When walking up to Halcyon the first thing that one would notice is the open, airy environment of the new coffee shop, bar, and bistro, created as a part of their simple, yet hipster aesthetic. It gives the patrons the illusion that the building doesn’t exist, a feeling of being outside.
Halcyon is originally based out of East Village. Their new San Marcos location is the easiest and closest coffee shop for the California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) students to access.
A mixture of coffee, food, long hours, upbeat music, and great employees, Halcyon may just be your new favorite venue.
Upon approaching the register to place your order you may just meet, Nico Kiesel, a Halcyon employee who has been working at the new location since it opened just a few weeks ago. Kiesel already loves his job as a result of great co-workers and fun customers.
“I like working here because of the atmosphere, the people. You know, we are right in the middle of a college area, lot of college traffic coming through. It’s good to see new people” said Kiesel.
Stacy Shannon, the Halcyon marketing manager and bartender, manages events, social media, and sometimes you can find her working at the bar. Shannon couldn’t wait to rave about the location, alcoholic beverages and success of the soft opening.
“We have a really nice spot. Like, all the people from this apartment building come down and the college is so close, it’s just so nice. We have great service and really cool stuff…we have some really cool crafty cocktails” said Shannon.
The “Rotating Gimmie” is a unique and exceptional cocktail that is unique to Halcyon. It consists of Gin, a seasonal house made syrup, and fresh lime. It has a refreshing fruity taste, that takes one straight to a beautiful summery at the beach.
Halcyon is known for their coffee, and used it to create some very unique Espresso based cocktails. One of which is the, Cosmonaut. It consists of a Vanilla Vodka, half and half, espresso, and Barghetti. The Cosmonaut has just the right strength in alcohol with an added wake me up coffee kick.
On the other hand, however, their Thai Iced Coffee and the Macchiato contains a strong flavor for coffee lovers that like to go hard.
CSUSM student, Aisha Green, has been attending the local Cal State for the last two years, and is happy to finally have easy access to coffee. Over the course of the first week that Halcyon opened, Green has been three times.
“It’s so nice to like wake up early in the morning and have a coffee place to go to…Their coffee, which is absolutely amazing, [and] their Carmel Frapp, oh my god, it is life changing. Way better than Starbucks” said Green.
Andy Tenn, who worked with the developers, Sea Breeze Properties, that helped bring Halcyon to San Marcos was enjoying a Pineapple Express sandwich (Swiss cheese, black forest ham, pineapple-spicy ginger chutney, oven roasted chicken, and arugula) and a cold brew coffee.
“It’s my first lunch here. It’s got really good spice on it, the chicken is cooked really well. I like the addition of the ham, the bread is really soft… this is a five [star] lunch. I’m very happy, I’m very pleased today” said Tenn.
Halcyon is opened from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday thru Thursday, 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. The new location is located on 250 N City Drive. Halycon will also be working with Stella Public House, which is a beer and wood-fire pizza eatery that has yet to open.
