For an early morning pick-me-up, a hard study session, or connecting with friends, you have endless options when it comes to coffee places in San Diego. Each cafe serves a different vibe and a different need. And with the city being very accessible, it’s not hard to reach out and explore all the amazing cafes in San Diego. Everything from authentic Kurdish coffee, to college-style coffee houses where you can play Dungeons & Dragons, to the hipster coffee shops with single succulents on white-washed brick walls, the cafe culture hits hard in San Diego. And with several late night and 24 hours cafes, you can get your craving in no matter what time of day.
After all, what’s a city without great coffee? See below for our list of the best coffee places in San Diego.
The Coffee Places
Holsem Coffee
Holsem Coffee is a upscale coffee shop in North Park that serves probably some of the best cold brew in the city, alongside various creative iced latte drinks and a hearty food menu. It is a great place for splurging a bit on fancier coffee and it also has ample seating for sitting and getting some work done, though it does fill up quick by mid-morning. Holsem Coffee is a high quality coffee shop.
Mostra Coffee
Mostra Coffee is an award winning, very high quality coffee shop with several locations around San Diego. Their cold brew is certainly in the running for the best in the city, but honestly everything they concoct is top notch. They roast their own beans, sourced ethically and sustainably from the Philippines. Mostra is where you go when you want the craft coffee experience; where subtle notes and flavors will make you wonder what you’ve been missing drinking Starbucks for the last ten years.
Provecho! Coffee Co – Barrio Logan
There are not many more aesthetically pleasing coffee houses in San Diego than Provecho! Coffee Co. Located in a warehouse room on the side of an art gallery (Bread and Salt) and extending into a sprawling courtyard, Provecho! is a beautiful place to get a coffee before or after a gallery visit, or to sit and do your art history homework, writing your thesis about the difference between Expressionism and Impressionism. The good news is the quality of their coffee matches the quality of the space. Provecho! serves pour overs from locally roasted and carefully sourced beans, alongside specialty lattes you will not find elsewhere in San Diego, like the piloncillo latte (piloncillo is like a more complex brown sugar, from Mexico) and the sesame latte. The place is artistry everywhere, from the coffee to the space to the literal gallery it sits inside of.
Lazy Eye Coffee
Lazy Eye Coffee is a wholesome coffee shop in North Park. It’s an ideal place for reading, studying, catching up with a friend, or when you’re looking for a coffee shop that doesn’t overwhelm with you social-media aesthetics. There is plenty of seating from small work tables, communal spots, couches, benches, and seats looking out the window, so you don’t need to fight too hard for a spot.
Dark Horse Coffee Roasters – South Park
This small but might coffee shop is the perfect place for a quick stop that offers premium roasts and some tasty morning pastries and breakfast items. There few tables/seats to post at, but you’ll notice the vibe is flurry of activity from morning joggers, work commuters, tired adolescents, and afternoon espresso slammers. Having been around for over ten years, Dark Horse Coffee Roasters has large presence in San Diego, and they even have a location in Southside of Kaua’i.
Communal Coffee South Park
Communal Coffee definitely wins the award for the cutest coffee shop in San Diego, no matter which location you go to. Their spot in South Park, on Fern St, is a lovely open courtyard with picnic table seating and individual tables and benches, shaded by umbrellas, serving coffee and food out of an ivy-lined, white food truck that will make you feel like maybe you are in Paris or some country where McDonalds was never invented. This location has indoor seating inside their mini shop where they sell curated homewares that make you feel like your house will never be decorated to the aesthetic that you want. The coffee is good too. And the food. But Communal is a place you go for the SoCal vibes.
Forum Coffee
Forum Coffee is probably the most underrated coffee shop in all of San Diego. Located in a low key strip mall off Genesee Ave in Clairemont, Forum Coffee is always packed with students studying, locals doing work, and friends catching up in their lively open space because everyone who knows knows that Forum is legit.
Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
Named after Bird Rock in La Jolla, where it was first discovered that sea-birds drink espresso, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters is one of the best cafes in San Diego, and an essential part of the cafe culture in this city. With multiple airy, open locations (as of this post – eleven and counting) they have the area covered well for San Diegans. All of the coffee at Bird Rock is direct trade, organic certified, and supports living wages for the farms and producers that supply their beans. Perhaps it is the humanity that goes into making the coffee from seed to sip, but the end product is some of the best coffee you can get in San Diego. Order a fresh single origin coffee or blended roast, or purchase whole bean coffee to-go, including a limited edition “Blue Label” roast featuring a premier coffee bean. Their light roast cold brew is approximately as addictive as tobacco.
Portal Coffee – Little Italy, San Diego
Portal Coffee is a low key coffee shop in Little Italy that is quietly doing things right. They roast their own beans, their coffee is delicious, and they are as friendly as any coffee shop you’ll find in the city. The location itself, across from Waterfront Park is breezy and light-filled with a spacious patio out front and wrapping around the side. On weekends they often have a DJ who plays quiet, vibey music that is surprisingly welcome even if you are their to study or read. And hey, Portal Coffee is a great place for studying, reading, writing, or meeting a friend.
The Iconic Coffee Club
A unique collaboration, The Iconic Coffee Club is both a craft coffee house, and a fitness studio for pilates. Don’t worry, taking a pilates class is not required to enjoy their coffee, but it will help you feel like you’ve earned it.
Muri Cafe
Muri Coffee and Cake is an oasis in a sea of traditional cafes in San Diego. With authentic Kurdish coffee, traditional drinks like qezwan (made with the fruits from turpentine trees), fresh teas, and delicious homemade cakes. The ambiance creates a sense of nostalgia for world travel, with beautiful decorations creating a cozy and calm feeling that you rarely find at other cafes in San Diego. Created by two doctoral students at UCSD who wanted to deepen their connection and impact to their community, Muri Cafe is a unique coffee spot that deserves a visit to shake up your morning routine.
Harland Brewery South Park
Beer is implied in the name, but Harland is not just one of the best breweries in San Diego, it is also one of the best cafes in San Diego. Harland has three other tasting rooms, but the cafe experience is currently only available at their South Park location. Open and spacious with lots of natural light, you can get comfy at their massive U bar, one of their many tabletops, or out on their patio. Being on a quaint street corner makes it extra conducive for an early morning work session or a crispy boy with friends in the afternoon. The place is always busy, but not packed. And the South Park Harland location is family friendly, dog friendly, finch friendly, and just plain friendly.
Industrial Grind Coffee
What stands out about Industrial Grind Coffee is the passion behind their craft. Located in the Tierrasanta neighborhood just below Mission Trails Regional Park, Industrial Grind Coffee not only brews top notch coffee, they act as a local bakery and culinary school – serving homemade, gluten-free baked goods and handcrafted chocolates, and then offering classes on how to make said items. If that’s not enough, all of their baking and drink mixes are available to take home to continue your journey – cookie mixes (lemon blueberry, chocolate chip), bread mixes (Carrot cake, cinnamon roll coffee cake), and drink powders like coconut, sugar free lavender, and Mexican mocha to add to your drinks or use as a sweetener for baking and cooking.
Lestat’s On Park
Lestat’s coffee shops are all eclectic, quirky, and cozy with large velvety thrones placed about and Classical or Renaissance-themed art all over the walls. They feel like sitting in the living room of a very eccentric land baron who has fallen on hard times. Lestat’s prioritizes seating and folks who plan to stay a while, so there are plenty of tables and large couches, as well as an abundance of outlets, power-strips, and free and functional wi-fi. It can get crowded with bloggers, freelance digital writers, online essayists (so… bloggers), plus a few “Magic The Gathering” folks in the mix and a couple of local old men who came to chain smoke cigarettes outside, but even during busy times there is a good chance you’ll find a spot.
Intazza Coffee Works
Intazza Coffee Works is one of those coffee shops where you come to get stuff done and make things happen – a place to study, have a casual business meetup, catch up with friends, or do some life admin work. The large food and drink menu helps you stay a while. Outlets are less available in this cafe, so bring your laptop charged. They also have another location up in Murrieta, CA.
Gooseberries Kafe
Gooseberries Kafe is a gem and one of the best cafes in Hillcrest. As an outdoor cafe it creates a surprisingly cozy and natural setting that’s not so easy to find in combination. Not too mention it offers some of the friendliest, most welcoming service we have experienced in San Diego. Oh, and the food is homemade and delicious. What’s not to like? You’ll notice how unique this place is as soon as you walk up. It is located on the bottom floor of a hotel (Abpopa Hillcrest), in a space that we assume was meant to be a parking garage, but has been craftily converted into an open-air cafe. Ordering at the bar, they offers a small menu of homemade biscuits and jam, avocado toast, egg sandwich with crispy prosciutto, French toast, and acai bowls, all of which are made with love. The egg sandwich with crispy prosciutto is a seriously Top. Notch. Sandwich. They serve coffee and espresso drinks and, should you feel up for it, offer a select menu of beer and wine. Gooseberries is truly one of the best breakfasts you can get in Hillcrest.
Frost Me Cafe And Bakery
As the name suggests they serve delectable, scratch-made bakery treats and pastries, often with frosting like their cinnamon roll (no, they do not slather your body in frosting…there’s another place for that). Have a wedding coming up? Order a full cake for your special affair. Their cafe menu offers elevated craft coffee and beverages – we recommend their espresso, drip coffee, or the honey matcha latte.
Dos Palmas Cafe
There are plenty of coffee shops and breakfast spots in Normal Heights, but Dos Palmas Cafe is our favorite. This place is charming, friendly, and most importantly, their food and coffee is delicious. They serve a top notch breakfast sandwich (and we love breakfast sandwiches), as well as more heavy, lunch-type sandwiches, alongside homemade pastries baked fresh daily. We are partial to the banana bread. Order a rich and delectable pour over coffee to achieve breakfast perfection. Dos Palmas has a peaceful, expansive courtyard out back with a peaceful garden and various tables and benches where you can eat, sit and read, or chat it up with friends. The whole place has a notably local vibe and clientele.
Check Out These Other Guides To Cafes In San Diego
Final Remarks
Bookmark this guide and keep checking back — we’re always updating it with new coffee shops and cafes.