Communal Coffee owner and founder Jen Byard knows you can’t force a community to come together. But she tends to do it organically.
Byard launched Communal in 2015 in North Park. Since then, it’s become one of the county’s most popular craft coffee hubs, with locations in Oceanside, South Park, and that funny stretch of 30th Street that’s sort of North Park, but almost South Park. Come July, she’ll open the fifth Communal in Kaya, a mixed-use building in Bankers Hill designed by Jeff Svitak.
Svitak is also the architect behind The Louisiana building in North Park, next to the first Communal location. He’s been a Communal regular since it first opened its doors, and Byard says they’ve been trying to work together for nearly a decade. Her patience—and strategically slow growth strategy—finally paid off.
“I don’t like to grow just for the sake of growing … [I am] very intentional where we go and who we go in with,” Byard explains. “I do wait for opportunities to come with people that I have relationships with or that I really respect—like Jeff.”
Byard and Svitak are already talking about future collaborative expansion plans, but first things first: The Bankers Hill location at Kaya will offer the same coffee, food, flowers, and retail as the larger locations in North Park and Oceanside, but with a bit of a twist when it comes to the seating. Kaya’s lobby sports a vintage Brazilian motif, with a spacious feel and around 60 to 70 seats for both tenants and Communal guests. There’s also a 20-seat outdoor patio directly adjacent to Olive Street Park. That natural integration with the neighborhood is exactly what Byard was looking for. There’s a built-in customer base with the building’s residents, but it’s also “a very diverse neighborhood—younger people, older people,” she says. “And the parking is better than my other locations!”
Eventually, Byard hopes to add wine and beer, plus some later hours. In the meantime, she’s ready to brew up a fresh neighborhood gathering space.
Communal Coffee soft opens at 2710 Third Avenue in Bankers Hill on July 15, 2025. Hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Chefs Play with Fire (Safely and Deliciously)
Seems like every restaurant is going wood-fired now. When The Grill at The Lodge at Torrey Pines remodeled years ago, it was ahead of the game, installing one of the most impressive outdoor live-fire setups in the city. And The Lodge’s culinary team shows it off with the annual “Playing With Fire” dinner series, bringing in guest chefs to cook with Lodge executive chef Kelli Crosson and chef de cuisine Ryan Dzierzawski. This year, the guest-chef roster includes 24 Suns and Rincon Brewery (June 9); Georges at the Cove, Nine-Ten, and Burgeon Beer Company (July 14); Kingfisher and Coronado Brewing (August 11); and 31ThirtyOne/Deckman’s Restaurant Group with Latitude 33 Brewing (September 8). This lineup is sizzling.
Beth’s Bites
- Stodgy old man dive bar no more—Hoffer’s Cigar Bar in La Mesa Village is now under new ownership with a slightly fresher interior, more craft beer, and more collaborations with other local businesses like Oddish Wine, Best Bud Floral, Wavy Burgers, and more. Basically, still a 21-plus cigar bar, but make it Millennial.
- Everyone buzzes about Beer Weeks, but why limit the fun to once a year? In 2022, the San Diego Brewers Guild launched SD Beer Weekend; this year, the event (June 27–29) packs a lot into a few days at breweries and taprooms across San Diego County. The biggest event is Rhythm & Brews (1 p.m. on June 28), with over 30 local breweries like Burgeon, Craft Coast, and Fall, plus plenty of live music. And yes, DD tickets are available.
- Backed by a trio of longtime local beer experts, Escondido Social Taproom is slated to open mid-July in the former Little Miss Brewing tasting room. Matthew Holden, former owner of Rip Current Brewing, says the taproom plans to work with local restaurants to allow guests to bring their own food into the roughly 700-square-foot space. It will offer local craft beer, cider, kombucha, wine, and mead, plus non-alcoholic options. “We are looking to provide a place for people to come and hang out, grab a cold beverage, and spend time with friends and make new ones,” he says. “We are working hard on bringing something new to the neighborhood without losing the ‘hang out’ vibe—I’m excited for the unveiling.”
Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene
Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].
