Oceanside’s oldest coffee shop is getting an infusion of star power, but it’s not Jitters Coffee Pub’s first brush with fame. Irving and Joni Richards owned and operated the Oceanside icon from 1992-2003, right around the same time their daughter, actress Denise Richards, was becoming a household name in movies like Starship Troopers and Wild Things. But when the shop’s lease was up, it forced a move across the street, and with Joni battling cancer, Irv started looking for a way out. He found one in Vallie Gilley.
“Irving had reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, would you just come on for like, maybe a month and help me train all the new staff just to get it going?’” Gilley recalls. “I was like, ‘Absolutely.’”
Twenty five years later, she still owns Jitters with her husband, Clayton Ballew.
Ballew roasts the coffee, and they’ve run the place as a community hub with an emphasis on supporting local musicians. Famous musicians are known to show up under fake names and jam for hours. One of those became a regular and close family friend for 20 years—Jason Mraz, who lives up the road.
After Covid ran straight into rent increases to rising supply and labor costs, Gilley was ready to call it a day. She told Mraz about the possible curtain call, and the notion didn’t sit well with him.
“Well, what do you propose?’” she asked him. “And he’s like, ‘What if I become an investor partner?’”
Gilley didn’t jump on the idea right away.
“He’s like having a brother, and I didn’t want to mess that up,” she says.
But in September 2024, Mraz made a deal she couldn’t refuse. A few days later, she started negotiating the lease with the landlord. Mraz started calling contractors, and they closed for a few months to revive the space. They added a real stage, with a brand-new custom sound system for bands.
They also partnered with Felix Alcaide of One Kitchen Collaborative to refresh the plant-centric menu of breakfast and lunch items like burritos, bowls, and sandwiches. Much of the menu is made from scratch in-house, including their own rolls, focaccia, pastries, and even vegan cheese.
“We’re not into the fake meat,” she explains. “Even our chorizo is made out of sunflower seeds instead of soy… our fish tacos are made of coconut, things like that.” Jitters does carry items made with real cheese and eggs, she points out, but its approach is to introduce guests to foods they might not normally eat, or might not think they’ll like.
“If somebody says, ‘Oh, I don’t do vegan,’ I say, ‘If you don’t like it, I’ll buy it.’ And I’ve not once had to buy it in the 20 years I’ve been open.”
Jitters is currently open, with its fan favorite landscape is so much different than it was 25 years ago, Gilley says. Oceanside’s dining scene has grown astronomically, and costs are not for the meek. But with a new team at her back, she says they’re ready for what’s next.
“The space is so bright and amazing, the vibe is so good, and we’re all so excited,” she says. “I’m glad I said yes.”
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
- Carnitas Uruapan has been slinging some of the best—if not the best—carnitas in town since 1986. In March, the restaurant announced that due to a landlord dispute, it would close its La Mesa location at 4233 Spring Street (its nearby Rolando location stayed open). However, it looks like they’ll open a new second location at 7941 Broadway in Lemon Grove with the “same owners, same cooks, and same delicious food.” Long story short, those iconic rolled tacos and ridiculously tasty carnitas plates aren’t going far.
- The former La Clochette location at 4680 Cass Street in Pacific Beach is getting some new life when The Barista Botanist takes over. Once open, it’ll operate daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with coffee, tea, kombucha, smoothies, bowls, pizzas, sandwiches, and more, all in a vibrant green plant-inspired space with knickknacks and other home goods for sale. They’ve been teasing “coming soon” on their Instagram for a couple weeks now, but all signs point to “opening imminently.”
- Pacific Beach isn’t the only neighborhood getting a fresh coffee infusion. Cafecito just opened its second location at 710 Seacoast Drive in Imperial Beach. Its first location opened in November 2023 at 1550 Palm Avenue—yes, it’s the mug-shaped building—with Mexican coffees, a full espresso bar, burritos, and plenty of pop-ups and plants. It’s literally all of my favorite things.
- May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. To honor it, from May 10-18 a number of restaurants will offer menu and dish specials in a variety of price points and cuisines (think high-end Vietnamese-French fusion at Kingfisher alongside Filipino street food at Lia’s Lumpia). Check out all the menus here and get the full details at MSG Hospitality Group’s site here.
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