San Diego’s coffee scene is heating up with craft brews cultivated by local roasters and poured by expert baristas. Look for homemade infusions and high-watt decor to put the perk in your step. In East Village, three coffee shops stand out as being some of the best places to get caffeinated. From sipping joe with a velociraptor to sampling custom bean blends, your morning just got a lot brighter!
Get Invigorated
A partnership between Modern Times Coffee and CH Projects has created the Invigatorium on Ninth Avenue. The first thing that will awaken your senses is the decor, including a huge mural of a fire-breathing dragon made of Post-It notes and an oversized disco ball. Brian Eastman from CH Projects shares that their lack of coffee expertise is the secret ingredient to their success. “What we don’t know about coffee helps us keep to what we feel should be a guiding principle in the process, a lack of pretense. Too many cups of coffee come with an attitude on the side based on modifications or a perceived lack of frothed milk education. We pushed aside ingredients you might expect at a cafe and choose to work with things we have fun with – like superfoods in coffees, making our house “science lemon & lime” with citric and tartaric acids, and working with bitters more traditionally found in the cocktail world. We are here to have fun and get people through the days, our weird little way.”
631 9th Ave, San Diego, CA
(858) 634-7664
Branch Out
Young Hickory’s roots may be in North Park, but the cafe’s East Village location may be its best. The coffee and beer shop is built into the IDEA1 live/work apartment community and features an outdoor courtyard to sip on your beverage of choice. Try the Dirty Chai OMG, a fusion drink made with espresso, spiced chai, and oat milk. Young Hickory now offers its own beans as well, so you can pick up a bag of Pipeline Espresso Blend that offers notes of caramel apple, fudge, and cinnamon.
810 13th Street, San Diego, CA
(619) 501-5263
Bank on the Beans
Spill the Beans Coffee & Bagel boasts more than great java, they also whip up the best bagels in San Diego. For your AM fix, start with the Mr. Ed, a shaken cold brew infused with an almond-rose water syrup. “At Spill the Beans, we offer Dark Horse Coffee Roasters,” explains Head Barista and Manager Connor Nerat. “And last fall we partnered with the local company to create our own Spill the Beans and Dark Horse collaboration roast. We’re using a single origin Brazil which has a great, bold flavor with notes of chocolate, toasted almonds & nougat.” Unique bagel flavors such as Bacon & White Cheddar along with spreads like Wasabi Soy and White Truffle Parmesan make up the unmissable bagel menu.
555 Market St, San Diego, CA
(619) 233-3836
