Lazy Eye Coffee

About Lazy Eye Coffee

Lazy Eye Coffee is a wholesome coffee shop in North Park. It’s an ideal place for reading, studying, catching up with a friend, or when you’re looking for a coffee shop that doesn’t overwhelm with you social-media aesthetics. There is plenty of seating from small work tables, communal spots, couches, benches, and seats looking out the window, so you don’t need to fight too hard for a spot. Not in North Park? Don’t sweat, they have two other locations: a small walk-up shop in Mission Beach, and a drive-thru in Bayho.

Best Parts

A genuine 90’s coffee shop vibe that feels like a community hub
Dog-friendly
Great food like the breakfast sando, don’t for get the spicy “Lazy sauce”
Really cool coffee mugs for when you take your order in-house

Behind The Counter

We had the pleasure of speaking with Ashley, the owner and genius behind Lazy Eye Coffee.

When did Lazy Eye first open and where?
It first opened in May of 2019, in Bayho as a little coffee drive through.

How has your business evolved since opening your first location? And how might it continue to evolve?
After the first one, I opened a second location in South Mission Beach which was a walk-up coffee cart, and then two years later opened brick and mortar in North Park. With the new location, we went from a very small precise menu, to a more eclectic menu with diverse drinks, more seasonal flavors, and more food items.

What inspired you to get into the coffee business?
I have been working in the coffee industry for 18 years, and it was supposed to be a college job to pay for tuition, but I slowly learned it, found passion in the industry, and worked in every iteration from barista, to manager to importing, and eventually I decided I wanted to try it for myself.

Do you have any plans or dreams for the future of the shop?
Currently I would like to grow internally, do more music and events, more bottled syrups and items for retail, and from there who knows.

Are there any ways that lazy eye likes to support or engage with the local community?
I donate to several causes, usually based on local clientele who have established relationships with us like Dine In San Diego, and also VOLO to support kids sports. I also love having local musicians here to perform. We’ve had a handful of performances by locals who support the business, and we love to create space for people to showcase what they’re working on.

Do you source our coffee from anywhere specific?
We get our coffee from Verve coffee roasters, they source from lots of regions, so it’s very seasonal and fresh.

What’s your personal favorite thing on your menu? Your go-to drink?
I am old school and like a classic cup of coffee. Cold brew, black. I always go for seasonal drinks which we love to do – right now we have a cherry berry pie latte. And for food I love the veggie bagel nammich.

Who’s the cool dog in your logo?
That’s Hamlet. His philosophy is to pee or not to pee. He makes the perfect mascot because we are dog friendly and we have lots of dog friends at Lazy Eye, and we even offer pup-cups.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue their dreams of opening a small business?
Start now! The best thing to do is invest in yourself, take little steps, and you’ll figure everything out as you go. Sometimes you have too many ideas and uncertainty and you’re afraid to start. But the reality is nobody knows everything, so you need to start, and refine and fix. You’ll make mistakes, but you will learn.

Is there anything you would like the community to know about Lazy Eye Coffee?
What makes us special is we try to treat everyone like family. And we do that through our energy, our attitude, and quality of food or drinks. There was also a big phase of really clean industrial style, and we want people to feel comfortable in our coffee shop, so we emphasize a cozy, welcoming, 90’s style aesthetic.