New Restaurant: Copa Vida
Photo by Paul Body
Hot or iced, black or with milk, our cafés are pros at pouring coffee. Try one of these top pours around town for your next caffeine fix.
The Champ at Dark Horse Coffee Roasters
An infusion of cinnamon, milk, a double shot of espresso, and a touch of honey—the Champ lives up to its name by being the café’s first specialty drink. What started as an off-menu secret was later added to the roster thanks to its popularity, and a ready-to-drink version is expected to arrive later this year.
Five locations in San Diego County
Nitro oat milk latte at Copa Vida
This drink has become the most requested order at Copa Vida’s East Village location. Like a traditional cold brew, the coffee is “flash brewed” and steeped for about 15 hours. It’s cut with oat milk instead of water, prepared with brown sugar, and pumped through a nitro keg, giving it a frothy and nutty texture.
Six locations in San Diego County
Coffee flight at Breakers Coffee + Wine
One of the latest additions to the new Sky Deck at Del Mar Highlands, Breakers Coffee + Wine sources its beans from a local farm in San Marcos, where about 2,000 coffee trees represent more than six different strains of arabica. For a unique tasting experience, try the coffee flight made with the shop’s locally harvested Guatemala, Cyrus the Great, and Java beans.
12843 El Camino Real, Carmel Valley
Mexican mocha and Cuban cortado at Cafe Moto
Barrio Logan’s Cafe Moto, a specialty coffee wholesale distributor and café, prides itself on its fair trade organic coffee. Working with women cooperatives and importing beans from all over the world, the café stocks more than 20 different types of coffee roasted in house. A few favorites include the Mexican mocha with chocolate from Guadalajara and the Cuban cortado.
2619 National Avenue, Barrio Logan
Café de Olla at Mujer Divina
Taking inspiration from its sister restaurant, Talavera Azul, the recently opened Mujer Divina in National City has grown popular for its flavored lattes, pan dulce, and burritos. The Mexican café de olla follows the traditional recipe and is made with real cinnamon, raw piloncillo (raw cane sugar) from Sonora, and beans from Chiapas.
310 East Eighth Street, National City
