50 Best Cafes in San Diego

“Handsdown one of the best brunch spots I’ve been (and I go to A LOT) delicious food, amazing coffee and extremely efficient and friendly service. Highly highly recommend. (We had the French toast, the goat sandwich and the goat pancakes + waffle sticks. All amazing. The latte’s and ube matcha were amazing as well)“

“Very nice environment and outstanding food and entertainment 👌 😀“

“Tastylife™️. Would buy treats again.“

“Great food, fun and quirky vibe.“

“We visit the “Little Lion” on every trip to San Diego. It’s the absolute best brunch spot on Point Loma!“

“highly recommend this place! AMAZING coffee, DELICIOUS acid bowls and incredible breakfast croissants. The owner is awesome and the staff is incredibly friendly. I will definitely be returning (:“

“Great service & good menu options! I’ll come back 😁😁😁“

“Very friendly staff. I got a monkey mocha and it was delicious. I saw the orange coconut cake and had to go back later to get some. It was amazing also.“

“Highly recommend- tell them it's your first and you get the tour of the menu and art. Great prices, food, drinks and outstanding service. See you there.“

“I met Marcela and Amina at an industry event recently and they were AWESOME! They have the cutest cart, the most delicious drinks, and best of all - they are just incredibly fun to hang out with! Highly highly recommend for a holiday party, wedding, industry event... seriously anything. Love them!“

“Great fun to be had at Coffee Cycle. Fun people, great coffee and if you ride a bike to the shop you will receive praise!“

“Great food! The only thing negative for us are the seating. It’s always crowded every time and there’s no restroom😔.“

“Love the bakery and matcha latte!“

“Todo riquisimo muy amables y atentos“

“The food was amazing, with the exception of the mashed potatoes. The consistency was soft, smooth, and airy, however, there was absolutely no taste. No seasoning, no salt pepper no butter no nothing. Really bland would not order again. The service and staff were absolutely amazing. Only suggestion other than mashed potato fix is the ambience or the inside decor reminds me of late 1990s Seattle grunge. It just seems like the restaurant is stuck in the 90s decor wise. Food was absolutely phenomenal and staff as always were amazing.“

“Great little coffee house in Normal Heights.“

“Audrey was the best! We came from Maine and short notice we were able to get a dozen cupcakes ordered for pickup with 2 days notice. They were fantastic and gone quickly!! Thank you again!!“

“la nieve muy deliciosa(Gelato) matcha late no esta muy concentrado como ami me gusta, el pan que venden muy rico, la chicas que atienden muy amables, pero sobre todo una vista maravillosa... P.D. precios accesibles.“

“This cafe was the set of a ad for one of the scammy solitaire apps that constantly bombard the game you are trying to play on your phone. No I dont want to play Solitare Smash! Win Cash. But I am intrigued to try the Roo-Bru coffee I always see in the background of the many times this ad assaults my phone when I am playing a game.“

“I’m not ever gonna do anything crazy coffee wise… but what I do is 3 shots on ice everywhere and what I’ll say is the coffee had today here was extremely tasty!

Check this place out you’ll definitely enjoy the pull!

Until next time… be good to small business as much as you can… they need all the support especially the times we are in now.

Tip your barista a buck or two… everyone needs a little love!“

“I don't know what they put in their homefries, but this place belongs in the clean plate club. Maybe cuz they don't throw so so much sodium like a chain breakfast place would so I can enjoy it without feeling like crap afterwards, so thank you. I really do love this place and look forward to my takeouts. (Chicken fried steak was fire, ordered the #16 and added bell peppers and onions to my homefries [highly recommend]). Give this place a try, they've never let me down.“

“I came by with my family and we absolutely loved it! The owner is amazing and not to mention the food and drinks were so good! We are on our way back to try more things on the menu! We got the bagel, smoothies and ginger shots and everything was 10/10. Can’t wait to make this a regular visit!“

“We went on a Saturday morning, very cute inside but crowded (because it’s good!!) the staff was friendly, coffee options great, food options great, some street parking. My only consideration would be lack of seating during a busy time, but still a great business that I would return to.“

“My daughters & I visited this area in March & found this cute little cafe. It was so good we ate there 3 mornings in a row. Andrea greeted me by name on only our 2nd visit there. If you want a friendly, quaint little breakfast place I would highly recommend The Cliffs Cafe!“

“Amazing cultural events. Ongoing. Something for everybody: music, dance, celebration.“

“Wow, such great food and awesome service! Had the lobster roll and it was quality lobster and overflowing with actual meat. Everything was delicious.“

“Cannot wait to go back and enjoy the the food, excellent service and ambience of this restaurant. We often each brunch here and their chef events are amazing! I savor every bite 🤤“

“Because they have good music and they sing good love sherry“

“Charming atmosphere and wonderful tasting as well as beautiful dessert s.“

“Best cannoli of my life. This is an absolute must stop in Little Italy.“

“Every time I visit San Diego, a breakfast at Konos on Pacific Beach is a must. Great food, friendly staff, fast service, and you can enjoy your food inside or across the way behind the gift shop at the outside eating area right above the beach and the beautiful ocean. Dec. 27, 2021“

“Absolutely LOVE Ultreya! Both locations are top notch. We love it so much that we get coffee beans sent to us in Illinois. Great staff, great coffee, great tea, delicious food and pastries, and amazing owners. If you haven’t been here, you will be in love after you go!“

“We were in the area during the weekday farmers market and found ourselves in this super cute cafe to take a break.

We got their Pool Party matcha and I loved how they infused mango into a refreshing matcha drink. Bonus points that it wasn't overly sweet!

The staff was very friendly and pointed me in the right direction with their recommendations.

We had our baby with us in a stroller and it was nice that this cafe was fairly stroller-friendly. We found a spot to sit and chill in their cool stadium-style seating area.

Would return!“

“Best food i have had in my life. Nice people and good service. I have ate there so many times and order diffrent things every time. Best café in all of rb“

“amazing! I had their burger which was great! and their coconut shrimp on salad. which both were amazing! the salad dressing was so good. everything must be home made.“

“A great coffeehouse with a nurturing old-world atmosphere in a vibrant and pleasant environment.“

“Grilled Shrimp bowl….delicious“

“I come here almost daily because I am obsessed with their match Tres leches with matcha boba and egg pudding. It's a combination that lives in my taste buds memory. like the marriage between a matcha frappe with flan. At the family table came boba and a snow cap that easily translates to tantalizing flavors jumping for joy! Then the Bahn mi is packed with the perfect ratio of meat, picked carrots, cucumber, and JALAPEÑOS!!! I love a jalapeño that delivers and these always hit the mark. The fact that the ingredients are fresh and natural are major brownie points.“

“Nice place to relax and chill away from the house“

“Was only in town for 2 days, saw this spot thought I would try it out, and was not disappointed! They have great coffee, food, and bread! And the customer service was amazing as well!“

“I love starting my day here. Mr. John is so warm and kind. He gives my kids free animal crackers and they love it as we are usually on our way to the zoo. They pick out which animals we should go see based on which cookies they ate!
The coffee is excellent and he’s never gotten my order wrong. The best and quickest coffee when you’re headed out of Point Loma or Ocean Beach! We’ve been enjoying this coffee stop for years. Highly recommend.“

“Great drinks and food - with fantastic customer service!“

“We are visiting from England and wanted to check it out again. We were here six years ago. Our friends really enjoyed it. Loved sitting opposite the ocean. The food is still amazing.“

“Thank you OLIVE! 🫒 Food was awesome, I ordered under my daughter Taylor’s name, the food was amazing! I had a South Swell which the pancakes were fresh and delicious and the eggs perfectly scrambled. Thank you to the staff but also to the very sweet brunette girl helping us with all our annoying requests! The sourdough toast was great also- very kid friendly, very nice for my babies! Very accommodating!!“

“1st time, won’t be the last....“

“Great drinks and food - with fantastic customer service!“

“Been to the spot for crepes a million times, always great food, friendly service, and fresh ingredients. Their whipped cream is amazing (I believe they make it in house?) Highly recommend. It’s a casual spot, but becomes a staple for us for dessert“

“I come here once a week from El Cajon Ca. to buy the keto vietnamese iced coffee. It's so delicious and made perfect every time. Staff is very friendly and polite.
I just wish they would sell keto chocolate chip cookies☺“

“Such a cute shop! I noticed they had pistachio and hazelnut flavors and asked if they could combine both in an iced latte, it ended up being such a good call. It was flavorful, not overly sweet, but still sweet enough. The barista was also really friendly, asked what I had going on that day, and was genuinely engaged in conversation. Great coffee and a welcoming vibe at Ocean Beach Coffee and Plants“

“We always make a point to stop by whenever we're in the area—sometimes we’ll even go out of our way just for this place! Everything is made with love, and it really shows. Our favorites are the White Mocha and the Dirty Chai—both are absolutely delicious!“