A visit to Scout Morro Bay: cafe, bakery and roastery in one building

Scout Morro Bay is at 390 Morro Bay Blvd, a few blocks up from the Embarcadero. It is a cafe, a scratch bakery and a working coffee roastery in one remodeled bank building, open 6:30am to 6:30pm every day. It is the Scout flagship, and the place to see how the coffee and the pastries at every Scout cafe are made.

Here is how to plan a visit.

The basics

• Address: 390 Morro Bay Blvd, Morro Bay, CA 93442
• Hours: 6:30am to 6:30pm, every day
• Parking: a lot on site, with 8 Tesla Supercharger stalls open to Tesla and other EVs, 24 hours
• Getting there: a few blocks up the hill from the Embarcadero, just off Highway 1

The building

The cafe opened in 2024 in a former Bank of America branch in downtown Morro Bay, about 6,000 square feet over 2 stories. The remodel kept the old bank vault, which is now part of the cafe. The photo story shows the whole build, from trenches cut into the bank floor to the first busy morning at the coffee bar.

The roastery, behind glass

HoneyCo Coffee Roasters is Scout's own roastery, and it roasts every coffee Scout serves. Since 2024 it has run on a Loring Kestrel 35 behind glass at this cafe, in full view of the seating. Order a coffee, take a seat where you can see the roaster, and you can watch a batch run from green to brown to the drop into the cooling tray.

Every batch is logged as it runs, with temperature readings every 4 seconds from several probes. There are tens of thousands of saved batches, and each new roast is checked against them so the coffee tastes the same from one season to the next.

The roastery page explains the Loring and the buying behind the coffee.

The bakery

Everything in the case at all 3 Scout cafes is made from scratch here, every day. The croissants run on a 3 day lamination. The bread for the sandwiches, the syrups in the drinks and the almond milk are made in house too. Morro Bay is the one cafe where the pastries do not travel: they come out of the oven and go straight to the case.

Read more on the bakery page and in Croissants in San Luis Obispo.

What to order

• An espresso drink. Classic Espresso is the coffee in every espresso drink at Scout.
• A drip coffee. Scout House Blend is the coffee on drip at every location, and here it is served a few steps from the roaster that made it.
• A croissant, or anything else from the case.
• A bag of coffee for the road. The retail shelf carries whole bean coffee from the roastery you are looking at.

A day in Morro Bay with coffee

Scout opens at 6:30am, which puts you on the Embarcadero with a coffee before most of the waterfront opens. Come back up the hill in the afternoon for a second coffee and a pastry, and take a bag of whole bean home.

For drivers, Morro Bay is a natural stop on Highway 1. Big Sur is up the road, and Scout's lot has the 8 Supercharger stalls under a solar canopy, up to 325 kW, open to Tesla and other EVs around the clock. Charging details are in Tesla Supercharger in Morro Bay.

The other Scout cafes

Scout also has 2 cafes in San Luis Obispo, both open 6:30am to 6:30pm every day: Garden Street at 1130 Garden Street downtown, and Foothill at 880 Foothill Blvd next to Cal Poly. There is a Scout on the Cal Poly campus too, run by Campus Dining. All locations.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Scout Coffee in Morro Bay?

Scout Morro Bay is at 390 Morro Bay Blvd, Morro Bay, CA 93442, a few blocks up from the Embarcadero. It is open 6:30am to 6:30pm every day and has a parking lot with 8 Tesla Supercharger stalls.

Can you watch coffee being roasted at Scout Morro Bay?

Yes. HoneyCo Coffee Roasters, Scout's own roastery, roasts on a Loring Kestrel 35 behind glass inside the Morro Bay cafe. Customers can watch batches roast from the seating area.

Is there a bakery at Scout Morro Bay?

Yes. The Scout bakery is inside the Morro Bay cafe. It makes every pastry served at all 3 Scout cafes from scratch every day, including croissants on a 3 day lamination.

What is the Scout Morro Bay building?

Scout Morro Bay opened in 2024 in a remodeled former Bank of America building in downtown Morro Bay. It is about 6,000 square feet over 2 stories and holds the cafe, the bakery and the HoneyCo roastery. The original bank vault was kept.

Is there EV charging at Scout Morro Bay?

Yes. The Scout Morro Bay parking lot has 8 Tesla Supercharger stalls under a solar canopy, up to 325 kW, open 24 hours to Tesla and other EVs. The cafe is open 6:30am to 6:30pm every day.