50 Best Coffee Shops in San Diego

“Always love coming here. Food and service are consistent. Cute vibe. It was just the place where I wanted to have my birthday breakfast. 🥞 And our server was so kind to let us sit forever and also treated us to churro sticks for my bday. Thank you 😊!“

“I am a big vietnamese coffee drinker and this place is amazing! Been going for years and they never disappoint. Lines get long on weekends but they move quickly (plus all the cute North Park dogs you get to pet in line doesn't hurt either)

Would definitely recommend giving this place a try!“

“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.“

“Best coffee in San Diego, there is no contest. Try the Sparkling Orange Espresso for a great change of pace.“

“I ordered the Oaxaca (washed) and Puebla roasts for espresso. Both are out of this world! Hands down some of the best coffee I’ve ever enjoyed. I can’t wait to order more! (Photo taken before opening the second bag)“

“POV: You came for coffee and accidentally found a personality trait.

Ko’s has me in a chokehold. The coffee is incredible, the iced matcha is undefeated, the strawberry matcha scone deserves its own fan club, and the smoked salmon toast? Zero notes.

The owners are the real secret ingredient though. They’re kind, efficient, and funny. Good food, good coffee, good people. That’s how you create a cult following.“

“we tried several samples! very refreshing and taste good❤ I got Mint and Mango habenero chile..yummy“

“Employees are always friendly and coffee is delicious. Love the empanadas too.“

“I get the pleasure of coming here frequently for meetings and absolutely love the staff! Highest quality coffee I’ve seen locally and my body appreciates that 🫶“

“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!“

“I have been to this coffee shop many times and every single time is a hit. The people who run this place are so friendly, very helpful if you're curious, and do not rush you, rather help you make a decision in a few simple questions. I love that they use oat milk. I love the art on the walls (A LOT). Finally, the COFFEE!! YUM. I would never try half the things I've tried here but I genuinely like them all. The Chiarusco is my favorite to date.

BE ADVENTUROUS AND TRY A SEASONAL LATTE.
(you will have no ragrets, not even a single letter ;) )“

“Super cute place, lots of coffee options, very friendly staff support your local coffee shops with love.“

“One of my favorite restaurants in San Diego and maybe the best restaurant in OB/Point Loma. Food and service is usually great. The carpaccio is one of my favorites dishes EVER. Topped with uni and bone barrow and truffle and served with potato latkes. Legit one of the best dishes in San Diego. That alone is worth the trip. Their main dishes(lamb chops) and pastas(cacio e Pepe and Sugo e ricotta). The mussels served under a pizza dough cooked in an oven. It actually does feel like you’re at your Nonnas house, including the old tv and magazines. Homey and very filling food. This place is amazing. 5 stars but if somehow you could make your bar seats comfortable it would be amazing. Those bar stools are a crime and your bar deserves to be a place someone can pony up to and be comfortable.“

“Great food and great service! Pho Nom has a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and everything we ordered tasted fresh and flavorful. The pho was comforting, the portions were generous, and the overall experience was really enjoyable. Special thanks to Olivia and Leyna for their excellent service — they were friendly, attentive, and made us feel very welcome. Would definitely come back again!“

“Visiting from Michigan! I loved my hot lavender oatmilk latte and poached eggs were amazing! I went 2 days in a row! Lol“

“Boards n’ Beans is such a little gem in Pacific Beach. The atmosphere of their family business is welcoming the moment you walk up. You can feel the sense of community right away with friendly, laid-back staff and regulars.
The coffee itself is amazing. The drinks are made with time and care, and their own house-made simple syrups making their spot stand out from others. I took home a bottle of their coconut vanilla syrup, it was that good.
You can also hang out & work from their shaded back patio! Worth stopping by.“

“We stopped here on the way to torrey pines and it was the best coffee of our whole trip to sd!!! Specifically the hot latte with oat milk was soooo rich and creamy idk what kind of magic they did to make it so good. The turkey sandwich was also very fresh and delicious. 10/10 i will be back if i ever return to sd.“

“Absolutely loved this coffee shop! The breakfast was delicious, the coffee was excellent, and everything was very clean and well maintained. The atmosphere is welcoming and comfortable, and you can tell they really care about quality. Definitely a great place for breakfast and coffee. Highly recommend!“

“Absolutely exceptional. Their dedication to the to the craft is obvious. I think you can tell a lot about a coffee shop by ordering the drip; this one was bursting with fruity flavors and floral aromas. I was marveled by what I found in my cup, wondering if was something more than coffee.“

“We were in town from the East coast for 5 days. Achilles was our go-to breakfast place. It is exceptional. Friendly staff and great food and lots of excellent coffee choices.“

“my drink had a brush inside. very unsanitary. becarful. not safe.“

“The coffee is here is excellent. Cold brew is spectacular black. It needs no sugar or milk. Smooth and sweet all by itself. Iced Aztec Mocha is a perfect blend of espresso, chocolate and milk. Skip Starbucks. Highly recommend!“

“the best coffee in San Diego hands down!“

“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!“

“We came here last night to celebrate my wife's birthday with our son, and the three of us had an absolutely wonderful dinner. The food was completely off the charts, and the service was excellent. We will definitely be back! Much Thanks to Kendra, Chef Tony and the entire staff!“

“AMAZING!! My husband and I went to San Diego for a quick getaway and wanted to try Chiefy Cafe based on the reviews. We were so glad we did as the coffee and food is Amazing! We ordered the Open Mind Fat Burner, Mexicano Latte, Acai Bowl, and Turkey Bacon Avocado Croissant. Everything tasted so fresh and delicious - we wanted to savor every bite!! The staff is so friendly and Camile customized the Turkey Bacon Avo without the bread for me, as I am gluten free. We only had 2 days left in SD and went back to Chiefy Cafe and ordered the same thing each day. Camile & Larissa assisted us and were awesome! HIGHLY RECOMMEND CHIEFY CAFE!!“

“Great sandwiches and Avo toasts! Their coffee drinks are the best!! PACKED on Sunday after church but the line moved pretty fast. Getting food and drinks took a little longer than we expected but enjoyed hanging out on the patio and on the swing benches. Worked for a little over an hour there this evening with plenty of space, a little music and nice breeze. My new favorite coffee spot!“

“The beef noodle soup was super delicious and was enough to feed me and my mother. It contained tone of meat which was really tender and the broth was overall phenomenal. The popcorn chicken was also really good as it wasn’t too big and served as a great snack I would highly recommend coming here.“

“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!“

“Definitely worth the stop!
I desperately needed a bathroom stop before continuing on with my day and found this cafe. The reviews about the Avo toast reeled me in and they weren’t wrong. The jalapeno cheddar toast was delicious and the toppings were so perfect. I didn’t have time for coffee but the barista and chef were cool and very nice and the place looked like somewhere I could sit all day. I only had a short time so I took in the nice outdoor seating with nice view of the city. Thank you Kind Corner cafe!!“

“Shell Yeah! 🐚 Im in San Diego at Trident Coffee on Mission Boulevard and it's been a phenomenal experience! From the food, the drink, the atmosphere and the staff! Sydney was an amazing representative of Tridents Coffee's core values and really went above and beyond to deliver the best possible service. She connected and greeted every customer that came in with a buzzing energy and served each and every customer with her full effort. I would highly recommend Trident Coffee on Mission Boulevard! Thank you Sydney and thank you Trident Coffee!“

“I tried the Yamiel Latte and the Pink Milk Cake.

The cake was fresh and well made, though not really my favorite flavor. The latte was smooth and not too sweet, with a slight coffee bitterness.

What stood out most was the variety of unique drinks and desserts. The menu feels very different from a typical coffee shop. The atmosphere is interesting and has its own character. When I visited, people were watching football, so it felt more like a social spot than a study place.

Everything was very clean and well maintained, which really stood out to me. Overall, it was a great experience. It may not be exactly my style, but the quality, cleanliness, and unique atmosphere are why I’m giving it 5 stars.“

“We were visiting San Diego for the 4th of July and happened to come across this wonderful coffee shop after walking around for a while. It was the perfect place to relax and take a break. The coffee was excellent, the music created a great atmosphere, and the staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming. Reyna is the best, she is so friendly. We really enjoyed our visit and would definitely recommend stopping by if you’re in the area.“

“My son comes here all the time as a law student at USD. Came for my 2nd time and wow, what nice people and super excellent doughnuts. I also ordered a sandwich to go and was being annoying as to wether I should get it toasted or not since I was eating half now and half later, they toasted half of it for me without asking. Never in my life have I received such great service ❤️“

“My favorite cafe in San Diego. I had an Iced Mexican chocolate mocha is out of this world. My boyfriend had an Iced horchata matcha dirty latte, he absolutely love it. The atmosphere is truly familia and festive. Don't miss this hidden gem.“

“OMG! BEST FOOFY COFFEES that aren't too sweet. Morgan and the crew turned us on to white coffee. our world has been rocked. the Toasted Turtle is off the charts! And, it isn't often in retail that the service is so personalized and friendly, but it is at California Bean. We felt like family, and drove out of our way several days while on vacation to partake in this hidden gem! can't wait to get back to San Diego. this will be our first stop!“

“Seeing some misunderstandings in the one star reviews, I gotta go to bat for this joint. This is not a Starbucks. This is not a consortium holdings joint. This is a unique and highly curated experience for music lovers, with some nice coffee and food options as well. One commenter below mentioned having customers is the privilege, which in this case I substantially disagree with. The space is meticulously designed and executed with substantial investment, and is unlike any other in San Diego. If you want to experience that you should not arrive here expecting fast casual. For those who appreciate the nuances of quality you will find them here, and your appreciation for the delivery will be rewarded.“

“I tried the new empanadas last summer and they were heavenly. Wait was a little long but they have a great atmosphere/sitting area with a library of great books. Their music is nice and not too loud, and their food is honestly great. The wait was a little long but I appreciate that their put care into their craft.“

“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!“

“I love Better Buzz!! Caleb is awesome and very welcoming! This is also my favorite better buzz location as there is ample seating where I can get some work done 😍“

“Tastylife™️. Would buy treats again.“

“Great coffee, friendly staff and an excelent European breakfast alternative with croissants instead of the traditional mountain of fried stuff.“

“TLDR: High Quality Delicious Food, Kind Staff, and Cool People are always here.

Ok now for my novel:
Bica is easily my favorite coffee shop and social space in San Diego. Their food is incredibly fresh and delicious with so many complimentary flavors. I also have some tummy issues that really limits what I can eat when i go out as i typically feel horrible after eating most food. But at bica, I genuinely feel better when I eat their food which is rare for me to find and something I really really appreciate. I think the quality of their ingredients is just so much better than everywhere else. If you cant decide on wht to get from their menu, just pick something random and it will be amazing. Everyone around this place is genuinely authentic and friendly. The staff and the people who ocme here to hang, work, and just exist are some of the coolest and sweetest poeple ive met in San Diego. There arent enough words to describe how special and amazing bica really is. I feel a little silly glazing a place so much, but bica is such a breath of fresh air for me. ok thanks for reading now go to bica. or else >:)“

“Great tasting brew, yummy!“

“Best Coffe shop in San Diego Is really good quality Coffe and their baristas are very good“

“Freddy and staff not only offer great food, drinks and knowledge. They’re very welcoming and kind. Honestly, this is a place you want to be for a boost mentally, physically and spiritually!“

“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 first tried this coffee at a restaurant called Madi. It was absolutely fantastic and bought two tins of coffee from them to take home. They don’t list the blend however; so I reached out via their website and the owner Kim quickly responded letting me know the blend is their Embodiment blend. Absolutely fantastic coffee!“

“You can create your own drink even if its not on the menu. Sweetness level is adjustable. Great place to study since they have WIFI.“

“We loved this place so much we already have made plans to go back. The food was delicious and portion size is great. Friendly crew, helpful and great service. You can also purchase frozen pies to take home which we will be doing“