Fairbanks Coffee

Good coffee! They’re often out of coffee though, and having to wait for it between classes isn’t always an option. At other places when they’re out of coffee, they’ll offer an Americano for the same price, but not here unfortunately. You also have to ask for cream every single time because they put it away, which again, takes up time since sometimes the barista/​cashier is busy with other people and can’t give it to you right away. Sugar, cinnamon, and honey also run out constantly without being refilled

It shouldn’t take 20 minutes to get a small cup of mocha. Mocha tasted ok, but definitely not worth the wait.

In the past years I have found that Fairbanks’ hours are never as they say (I find them to always open later and close earlier than they advertise). The price is also a bit high for espresso, which is not surprising given the high-​traffic location of this place, but I find that I tend to get charged differently for the same drink every time I come here, and I can’t make any sense out of the price differences! I just hope they balance out, in the end. Additionally, the service here is slow when they’re busy and the baristas attitudes are definitely hit or miss. The last time I dropped by the guy working at the stand was looking pretty grim. The couple ahead of me in line asked how his day was, and he pretty much replied that it had been crappy, due to some customers complaining about the service. Although honest, it was a bit of a downer, so I gave him a generous tip to cheer him up. At which point he forgot to give me the pastry I had ordered. I think that’s what you call a win-​lose situation, with me being the loser. Definitely not a huge fan, so I try and remember to bring my own coffee to lab when possible. I recommend that you do the same!

Fairbanks is my favorite coffee on campus! I love that it’s located near major lecture halls so I can grab something to drink right before class. I usually get an iced chai latte which is very good but can sometimes have powder left at the bottom as they use a powder chai mix rather than a syrup like Starbucks. I very much prefer the Fairbanks chai lattes over the Markets. Fairbanks also has very very good Mexican Mochas, which I order when I’m looking for something with more caffeine.
One drawback for me is that it doesn’t carry a lot of food. Occasionally they have chobani yogurt cups, and very rarely can you find sandwiches. Otherwise your options are limited to granola bars or chips. Also, the smoothies are not very good, tasting almost like thin milkshakes. I prefer a thicker, fruitier taste from my smoothies. Lastly, the card machine takes a very very long time to process, but this can easily be solved by having cash.

People complain that this place is kind of, a little on the expensive side. But hey, its good espresso, ya know?
Now, when i come here to get my coffee on, the drinks are usually on the good side of things… but ive noticed that it really depends on the person behind the counter making the bev that determines the quality.
the older guy (the owner maybe?) is def one of the better baristas, but understandably he cant always be working at the location that i usually got to (med school area).
Ive had my drinks made a few times by this one cool chick (long haired brunette, wears high socks). She seems personable and is def knowledgable of the different types of drinks and she seems to be one of the only ones who properly foams the drinks. On the other hand though, a lot of the workers can be slightly careless during the busier times. Im not too sure how the shift supervisor sorts out who works where… there is this one blonde female worker who seems to work the med stand a lot that seems to be short with customers to the point of me feeling uncomfortable waiting for my order (no offense).
Other than that, I def recommend this place! Great coffee and espresso. I usually get the cappuccino or an iced americano. If you’re looking for something on the sweeter side, the white chocolate mocha is also realllllly good.

Well love this place minus a few issues… One they are charging 25 cents to use credit card now, with the over head they charge for coffee I think this is retarded… The only other complaint that I have is that some of the girls that work at these stands wear way to much perfume… Last thing I want at 8 in the morning is to be blasted with someone who has taken a bath in perfume… I might continue to stop at these carts but not of I have to use a credit card plenty of other carts and places on campus that don’t charge fees…

Fairbanks Coffee has stands pretty much everywhere around campus. I usually frequent the one at Center Hall since I have most of my classes there. It’s definitely not quite on par with Art of Espresso, but it will get the job done for those who don’t feel like trekking to Mandeville Theatre. They offer a good choice of coffee, espresso drinks, and chai, along with snacks, fruit, muffins, and other small food.
This girl who runs the stand at Center every Wednesday afternoon makes a damn good white chocolate mocha!
Only thing is, a medium size cup runs around $ 4, so it’s not exactly ideal on your personal finances to be spending $ 20 a week just for coffee.
Bottom line, if you don’t have time to go to Art of Espresso or Peets, Fairbanks is a decent choice.
*EDIT: 2/​20/​13*
The same girl at the Center Hall location also makes an AWESOME chai latte! It’s very much on par with the ones I’ve had around campus like at Zanzibar Café or even at the Art of Espresso stand! I highly recommend it. :)
*EDIT: 2/​20/​13*

I love that there are Fairbanks coffee carts all over campus. My most frequented one is outside of Warren lecture hall, or maybe the one outside of Center Hall. I just love the quaint, collegey atmosphere these mini, portable cafes add to the UCSD campus, particularly in the Engineering quad and outside of Mandeville auditorium.
The carts offer premade sandwiches, fruit, water, soda, juice, and little snacks. I like getting the little bag of animal crackers. My favorite drink is the chai latte, which is sooo good. But the dirty chai is always good for the pre-​class pick-​me-​up and caffeine fix.
The only issue I have is that my drink is so expensive! It’s about $ 4, which is twice the price of the same drink at Muir Woods in JMC, where I will gladly make the trek to after class.

During midterms and finals season, I frequent the coffee cart near BML a lot. It’s what keeps me awake and studying. I usually get their white chocolate mocha or chai tea latte (or «spice on ice» if it’s cold). Both are decent. Never really tried their other drinks but refills are only $ 1 so I will bring my own cup next time.

I’ve literally never bought coffee on campus before but decided I really needed a pick-​me-​up today and got a non-​fat iced latte from the stand in SSB. It was a new barista making my coffee (someone else was coaching her), so I won’t be too harsh, but my latte kinda sucked. It was mostly milk and tasted like… watery milk. I had to put 2 Splendas in it to make it drinkable. For $ 3.50, I was sad. Points for being friendly though!

Fairbanks is littered all over UCSD, and brews a decent cup of Joe. I go to the one right outside the BSB at the Med School and the girl behind the counter is friendly most of the time, and they sell pretty decent pastries and food options (e.g. bananas or yogurt). It’s nothing to rave about, by any means, but the convenience factor is definitely a plus (How do you think a ‘meh’ coffee place like Starbucks got so big?)
The only truly downside I have about this place is the single time I was served up some sour milk with a side of espresso… man…I was all the way to work by the time I noticed, too. I’m not sure what happened exactly, as that was the only time it happened, but it was disgusting enough to leave a bitter taste in my mouth, and my review.
So, don’t be afraid to go to one if the feeling strikes and you can’t make it over to Perks in PC or Art by Mandeville. They’ll give you the caff you need, and that’s really all we care about, no?