Jason Mraz New Partner in Classic O’side Coffee Shop
As a new investor in Jitters Coffee Pub, the Grammy-winning artist is helping revive the over 30-year locale with an upgraded look, food, and live-music stage
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.’”
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.
Courtesy of Jitters
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.
“Coffee shops like Jitters are where it all began for me—where I found my voice and my community,” says Mraz. “I’ve always felt at home here, and I’m thrilled to help bring some fresh energy to the space. Oceanside deserves a place like Jitters, where everyone can feel at home and gather for good food and good fun.”
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.”
The 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.”
Courtesy of Kingfisher
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.
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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.
