This place is our idea of the perfect neighborhood coffee shop - the food menu and quality is ideal, and they take care with their coffee. Unfortunately their seating has garbage dumpsters just behind the fence and on close to two dozen visits we had over the last two years the flies were usually bad enough to make it difficult to enjoy the wonderful food and coffee. Sadly we’ve stopped coming. We miss it and thought to try again today, but a recent review still mentions flies. We love this place and hope they open another in a different location.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 4
Natalie Thompson
I’ve been here multiple times and each time the service has been terrible, so much so that I now actively avoid this place despite it being my local coffee shop. Baristas are rude and purposefully slow, food is way overpriced for very basic dishes. Waited over 45 mins for a plate of bread & butter!! The coffee is good, with unique flavours (which as a foodie I love) but the staff in this place really need to understand the importance of customer service and hospitality. For me, they haven’t earned the status they’ve given themselves.
Michael Simpson
I came into Bica for a coffee and a sandwich, not expecting much. But the latte and veggie sandwich I got were both excellent. It’s a small place but has a nice side patio, shaded, good chill atmosphere. The servers were fantastic. I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to come back, earlier in the morning for a pastel de nata. Addendum: I’ve since been to dinner at Bica, three times. Everything has been delicious, the seafood especially, but also the side dishes, such good flavors. They know how to season and know how to make sauces. This is one of my favorite dinner restaurants now.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anthony Pigna
Nice local spot with great coffee and drinks. They were out if the tartine I wanted but besides that it was excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Joseph Walker
Bica is my go-to spot for coffee now. The drinks are strong and smooth every time. They have a nice selection of pastries too. The vibe is calm and cozy which makes it perfect for work or just relaxing. The baristas are friendly and remember regulars which I like. Great little place to start the day.
Kyle Brown
I got a great drink however when mentioning to the barista I’ve never been there before and is there any recommendations. I was met with a very passive response as if they didn’t want me there because I didn’t know what/how to order. On another note looks like they had some good wine and snacks.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
W Sun
Great pour over and lychee latte!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kelly Thiemthath
Cozy cafe with chill vibes. We were greeted by the gal at the counter and the staff were friendly. I tried the ricotta tartine with peaches and it was delish. Thick toasted bread, creamy ricotta, and perfectly ripe peaches with a dash of saltiness. Simple, fresh, and full of flavor. Great spot for a light brunch or coffee break.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Daylen Dalrymple
I was already a big fan of Bica for meeting friends or working on my laptop while enjoying their coffee and amazing lunch tartines and sandwiches. Then last weekend I confirmed my love of this cute neighborhood cafe after finally trying their dinner options. Starting at 4 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday they now offer a tight selection of Portuguese tapas style share plates and a great lineup of wines (as well as bottles of Super Bock beer which took us back to warm Lisbon nights). Two of us shared the bright and lemony shaved squash salad, pan con tomate on tasty sourdough by Companion Bread, and a smoked cod potato salad (creamy and hearty). The flavors were all fresh, balanced, and very authentic to what we've eaten in Portugal. Really cool to have a place like this nearby that's perfect for day and night. I dig the casual vibe and fun selection of imported grocery items, plus the large sail-shade covered patio (we need more spaces like this in SD!). Will be back to try the other dishes, dessert, and more wines next time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rose
Food has all the flavors. Owners are really nice and chat you up like you’re family
I got the avocado toast which was nothing special, but the sandwich was surprisingly the worst sandwich I have ever had. They were overly generous with the mayonnaise, and the sandwich had absolutely no flavor. This place is grossly overrated, and probably one of the most subpar food spots I have been to. I didn’t finish the sandwich OR the avocado toast.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Olí T
Stopped by Bika for breakfast when our regular spot had a long wait. The food and atmosphere were great, but the service was disappointing. The barista didn’t greet us, seemed annoyed to take our order, and only warmed up after seeing a 20% tip. Both our coffee orders were wrong and tasted bad enough to toss.
Thankfully, the food was excellent, and the chef even came out to check on us, which was a nice touch. I’m rating this 4 stars because of the quality of the food and the overall vibe—but customer service definitely needs improvement.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Tuna Conserva
Mike A.
Naming a place “bica” for a cafe and then serving mid espresso in a Dixie cup is a wild choice. Feeling bad for any other Portuguese visiting this place under false pretenses
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Kyle Post
It quite literally does not get better than Bica. The food, the people, the vibes, the coffee, the heart and integrity behind it all. All of it top notch. The tuna conserva is the best tuna fish sandwich you’d had or ever will have in your life. There I said it. All time favorite local establishment in SD. There’s not enough stars to give this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vitaliy Lee
We tried this place for the first time.
Got coffee. The cold brew was pretty bad. Watery and not very good.
The food was decent. Not the best and not the worst.
This place is our idea of the perfect neighborhood coffee shop - the food menu and quality is ideal, and they take care with their coffee. Unfortunately their seating has garbage dumpsters just behind the fence and on close to two dozen visits we had over the last two years the flies were usually bad enough to make it difficult to enjoy the wonderful food and coffee. Sadly we’ve stopped coming. We miss it and thought to try again today, but a recent review still mentions flies. We love this place and hope they open another in a different location.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 4
I’ve been here multiple times and each time the service has been terrible, so much so that I now actively avoid this place despite it being my local coffee shop. Baristas are rude and purposefully slow, food is way overpriced for very basic dishes. Waited over 45 mins for a plate of bread & butter!!
The coffee is good, with unique flavours (which as a foodie I love) but the staff in this place really need to understand the importance of customer service and hospitality. For me, they haven’t earned the status they’ve given themselves.
I came into Bica for a coffee and a sandwich, not expecting much. But the latte and veggie sandwich I got were both excellent. It’s a small place but has a nice side patio, shaded, good chill atmosphere. The servers were fantastic. I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to come back, earlier in the morning for a pastel de nata.
Addendum: I’ve since been to dinner at Bica, three times. Everything has been delicious, the seafood especially, but also the side dishes, such good flavors. They know how to season and know how to make sauces. This is one of my favorite dinner restaurants now.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nice local spot with great coffee and drinks. They were out if the tartine I wanted but besides that it was excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Bica is my go-to spot for coffee now. The drinks are strong and smooth every time. They have a nice selection of pastries too. The vibe is calm and cozy which makes it perfect for work or just relaxing. The baristas are friendly and remember regulars which I like. Great little place to start the day.
I got a great drink however when mentioning to the barista I’ve never been there before and is there any recommendations. I was met with a very passive response as if they didn’t want me there because I didn’t know what/how to order. On another note looks like they had some good wine and snacks.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Great pour over and lychee latte!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cozy cafe with chill vibes. We were greeted by the gal at the counter and the staff were friendly. I tried the ricotta tartine with peaches and it was delish. Thick toasted bread, creamy ricotta, and perfectly ripe peaches with a dash of saltiness. Simple, fresh, and full of flavor. Great spot for a light brunch or coffee break.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
I was already a big fan of Bica for meeting friends or working on my laptop while enjoying their coffee and amazing lunch tartines and sandwiches. Then last weekend I confirmed my love of this cute neighborhood cafe after finally trying their dinner options. Starting at 4 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday they now offer a tight selection of Portuguese tapas style share plates and a great lineup of wines (as well as bottles of Super Bock beer which took us back to warm Lisbon nights). Two of us shared the bright and lemony shaved squash salad, pan con tomate on tasty sourdough by Companion Bread, and a smoked cod potato salad (creamy and hearty). The flavors were all fresh, balanced, and very authentic to what we've eaten in Portugal. Really cool to have a place like this nearby that's perfect for day and night. I dig the casual vibe and fun selection of imported grocery items, plus the large sail-shade covered patio (we need more spaces like this in SD!). Will be back to try the other dishes, dessert, and more wines next time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food has all the flavors. Owners are really nice and chat you up like you’re family
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I got the avocado toast which was nothing special, but the sandwich was surprisingly the worst sandwich I have ever had. They were overly generous with the mayonnaise, and the sandwich had absolutely no flavor. This place is grossly overrated, and probably one of the most subpar food spots I have been to. I didn’t finish the sandwich OR the avocado toast.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Stopped by Bika for breakfast when our regular spot had a long wait. The food and atmosphere were great, but the service was disappointing. The barista didn’t greet us, seemed annoyed to take our order, and only warmed up after seeing a 20% tip. Both our coffee orders were wrong and tasted bad enough to toss.
Thankfully, the food was excellent, and the chef even came out to check on us, which was a nice touch. I’m rating this 4 stars because of the quality of the food and the overall vibe—but customer service definitely needs improvement.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Tuna Conserva
Naming a place “bica” for a cafe and then serving mid espresso in a Dixie cup is a wild choice. Feeling bad for any other Portuguese visiting this place under false pretenses
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
It quite literally does not get better than Bica. The food, the people, the vibes, the coffee, the heart and integrity behind it all. All of it top notch. The tuna conserva is the best tuna fish sandwich you’d had or ever will have in your life. There I said it. All time favorite local establishment in SD. There’s not enough stars to give this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We tried this place for the first time.
Got coffee. The cold brew was pretty bad. Watery and not very good.
The food was decent. Not the best and not the worst.
Wouldn't recommend it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
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