
I was half heatedly greeted from behind the counter as I sat myself down. When I ordered, my server didn’t understand and called in the manager woman from the back. I understand language barriers and all but I just disliked how he sighed at me. Feeling how unwanted my presence was by this employee made me change my order to to-​go.
The tea I had however was wonderful, fruity and full of taste. While it is named Coffee Maru the menu for tea was larger then anything else, not that I’m complaining. It looks like it’s a mixture of herbal and fruit teas more then anything else, a welcome change from all the boba shops littering the area. I’d like to come back to try more things, such as their coffees, preferably during a better hour.
Décor and ambiance was lovely, with a heavy jazz period influence yet still retaining that typical cuteness that’s so common in Asian cafes. Deco art hanged on the warm colored walls while pillowed seats lined up with round colorfully checkered tables perfect for two or three. There was some light background music that just made the space so inviting. A comfortable cool retreat compared to the desolate supermarket plaza it’s located in. On the plus side there’s Karaōke and billiards right outside.
Despite the bad experience I had I’m more than willing to try again just because this place looks, and tastes, so promising.

Came here on a hot July summer and tried a large strawberry slush! It was sweet with a subtle tangy flavor to it and overall, I liked it. The ambiance of the café was welcoming with dim lights and cute seating you’d see in a little French café. The store is open til’ 11 which is convenient for all you night owls. Also, the lady taking my order was extremely nice which is always a plus :)
The only negative comment I’d have to say is that it’s not in a great location. I’d imagine a café like this to be located in a cleaner plaza but because it’s not, less people frequent the place. The positive side of that is plenty of parking.
I would definitely recommend coming here.

Mny quest for the «perfect» coffee shop has ended.
Few qualitites i look for in a coffee shop:
1) Cleanliness — I’m very particular about the cleanliness because when I bring my laptop to work, i need an environment that’s organized. I know, a coffee shop to you may be a terrible place but it’s where i work best. The place is clean, organized, and because the clientel is generally older folks, it’s quiet and not dirty at all.
2) Ambiance — The décor, paintings, music (jazz/​crooner/​Frank Sinatra), and mood/​warmth/​tone of the café all contribute to the importance of good ambiance. This place has it. The core of any business is presentation and from analyzing this place and being immersed in the coffee shop day in and day out, I can confidently say the ambiance is really what helps me focus. Starbucks has too many people walking in and out, blenders going on left and right, and too many people chatting. Granted, it’s good for business but Coffee Maru has a good blend of not too busy/​noisy levels and I really appreciated this.
3) Attitude/​Service — The face of the business is the staff and the owner/​employees really excel in this area. I’m always greeted with a friendly smile, and they bring onion rings/​wafers/​cookies to me whenever i work. I’m usually deployed at coffee shops for hours on end and as a result, i get to observe the staff with a careful eye. Are they friendly, courteous, engaging, etc.??
4) Pricing — It’s EXACTLY what i expect from any other coffee shop. I rarely tip at a coffee shop but because the service far excels my expectations of what i receive at other «coffee shops», i always tip here. I don’t feel bad when i tip and when i do, i leave more than just change. I feel good knowing the owner works hard for her money and i want to help contribute to that. With the pricing the way it is, it’s a comparable if not cheaper to the alternative «coffee bean» or «starbucks».
That’s the end of my rant and i bid everyone good afternoon!

What I love about this place is that it is open pretty late and has really cute décor. Remember when you either were a little girl playing tea set or that time when you saw it on tv? This is almost the same thing for grown ups. The furniture is cute and kitsch, and the establishment itself is clean. The bathroom is also decent, which is always a plus when downing drinks.
The drinks here are decent. I always get milk tea with no boba because I tend to judge places on this basic drink. Their milk tea is delicious, but a bit on the sweet side. I have a sweet tooth so I have no problem with this.
I have had nothing but good service here. Warning: if you accidentally find yourself here when it is busy, it might take a while since there are only 2 employees ever here at the same time (as far as I can tell).

My friend and I got milk tea and honeydew milk tea respectively and I would say that both were far too sweet. My teeth actually hurt drinking the stuff.
However, what gets this place a 1-​Star rating is that when I was attempting to pay I gave them a $ 10 bill that was a little crumpled and they said, «Do you have any real money?». I looked at them and said, «That is real money, what else do you want me to pay with?». They gave me a dirty look and brusquely took the cash and gave me my change.
Just seemed like a douchebag thing to say/​do.