The Template

What people go for here

The Template is an art-saturated Ocean Beach gathering place where a well-made cortado or cappuccino shares the spotlight with kava, local installations, open mics, and live music. Its roomy, calmer daytime setup can work for conversation or a laptop session, but event programming can transform the same room into a lively performance venue, and the light food selection is not the main attraction.

• Traditional espresso drinks
• Kava Sunshine with coconut milk

Worth knowing: The room can shift from calm daytime café to full live-performance energy, so event days are better for music and community than quiet calls. The food selection is light, and pastry freshness receives mixed feedback; plan on drinks and atmosphere rather than a full meal.

The coffee

Community arts café serving locally roasted coffee and specialty drinks inside a working gallery and performance venue.

Coffee is part of a wider art-and-community program rather than a disclosed house-roasting operation. Local coverage identifies locally roasted coffee and kava among the drinks. A November 2025 visit described the cappuccino as flavorful and bold, with slight but agreeable bitterness and expertly poured foam, served in a ceramic mug.

The room

Quirky and surprisingly spacious, with colorful painted doors, local art, shared tables, sofas, a disco ball, and the lived-in feel of a community venue.

A quirky, surprisingly spacious art-filled café with a quieter rear seating area by day and scheduled performances, film nights or open mics after café hours.

The space

Spacious

Inside

Ample tables, shared tables, large sofas, and quieter seating toward the back.

Outside

An outdoor patio is reported.

When it fills up

Can be uncrowded on ordinary daytime visits; scheduled music, open mics, dance, and community events create event-driven peaks.

Noise

Often conversation-friendly and quieter toward the back by day; loud and performance-oriented during events.

Parking

Street parking in central Ocean Beach.