Everything you need to know about Deja Brew Lounge

Hello and welcome back to Chai Everything! It feels like I've been gone forever. Why, you ask? Well, in a shocking turn of events, I actually had to move back to the midwest to finish up my last semester of college! Yes, yes - there are a LOT of emotions. But that's not what you're here for.

Coffee, baby. Beautiful, beautiful coffee.

(Left to right) thewoodenskillet.com, thatcoffeehouse.tumblr.com, simplyhailey.wixsite.com

Ahhh, yeah. That's nice.

Anyway. Upon finding out I was moving back to Oklahoma for the semester, my sisters and I decided I needed to have some sort of goodbye to San Diego. So, in true Chai Everything fashion, we concocted a full-blown "Hillcrest Sister Coffee Crawl." Hey, what's wrong with being a little extra?

**Heads up! There's a full Coffee Crawl Youtube video coming your way!**

Choosing where to go for coffee in the Hillcrest/North Park neighborhoods can be quite overwhelming, trust me. Miraculously, our head of research put together a succinct list of coffee shops we needed to try. From there, we narrowed it down to 3 shops we would try in one day.

Photo from tripsavvy.com

Deja Brew Lounge was our second stop of the day. Located on University Ave, it looks out onto a busy street and boasts plenty of street parking. The building itself actually seems to be an old house that has been repurposed into a coffee shop.

The interior is open for the most part, but there are a few different nooks you can visit. The entire aesthetic is very Instagrammy. Personally, it's not my cup of tea. However, you could definitely get some adorable photos for the gram while you're there, so I'll refrain from judging too hard.

Photos from sandiego.eater.com

But you all know that when push comes to shove - idc about your aesthetic. I care about your chai. So let's get into it.

For those of you who adore a little ~francais~ from time to time, you should know - Deja Brew's menu is definitely NOT anything you've seen before.

Photos from Yelp and sdvoyager.com

Deja Brew has, by far, one of the most unique and inventive menus I've ever seen. If you don't believe me, check it out for yourself here.

Here are the dirty (pun intended) details of our Deja Brew experience:

Order: 16oz iced vanilla chai w/ oat milk +1 shot espresso

Rating: 4/5 - would definitely go again

Price: $5.12 (cheapest of the day)

Service: 5/5

Other: paper straws!

Let me just preface this by saying that the odds were absolutely against Deja Brew. We made a bit of a miscalculation in the distance between Location 1 & Deja Brew, and we ended up walking. In 90 degree weather. For a while.

Needless to say, I was drenched in sweat and extremely grumpy by the time we arrived at the lounge. However - Deja Brew's delicious vanilla chai immediately lifted my spirits.

As we sat outside on the spacious patio (complete with fun games & plenty of seating), I was pleasantly surprised by just how excellent the chai was. It's sweet (but not syrupy), creamy, and doesn't have too much of any given spice.

She's got that certain... je ne sais quoi. In fact, this chai was slightly reminiscent of the famous Blue Mug chai, in that it had a deep, almost chocolate-y taste. The espresso was a welcome accompaniment; it was not bitter, nor did it conflict with any of the other flavors.

I will definitely be getting this chai again - but not before I explore the rest of Deja Brew's menu!

Photo from sandiego.eater.com

So, what are your thoughts? Have you tried Deja Brew? Let us know in the comments down below!

Not that into chai? Don't leave yet! Deja Brew's menu is super cool and has a very wide-range - they've got everything from taro to ceremonial matcha to activated charcoal. Make sure to give them a try and comment down below your order & review! We LOVE to hear from you.

Until next time!

Hugs & scones,

Micah at Chai Everything