Young Hickory

The staff here are pretty nice and friendly. They have wifi, restroom and plenty of space to study or just read a book. I’m not a fan of the chocolate cookie that they sell here… I like soft and chew cookies. It’s pretty hard and super sweet. Definitely needs coffee or tea to eat it with. Otherwise, great place to study. Lastly, they charge a fee when you use your card if your order is less than $ 5. So bring cash!

Great place! Great staff! I either go here or subterranean for morning coffee. This place is bigger and more spacious but with a real sleek simple vibe. Everyone behind the counter is very nice. They even know my name and my dogs name. Hands down great coffee and beer. The sweets are good too!

If you’re looking for your next coffee/​study spot, look no further. The Young Hickory is it. Great food, drinks (they serve coffee and beer whaaaat), staff and overall atmosphere. I love the rustic feel of this place. It gets packed quickly, so come early if you’re planning to stay a couple of hours. Many outlets are located along the wall beneath the bench, so those seats fill up fast. They’re also the most comfortable in my opinion. Most importantly… they’ve got a strong wi-​fi connection! And don’t be deceived; this place is actually more spacious than you think (definitely larger than most Starbucks!) Located on the corner, it can be a bit difficult to find street parking, but if you’re lucky enough you’ll find a spot in the nearby residential area.

Came here to grab a bite with a friend of mine. Ordered the «Inside Out» grilled cheese panini ($ 8.95), which consisted of provolone, muenster, and cheddar on the inside with cheddar grilled to the outside of the bread. The bread was a delicious sourdough and the cheese was melted to perfection. The three cheeses blended very well and you get a hint of a slight spicy-​ness. I have always been a fan of muenster cheese for my deli sandwiches so I’m glad to see it finally grilled into a panini. The accompanying kettle chips were unnecessary as they were very stale. It was hard to bite into them and they lacked the crunch that you would expect from chips. I understand that kettle chips have a slight stiffness to them, but these chips were way too stale. As a person wearing braces, they were just impossible to eat. I would suggest they switch the chips out for soup, which they offer for a $ 1 extra. The ambiance was nice and wasn’t too crowded. I can see a lot of people coming here to meet and chat or do their work. Next time, I’ll take a gander at their beer selection as they seem to have quite a few such as ballast point.

Fantastic work/​study vibes and atmosphere. Favorite spot so far to get some work done in San Diego. Consistently pretty fast and free Wifi (just ask the barista for the password), plenty of outlets, large tables, mellow music. Also, pet-​friendly.
Yogi bowl is like an acai bowl, but with yogurt, btw. Both are pretty big, good for snacking on slowly if you’re gonna be there for a while.
Solid iced coffee and drip coffee. And really good chai latte, actually!

First words that come to mind: hipster coffee shop.
It’s got a real fresh, hipster rustic ambiance which I really appreciate. Lots of seating for probably around 35 – 40 max usually. Has a good amount of outlets and free wifi to accommodate the student life. It’s pretty dimly lit towards the further back of the store if that matters to you, but in a nice sort of way. Décor is unique for the bookcase-​style wall paper and the toy army figurines the line some of the wall.
Staff is friendly and nice. Parking is okay; usually a spot within a 3 minute walk is open.
Coffee is solid, food is expensive for what you get but well made and satisfying. I typically get the acai bowl if I’m gonna be there for a while and/​or their typical espresso drinks.
In the end though, it’s just one of those unique places you need to visit at least once for the ambiance. Like one of those places you can crank out a paper in, cram study, write a blog, or just contemplate what you’re doing in life while sipping a latte.

Coffee kind of sucks and everything is expensive, but somehow I still always want to go there for the study vibes.
–soup and iced chai shake thing are the go to’s–

Total Points:
Food: ²⁷⁄₃₀
Aesthetics: ⁴⁄₁₀
Customer Service: ³⁄₁₀
Total: ³⁴⁄₅₀
— — — — — — — — — –
What did I order? The Chimp — Peanut Butter, Banana, Honey, Chocolate Powder on Toast + black coffee
Food: ¹⁵⁄₁₅ — Yummy peanut butter banana and honey with a bit of chocolate how could this not be good.
Drink: ⁴⁄₅ — Black coffee. It’s really easy to mess up black coffee for some reason, the coffee was good though.
Objective: Hard to explain this place could be a great study area or just a quick bite to eat or a place to chat with a friend. ⁴⁄₅
Presentation of food: ⁴⁄₅ — Standard, but I like simple :)
— — — — — — — — — –
Aesthetics: ⁴⁄₁₀
Overall aesthetics of restaurant: ³⁄₅
Cleanliness: ¹⁄₅ — A small note some of the tables had a sticky substance, which I can only assume is maple syrup or honey, and was kind of hard to sit down at a table until it was cleaned, which brings me to my next point!
— — — — — — — — — –
Customer Service: ³⁄₁₀
Host/​Hostess + Server & Other staff: It saddens me that I don’t get to give this place 5 stars, based on the food and drink alone I would. I asked the cashier if someone could clean up one of the tables so we could sit down, I was shocked to hear him sigh and not even reply to me, but come clean it himself while being angry the entire time.
— — — — — — — — — –
Verdict: Maybe I caught the guy on off day, good to give people the benefit of the doubt, with that said this is a great study spot and has some good food and coffee. I will probably come back if I’m in the area, but wouldn’t go out of my way to get here.

What do you need from a coffee shop?
1. Tasty drinks: Iced black tea was nice, I will ask for less ice next time.
2. Friendly people behind the counter: Check.
3. I-​feel-​ready-​to-​work-​but-​will-​watch-​hours-​of-​Youtube ambience: Check.
4. Outlets, the all-​important outlets: Check.
5. Table real estate: Check.
6. Clean bathroom: Check.
7. Youtube-​ready wifi: Check.
Young Hickory was a nice place to work, especially being so open to the outside. It gets a bit busy, but that’s just because I bet other people like it, too!

I really dig this place.
The food is great, the service is good and the iced coffee was delicious.
I dig the casual, laid back atmosphere. Dogs are welcome, as long as they don’t act like a-​holes. The entire place doesn’t seat a ton of people, but the inside is nice an open.
Maybe I’m a cheapskate, but I think the prices are a tad high for a counter service, but I don’t mind paying them here because I feel like you get what you pay for. There are plenty of other places priced around the same, but the quality is inferior, but that’s another story.
The staff here is super friendly. They’re always smiling and seemingly attentive. Caution, when it gets buys you might wait a bit for food. Thankfully there’s lots of people watching, and shiny objects to keep your attention.
Bonus points — they’re a couple blocks from our place, so it’s a nice easy breakfast walk and we don’t take advantage nearly as often as we should.

Upon having a really negative customer service experience yesterday I’m going to have to change my review. I have previously given this business great reviews and recommended this place to friends and colleagues who were looking for a place to study or have meetings but I will have to withdraw my support for this business and encourage people to take their business elsewhere. I have never been so blatantly disrespected before and I will not support a business that employs people who think it’s okay to insult a person and laugh about it.
First of all, the reason why I liked coming here before was because I very much liked the ambiance and for the most part I’ve had a pretty positive experience with the staff. The food is mediocre and overpriced but I don’t mind supporting local businesses that appreciate their customers.
However, yesterday I had to drop my car off at north park auto body so I decided to hang out there while I had to wait. I was feeling a bit indecisive about what to order so I decided to just order both an acai bowl and a breakfast sandwich and would just box any leftovers. There were two female employees working that morning– a blonde and a brunette.
Initially the brunette was closer to the register. When I greeted her her response was pretty cold and indifferent. The blonde came over to take my order and when I told her what I wanted she remarked with a sarcastic «wow» as if I was ordering way too much food and there was something shocking or wrong about it. Her tone carried a lot of condescension and essentially fat shaming undertones to it. I was so shocked at the remark that I didn’t know how to react. The brunette responded by laughing out loud even though she could see that I was visibly bothered by the comment. The blonde continued to take down my order in a composed manner but neither one of them offered an apology.
First of all, I’m very big on compassion and respecting other people and their feelings. So on a basic level of human decency and integrity this kind of attitude and behavior completely disgusts me. But with regard to providing quality customer service and demonstrating professionalism in the workplace– completely unacceptable.
Their preparation of the food was also subpar. The acai bowl had chunks of ice and was pretty much flavorless. The breakfast sandwich was unimpressive. Didn’t bother boxing the leftovers and just threw it all away. I am never coming back here again and I encourage other members of the community to do the same. Some other nearby cafes that have better quality food and awesome customer service include subterranean, twiggs, Lestats, and Café Callabria.
But moreover, it’s no one’s business to judge me about how much I allegedly eat and to try to shame me for it. That is wrong on so many levels and if you don’t understand why then you must be a pretty awful human being.

A nice gem in the heart of North Park, Young Hickory not only boasts some solid coffee (they use local Bird Rock roasting for their beans) but also an extensive craft beer selection. With offerings from local establishments like Pizza Port and Ballast Point to regionals like 21^st Amendment, you’re bound to find something. It’s a great transition from the coffee necessary for working on a project/​paper to the victorious celebratory beer for finishing. Quick note– none of it is on draft, they only carry cans.
As for the atmosphere, there is plenty of seating both communal and individual. Mellow music plays that is perfect for getting that paper or job application done if you plan on working. It is also on the same block as Ritual Kitchen and Rip Current brewery leading to a nice transition for a night out. While Dark Horse may have won my heart with their cold brew on Nitro, Young Hickory wins for the perfect coffee/​beer hanging out and getting stuff done atmosphere. If you’re planning to spend time at a coffee house in North Park, this is the one.

Open to the street, open and breezy.
On a cool autumn afternoon,
Young Hickory seems the perfect hipster hole in the wall.
I like the ’30’s logotype, the color scheme, the furniture. I smell food.
The place serves an array of beers — lots of IPA’s and several porters —
And coffee and pastry and sandwiches.
My Bird Rock drip is made as Bird Rock recommends:
Weak.
Typical
Third-​Wave overreaction to the bad old days, it is
Semi-​roasted and acidic, highly-​caffeinated coffee-​flavored tea,
But at two bucks,
It’s reasonable for what it is.
Thrumming traffic and something else distract me from my sandwich called «Pilgrim:»
$ 9 buys Brie, smoked turkey, horseradish, honey, sourdough.
Wait… what?
Yes, it is.
$ 9.
I have questions:
At $ 9, shouldn’t my turkey sandwich
Come with free coffee and a
Happy ending?
And if the Crypt, next door porn shop, out of business now, had said,
«Free coffee and a turkey sandwich with every pricey reacharound,»
Mightn’t they still be around?
Is overpaying for mediocre food and drink a point of pride with kids today, their retail version of
A thrilling theme park attraction, whose tee-​shirt reads:
«Young Hickory Took Me For A Ride!»?
They rankle when I call them kids, yet, look how they keep their room.
Young Hickory’s public space has
Cheesy library-​motif wallpaper and smoky mirror tiles on one side and the looks of a
Child’s playroom — all stickers, no art or information — on the other.
These challenges to the curious eye make it hard to look at the walls.
But that’s ok. I am distracted, more, again, as dog owners leave me to
Protect my table from their pets, while they don’t.
Another question:
Is the guy
Whose dog climbs onto the banquette to lick himself
While the guy drinks from a can, not paper, not a bottle,
Since he’s socially responsible
a) ironic, or
b) an entitled, self-​absorbed jackass?
A dog walks through the dining area, past my $ 9 turkey sandwich.
Now, four dogs.
Dogs bark.
Dogs everywhere.
And the kids pet the dogs, and enjoy their special place.
Perhaps it’s the dining area’s picnic tables that confuse the kids and their dogs, and
Perhaps they don’t recognize that they’re inside. Or, sadly, pitifully,
Perhaps inside isn’t special, where the kids live.
On the other hand, it’s possible that the kids are just distracted.
The music and the wifi are bangin’, and I count:
38 smart phones,
19 laptops,
1 tablet,
0 conversations
and a line of people waiting to pay $ 9 for a turkey sandwich.
Whatevs. I’ll be senile soon, checked-​out and happy.
But the kids will have to explain to their kids that college is out of reach, because they once believed that $ 9 was the right price for a turkey sandwich. They’ll also have to justify the family’s chewed up furniture, explaining that they had owned dogs, but didn’t control them properly. Their kids will hate them, but as a consolation, that feeling will be familiar.

Why do I keep coming back here? The chai latte is okay, but not marvelous. My Yogi Bowl was pretty plain. Ginger beer had way too much sugar.
Although the food and drink options are not for me, everything else works. The staff is nice and the atmosphere is perfect! There are always tons of people working on their laptops, inspiring me to be productive, and the music is pretty mellow. The huge open windows bring in a great breeze and are nice for people watching. Even though it’s always full, I’ve always been able to find a seat. The wifi works well and the bathroom is always clean. This is a great study spot, probably excellent for coffee/​beer fanatics. On the food side, I have enjoyed the cheese paninis! They have inventive concoctions.

Improved lighting and airflow.
Great vibe, friendly staff.
Internet is pretty consistent and has decent speeds.
Great place to study or leisure a beer.
Solid, late night hours.

This is a great coffee shop, right in the middle of 30^th. I came here after a search of coffee shops and was not disappointed. The first time I went here, I ordered the acai bowl, which is something I have never tried before. For my first acai bowl, it was good. Tasted very healthy. It did take a long time to make for some reason, but I was studying, so I was gonna be there for a while anyways. There are other food options as well, which I haven’t tried yet.
The second time I came here was to study again. There are plenty of seats throughout the store, but they are always ALL taken. This is a common place for people to go and study for extensive periods of time. They have large tables for group study and tables lining the walls for those who want to have individual study without distraction. There are also outlets throughout the booth tables. Very student friendly, with free Wi-​fi as well!
The staff is very nice as well and you can keep a tab open for coffee while you study. This is useful if you only have a credit/​debit card because they charge extra if your purchase is below $ 5. The latte is tasty and the tea selection is pretty good. They also serve local beers and pastries for snacks.
Some cons:
1. Parking is horrendous, you will be lucky to find street parking
2. There is no A/​C, so the door is wide open and often times, there are homeless people kinda lurking next to the door, which discourages sitting too close to the exit
3. Some people stay the entire day, so they kinda take up seating for others
4. There is one bathroom for the entire establishment
5. The lighting is dim, yet if you are facing the window, its also a glare while sitting in dim light
I had to point out the cons, but this is still a 4 star coffee shop. If you are in the area and looking for a place to do some work and can find good parking, I highly recommend this place.

On the search for a good acai bowl and came across this place. Their acai bowl are the real deal, no sweetener honey needed (although I would’ve liked some) and you can taste the fresh herb from from the berries. Plus, the texture is thick and not runny like most acai bowls from other places.
The atmosphere is very nice for studying or getting some work done. It was difficult for me to find parking though.

What a cute little hipster spot in North Park! I stopped by this morning because I was in the area and I needed coffee to fuel my day. I ordered a vanilla iced blended coffee and it was about $ 5. The coffee was good and the service was friendly.
I would come back next time if I am in the area because there’s plenty of seating where I could read or study.
I parked in the neighborhood across the street and the the neighborhoods have unlimited parking. However, you would need to watch out for the street sweeping.

Love this place… it’s another favorite spot for my writing. I can almost always find a seat and there are outlets Everywhere! So I never have to worry that I’m going to have a dead in the water laptop… I’m always plugged in!
There are seats for one, seats for two, or seats for 5 of your new best friends. I always find myself at the communal table to be productive with other people.
This is my second time here… I love the food… so simple and good. The power toast (with bacon) is the way to go!
Free wifi. Lots of seating. Outlets galore. and did I mention they have a couple chairs with yoga balls… I can be productive, eat, and work my core! haha…

YH is a solid spot for getting work done: low ambient noise, focused people, reliable internet, good food options.
The power toast is good but it irks me to spend $ 5 on a slice of bread smeared with avocado. The breakfast sandwich is also nice and filling and a better deal at $ 6. The romaine wedges are tasty but feel too pricey. I’d rather eat the oatmeal-​apricot cookie from Bread and Cie. Ask for it warmed up – you won’t regret it.