Pop-ups may be the business model du jour, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Allyson and Josue (who prefer to keep their last name private) launched their Japanese tea company Este with the intention of showcasing unique producers of loose leaf teas, herbal teas, and matcha in San Diego. They’ve been popping up since 2024, but after two years, both founders say that approach just isn’t for them long-term.
“We wanted a consistent home that could still flex for different kinds of gatherings,” explains Allyson. “Cultures throughout the world pair different foods with their teas and coffees, [so] we wanted a space where we could do a sort of cultural exchange with Japanese teas paired with Filipino and Salvadoran sweets, while still highlighting traditional Japanese sweets like wagashi.”
Still, it’s expensive to get your own place, so they decided to look for a place for a permanent residency (similar to what Mon Chourie opened at Kairoa Brewing Company on October 3). The business-within-a-business model provides the stability of a brick and mortar and the discounted costs of teaming up with an established retailer. They found what they were looking for at The Woo.
Courtesy of Este Tea | Photo Credit: Stephanie Chen
The Woo is a collaborative creative space in Barrio Logan that opened in late 2025 by Tony Salamone and David Garcia. Their goal is to bring together creatives to spark ideas, create community, and make connections with like-minded people driving the culture of San Diego forward. Bringing in an artistically-minded vendor for their patrons made just as much sense to them as it did to Este.
“They are artists in their own right, in the way they think and approach their work,” says Salamone. “Beyond simply being great people, we felt they were a natural fit for The Woo because they bring a high level of intention and craftsmanship to what they do.”
Courtesy of Este Tea | Photo Credit: Stephanie Chen
Este opens at The Woo on October 3, smack in the heart of San Diego’s arts and culture renaissance. Their menu will offer Japanese loose leaf teas like sencha and genmaicha (green teas), wakoucha (black tea), oolong, hojicha, various caffeine-free herbal teas, and yes, matcha. “Despite what people might think, we are not a matcha company,” says Allyson. (Still, they have some excellent choices for people who are maniacal about matcha.) Initial operating hours will be limited to Saturdays at the beginning, but Allyson says they plan to launch evening events soon after, with the first limited-seating evening tea room coming on October 15.
Josue says it’s just the start for Este. “Our goal is to continue enabling the space and bring additional third space options for people,” he says, adding they plan to expand their wholesale program as well. And Barrio Logan is ripe for continued discovery, says Salamone. “Este adds another layer to the already rich culture of Barrio Logan. We’re only a couple blocks away from the busier streets of the neighborhood, so we’re excited to activate our corner in a new way.”
Este is open now at The Woo (2212 Main Street, Barrio Logan). Initial operating hours will be Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with extended hours and additional events coming soon.
Happy fifth birthday to the still Michelin-starred in our hearts icon in Oceanside, Valle! To mark the occasion, Chef Roberto Alcocer is throwing a “Cincoañera” party with guest chef Andrew Bachelier (Atelier Manna, Chick & Hawk) on Friday, October 9 with wines from the Valle de Guadalupe, tequila from Reserva de la Familia, and a slew of to-be-announced dishes from two of the region’s top chefs. I have no doubt this birthday bacchanal will sell out and will likely be the most delicious fifth birthday anyone’s ever been to.
The requisite permit problems and construction delays are finally in the rearview mirror for Mi Pan Bakery. The specialty bakery is throwing a grand opening weekend for its first brick-and-mortar at 6435 Mission Gorge Road in Grantville on October 10 and 11, complete with DJs, coffee, pastries, bread—pretty much everything one could ask for on a weekend morning. (Get the butter croissant. Thank me later.)
Chef Noura Bishay’s backyard restaurant, The Hidden Gazebo Eatery, is a little hard to find, but easy to enjoy. She serves up traditional Egyptian food (sometimes with a few twists), but if you want something a little more hands-on, check out her upcoming Cookie Baking classes. You’ll be able to mix, bake, and decorate your own batch of cookies like black honey with raisins, kahk (Egyptian wedding cookies), sugar cookies, and French-Egyptian Pharaoh almond sablé cookies. Everything is provided, and kids are free through October with a paying adult. (Thank you, Kids Free in October!)
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Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
