Philz Coffee

330 W Bonita Ave, Claremont, CA 91711

Disclaimer: I do not agree with all of Philz taking down their pride flags from all of their stores. They did come out with a statement in April of 2026 apologizing and saying they made a mistake so choose if you wish to continue to support them or not, but most of these purchases have been made before this scandal. 

(Philz has (as of April 2026) made a statement apologizing to the community and have decided to keep their flags up). “I made a mistake, and I am sincerely sorry.-" https://philzcoffee.com/philz-coffee-brings-back-pride-flags

ABC News Bay Area

The Backstory: Yes! Phil is his real name! You can learn the full story from what they have on their website https://philzcoffee.com/our-story but basically Phil was passionate about learning how to make a really good cup of coffee and spent 25 years perfecting it. They make sure their beans are sustainably sourced and they roast their beans in their own facility. You can buy their blend at the store to roast at home. They are passionate about sustainability and giving back to their community. They partner with many organizations such as Food 4 Farmers, the Point Foundation, and Too Good To Go. If you care about a coffee company that shares your values, this is a good place to at least start going.

4/5

The Review: 4/5

• Oat Milk Latte: So, I did not like the basic oat milk latte. I’m pretty sure it is because all the other shops use vanilla oat milk and I’m just a little bitch that needs sweetness to my coffee but I ordered a different drink when I was studying there. Philz, however, is made to be customizable and you can change the sweetness and how much milk is in it. Their app specifically lets you customize everything as you order, so next time I recommend getting the Tesora blend (their most popular blend) (notes of caramel, chocolate, and nuts), large, with "creamy" "oat milk" and "medium" or even "light" "sugar" (can also be replaced with honey, Splenda or Stevia). And I think it will be better. 2/10 how I made it. 7/10 with changing it.

• The featured drink: Philz is known for their specialty drinks so this is where it’s at. I’ve tried the “Mocha Tesora”, the “Tiramisu”, and the “Salted Butterscotch”. For this review I think we’ll focus on the Tiramisu. This drink is made with a Philz bean blend called Philtered Soul(notes of hazelnut flavoring, maple, and caramel), and is described as having a tiramisu swirl with cocoa powder dusted on top. This is a very well balanced drink when ordered just how it comes. There’s a nice bit of sweetness to it but you can still admire the coffee. 9/10 

I forgot to take a picture whoops

• The recommendation: The barista recommended the tiramisu (we all know it's the best now) but when I said I've had that she recommended the “Honey Haze”. The Honey Haze also has the Philtered Soul cold brew with honey and oat milk. If you like a drink on the sweeter side this is the drink for you. Seriously, the honey is such a nice little touch. Something about a cold drink with honey drizzled on top is such a good summer drink. I also just think the Philtered Soul blend is nice. Maybe it's the hazelnut. 9/10

The Price:

• The Oat Milk Latte: $6.15 for a large (tax and tip not included)

• The Tiramisu: $7.15 for a large (tax and tip not included)

• The Honey Haze: $7.15 for a large (tax and tip not included)

3.5/5

The Accessibility: 3.5/5

Parking: There is quite a bit of parking right outside the store, which is not common in Claremont village, so it's a nice change. There are two accessible parking spaces, so, Philz gets a point there!

Outside: Outside the store there is plenty of seating under an awning. The chairs are light and moveable,

The Door: This is one of the times the store will be losing points; the door is your typical, heavy, hard to open door. There is no automatic button, and it isn't the heaviest door to open but it does still suck. Thankfully this store is pretty busy and I can usually get someone to open the door for me. Also, the manager of the store seems to be on top of this as he has opened the door for me multiple times.

The Shop: The shop is relatively spacious and even when it is busy there is a nice flow of where you're supposed to order and where you are supposed to wait for your drink. People are rarely standing around in the middle of the shop so it is pretty easy to get around. In terms of ordering and payment you can do both either at the front counter or on the app. I've done both and in terms of accessibility I recommend ordering at the front counter. This leads me to my next problem... the pick up counter. The front counter which you order is very low, easy to reach everything, however, the pick up counter has been my enemy all three times (and all the other times I've come here). It is tall and it is very hard to get the attention of the baristas because they are talking to each other over the loud machines. In my wheelchair I'm pretty short so it's also hard for them to really notice me on the side. I recommend ordering from the front counter because typically the cashier will inform the barista that you are in a wheelchair so the barista can put your drink on the lower counter for you. However, the one time I ordered from the front counter, my barista forgot and I had to get their attention in order to get my drink. The counter issue seriously loses points for me because it is such a pain in the ass.

Seating: Unlike Starbucks, Philz knows that this is a college town, this leads to the store being full of seating that people can work on. Along the wall by the door, and in the middle of the store there is a long table that has chairs and charging cables along it. Along the back there are booths that have chairs on the other side of the table, and near the bathroom there is a larger table that is meant for their wheelchair customers (or so the little blue man sticker would convey). All of the chairs are lightweight and easy to move.

The Staff: The staff are very nice, and help me when needed but they don't usually go above and beyond like other store's I've been to. The manager, however, really puts in the work to make sure everyone is comfortable. The multiple times I've been there, I have watched him go around the store fixing the merchandise, opening doors for people, checking in on multiple customers. I really feel he takes the time to go above and beyond.

The Bathroom: There is one bathroom that is a single stall, all genders restroom. The door has an automatic button that pushes the door open, as well as a button to lock the door for you. (Extra points tbh). The bathroom itself is your standard one room bathroom. There are hand rails around the toilet. My problem was the soap personally. I have fused elbows and sometimes when the soap is on the wall right next to the sink, the sink is in the way and I have trouble reaching the soap, but that's me being nitpicky.

Overall: This is the coffee shop to go to to study and get some work done. It's a pretty good cup of coffee and they have a lot of fun feature drinks and flavors. Their menu is meant to be customizable (throw back to 2022 when it was pick your roast, pick your milk level, pick your sweetness). As far as accessibility, the automatic button in the bathroom is a concept that should be framed (and honestly used as an example for their own front door). It is something I have not seen in an establishment and if I was only reviewing based on that they would get a 5/5 wheelchairs. However, that is not the only thing I'm looking for. There are big things that need to be thought of when making your store accessible. The front door is number one. The front door is the first impression to your business and if I have trouble opening it on my own, on a bad day, I'll go somewhere else. This store can get away with this, sometimes, as the store is typically pretty busy and someone usually helps. The biggest dock in points, however, is the pick-up counter. The pick-up counter has made me second guess even going to Philz by myself. It's hard to get the barista's attention, and I don't feel like asking another customer to grab my drink for me. This loses them major points when the rest of the store is so accessible. If they took the time and money to put in a new counter, it would improve accessibility greatly. So overall...

The Final Score:

3.75/5

The Sleeve: Philz' cups are pretty insulated and because they focus on sustainability there was no cup sleeve offered. If I make my own using Philz stickers I'll edit this post.