About Caterina’s
Beyond their size, small businesses are defined by their spirit. And at the helm are their intrepid founders—scrappy, ambitious, and resilient. They invent and build things despite uncertainty, because it’s what drives them. Their risks lead to innovation that moves the world forward. And we need them.
⭐️ 1 star — HORRIBLE DISGUSTING ALMOST DISCRIMINATORY RIDICULOUS Disrespectful, unwelcoming, and wildly overpriced I stopped at Caterina’s Caffee on the San Clemente Pier planning to grab gelato/ice cream while waiting for my wife and child to arrive. I sat at an outdoor table, pulled out my MacBook Air, and connected to my own personal hotspot (not their Wi-Fi) so I could get a little work done while I waited. Within moments, the owner approached and told me I “can’t use a laptop here.” Not politely. Not professionally. Not like a business that appreciates customers. The tone was abrupt, hostile, and unnecessarily rude — like I was doing something wrong simply by sitting quietly at an outdoor table, minding my own business. To be clear: I wasn’t taking up a whole section, I wasn’t being loud, I wasn’t bothering anyone, and I wasn’t asking for anything free. I was literally waiting for my family and trying to be productive for a few minutes. If there’s a “no laptop” policy, fine — but then post it clearly and communicate it with basic decency. The way this was handled felt like I was being singled out and treated with contempt. The overall vibe was shockingly unwelcoming — the kind of place that makes you feel like customers are a nuisance instead of the reason the business exists. For a pier café where people naturally sit, wait, and relax, this makes zero sense. And then the pricing… outrageous. I’ve seen expensive tourist spots, but this was next level. $27 for ice cream/gelato is not “premium,” it’s just excessive — especially when the service and attitude are this bad. If you’re going to charge luxury prices, you need to deliver luxury hospitality. This was the opposite. Bottom line: Beautiful location, but the experience was unpleasant enough that I won’t return. If you value friendly service, basic respect, and reasonable pricing, I’d strongly suggest taking your money somewhere else on the pier.
We ordered the Coconut Caramel and their Creme Brulee lattes as well as Stella's Breakfast Tacos and the Turkey & Avo Panini Sandwich. The coconut caramel was to sweet, the staff fixed it without any addtl charges. The creme brulee was ok. The Stella Tacos tasted bland, needs something added to it. The Turkey & Avo sandwich was over the top. They went over the top with the avacados. Plenty of seating. Parking available for a fee nearby. Nice view of the beach across the street. Place was clean. They have a good option of ice cream and chocolates.
While we sitting at an outdoor table next to a public bench(as shown in this pic), Not the patio area with the pink umbrellas). While we are deciding what we want to order from this store later. A man ran out approaching and rudely telling my husband and my 4yo child to move and sit on the bench next to the table. The way he spoke to us was not polite and disrespectful. Which made the situation very uncomfortable. If there is a policy that certain which tables are reserved for customers only. There is certainly understandable. However, the way it was talked to us was unprofessional. The experience was unpleasant and let my child and us feeing unwelcome.
The staff was very nice, the atmosphere and location was AMAZING, however…. the food was AWFUL. Maybe they have good deserts but I spent 24$ on a 12 inch pinch and it was the worst pizza I had in my life. Visually it was very sad and underwhelming and the flavor was also not good. The worst part was how my jaw was getting sore from chewing my pizza dough so hard because it was SO chewy. Awful, I would definitely NOT recommend the Margarita Pizza.
This place reminds me of little cafes I have been to in Cuba. Very authentic very cute with a big difference though which is the selection of the foods and beverages. I wouldn’t mind their chocolates but the bakery section is amazing. So is the coffee.