Coffee Dose in Costa Mesa, CA: What to Expect

Before you walk into Coffee Dose, you’ll see a sign with a playful warning: “If you don’t have a sense of humor, try Starbucks.”

Coffee Dose’s flagship location in Costa Mesa is bucking the trend of the past decade's Scandinavian-themed coffee shops.

It has a white exterior but inside, you’re transported to a 1980s retro diner, complete with pink countertops and green checkered floors. Its dishware is plastered with phrases that aren’t for the easily offended—things like “fuck mornings” “don’t be an asshole” and “anti-bitch serum”.

We spoke with co-founders Jeni and Oscar Castro, who wanted to bring something a little less subtle to the Orange County coffee scene:

“Our goal is to deliver high quality caffeination with a side of humor. We want to remind people not to take life so seriously, hence our cheeky branding and 'naughty' cups. Most third wave coffee shops feel cold and pretentious, so we wanted to serve the same quality of coffee with a better, more inviting atmosphere. Coffee Dose makes specialty coffee more approachable and a lot more fun... and a lot more 'French'. Making SoCal a happier place, one Anti Bitch Serum at a time.”

It's not just the drinks that stand out at Coffee Dose; the atmosphere here is distinctly more vibrant than your typical jazz-blasting espresso joint (their front of house staff are called “vibe dealers”).

Here, you can snap the perfect Instagram photo or enjoy brunch with friends after walking the Upper Back Bay trail. Some favorite entrees here are the Chill-aquiles, Chi Chi Burrito, and a sandwich called Sir Psycho Sexy.

In a place where conservative traditions often prevail, Coffee Dose reminds us that it’s not all that serious.

Key Info

Address: 2675 Irvine Ave Suite E, Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Parking: Free parking lot

Meet Jeni and Oscar Castro

Tell us about your journey to opening Coffee Dose!

Jeni Castro
*Photo credit: Maria Bentley of Studio1208*

It all started when we were laying in bed and I blurted out, "I want to open a coffee shop." My husband knows that I always execute my crazy ideas, so after a long, confused stare, he says, "But... we have no coffee shop experience." I giggled and said that drinking it three times a day was at least a good start! What started as a dream has quickly grown into our reality, creative outlet, family business, and passion. We started out in the corner of a hair salon, and expanded to now having five locations in Orange County with a catering business on the side. When we first opened inside the hair salon, we had no idea the business would take off the way it did—we constantly ran numbers to see how many drinks we would sell just to be able to to keep the lights on, but within weeks our lines were wrapped around the corner.

We pride ourselves on creating a space that's friendly to both the coffee snob and the basic bitch. Whether you're looking for a classic cortado or a yummy drink with a funky flavor, our menu has something for everyone, made with the finest ingredients. We make all of our syrups in house, use our own roast called the Anti Bitch Blend, use the best plant-based milks, and have a menu of Rx Lattes (with ingredients like charcoal, collagen, etc.) that have a variety of health benefits. If coffee is something most people consume daily, we want to provide a menu with real ingredients instead of something full of excess sugar and carcinogens like most coffee chains.

What’s the story behind your unique branding and messaging?

We know that we’re not for everyone, but we were never meant to be. The branding directly reflects both Oscar's and my personality. We are very bold, unfiltered people who aren’t afraid to say what everyone else is thinking, and that’s exactly what we wanted Coffee Dose to be. Most third wave coffee shops feel so dead and cold, so we wanted to serve the same quality of drinks in a place that actually felt warm and welcoming. We wanted to make specialty coffee approachable, playful, and fun. We wanted to create a place that reminded people to have a sense of humor. Everything we do at Coffee Dose is meant to be a reminder that life is too short to take everything so seriously all the time!

What do you like about being located in Orange County?

Honestly, what’s not to like? Orange County is a little bubble of paradise. Not only do we have some of the best weather and prettiest beaches in the country, we also have a really strong local community! Though Orange County is pretty big, it often has that small town feel—we have so many ride or dies here that have been with us since we were just a tiny little shop in the corner of a salon. Supporting local business (and local caffeine dealers, of course) is a value most Orange County residents share and because of that, the community is pretty tightly knit. We have a lot of really amazing and unique businesses, entrepreneurs, and people here in OC and we’re so grateful to be a part of it!

What do you hope visitors will take away from a visit to Coffee Dose?

Oscar Castro
*Photo credit: Maria Bentley of Studio1208*

An unforgettable experience. We don’t want to be the Coffee Shop with the white walls you got a mediocre flat white from a few years ago. We want to be the loud, abrasive, cheeky coffee shop that you go home and tell your friends about, and keep coming back to. We want to be the first place you bring your guests after they hop off the plane at SNA. We want to be the place you want to start your favorite days with, the place you go to treat yourself, the place that makes you feel seen. We tried to create a 360 experience, focusing on details all the way from the quality of the drinks to the branding, interiors, service, and even the music you hear when you’re in the cafe. The ambiance and instagrammability is what brings people in, but the food and drinks are what keep people coming back.

Any Insider info you want to share with readers?

We switch up our seasonal menu every couple of months to keep things fresh and exciting. Our current seasonal drink menu consists of two drinks: the Basic Witch, which is basically our take on a PSL but without all of the fake ingredients, and the Cereal Killer, which is a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch in the form of a latte. We also have a very exciting new drink launching in mid-September called the Shocker, which is a new 24oz. energy drink! The first flavor we’ll be debuting is a sugar-free Rizzberry Lemonade and trust me when I tell you, you’re going to want to try this.

A few other hidden Dose secrets are signature drinks! Each location has it’s own signature drink, just like it has it’s own aesthetic. The Dreamsicle/Greensicle, an orange vanilla latte or matcha, is available year-round at Dose in the Box in Irvine. The Kailee Baby, a brown sugar latte named after a regular of ours who started a petition to keep it permanently, is available year-round at the Coffee Dose Clubhouse in Laguna Hills. The Gorgeous Gorgeous Girls Latte, a rose latte with collagen and pink vanilla sweet cream, as well as our Vietnamese Iced Coffee are available exclusively at Rodeo Dose, located inside of Rodeo39 Public Market in Stanton, CA. The MicroDose Drive Thru serves two exclusive frozen drinks: the Pink Flamingo, a frozen pink lemonade, and the Quickie, a frozen oat milk latte with vanilla bean syrup and optional vegan caramel. The Flagship’s exclusive drink is the Green Queen, a delicious matcha lemonade.

We wanted to bring something unique to the table at each Coffee Dose location because we wanted to encourage our community to experience them all! Every location is decked out in different decor, color schemes, and menus—we even customized our own wallpaper at the Clubhouse location! If you look closely, you’ll see our CD Smiley in the center of the pattern.