50 Best Cafes in San Diego

“Love the Madi! Incredible service and food is always good. Had the chicken pesto sandwich and breakfast potatoes. I also tried the peach and basil mimosa - a tasty combination that isn't too sweet. Highly recommend this restaurant as my experience is always consistently great.“

“Tastylife™️. Would buy treats again.“

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

“We have gone to Divo Diva many times since I discovered this place in October the best place ever. The food is great. The coffee is amazing. The dinner OperA shows are outstanding. Never had a bad experience. I wish I knew about this place sooner I have told my friends about this place and they love it as well. We all look forward to the dinner shows. It is just a lovely Rosario and Victoria are genuine and super friendly. We love this place. The atmosphere is fresh and quaint. It is nicely decorated for whatever season or holiday. I love the Roman Holiday poster of Audrey Hepburn on a Vespa. Coming to this place is like an escape and a treat. Oh, speaking of treats, their gelato is the best. Feels like I’m in Italy.“

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

“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!“

“Todo riquisimo muy amables y atentos“

“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!!“

“Vibes immaculate avocado toast immaculate 🫶🏾“

“Desayuno muy rico cafecito y ensaladas deliciosas todo fresco ☕️😀“

“the best coffee in San Diego hands down!“

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

“Love this place! I got the MAKE Breakfast Sandwich and it was soooo good. Huge fan of the biz baz sauce they serve with it. I also grabbed a Spiced Cold Brew Latte on my way out which was really tasty, I appreciate that they make it with oat milk.

I loved sitting in the garden near the raised vegetable beds. It was calm, quiet and easy for a Saturday lunch. Such a fun addition to Normal Heights!“

“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“

“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!“

“I accidentally drifted into a coffee shop called Drift and now I can't seem to drift away.
Alex and Spencer somehow always know exactly what I want. It might be because I'm a regular, or it might be because I have a habit of trying every new drink they come up with. Either way, they always get it right.
The atmosphere is so welcoming and always make working remote seamless. They somehow make every customer feel like they're the favorite.
Great drinks, home away from home and a team that goes above and beyond every single time. The service is fast, and the quality of food is fresh.They make it way too easy to become a regular!“

“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.“

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

“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.“

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

“Izzy was awesome. Walked in after a range sesh and craving a smoothie. Found his spot from a google search. We got the chunky monkey and the tropical thunder. They were both amazing. My boyfriend wanted something a little lighter and Izzy was able to cater his drink to his needs. Definitely check this place out.“

“Great little coffee house in Normal Heights.“

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

“This is in the SDSU area but there were plenty of locals. I happened to be in the area. The staff is amazing, so friendly and fast. The food is pretty good, but nothing extraordinary. I enjoyed it very much but I wouldn't go out of my way to drive out there again like I do for other places. The place is clean and pretty cute. It's a little pricey but overall I enjoyed it. The coffee was pretty good.“

“I've had the opportunity to visit the Funky Lemon on a few occasions now when I've been staying in Mission Beach. Each time the experience has been great. Their avocado toast is delicious and fresh. Their smoothies are the perfect breakfast drink. The atmosphere inside is unique and has just enough seating. There's always a few tables outside as well. The service is prompt and quite friendly each time as well.“

“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!“

“My favorite local coffee shop. The guy with the glasses in the back is always doing his laboratory experimentation wizardry to roast the perfect bean. They cycle different roasts every few days and there’s always a specialty roast available. I always look forward to going in there and seeing what roast is available. Today’s was a Costa Rican and it was delicious. The workers at this coffee shop are all kind. My espresso machine has been down this summer so I’ve been going in frequently, they all learned my name and my order. It’s always a treat to go in there.“

“Customer service and knowledge/quality of their product is stellar! Oh, yeah...and the coffee is amazing, too! My first time experiencing horchata and I strongly recommend! If I lived in San Diego, this would be a regular!“

“Cozy and friendly best coffee ☕️“

“Excellent service good people“

“Service like this is so hard to find anymore. Anticipated before we got there that the requested outside table would be intollerable in the unseasonable heatwave and moved us inside. Staff was very appreciative of us being there, worked as a team, and provided little extras that cost them nothing but mean the world to us.“

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

“Love the bakery and matcha latte!“

“We love this cafe!!
We always make a point to go when we are in San Diego for over 16 years now.
Sadly something happened to the cinnamon rolls. My husband always gets the cinnamon roll French toast and if we don't order rolls for the table, and make a point to take some home. They were always incredibly good, delicious and fresh but I don't know if the recipe changed, but they were not that good.
Hopefully next time we visit, they will be.“

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

“This review is about the gelato.

I had heard they serve gelato here, but haven’t heard much about it, so I was on a mission to discover for myself. I was pleasantly surprised by the many flavor options they had. Plus that they allow more than the posted 2 samples per person as long as it’s not busy.

My favorite flavor was pistachio. It was thick and creamy, and not salted like how some other creameries are salting their pistachio. It tasted like pistachio and not like almond / amaretto.

The black sesame flavor was okay. The taro flavor was very fleeting. My husband liked the cookies and cream and pistachio.

Service is friendly and the a/c is strong (great for summer!). Tables and chairs are a bit run down.

Parking can be a little tight and hard to find in the parking lot.“

“I'm so glad that The Funky Frenchie opened in Lemon Grove!! I've eaten here 2 times now and will keep coming back! The first time I had the breakfast bowl which was delicious and very filling. The 2nd time I got the Chicken and Woofles and they were willing to substitute eggs instead of the chicken since I'm a vegetarian with no hassle. DELICIOUS!!! The woofles are perfectly done with crisp edges and a soft fluffy inside. Absolutely will be back for this dish again!! And I must give a shout-out to the owner, Brandon! He's awesome!! 😀“

“Always have such a great experience. The staff is super friendly, the atmosphere is laid-back, and it’s one of those places that’s easy to hang out in for a while. The coffee was great, the food was fresh, and everything came out quickly. Definitely worth checking out if you’re in Ocean Beach.“

“Great vibe and crowd! Kava is excellent!“

“Really enjoyed the matcha here, just shy of perfect. It was smooth and earthy with a nice vibrant color, and the flavor was well balanced without any harsh bitterness. The texture was creamy and the sweetness was pleasant, though I would have liked a slightly stronger matcha taste. The cafe had a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere and the staff were friendly. Solid drink overall, and I'd happily come back and try something else from the menu.“

“Great coffee and great service“

“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 coffee! Wonderful Baristas! Will absolutely be back whenever I'm in San Diego!“

“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.“

“Grilled Shrimp bowl….delicious“

“The food and service is magnificent. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“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.“

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

“was able to get my MexiMocha fix Tuesday. so good to see Jen and her dad. She makes the BEST MexiMocha 😋“

“My favorite place to go eat when I go visit San Diego. The food it’s delicious and the service is wonderful. ✅😋“