-Where to find the perfect cup in every neighborhood

In a metropolitan area like San Diego, it can be pretty overwhelming trying to find the perfect convenient coffee spot. Not only is the best tasting brew in question, but other factors play a role in the hunt as well, such as atmosphere, food choices, internet access, and the like. More than anything, it is important to get input from others and then try each place for yourself. Here are some of our favorites to get your searching started.

10. Café Bassam

-Bankers Hill

Café Bassam in Bankers Hill is San Diego’s oldest coffee shop, and it shows in the most charming way. This vintage shop sells a wide variety of coffee, espresso, loose-leaf teas, and wine. They also sell cigars, sandwiches, and pastries such as Baklava.  They have a European payment method in which you pay for your coffee after you drink it. This promotes relaxation and a "no rush" vibe. If you need an escape and want to transport to another world in the middle of the day, Café Bassam is just the place.                                                                                                     

9. Lofty Coffee

-Little Italy/Solano Beach

This coffee shop is based in Encinitas, but they have a new location in Little Italy. Their infamous salted caramel latte is amazing, with the caramel being made in house! Lofty Coffee sticks by their ethos of creating organic food using local products. They also run their business in a sustainable and environmentally conscious manner. Their beans are locally roasted, and they want the customer experience to be natural and inviting.

8. Bean Bar

-Downtown East Village

With a great location in the East Village right across from the Central Library, Bean Bar provides a quiet and spacious lounge spot filled with light for the focused student or downtown professional. Bean Bar uses beans from Vancouver’s 49^th Parallel and serves a great selection of cold, v60, pour over, and drip brews. They also sell pastries, sandwiches, and an excellent avocado toast.

7. Lestat’s

-Hillcrest

Lestat’s is a unique coffee shop with its original location in the Hillcrest neighborhood. Lestat’s embodies a French feel with its shop being fashioned after the French Quarter in New Orleans. One interesting thing about Lestat’s is that it’s open 24/7. The Hillcrest location has a great patio where you can enjoy tasty pastries with your coffee, study or work in peace, and people watch all day and night.  

6. Dark Horse Coffee Roasters

-Golden Hill, Normal Heights, North Park

Dark Horse has locations all over San Diego, and because they roast their own beans, you can replicate their product at home. They also sell vegan donuts, which are very popular. Flavors such as maple and pumpkin spice top the list! The passionate owners of Dark Horse have traveled the world in order to improve their local brew back home. This is a quintessential local spot where you can get a real community feel and experience.

Photo Credit: Kirby's Cravings

5. Rebecca’s Coffee House

-South Park

Rebecca’s is the coffee house you see in the movies. Nestled in the neighborhood of South Park, this café brings together locals and travelers alike. They have frequent poetry readings, live music, and open mic nights. This is a community coffee house where the espresso is as rich as the culture. Come to Rebecca’s if you want to sink into a comfy couch with your coffee and a delicious banana chai or strawberry jam scone. Yum!

4. Holsem Coffee

-North Park

Holsem Coffee is Caffé Calabria’s contrasting neighbor also located in North Park. Holsem Coffee is an experimental café as opposed to a traditional one. Some of their cold brew creations include the coconut cold brew, lemon meringue, gingersnap, and banana bread. Holsem is for the coffee enthusiast who enjoys investigating new flavors. The vibe of Holsem’s café is quiet and perfect for any focused student or professional.                             

Photo Credit: Zagat

3. Caffé Calabria

-North Park

Caffé Calabria in North Park provides an authentic Italian coffee experience with locally roasted beans. Not only does this café make an excellent assortment of Italian coffee blends, but they also have a brick pizza oven, craft cocktails, and Italian sodas. Italians should be fully trusted with all things food and drink, and Caffé Calabria transports that earned expertise to the San Diego scene!

2. James Coffee Company

-Little Italy

James Coffee Co. is unique in that its Little Italy location on India Street resides in a small complex full of multiple other local shops including clothing boutiques, a flower shop, a barber, and an optometrist. James Coffee is roasted in San Diego and they pride themselves on the quality and uniqueness of their handcrafted artisan roasts. The atmosphere remains both calm and inviting in a more chaotic area of town.                                                                                          Photo Credit: Razlyn Cavazos

1. Better Buzz Coffee

-Pacific Beach

This local coffee chain is a favorite for many because of its organic, fair trade, and dark roasts, as well as unique concoctions of smoothies, teas, cold brews, and more. They have free Wi-Fi and a great selection of sandwiches, pastries, and acai bowls. All of their locations boast an inviting, laid-back atmosphere. Their original Pacific Beach location also has a spacious patio; dogs welcome! Photo Credit: Facebook

This list of the ten best coffee shops in San Diego was gathered primarily based on high ratings and reviews by residents and regulars themselves. When in doubt, listen to the locals. We hope you find the perfect place to cure your caffeine craving!

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Top Ten Coffe Shops From 2016 [Updated]

San Diego's coffee culture is growing by the minute - offering more than just a cup of Jo. Craft coffee is taking our city by storm. Study-seshes or business meetings, get-togethers or break-ups, R&R or on the go, coffee shops serve a variety of purposes for us near and far. 

Here it is caffeine addicts, the top 10 coffee shops in San Diego. In no particular order.

10. Lestat’s Coffee House

3343 Adams Ave, San Diego (619) 282-0437 | Visit website

There is nothing worse than the feeling you get when you pull up to your favorite coffee house and see the lights off, chairs flipped, and CLOSED sign glaring in the window. You will never get the chance to experience that defeating feeling at Lestat's because they are open 24/7, 7 days a week! Enjoy a cup of joe in comfortable living room furniture while listening to live, local music without the worry of ever staying too late. They are literally your home away from home, rain or shine, 365 days a year.

Also Read: Coffee Roaster Iron Smith Coffee 

9. Pannikin

510 N Coast Hwy 101 Encinitas, CA - (760) 436-5824 | Visit website

Time travel to the 1880's when you visit the Pannikin in Leucadia. The one–of–a–kind coffee house is rich with San Diego culture, located in what used to be the Santa Fe railroad station. The 47–year–old coffee company is known for its wide assortment of specialty teas and delectable coffees. 

The company has grown to three locations in San Diego, including the Encinitas location off of the 101, the La Jolla Café on Girard and at the San Diego airport.

What makes Pannikin unique is their atmosphere: picnic–style lounge chairs scatter the vast patio area. 

Note: if you want to get a good seat on the weekends, remember that the early bird does indeed get the worm.

8. Café Calabria

3933 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104 - (619) 291-1759 | Visit website

If the name of this coffee shop doesn’t give away its vibe, take a sip of Italy by visiting this café in North Park. Calabria’s founder, Arne Holt, created this coffee shop twenty–one years ago after tasting millions of batches of coffee all over the country. Holt found the golden key to unlock coffee drinker's hearts, molto gusto!

What's more, if your coffee run has you in the mood for a bite to eat, Café Calabria makes exceptionally delicious Neopolitian pizza from a custom-built, wood-fired oven. For the most authentic Italian experience, this café is calling your name.

7. Bird Rock Coffee Roasters

5627 La Jolla Blvd, San Diego, CA 92037 - (858) 551-1707 | Visit website

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters is known for the freshest beans in town. Every day is a new day at BRCR, where their bags of coffee are stamped with the date to ensure you are getting the cream of the crop. The Coffee Roaster Team strives to have a positive impact on the environment around them, as well as the people who grow their beans. They are heavily involved within their neighborhood of Bird Rock, a tight-knit community located between La Jolla and Pacific Beach. If you are an artist you can even submit your artwork to be showcased in the store. Talk about fresh. 

6. Coffee Coffee

970 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024 - (760) 436-2233 | Visit website

Coffee Coffee, conveniently located alongside surf shop Surfy Surfy, is a precise description of the vibe the urbanized coffee shop brings to its customers from near and far. Located on the 101 in the eclectic beach town of Leucadia, Coffee Coffee is a newbie in town, opening in 2011. Coffee Coffee classifies themselves as a Mom & Pop store; the shop was created by a group of surfer friends who had a vision of having a surf and coffee shop where family and friends could get together. 

What makes Coffee Coffee stand out amongst their competition in the coffee town is their authenticity. They serve hand–roasted coffee made from a hefty Probat roaster (performed by Dan the Coffee Man of Revolutionary Roasters) right in the café. Additionally, they serve outstanding locally–sourced teas from Tea Gallerie and have partnered with several local bakeries. 

Coffee Coffee is a great place if you want to catch up with friends, work on your research paper, or grab a bite to eat after your surfy surfy session.

5. Zumbar Coffee

10920 Roselle St #106, San Diego, CA 92121 - (858) 622-0000 | Visit website

Located in Sorrento Valley, Zumbar is the perfect spot for a cuppa if you are coming to or from work or just in need of a pit stop. It is usually filled with loyal scientists and techies who work in the area. "ZUMBAR is a Spanish verb. It means to buzz (like a bee), hum (like a motor), or purr (like a cat)- you get the picture. It’s a perfect analogy for our coffee: the idea that there’s an elevated level that can be distinctly marked and reached" –Zumbar Coffee. 

4. Better Buzz

578 S Coast Hwy 101 Encinitas, CA - (760) 487-5562 | Visit website

Coffee by the people, for the people. Better Buzz is San Diego’s exclusive coffee experience that is a part of San Diegans from Vista to Pacific Beach. With six locations in Point Loma, Mission Beach, San Marcos, Fashion Valley Mall, Pacific Beach, and coming soon in Encinitas, it’s about time you heard the buzz. 

3. Café Cantata PERMANENTLY CLOSED

2670 Via De La Valle, Del Mar, CA 92014 - (858) 925-7297 

A taste of musical history is what you will experience with Café Cantata in the Flower Hill Promenade Del Mar, named after one of Bach’s famous compositions, Coffee Cantata, an opera that "pokes fun at the powerful addictions that many of his townspeople were experiencing toward an exotic new substance called coffee." All of their coffee is 100% certified organic custom blends. They are confident that you will be back again for an encore!

2. Common Grounds La Jolla Shores PERMANENTLY CLOSED

If you just came from a kayak lesson or night at The Shores, make sure to stop by the newly–opened Common Grounds by Café Solange. Every sale contributes to clean drinking water for the people who grow the beans and their packaging is 100% compostable!

1. Café Moto

2619 National Ave, San Diego (619) 239-6686 | Visit website

Named after the family owners' love for motorcycles, Café Moto, located on National Avenue is a great stop for a cup of coffee and a lesson in sustainability. The entire shop relies on solar power—even the massive coffee roaster relies on natural gas. The burlap coffee bags are usually donated to the San Diego Zoo for orangutans and tigers to have play toys and blankets. Café Moto does have some experience behind their belt—since 1968 they have been roasting coffee in San Diego. In addition to serving high-quality coffee that is 100% organic and fair trade, the café offers demonstrations, samplings, and taste tests to enhance your knowledge in the coffee world. Their company has grown to sell more products like barista tools, espresso machines and more which can be found on their website. Café Moto’s slogan is "We drink all we can, the rest we sell!"

Whether you're a coffee lover or not, be sure to check out these amazing shops that are rich with San Diegan culture. It's a great way to stay connected to your community and to see first–hand the passion these shops feel for their favorite thing in the world.  Not only is the coffee unparalleled, the atmospheres of each shop have unique attributes that mesh with your lifestyle. Whether you are a fan of motorcycles or like to indulge in Bach, visiting one of these shops will make you think twice about stepping into a Starbucks ever again.