Fantastic shop serving light roast coffee. I have not had a bad pour over or cortado. They have a good selection of coffee beans available for purchase as well. Going here has introduced me to new roasters and coffees.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brittany Price
I dream of that cream top almost daily.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gilberto Urbina
This place is perfect for slowing down and savoring the moment, with an impressive selection of coffee to boot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mia Moraru
visiting from LA and SO happy we found this place—amazing the matcha is delicious and perfectly concentrated. hiiighly recommend
Jessica Lane
I loved this place! Rebecca was the one who helped me figure out which matcha to get, and she was very knowledgeable and sweet! My matcha was perfect! The matcha was ceremonial grade from Kyoto, and I just got matcha with whole milk. I love the taste of good quality matcha with fresh milk and that’s what I got! I would recommend this place highly to anyone who’s a matcha lover!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
danielle
this has been my favourite café in san diego since shortly after they opened the permanent location! absolutely love everything about it: the owners’ passion for international coffee culture, dedication to quality craft, design aesthetics, and it all shines through in the barista team they hire as well. i only now post this review because i’ve been gone studying abroad for the entirety of 2025, but i’m finally back and can say i’ve seen this café grow from its early days to now an expanded interior space paired with a patiently curated collection of items. come in the morning to see the natural light stream into the space BEAUTIFULLY.
this kind of café is not for everyone, and i think especially in the states, the deep appreciating coffee culture is not as prevalent or mainstream yet. i still love it tho and i hope u find some joy in visiting ♡
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sara Showalter
Just moved into the apartments connected to Rikka Fika and had to try it out. I love matcha and was not disappointed by the cream top matcha. The flavor was just sweet enough and so creamy. Service was excellent, and the cashier remembered me when I went in 2 days in a row. Excited for this to my new go to!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gabriele Settimi
I love coming here. It feels like an authentic Japanese coffee shop: peaceful, minimalist, crafty, excellent coffee choices. I find the pastries to be a bit on the dry side. The people at the counter are always very personable and helpful. I'm a new fan!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Janek Wunderlich
Best matcha in San Diego, great atmosphere and knowledgeable staff
Bad customer service, poor and slow service, over price, not welcoming environment..
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
H F
The atmosphere wasn’t welcoming and didn’t reflect the San Diego vibe of warm and friendly people. Unfortunately, the quality also didn’t meet expectations.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
rated by maryam • food critic
Rikka Fika feels like a little reset button. Calm, minimal, very Japanese in the best way, quiet confidence, respectful energy, and everything is done with intention.
We started with a cortado using their more floral blend and it was beautifully pulled. The latte art on a cortado, especially with a lighter roast, is not easy, and they nailed it. We also tried a flat white with the regular blend and it was phenomenal, creamy, balanced, and just the kind of cup that makes you pause for a second.
The pairing matters here. The passionfruit scone was the standout with the light roast, crisp on the outside, prepared beautifully, and the fruit note played perfectly with those floral tones. The croissant waffle, on the other hand, leaned richer and went better with the milkier flat white, buttery, crisp, and super satisfying. If you care about coffee craft and a calm vibe, this one is worth the stop.
More on social media: @ratedbymaryam
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kevin O'Brien
#1 in on my SD coffee list. Coffee, ingredients, and baristas are top tier. Style is Japanese inspired (minimalist, clean, neutral colors - calming). Drinkware is unique and satisfying design visually and ergonomically. Supposedly the matcha is also exceptional, but I'm a coffee guy through and through.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lidia Villalva
I will no longer be going to Rikka. Customer service was bad. White girl, brown hair, glasses was not welcoming which is totally fine no big deal BUT I grabbed matcha powder to purchase and hand it to my son to hold while I grabbed my wallet. After ordering pastries and drinks I payed and my son reminded me about the matcha powder I then asked to please charge it since I had forgotten, my son said after that she said “yeah.. forgot it”. She’s lucky I didn’t hear her and my son mentioned it to me when we were in the car. I would call but no number. Did you just insinuate I tried to steal? Horrible experience.
Amazing beans and of of a kind
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fantastic shop serving light roast coffee. I have not had a bad pour over or cortado. They have a good selection of coffee beans available for purchase as well. Going here has introduced me to new roasters and coffees.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I dream of that cream top almost daily.
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is perfect for slowing down and savoring the moment, with an impressive selection of coffee to boot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
visiting from LA and SO happy we found this place—amazing
the matcha is delicious and perfectly concentrated. hiiighly recommend
I loved this place! Rebecca was the one who helped me figure out which matcha to get, and she was very knowledgeable and sweet! My matcha was perfect! The matcha was ceremonial grade from Kyoto, and I just got matcha with whole milk. I love the taste of good quality matcha with fresh milk and that’s what I got! I would recommend this place highly to anyone who’s a matcha lover!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
this has been my favourite café in san diego since shortly after they opened the permanent location! absolutely love everything about it: the owners’ passion for international coffee culture, dedication to quality craft, design aesthetics, and it all shines through in the barista team they hire as well. i only now post this review because i’ve been gone studying abroad for the entirety of 2025, but i’m finally back and can say i’ve seen this café grow from its early days to now an expanded interior space paired with a patiently curated collection of items. come in the morning to see the natural light stream into the space BEAUTIFULLY.
this kind of café is not for everyone, and i think especially in the states, the deep appreciating coffee culture is not as prevalent or mainstream yet. i still love it tho and i hope u find some joy in visiting ♡
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Just moved into the apartments connected to Rikka Fika and had to try it out. I love matcha and was not disappointed by the cream top matcha. The flavor was just sweet enough and so creamy. Service was excellent, and the cashier remembered me when I went in 2 days in a row. Excited for this to my new go to!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I love coming here. It feels like an authentic Japanese coffee shop: peaceful, minimalist, crafty, excellent coffee choices. I find the pastries to be a bit on the dry side. The people at the counter are always very personable and helpful. I'm a new fan!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Best matcha in San Diego, great atmosphere and knowledgeable staff
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Bad customer service, poor and slow service, over price, not welcoming environment..
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The atmosphere wasn’t welcoming and didn’t reflect the San Diego vibe of warm and friendly people. Unfortunately, the quality also didn’t meet expectations.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Rikka Fika feels like a little reset button. Calm, minimal, very Japanese in the best way, quiet confidence, respectful energy, and everything is done with intention.
We started with a cortado using their more floral blend and it was beautifully pulled. The latte art on a cortado, especially with a lighter roast, is not easy, and they nailed it. We also tried a flat white with the regular blend and it was phenomenal, creamy, balanced, and just the kind of cup that makes you pause for a second.
The pairing matters here. The passionfruit scone was the standout with the light roast, crisp on the outside, prepared beautifully, and the fruit note played perfectly with those floral tones. The croissant waffle, on the other hand, leaned richer and went better with the milkier flat white, buttery, crisp, and super satisfying. If you care about coffee craft and a calm vibe, this one is worth the stop.
More on social media: @ratedbymaryam
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
#1 in on my SD coffee list. Coffee, ingredients, and baristas are top tier. Style is Japanese inspired (minimalist, clean, neutral colors - calming). Drinkware is unique and satisfying design visually and ergonomically. Supposedly the matcha is also exceptional, but I'm a coffee guy through and through.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I will no longer be going to Rikka. Customer service was bad. White girl, brown hair, glasses was not welcoming which is totally fine no big deal BUT I grabbed matcha powder to purchase and hand it to my son to hold while I grabbed my wallet. After ordering pastries and drinks I payed and my son reminded me about the matcha powder I then asked to please charge it since I had forgotten, my son said after that she said “yeah.. forgot it”. She’s lucky I didn’t hear her and my son mentioned it to me when we were in the car. I would call but no number. Did you just insinuate I tried to steal? Horrible experience.
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